The Calming Neon Lights In Our Dark Stormy Skies
by vausesandspanishharlem
Summary: Life has its twists and turns, some great, some horrific, but they have to keep pushing through it, no matter what, and they've always got each other. Everyone's personal storylines are connected. Includes Nichorello, Flaritza, Gloria, Red, Alex, Diane, Daya, Aleida, Blanca, Maria, Taystee, Poussey, Tricia & more! HIGH SCHOOL AU
1. She Packs a Punch

**Thank you for beta'ing, thecharmedwerewolf! This is my new story and first high school AU for Orange is the New Black. It's loosely based on another show called Pretty Little Liars, which is about four best friends who receive anonymous texts after the leader of their clique mysteriously disappeared and supposedly died. You don't need to watch the show to understand what this is about, but the events that happen in this fic are similar to some things that are in Pretty Little Liars and you will also recognize parts of Orange is the New Black. Without further ado, read on, kids.**

The tenth grade girls are all at Pizza Hut, their favorite hangout spot from seventh grade until the end of time. It's the first year the most popular group of friends at Martin Van Buren High aren't so talkative. One could even say they've drifted apart, but on this night, something led them all to the same spot and they decided to sit down and have cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate milkshakes.

"I can't believe it's been a year already," Lorna Morello says somberly, breaking the silence.

Alex Vause bows her head like she always does when she's going to cry. Daya Diaz slurps her drink and Flaca Gonzales takes a huge bite out of her burger. Alex sniffles. "She's still missing. The cops have not found her body."

"The news report said they're ready to give up, basically, and say she's dead...presumably," Daya tells them. "Fucking incompetent assholes."

Flaca swallows her food. "Do you girls think something happened to her that night?"

"We were all at my house. Franny was there watching us. She would've noticed Piper leave," Lorna murmurs.

"No, she was an expert on climbing up and down fire escapes like the one outside your house," Daya counters the brunette Italian.

"She always wanted to scare the shit out of us," Flaca says. "At our last sleepover with the five of us, that worked. She loved to play jokes-"

"It would just be easier to say she was raped and murdered," Alex grumbles. "It doesn't take this long to find a young blonde girl, especially if the reward is fifty thousand dollars."

Lorna sees the pain in her best friend's eyes. "Don't lose hope, hon. Piper's gotta be alive."

"Yeah," Daya agrees.

"Man, I wish I had your optimism," Flaca mumbles.

"So do I," Alex agrees.

 _"I cannot believe you're still a virgin, Al," Piper says while handing them all red cups of Coke laced with alcohol in them. "All of us have done it, why not you? Oh, I know! It's your endless fantasies about Cate Blanchett, right?"_

 _The girls chuckle awkwardly and Alex looks down at herself shyly. "Haven't found the right person, I guess..."_

 _"Come on, who cares, sex is just sex," Daya tells her._

 _"I'm shocked that you haven't tried stuff with your mom's boyfriend," Piper answers._

 _Lorna ignores Piper's comment and scoffs. "Maybe to you, Daya! God, the next guy who fucks me for money is so going down!"_

 _"What, you haven't gotten your revenge yet?" Flaca asks. "If Ian did that to me-"_

 _"You'd curse him, we know, you goth freak," Piper finishes for her. "Lorn, you should do something."_

 _"Mess with his car," Alex suggests, giving Lorna a wink._

 _"Don't give her any ideas," Piper mutters. "We all know Looney Tunes Lorna is a little crazy."_

 _Lorna glares at the blonde and her mood changes from cheerful to furious. "Don't call me that ever again."_

 _A few seconds later, Piper apologizes and then the group is back to gossiping and giggling like the best friends forever that they are._

* * *

"Daya!" Aleida Diaz screams from the kitchen. "That better be you who just came through the door!"

The young Latina sighs. "Yes, Mom, I'm home."

"You were supposed to put Emiliano and Christina to bed a half hour ago! They're in your room, probably flushing Barbies down the toilet or something! Get the fuck in there! We have to go out soon!"

"Sorry, sorry, my bus was late," Daya mumbles. She knows her mother is too busy getting high with her latest man, Cesar, to bother taking care of her baby sister and brother. Aleida uses her pregnancy as an excuse, but she's been like this ever since Daya was born, probably even before that.

"Daya!" Christina squeals excitedly when the fifteen-year-old walks into her bedroom. She wraps her arms around Daya's legs. "Look, I drawed all over 'Miliano! He sleepin'." She giggles and Daya shakes her head at the sight of her brother covered in markers. A tube of lipstick was on the floor and Daya recognizes it as hers. She kneels down next to her sister and wraps her in her arms.

"Sweetie, you know you can't do that to your brother. You gotta help me clean him up. Are you guys hungry? I fed you enough before I left, right?"

The four-year-old shakes her head no. "I want more macaroni and cheese!"

"I used the last of it...I guess Cesar has to get us more food tomorrow. I'm sorry I didn't pick up anything for you."

Christina pouts and sighs sadly. She looks up at Daya with round, curious eyes. "Where you go, sissy?"

"I needed to get myself something to eat. I was starving."

"Ohh...you okay?"

Daya doesn't realize she has tears in her eyes until Christina asks her that question. She'd be lying if she said she was fine. Her living situation definitely isn't the dream. As much as she loves her kid siblings, she wants a mom who knows her inside and out, who would hold her as she cries. Someone who is much older, smarter, and braver than she is. Sometimes, she dreams that Aleida actually gives two fucks about her and then when she wakes up to reality, she bursts out sobbing.

Her friends made her life so much easier, but now that Piper's gone, they'll never have that same closeness again. She remembers when Alex's, Flaca's, and Piper's moms and Lorna's big sister, Franny, would each take a turn lifting her responsibilities off her shoulders and babysit Christina and Emiliano so she could have a night out with the girls. The mothers had also tried to help Aleida get clean, but it was no use. She just enjoys packing heroin and taking it way too much. She'd snapped at them to mind their own damn business, and that was the end of it.

Daya blows out a huge breath and takes out her hoop earrings. "I will be, hopefully soon, baby." She gently wakes up her brother and washes him off in the tub, and then Christina wants to join him. She gives them both a bubble bath and then after drying them off, she changes them into their pajamas and puts brand new diapers on them. Christina gets a Barbie onesie while Emiliano wears blue pants and a red long-sleeved shirt. "Wait here, I'll get you something to eat." She gives them a coloring book and crayons. "Keep it on the paper, not on each other, please."

When she gets into the kitchen, she sees that it's empty. There's a note from either her mom or Cesar. _We'll be back whenever, probably morning. Here's a twenty for groceries._

She opens the cabinet and finds nothing, so she tries the refrigerator. "Bingo," she whispers to herself as she pulls out a box of pizza. There's two slices left, so she takes one. She heats it up on the stove and blows on it until it cools down enough as to not burn Christina's little tongue. She plops the piece on a paper plate and brings it to her bedroom.

"Hey, please stop jumping on my bed, that's dangerous. You could fall off. I have some pizza..."

"Yay!" both children shout happily.

"Where Mommy?" Emiliano asks innocently as Daya tears the pizza in half and hands them each a tiny slice.

"She went bye-bye," Daya answers.

After they finish eating, Daya gives them water and then she places them inside their respective cradles, kisses them good night, and then gets into her own bed.

"Love you," Christina calls out.

"Love you," Emiliano echoes his sister.

"I love you too, angels," Daya murmurs while smiling.

* * *

Diane Vause comes into her daughter's bedroom on Saturday morning and strokes her raven locks until Alex's eyes flutter open. She blindly reaches for her glasses and accidentally knocks them off her bedside table. "Shit," she groans under her breath. "Mom, can you-"

"I've got them, honey." Diane hands Alex her glasses. "Watch your language, young lady."

Alex rolls her eyes and smirks. "Sorry, Mother, but _you_ try dropping your glasses like a loser."

"You're not a loser! Remember what I told you a long time ago? You're a winner. You're the coolest girl in the world."

"Yeah..."

"So, you saw your friends last night, huh?"

"Mm-hm."

"How was that, after a year of being apart?"

Alex rubs her bleary eyes open and puts her glasses on while sitting up in her bed. "Weird, I guess...but it was good to kind of reconnect. Without Piper, it's just...it feels like something's missing. She was the glue that kept us all together."

"You should arrange something with them and just bond."

"It's strange...all of us were friends with Pipes in our own way...it's not the same. I'll see how we do on our first day back at school."

"Why don't we go shopping before I have to work at Friendly's, just you and me? That'll be fun, huh?"

"Ehh..." Alex isn't much of a shopper, except for when it comes to Hot Topic. She loves their band tees and dark blue jeans. Her mother insists that she gets her love of rock from her dad, Lee Burley. He supposedly used to be a musician who threw awesome concerts, but she wonders why he's not famous anymore.

"We'll go to your favorite store!" Diane promises her.

"Okay, then!"

They eat pancakes with eggs on top and then watch a few movies before Diane takes them to Hot Topic. The music is so loud that they can't hear each other.

"I'm going to step out, this is not my kind of place!" Diane shouts. "I'm still gonna keep my eye on you, though, so don't you steal anything!"

"I won't!" Alex knows that her mom isn't worried about her shoplifting. It's more the fact that her best friend vanished and Diane doesn't want the same thing to happen to her daughter.

The tall black-haired girl sifts through the clothes and looks at a few. She grabs some jeans, a dark red shirt with a white skull and crossbones on it, a gray leather jacket, and fishnet stockings.

"Alex Vause in her natural habitat," a Spanish accented voice says behind her. She turns around to face Flaca, who's dressed in a black and white striped shirt, ripped jeans, and gray boots. She has a few blue stripes in her hair. Last night, the stripes were purple. Alex has always admired Flaca's fashion sense, and vice versa.

"So we meet again, it must be fate," Alex answers with a grin. "Nice highlights! They match your lipstick."

"Thanks. I love your makeup," Flaca says.

"Thank you." Alex looks outside and notices Diane talking to Theresa Gonzales. "Your mom doesn't like it in here either?"

Flaca shakes her head no. "Nah. She's gotta find a dress to sew for this lady's wedding, so I can't stay for long. We can catch up for like, five minutes while they chat, though."

"Yeah, it'll help take our minds off..."

"Mm-hm."

"How are Marco and Pedro?"

"I've caught them watching porn twice."

Alex laughs. "They should be friends with Mikey and Cal. I swear, the number of times they've hit on me..."

"I'm sorry," Flaca apologizes.

"No, it's cool...hasn't Mikey tried to get with you before?" Alex doesn't want to mention anyone in Piper's family since it'll just remind her of the blonde. It hurts too much. She has no idea how Flaca can do it.

Flaca nods. "Lorna punched him when he hit on me."

"It happens when you have little brothers who aren't that much younger than you."

"Yep...hey, are you getting all that?"

"Of course, hello!" Alex holds up a red corset. "You should totally wear this for Ian."

Flaca grabs it from her while chuckling and puts it back. " _Ay dios mío,_ Alex, you're dirty! My mom would kill me!"

"I know, dude. I was joking. So...what did you do this summer?"

"My mom sent me to camp like always, but it wasn't boring this time. You know how you make a friend and they live so far away from you and it's like, really depressing, because you'll never see this girl again?"

"Oh, yeah?"

"I met this chick, Maritza Ramos. We roomed together. We got each other's numbers and found out we live near each other and even go to the same school! She's hella nice. She's also into punk like us."

"Awesome! I was thinking...we should totally do band together."

"Oh, yeah, that would be fun!"

"Also, lunch, you and me?"

"I actually planned to eat with Maritza...we got close over the summer...but you can totally join us!"

"Wait, your bunkmate from camp?"

Flaca scoffs. "She's so much more than that. We're like sisters."

"Okay, well...I get it. Did you tell her about...?"

"It's all over the news, so she knows. She comforted me a lot."

"Marisol, _vamanos_!" Theresa waves Flaca over.

The tall Latina rolls her eyes. "Mama's callin'."

"Well, it was cool seeing you," Alex says as she and Flaca quickly hug each other.

"Yeah, same. Bye!"

Alex pays for her clothes and then walks out of Hot Topic. "Hey, Mom. Funny running into them, huh?"

"Yeah, but they always go here. So do we. It's a coincidence. What did you get?"

"I'll show you at home."

* * *

When Flaca and her mom get back from shopping, she realizes something. Out of their old group of friends, she and Alex are the only two who have dyed parts of their hair blue, they both are being raised by a single mother who loves them deeply, and they share a favorite music genre, which is rock. She wonders why everyone fell out of touch just because Piper isn't here. It was so easy talking to Alex, just like it is with Maritza, but somehow, it felt different.

When the girls first met in middle school, they had nothing in common, really. Nobody cared for Flaca's _How Soon is Now_ obsession, Lorna was insistent on finding love and even naming her future children and picking random boys as her soulmate although she was only twelve, Alex was always getting picked on by Jessica Wedge just because she had glasses and wore what the kids called _bobos_ , and Daya was reserved and described as a coconut. Piper had many friends, made up of white girls with blonde hair and blue eyes, just like her.

One day, she ditched every single one of them and invited Flaca, Lorna, Alex, and Daya to sit with her at lunch. It was so strange. None of those girls, except Flaca, had a friend in the world, and Piper chose them. To this day, Flaca has no idea why.

Flaca's former friend from seventh grade, Cat, had moved away, and she always tried to impress a guy named Arturo and his friends, but she was for some reason, on the outskirts of their circle. That's when she knew she needed new kids to hang out with, so of course, when Piper started a conversation with her about pink panties and how she could develop a business of selling them around school, Flaca latched onto her desperately.

Then, Piper sought out the rest of the girls. She gave Lorna some good flirting tips, told Alex she looked cute in her glasses, and offered to babysit for Daya's new baby sister. It felt like she was collecting the girls who sat by themselves and weaving them together. Slowly but surely, she got them to come out of their shells and form a connection that could never be broken. Separately, they were the weird loners, but together, with Piper as their leader, nobody dared to speak one nasty word about them.

Piper sat back and watched the four girls have their own conversation. They found out they were all poor and sometimes got made fun of, even though Lorna believed that everyone loved her, but they were just too afraid to show it.

The girls would link arms while talking and giggling as they walked through the halls at school. Piper would sometimes tease people. Even though she could be downright mean, they still looked up to her. Nobody wanted to get on her bad side.

Flaca and Lorna are the only ones who have stood up to her, and once, Flaca was dangerously close to being kicked out. She had to persuade Piper to let her back in, and from that moment on, she never defended herself again. Lorna was really who Piper was terrified of, and Flaca loved her for it. Lorna was the tiniest of them all, but she sometimes got a look in her eyes that says she meant business and she wanted to kill someone, as in seriously harm them.

Thinking back on this while lying on her bed, Flaca's confused on how she feels about Piper's disappearance. She should be sad and probably mourning, but she's accepted that Piper isn't going to come back. It's been an entire year, and she's a bit tired of grieving. She just wants them to give her a funeral and a proper burial once they finally find her body. Some girls at school last year said Piper probably had it coming and that she may have pushed someone off the edge.

Flaca and Maritza had played with an Ouija board at camp and they asked it if Piper was still alive. They'd stared at it until Maritza thought she saw the pointer move and accused Flaca of pushing it toward the letter Y.

 _"I never did such a thing!" Flaca exclaims._

 _"Look, it went to the E!"_

 _The taller Latina rolls her eyes at her bestie. "You did that, Maritza."_

 _"Nah! I'm tellin' you. Now the S."_

 _"Okay, if she's alive, then what ghost is moving the pointer? This is stupid!"_

 _Maritza gasps sharply. "I just saw her!"_

 _Flaca shoves her and she laughs. "Don't play like that!" They giggle together until Flaca starts crying and Maritza holds her and rocks her back and forth._

* * *

Lorna shrieks and Franny Morello comes running into her room. "What's wrong?"

"My lipstick is missing! I need it for my date with Vinnie tonight! Oh, I've looked everywhere and I still can't find it!" Lorna continues to rummage through drawers. "Who the fuck took it?"

"He loves you with or without-"

"No," Lorna insists. "Amber Rose, where is it?"

"Don't you have a thousand others? How do you even remember the name of-"

"I gotta have this one, Francine. It's enchanting."

Franny rolls her eyes. "Lorna, you're-"

"What, you got something to say?" she asks, offended. She stands on her tiptoes so she appears taller than she is.

"You can borrow mine."

"No, no, you don't understand. See, Amber Rose is what draws a man in. It's seductive. I can feel it in my heart. He'll go nuts over it!"

Franny sighs. "I'll help you look."

Mikey stands in the doorway, holding up a silver tube. "Missing this, weirdo?"

"You asshole!" Lorna shouts and jumps up to bop the back of his head. "Gimme that!"

"Michael Morello, don't be a brat!" Franny scolds him as he returns it to Lorna.

"Chill, it's just a prank."

Lorna flips him off and applies her lipstick. "He's so immature! Last week, he was wearin' my bra outside his shirt!"

"He's done that with mine, too," Franny says. "You gotta remember that he is a twelve-year-old boy."

"I'm still annoyed! Now...your opinion, please." Lorna smooths down her red dress and twirls around. "Don't I look like Maria from _West Side Story_? I did my hair like Rihanna, you know, when she curled it."

"Oh yes, you're beautiful, like always," Franny tells her.

"This night is extra special. It's our one year anniversary."

"I know. Congratulations."

"We're gonna get married!" Lorna says in a singsong voice. "We already did the nasty, if you know what I'm sayin'? He is much better than Joey."

Franny smiles. "He's gonna come getcha?"

"Fuck yes."

Lorna admires herself in the mirror and then the doorbell rings. She quickly goes down to get it. She swings open the door and throws her arms around her boyfriend. "My, don't ya look spiffy in a tux!"

"Thanks, I rented this." He bends down to whisper in her ear, "You don't know how badly I wanna tear that sexy dress off you."

Lorna giggles as he helps her inside his car. "I love you, my Italian stallion."

"I love you too, my little lasagna."

She kicks off her heels. "How about we do it right now. I'm wet already."

"We should eat first, Lorna."

"Come on!" she whines. "We're hungry for each other, I can sense that."

"We're in front of your house!"

"We can go somewhere in private."

Vincent drives them to the restaurant and Lorna sits back, pouting and folding her arms across her chest. "I can't believe this! What, you don't love me?"

Her boyfriend sighs. "Not this again-"

"I'm small and cute. Why are you turning me down? Is there someone else on your mind? I knew I shouldn't have left you alone with my sister that day." Lorna also remembers when Piper used to flirt with him by calling him _Vinnie boy_ and squeezing his muscles in his arms. One time, she got so furious with her that she pounced on her in the girls' locker room and gave her a black eye. Piper didn't say a word about how she got her shiner. She knew she deserved it.

"Lorna, you're insane. I can't..."

"What?" she growled. "Spit it out. I'll kill her."

"I just lost my appetite. I'd never cheat on you, I swear! Why do you always assume that?"

"The girls are always all over you! It's like I gotta fight 'em off!"

"You don't need to. Just because other girls are into me, it doesn't mean that I'm giving into their advances. Don't be so jealous and possessive...it kinda turns me off."

Lorna's seething. She tries to keep her temper under control. "Let's eat," she says in a strained voice.

"I'm taking you home. You need to relax."

She starts crying and gasping for air. "Don't...you...dare..."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not hungry anymore..." Vincent says while shaking his head.

"We're done!" she explodes. She wants to hit something, like his car, for example. All she needs is a bat. He should not have given her those insults. "You broke my heart! Imma destroy somethin' of yours!"

"Shut the fuck up, you psycho!"

Lorna balls her hands into fists as her whole body shakes. "Damn...you...to...hell...loser! I hate you!" she snarls while gritting her teeth.

"What's gotten into you, the devil?" He stops at her curb. "Get out _now_."

"I'm so glad we used a condom," she says in a calmer voice.

"Out!" he barks. "Your face is a mess with eyeliner and mascara dripping down your cheeks..."

Lorna slides out of the car and holds herself while sobbing hysterically. She runs to her house and almost trips on her porch steps. She knocks on the door until her knuckles hurt. Franny opens it and Lorna dives into her sister's arms.

"He's been runnin' around on me!" Lorna wails. "This ain't happenin'...but it is..."

"Oh, sweetie," Franny murmurs while rubbing Lorna's back in soothing circles.

"We ain't together no more."

"Good, you don't need him."

Lorna can't sleep that night. All she wants is her revenge.

At five in the morning on Sunday, she takes a bus to her ex's house with Franny's keys in her bra, a metal bat in her hand, and an egg in her pocket. She explains to anyone who asks that she's going to baseball practice and they told everyone to bring their own bat. It's heavy, but she's a strong girl. Even though she's little, she packs a punch, is what Franny always says. Her friends would say that too.

She gets off the bus and tiptoes to the Muccio's front yard. The sun hasn't risen and she hopes they sleep like the dead. Piper would be quite proud of her.

Lorna walks up to Vincent's car, plucks Franny's keys out of her bra, and etches a little message into the side of his car, _Fuck you!_ _Stay with her, you bastard!_ She raises the bat over her head and shudders as her heart beats hard in her chest. She brings it down harshly on the windshield, feeling good when the impact makes a boom and creates a spiderweb crack in the glass. She makes some dents on the side of his car, messing up the paint job. She strikes his tires with so much force, air hisses through the now flat tires. She smashes his windows, breaks his side mirrors, swings her bat onto the trunk a few times, beats his tires, and hits his headlights and tailights until they fall off his car. She throws her egg at his totaled vehicle and it's completely covered in yolk, whites, and shells. She steps back and gasps, being careful not to step on any broken shards on the ground or cut herself on the jagged edges of the glass on his windows and whatever is left of his windshield. She's damaged his car big time, but he totally deserves it.

She can't register the sound of the car alarm until she hears Vincent yelling at her, "What the fuck have you done? I'm calling the police!"

"You should've been faithful."

"Oh my god, my car," he mutters while running his hand down his face. "You dumb bitch! You're paying for this, you know that, right?"

"Little boys who don't know how to keep it in their pants when they got a girlfriend don't get a car."

Vincent throws his hands in the air. "I never did anything!"

"My bus is almost here. Toodle-oo!"

A cop car stops by her and a tall man steps out. His nametag reads _George Mendez_ and he grabs Lorna before she can even attempt to run away. He slams her against his car and locks her in handcuffs. She's sweating and trembling with fear.

The next thing she knows, she's at the police station. Franny is talking to the arresting officer as Lorna nervously sits in the waiting room. She keeps trying to tell herself it was worth it and since she's just a child, the punishment won't be too bad. She hopes Franny will be able to afford the cost, because she can't. It was all Vincent's fault for cheating on her.

Franny shakes hands with the cop and walks out. "Come on, Lorna, we're going home."

"What's gonna happen to me, is he dropping the charges?"

Franny doesn't answer. She just takes Lorna to her car and they get inside. Finally, she says, "Mendez is giving Vincent the money to replace his car. Meanwhile, you need to apologize. This is so humiliating. You're grounded! What did I teach you to do when you're mad, huh? You would've been fucked without me!"

"I'm sorry, Franny," Lorna mumbles. "I didn't hurt nobody...just a little vandalism, that's all, to let him know that he can't screw with me ever again."

"You should give him a written apology."

"I'm not gonna. I'll just...say it to his face at school. How did I get away with it? I don't understand, what did you tell Mendez?"

"I explained that we were poor with a sick mom and a crippled dad and you were acting out without considering the consequences, which is all true. He understood and he offered to help us."

"Thank you so much, Franny. You're the best sister ever."

Lorna's taking a nap later that afternoon when she hears banging and moaning somewhere in the house. She groans and stretches as she gets out of her bed to see who Franny's hooking up with this time. Her eyes widen and she feels disgusted when she steps out of her room and sees Mendez pressing Franny up against the wall and kissing her all over like a sleazebag.

"I owe her one," she whispers to herself while going back inside of her room.

* * *

A boy and a girl burst out of a complete stranger's house with a load of cash. "Come on, come on, go, go, go!" Nicky Nichols yells at them. "I'm fucking holding the door open for you! The owner is almost here!" As her friends pass her quickly, she slams the door closed behind her and they race down the street. "You wanna hitchhike your way outta here?" Nicky asks. "There's someone selling good heroin on 125th Street. It's not too far."

"You're already high," Drew points out and Jade laughs.

"I meant that for you, assholes! Besides, a chick can't have too much heroin, right? There's no such thing."

"You're right, man," Drew says. They stand on a street corner under a dark blue sky and hide their money in their pockets and bags. They hold their thumbs up until a car stops by them.

"Please don't be Marka," Nicky mutters, mostly to herself.

It's a man who rolls down his window. "You kids need a ride someplace?"

"Yeah," Jade answers. "Uh...125th Street?"

"That's a bad area...are you sure?"

"Just let us in," Drew practically begs.

All of a sudden, police sirens wail loudly. Nicky's friends take off, leaving her in the dust. She tries to chase after them, but they're too fast. The cops don't even notice her, so she just turns around and gets into the backseat of the vehicle. "I need you to get me to the back alley on 125th Street, please."

"You in trouble, young lady?"

"Nah, I just can't drive, all right? I'm uh...meeting my mom," Nicky replies in a shaky voice. "She doesn't want to go home by herself after work."

"I see."

Nicky buckles her seatbelt as the man drives them down the traffic-filled street. She knows this is risky and she could get killed at any moment, but she doesn't see the point in living if she's homeless. She has no place to go.

"Stop here," Nicky directs him, and he does. She gets out and makes her way towards an African American woman who's smoking while collecting money from haggard-looking people like herself. She combs her fingers through her frizzy hair and hugs her sweater tighter around herself, as it's getting cold.

She hands her wad of cash to the woman, who gives her heroin in return. "Can I have a smoke, too?" she asks.

"Only if you tell me your name, you piece of white trash," the lady responds with a smirk stretched across her face. "You gotta be what, twelve?"

"You're about four years off, bitch," Nicky retorts. "I'm seventeen in April. I've been keeping track. Don't ask me how."

Some guy slaps her bottom and she rolls her eyes when he leaves. "Douchebag!"

"Are you some kind of a whore?" the woman asks rudely.

"Nope, I'm Nicky Nichols. How about you?"

"Vee Parker. Now sit down right over there and I'll give you the best weed I got."

"Thanks." Nicky kneels down into a corner of the brick walls surrounding them and pulls her knees to her chest. She takes the cigarette from Vee and puffs on it slowly. It's great until she starts coughing. "Is this fucking stale?"

Vee chuckles. "No, you just got too excited with it. Positive you haven't taken heroin already?"

"It doesn't matter. I need it all."

"Do you have someplace to sleep tonight?"

Nicky shakes her head. "Hell no."

"I run a very special business and if you join me, I could give you the life you deserve."

Nicky doesn't have much faith in people. Everyone turns on her, even her own family and best friends. It's why she's turned to drugs. "A warm shelter, food, and water is all I need, Ms. Parker."

"Alright, you've got the sad eyes. I'll take you to my house."

Nicky is pleased and grateful. Even though they haven't had the best start, this lady was friendly enough to take her in. Ms. Parker brings the blonde girl to her beat-up shack. There's already one African American boy and girl her age sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey, babies, happy to see you for dinner! This is Nicky Nichols."

They wave at Nicky and shake her hand. "I'm RJ and this is my sister, Taystee. She works at Shake Shack."

"Hey, there!" Taystee says in a friendly voice.

Nicky smiles. "What are we having?"

"Patience, my dear," Ms. Parker chides her. "You need to all help me."

"Yes, ma'am," Nicky murmurs.

"What are you going to do for a job?" Ms. Parker asks.

"Nothing."

"Then you need to go to school."

"Are you fucking serious?"

"Watch your mouth!"

Nicky jumps at her tone. "Um...I just don't see how it could help me..."

"Ain't you enrolled?" Taystee wants to know.

"I dropped out. It was boring."

"Then you're gonna sell heroin outside of Martin Van Buren High to contribute to the rent, do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Make sure you don't get caught, though, because I'm not bailing you out of the youth center for being an idiot. You better be sneaky."

"I will. I promise. I'm really good at it."

"There's my Nicky girl," Ms. Parker says while patting the top of her head.

 **Well?**


	2. First Day

**Thank you for beta'ing, thecharmedwerewolf! Did anyone watch Suicide Squad in theaters? It's based on the DC comics with Harley Quinn who reminds me of Lorna, from the unhealthy love obsession to the cute New York accent! The movie was amazing, 10/10 would recommend!**

 ***moya sestra-my sister**

 ***babushka-grandmother**

 ***vamos a hacer el desayuno ahora-let's make the breakfast now**

"So, how's it working out for you, with the boys-excuse me, _men_ \- being at college for the first time?" Gloria Mendoza asks her Russian co-worker while they begin preparing the day's meals.

Galina Reznikov, otherwise known as Red, shakes her head at the Spanish woman next to her. "I never thought saying goodbye to my rambunctious children would be so hard. I'll see them on Thanksgiving, that's what I keep telling myself. Maybe Lida will come back pregnant with hers and Vasily's child and I'll be a _babushka_ at forty...or Maxim or Yuri will get into something or pull pranks on the dean...but I'm hoping they'll be good."

"Your kids will be well-behaved, I'm sure. You and Dimitri have raised them to be gentlemen."

"You are so damn right."

"I hope Julio and Benito turn out to be like them in eighteen years," Gloria murmurs, referring to her two boys, ages two and four. "I'm glad my sons are still with me."

Red's best friend, Norma Romano, silently smiles at the ladies as they chatter away.

An African American woman about Red's age walks into the backroom. "Bunch of clowns," she grumbles. "Hello, ladies."

"Claudette, hey!" Gloria greets her, and Red hugs the other chef. As the redhead does so, she feels immense pain in her back.

"Oh, I'm getting old," she mutters. "My back has been aching a lot these days."

"I'm so sorry," Claudette tells her and Gloria rubs Red's back. Norma gives her a sympathetic look.

"Which clowns were you talking about earlier, Claudette?" Red wants to know.

"This group of girls in the library...Taystee Jefferson, Poussey Washington, Janae Watson, and Cindy Hayes...little rascals they are! They were talking way too loud and I was trying to read before work."

"Oh, shut up, you probably want to secretly adopt Taystee," Gloria teases her.

"I would if she didn't already have a foster mother," Claudette admits. She wipes up a spill on the counter. "Don't make a mess, be careful!"

Norma takes hold of Gloria's arm and she winces. The mute lady stares at her with a scared expression on her face. "Norma, what is it?"

Red squints at Gloria's face, trying to see if the baby of their group really has a black eye. It's very faint, but it's there. "How'd you get that, _moya sestra_?" she wonders out loud and points to her own eye.

Gloria scrambles eggs in a bowl and pours in milk. "It's nothing, I probably don't get enough sleep."

"You flinched when Norma touched you. If someone is hurting you, we have weapons and we aren't afraid to use them," Claudette says.

"I'm fine, okay? I know you're all protective of me because I'm ten years younger than you, but you really don't need to freak out about my lack of sleep! I'll catch up on the weekends. ¡ _Vamos a hacer el desayuno, ahora_!" They jump at her suddenly harsh command and start working. They know they need to hurry up before the meanest members on the staff come in and demand their breakfasts.

* * *

Lorna rolls her eyes after cleaning up her mom's piss and helping her dad out of bed and into his wheelchair. It's usually Franny who does all this and sometimes shares the work with Lorna, but now Lorna has to do it since Franny is with Mendez. Lorna feels sicker than her mom when she thinks about how Franny wound up in this situation.

"If I had just kept my temper under control..." she mumbles under her breath. "No!" she argues with herself. "He had it coming!"

She hears Mikey's alarm blaring and runs into his room. "Hey, wake up, you lazy butthead! That noise makes me want to throw your clock across the room!"

"Ugh, I'm awake, so knock it off, Lorna!" her brother groans while rubbing his eyes open. "Go away! It's not my fault that your school starts earlier than mine!"

Lorna gets dressed in her room and applies eye makeup and her signature lipstick. She goes downstairs to find Franny cooking breakfast and Mendez sitting on one of their kitchen chairs with a towel wrapped around his waist. He smirks at her, and she wants to dive into a hole and never show her face again. His mustache honestly creeps her out since it makes him look like a pornstar.

"Good morning, Lorna," Franny says pleasantly. She turns to the cop. "Uh...Officer Mendez, I think you ought to put something decent on. My sister's here, so..."

"No problem." He leaves and then Lorna goes up to Franny.

"I ain't coming to the wedding," the tiny girl hisses.

"Stop it!"

"Well, when are you gonna kick him out? This is awkward."

"I can't send him home without food."

"He can get a donut. You don't gotta be his whore. You did it once yesterday, and that should be plenty. He didn't need to go out with you and sleep over at our place. What do Ma and Pop think? Mikey and I are just _kids_! I'm sorry. I really and truly am, Franny. I won't do... _that_ again!"

Franny sighs heavily. "Lorna, just grab a waffle, pile fruit and whipped cream on it, maybe some syrup if you're not too busy. Oh, and have orange juice too. It's all on the table."

Lorna blows a breath out through her teeth. She hears her mother's scratchy voice calling out for her. "I have to tend to Ma... _again_." Lorna groans as she turns away.

Halfway through her run to Alberta Morello's room, she stops at her own and goes inside of it. Too many things are happening all at once and she can't handle the stress. She stares at her _West Side Story_ poster and her dream board filled with cutouts of guys and pictures of vacation spots from magazines and inspirational words. "There's definitely a third Bora," she whispers to herself. "It doesn't matter what anyone tells me."

"Nice room," a deep male voice says from behind her, and she nearly jumps out of her skin. She spins around to face Mendez.

"Get away from this house, you pervert."

"You're lucky your sister's hot, otherwise you would've been _Inmate Morello_." He slaps her bottom and then squeezes her boobs, which are covered by her shirt. She gasps sharply. "You are forming into quite a nice young lady."

"Fra-" she starts to yell, but he covers her mouth with one hand and strokes her hair with the other.

"Aw, Lorna, there's no need to be a tattletale. I just wanted to feel you up for shits and giggles. I don't rape, you should know that. You could blow me for drugs, but that's about it." Slowly, he removes his hand from her lips. "You don't look like a junkie," he growls in a low voice while tracing her cheeks, mouth, and chin with his long, disgusting fingers. "Aw, don't be scared. I won't hurt you. Remember, you got away with a serious crime. You are not innocent in any way, shape, or form, sweet cheeks."

"Neither are you. That's sexual harassment."

"Yeah, but I come from a rich, smart family while yours is poor and uneducated. Who are they gonna believe?"

"You're a worthless animal!"

"I like my women feisty." He winks at her while sniggering.

She can't wait to get to school and tell Franny to sue him.

* * *

A cute, older, white boy no more than eighteen walks up to Daya on the crowded bus. "Is it okay if I sit here? It's just...there's no room...I would've taken my car, but it's in the shop."

She scoots over a bit and sits her backpack on her lap while chewing her bottom lip anxiously. "Sure."

"First day of school?" he asks, plopping himself down next to her.

"Mm, yeah, did the backpack give me away?" They chuckle at the same time.

"Sorta. Are you nervous? You look it."

"Oh, me? No, no, why would I be?"

"Well, it's okay if you are. This is a new school, I've never been to Martin Van Buren High before. What's it like?"

"My friends are there, so it's not too bad."

"What's your name? I'm John." He stuck out his hand for her to shake.

"Daya...Diaz." Her hand fits so well in his. It's almost like they were made for each other, even though they literally met five seconds ago. She notices he's chewing something. "What are you eating?"

"Oh, gum. I'm just finishing this up before school starts. You're not allowed to have it in class. Want some?" He pulls a packet out of his pocket and hands her a stick.

"Yeah, thank you." She pops the piece of gum in her mouth. "Mmm, peppermint!"

"Is that your favorite?"

"It is!"

"Mine, too."

She can't believe she's hitting it off with this guy. He's making it so easy for her to talk to him. Suddenly, she wants to tell him everything about herself, from what she likes to draw, to her life at home.

"Look, there's Litchfield Penitentiary. It's a women's prison," he says, pointing out the window as she follows his finger. "A friend of mine works there."

"Oh, I wouldn't wanna end up in that place," Daya murmurs, "although my mom might..."

"Hm?"

"Nothing," she mumbles quickly. Their bus stops at the school. "We're here!"

He gets a serious look on his face. "Daya, it was very nice to meet you. I hope we can get together sometime."

"Well, John, that would be fun!"

"I know this is a bold move, but would you mind if I kissed you?"

She gapes at her crush, open-mouthed. "Not at all."

John lays a kiss on Daya's lips that leaves her sighing and itching to go further with him. "I'll see you around," he says.

"Yeah...you too."

* * *

"Since you're the new girl, I'm gonna give you a tour of the school," Flaca tells Maritza. She leads her best friend around the place and shows her the different classrooms. "Most of the teachers here are alright, but kind of strict. The vice principal can be a dick at times, but he's mostly nice. His name's Mr. Caputo. Word is, he's fucking the bitchy principal, Mrs. Figureoa, or as we like to call her, Fig. One of the guidance counselors, Mr. Healy, can be an ass if you're not straight, rich, or white, so he would be no help to us whatsoever. They have a better one named Ms. Berdie, so we'd probably mostly go to her. She also in charge of the Drama Club. Which teachers do you have?"

Maritza looks at her classroom schedule. "Hm, looks like Mr. Dixon-Geometry, Ms. Vause-English, Mr. Piscatella-Physical Ed, Ms. McCullough-History, Mr. Stratman-Spanish, and Mr. Humphrey-Biology."

Flaca groans. "Oh, shit! You got Humps _and_ Piscatella? Well...at least the women are nice and I'm in a few of your classes, so I can keep you safe."

"Back up...what's wrong with the men, especially the two you mentioned by name?"

"You should ask to switch. They are so gross, Maritza. You don't wanna know."

"Well...why aren't they fired?"

Flaca shrugs. "Beats me. It's probably some bullshit about not having enough evidence for a case against them. They act like security guards that give out cruel and unusual punishments."

Maritza frowns. "You're starting to scare me now."

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to warn you. I got Mr. Luscheck for woodshop, Mr. Kowalski for Geometry, Mr. Bennett who is the new English teacher and really hot, Ms. Jones for P.E., that ugly ass Humps, and Ratman, er, Stratman. I would drop the class if you weren't in it."

"I need to hear about Piscatella and Dixon. What did they do? I just...I want to be prepared. I hate Geometry and hockey enough as it is."

"Okay, Piscatella is very large. He's like, taller than Caputo and Fig and he even scares the lunch ladies. We thought the lunch ladies were terrifying, especially Miss Claudette and _La Red_ , but oh, no. It's fuckin' Piscatella, dude. He forces you to run until you throw up, and then he demands that you clean up your mess and keep going. He also thrusts dodgeballs at you if you're not paying attention. Dixon is just a plain old asshole. I mean they both are, but last year, he asked to see this girl's watch and then he stepped on it, crushing it so it wouldn't work anymore."

"Got it. I won't do anything to piss them off...or wear a watch. What's so bad about _La Red_ and Miss Claudette?"

"You just...you gotta let them warm up to you, bae. Don't make fun of their hairnets. Piper made that grave mistake last year and ended up with a tampon in her English muffin."

"Ugh, that was dumb of her! Okay, well, I won't insult them, no problem. That would be disrespectful. Anything else?"

"Don't be uppity and ask for shit that's not on the menu. They serve what's available."

"Alright. Um...when are cheerleading tryouts? I was one at my old school."

"There's signs for them by the gym and they're being held after school. I don't participate in that, but I know a few girls who would most likely want you on their squad. Look out for Lorna Morello and Brook Soso. I'll point them out to you at lunch. Piper Chapman used to be head cheerleader, but now those two are trying to beat each other for the spot. You have to be very peppy-annoyingly so. Are you cool with that?"

"Yeah!" Maritza cheers and jumps up while throwing her arms out in a V-shape. "I can kick too, but I don't think I'm allowed to do that in the middle of the hallway. I wouldn't want to accidentally hit someone."

"I love your enthusiasm!"

"What can I say? I'm excited! Are you gonna do any extracurriculars?"

"Hell yeah, band and yearbook!"

"I'll join band as well. I've got a lot of time on my hands."

Flaca smiles at her smaller friend and wraps a protective arm around her. "I'll take you to the principal's office so she can get you settled in. I don't want you lost at your new school and running into douchebag teachers or students."

"Thanks."

Later, she gets the strangest text. She thinks maybe Piper's ghost is haunting her. Maritza would have a field day with this.

 _Does Ian like dating a vampiress? I don't think so, which is probably why he hasn't visited you at school lately like he did last year. Just stick with Maritza, she's a true friend. So am I. xx P_

* * *

The school is already abuzz with activity, even though homeroom doesn't start for another half hour. Nicky stuffs her hands in her pockets and they close around large bags of heroin. She's hiding behind the building, but she can see kids from grades nine through twelve get out of cars and buses and walk up the steps leading to the front entrance. Parents hug and kiss their children goodbye while one of them heads into the school after ruffling her daughter's hair and giving her a peck on the cheek. Nicky tries to smile, but it brings tears to her eyes.

Two girls near her share a hug while giggling together. She can hear their conversation faintly.

"Hey, you look pale. Are you sure you're fine?" the taller one asks. She has glasses and long black hair with two blue stripes in it. She's wearing a band tee and ripped blue jeans. Nicky recognizes her as the girl with the loving mother.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm alright. So...what did you do for the rest of the weekend?" the girl's tiny friend asks. The brunette only reaches the raven-haired girl's shoulders. Nicky almost laughs at their height difference until she realizes these two could be her first customers since they're just standing in one spot and nobody is coming up to them. She leans against the wall and folds her arms across her chest, hoping they'll notice her first.

"I saw Flaca at Hot Topic."

"Why am I not surprised? Well, _I_ went on a date with Vinny for our first year anniversary! That's how long we've been goin' out. Oh, it was so romantic!" the girl with the cute accent and forties curls says. She grins, showing a perfect set of white teeth surrounded by crimson red lips. She's in a blue jean dress with spaghetti straps and it hugs her body perfectly. Both girls look hot, but this one is downright beautiful, along with sexy.

Nicky clears her throat and they glance at her, surprised. "Hey, what are your names?"

"Tell us who you are first, sketchy," the short girl says with a smirk.

"What makes you think I'm _sketchy_?"

She looks Nicky up and down. "Well, let's see, you have on a totally baggy outfit, a beanie that's almost covering your eyes, your hair reminds me of a street person's, you're probably high, and you smell like marijuana. You can't smoke on campus, that's the rules. Everyone knows that. Are you new? You need a hairbrush."

The blonde shakes her head no. "Nicky Nichols, at your service, little miss. I like myself just the way I am, thank you very much, you puny, judgemental person."

"I'm Alex Vause," the other girl says.

"If you _must_ know, my name is Lorna...Morello," the tiny one introduces herself, "and I resent you pokin' fun at my size!"

Nicky holds her hands up in surrender. "Hey...Lorna, chill. It's very nice to meet you both. Now...you wanna buy some heroin? I got it all right here...and a bag in my bra, too," she whispers. "It's a secret."

"Man, I didn't bring enough money for that," Alex mutters. "How about we meet and exchange my cash for your drugs before school tomorrow? Heroin is the best."

"She's my ultimate girlfriend," Nicky agrees. Lorna looks horrified. "Hey, kid, looks as if you wanna miss out?"

"Don'tcha be callin' me _kid_ , ya hoodlum! I'm fuckin' fifteen years old!" Lorna snaps and walks away, pulling Alex along with her. Nicky bursts out laughing because Lorna's acting like a baby kitten that thinks it's a tiger. It's adorable and she can't believe she's falling for a girl who's treating her like she's garbage. Besides that, Lorna has a boyfriend. Nicky curses herself for crushing on yet another straight girl.

* * *

"Damn you, Alex, you really need that wild child's shit?" Lorna asks. "I oughta turn her in to the authorities. I mean...she doesn't even go here, I don't think. She's a drug dealer who belongs in hell!"

"Lorna, calm down! We're not doing anything of the sort. I'm sure she's not selling it to be evil. She might just need the money."

"If you take her stash, you'll get addicted and turn into a bum."

"I just want to try it."

"Well...what if you don't have what you owe her and she hurts you? I'm only worried about you because we're friends. We may not be soul sisters anymore, but...I don't want you to die or get badly injured."

"Thank you for your concerns, but she was harmless. When we turned down her heroin, she just accepted the fact that we didn't want any. Besides that, she's not much taller than you! I could knock her down if she got violent."

"I guess you're right...hey, let's go see Red."

Alex can't stop thinking about Nicky. She wants to see what's under her outfit. Nicky seems like a rebel and it turns Alex on immensely. She follows Lorna to the cafeteria and they slide up to the counter where Red and her co-workers are standing.

"You guys should really have chairs," Alex comments.

Gloria points her index finger at Alex. "Yo, white girl, you're right! They won't give us those, but we get a break in between mealtimes."

Lorna leans her chin in her hands as she props her elbows up on the counter. "Red, let's say you had to kill someone."

"Oh, this is fun," Red murmurs while folding up a rag after wiping down something in the back. "Who's on your shitlist now?"

"This bitch who really got on my nerves...but you know, compared to some sluts on the cheer squad and the shower pooper, she's really not that bad."

"What did this poor girl do?"

"She was strung out and trying to offer us heroin. She insulted me a few times-"

Red reaches over the counter and swats the top of her head. "That's not a reason to want her dead, Lorna. She might need help. Maybe she doesn't have proper guidance at home. Where is she?"

"She was loitering outside of the school last time we saw her," Alex says. "She's totally stoned."

"Do you know her name?"

Lorna and Alex nod. "Nicky Nichols," they answer Red in unison.

The older woman storms out of the cafeteria. "She probably left," Lorna mutters defeatedly.

"She'll be back tomorrow," Alex responds. She nudges Lorna. "Good call telling Red."

"Yeah, well...I didn't want her to become a problem."

"If that were my daughter, she wouldn't even have heard of the stuff until she turned thirty," Gloria cuts in. "She _was_ a teenage girl, right?"

"Mm-hm, she looked it," Alex replies as Lorna nods her head yes.

Red comes back into the cafeteria with a defeated look in her eyes. "I searched for her, but she was nowhere to be found. I hope she's alright."

"Me, too," Alex agrees.

"Me, three," Lorna chimes in.

* * *

 _You're lucky your sister got you out of this one. Jail makes people crazier than they already are. God knows you don't need that after the stunt you pulled last year, and all because of a boy. You better stop that mail scam because Franny isn't doing you any more favors. xoxo, P_

Lorna reads the anonymous note three times over, trying to figure out who could've written that to her. It didn't look like Piper's manuscript, but then again, she may be pulling a prank on her. She'd always loved watching Lorna go insane. Lorna rips up the note and throws it into a trashcan nearby. She goes back to her locker to put away the books she doesn't need.

Vincent and a bunch of his friends come up to Lorna. Her ex slams his hand on the locker next to hers and she sees Alex, Flaca, Daya, and a bunch of other girls watching in stunned silence.

"You couldn't even apologize, Lorna?" he demands. "I have to wait five weeks for a new car!" he screams in her face.

"I'm sorry...I just haven't seen you yet, and I decided not to seek you out like a creeper...and just wait until we came face-to-face with each other. I apologize for that...and your car. I lost it yesterday."

"You're always losing it! I feel bad for the next guy you seduce! You're like that goddamn wacko in _Fatal Attraction_! No wonder you never had friends until Piper. Now because she's gone, I guess you're back to being lonely. You better not go around telling everyone I got you pregnant because we used a condom!" he shouts and then exits the area with his friends trailing after him.

"I thought you told me-" Alex started, but Lorna shakes her head. She can feel herself beginning to cry, so she hides her face in her hands and her shoulders rise and fall quickly with sobs. She senses Alex hugging her. "That's okay...I know breakups suck...and you don't always want to spill the truth right away."

"Oh, Lorna," Daya murmurs softly while rubbing her back in soothing circles.

"I'm so sorry," Flaca adds and strokes her hair.

"He doesn't know that he cheated on me with a whore!" Lorna wails in Alex's arms. "That's it...I'm plotting my revenge. I'm getting a new boyfriend. The first guy I see in school...I'll flirt with him and we'll go out as a couple. Watch me. I'm very good at it!"

"I know you are," Alex murmurs. "He'll be so jealous that he won't even know what hit him."

* * *

Nicky has gotten away from the school in just the nick of time. She walks down empty alleys in the area where she'd met Vee, looking for people who might want her drugs. A store's alarm goes off somewhere and she runs to the source. A young blonde girl with a necklace in one hand and a journal in the other is racing down the street with a few security guards close behind her. Without thinking, Nicky grabs the kid and gets a close look at her. She can't be more than ten or eleven.

"Hey, let go of me, you asshole! Fuck you!" the child yells, but Nicky doesn't listen to her.

"Wanna get sent to juvie, blondie? That's where you're headed. Keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking," Nicky instructs her in a hushed, urgent voice. "I'm so sorry, officers, my little sister has a severe brain disorder...she's legally intellectually challenged. She doesn't know that shoplifting is wrong."

"I need it," the kid hisses. "I'm gonna pay the store back."

"Where are your parents?" one of the cops asks.

"They're at work. You don't need to call them. We'll be okay. Her babysitter was supposed to be taking care of her, but I guess she gave up on our family, so it's just me for today. Boy, is someone gonna get an ass-kicking!"

"Alright, well, you kids be safe," the policeman says as he takes back the necklace.

"Thank you."

Once the officers leave, Nicky breathes a sigh of relief.

"Look, I'm sorry if I scared you-"

"Who the fuck are you?" the preteen asks.

"How about thanking me for saving your ass?"

"Sorry...thank you."

"You're welcome. The name's Nicky...Nichols. I'm sixteen. What about you?"

"Tricia Miller. I'm eleven."

"You homeless?"

Tricia shakes her head no. "I'm just...gettin' away from it all. My stepdad rapes me and my mom doesn't believe it...the usual. Plus, I wanna look nice. You let that man take my jewelry. I keep this journal so I can write down everything I took and how much each thing cost so that when I get the money, I can pay for it. It might be late, but it works for me."

Nicky's heart goes out to her. "You're sweet, you know that, kid? The problem is, that's not how it works in the real world. You don't buy now, pay later. The five-finger discount...yeah, that's a felony!"

Tricia suddenly hugs her and then looks up with pleading eyes. "Can I go home with you?"

"Sure."

They get back to Vee's house in five minutes. "Hey, I'm here!" Nicky calls out. "Vee?" There's no answer. Tricia stays closely behind Nicky like a magnet. She opens the door to the living room and a scream is trapped in her throat.

Vee is doing the nasty with her foster son and they're both getting pleasure out of it. She claps her hands over her eyes, even though she can't unsee the disgusting act that had just occurred right before her. After shutting the door quietly, she tiptoes away from the area with her new friend. "Trish...do you like that nickname?"

"It's alright."

"Trish, we're gonna go see my sister Taystee at her job, okay?"

"That's fine."

Nicky pulls out the bags of heroin and hides them under her bed in the room she's sharing with Taystee before Tricia can see them. She takes Tricia's hand and leads her outside and on the street corner. After waving down a cab, they get inside of it and she asks the driver to take her to Shake Shack.

"Have you eaten?" Nicky asks. "I'm sure Taystee will give us something for free. I won't have a penny to my name after paying that driver."

"I had something from Whole Foods this morning."

"Oh, that's good. I'm not that hungry either, I guess. So...hey, about that bastard you used to live with...uh, if you're triggered by anything, just tell me, okay?"

Tricia nods her head yes. "I will."

"Is he locked up?"

"No, I just took off. I don't think he cares that I left, and neither does my mom."

"My mom and her boyfriend neglected me, so I ran away," Nicky says as they get out of the cab and walk into Shake Shack.

"Good thing."

"Taystee!" Nicky shouts. She waves the other girl over.

"Hey! Who's this little girl?"

"Her name is Tricia. I caught her shoplifting, so I made up this cool story about how we were sisters and she didn't know any better because she's just not there in her head. She doesn't have parents so I hope Vee lets her live with us."

"Ooh, nice! Uh, not the part about her being an orphan, but the other sh-crap."

"It's okay, you can swear in front of me. I've heard it all."

"So...Tricia, why don't you have a look at the menu? You might find something you like."

"I don't wanna steal from Taystee."

"Since you're family, I'll let you have it on the house."

Tricia smiles at the African American girl. "Yo, thanks."

"Vee was fucking our foster brother," Nicky whispers to Taystee.

"Girl, say what? Oh man, that's sick! That bitch is high!"

"She must be! That's why I had to get out and not let Tricia see."

"You can stay in here until I finish my shift. How much did you sell?"

"Nothing. These kids are way too smart for the shit Vee's having me pull. I may have someone interested, though, so I'll try again tomorrow."

"Good luck telling Vee that."

* * *

"Welcome to English class," the teacher says after having just written _Mr. Bennett_ on the blackboard. As soon as he faces the sea of students, Daya can't make her mouth close. She tries to look neutral. Flaca sends her a sly grin. John looks as shocked as Daya does. He fumbles with his papers on his desk and almost spills his coffee. "Sorry, uh, first day jitters, I guess. So, my name's on the board...try to spell it right. We are going to start the year off with _To Kill a Mockingbird_ , so pass these back, please."

Daya's phone buzzes in her pocket and she sneaks a peek at it. The text that has just come in gives her a heart attack. _Bet you didn't see that one coming. Don't worry, your mommy's a grave robber, too. Love, P_

She has no idea who sent her that message. It could've been Piper playing a game, but she isn't sure.

The second surprise of the morning is when Suzanne Warren, or Crazy Eyes, walks into the room just as the bell rings. She's holding hands with a girl who has blonde hair cut to her chin and her hair is in fat little braids instead of in multiple twists on top of her head.

 _"Hey, Dandelion!" Suzanne calls out as Piper and Daya are walking down the street eating ice cream and talking about their upcoming sleepover. "How are you, baby girl? Dandelion, you wanna come and play with Mommy?"_

 _"Oh my god, pretend we didn't just see or hear Crazy Eyes," Piper whispers to Daya while wrinkling her nose in disgust._

 _"Just say hi and move on," Daya suggests as Piper snickers._

Daya and Flaca stare at each other and raise their eyebrows, since they can't fully grasp that Suzanne has really gotten herself a makeover. She used to be obsessed with Piper and her clique, but now, her attention is focused on another blonde.

"I got a new Dandelion now," she mutters while sitting down. "This is Maureen Kukudio." Both girls wave at the Latinas and smile widely, like they're sharing a deep, dark secret.

"Congratulations," Daya hears herself say awkwardly as Flaca gives the couple a thumbs-up.

* * *

Alex is changing in the locker room before her physical education class. A piece of paper flutters down to the floor and she grabs it, wondering why it fell out of her locker along with her gym uniform. Her eyes scan the message and then she's confused. She adjusts her glasses to see if her vision will improve, but she did read it right.

 _Why don't you just admit that you're a dyke? You like being in that girls' locker room way too much. xo, P_

"P? Piper?" she asks herself out loud. It can't be her. She isn't alive.

"Alex, let's go, you don't wanna be late!" a girl behind her says. "I know you miss her, but..."

"Yeah, sorry, Sylvia," Alex mutters. "I'll be there in a sec."

"Dayanara Diaz, Marisol Gonzales, Lorna Morello, and Alex Vause, please come to the principal's office," Fig announces over the loudspeaker.

"Oooh, someone's in trouble!" Sylvia teases her, and Alex rolls her eyes. She wonders why Fig is calling her and her former best friends, but she figures it's probably about Piper's disappearance.

"At least I don't have to deal with 'Ol Yeller' or Mr. Large and In Charge," Alex murmurs, referring to Piscatella. She heads to Fig's office and sees Daya, Flaca, and Lorna going there, too.

"Hey," they all say to each other at the same time. Flaca opens the door for them and they thank her.

"Hello, ladies," Fig greets them. "Why don't you take your seats on the couch. Officer Mendez is here to speak with you."

A tall police officer with spiky black hair and a thick, dark mustache stands in front of them while they sit down. Alex is between Lorna and Flaca, and Daya is on the other side of Flaca. Lorna goes completely white and Alex is curious as to why she has this reaction upon seeing Officer Mendez.

"He's probably just gonna ask us questions about Pipes," Alex whispers to Lorna, who nods in understanding.

All of the girls' phones chime at once and they take them out of their purses.

"Wait, you got one, too?" Flaca asks Alex.

"Yeah, I..."

"It came in at the exact same time yours did," Daya mumbles.

"Ditto," Lorna says.

 _I'm going to unravel your secrets, one by one, and you'll be jailed by the time Mendez is done. -P_

 **Wow, what a great turnout this was! Thank you to Boris Yeltsin, nnicholsnlyonne, HannahMiley1fan, Deerveng, ladyglorificus, haleypadilla229, thecharmedwerewolf, peanut-brained, sherlollyshipper, ManveerluvsVauseman, and A Star In My Universe for reading and reviewing!**


	3. Typical High School Drama

**Thank you for beta'ing, thecharmedwerewolf and nnicholsnlyonne!**

"I am investigating what happened to Piper Chapman around Labor Day of last year. You four were very close to her, correct?" Mendez asks.

"Yes," they say altogether.

"I just want to let you know that I will work as hard as I can to find out if your friend is dead or amongst the living. I will speak with each one of you since I want to know what kinds of relationships you had with her. I'm not sure if she didn't get along with one of you, or if she preferred one friend over the other-"

"Are you saying one of us could've done something, because we didn't!" Daya interrupts him.

"Not at all. I just need everything she gave you, like gifts. I'll speak to Ms. Morello first."

"Shouldn't you be questioning us with an adult present?" Flaca asks while folding her arms across her chest. "We're like, minors."

"I didn't feel the need to. Ms. Morello, follow me, _now_!"

Lorna gulps and does as he says. They go into a private conference room and she sits across from Mendez at a table.

"Do you remember how Piper was feeling the night she vanished into thin air? Was anything out of the ordinary?"

"No, it was just like any other night. We were just five girls at a sleepover...my place. She enjoyed playing tricks on us, so when she left the house, we knew she'd come back...but she didn't. Alex went outside to check on her, but then she came back and said Piper was nowhere to be found. That's when we filed the police report."

Mendez scribbles something on his notepad. "Did she have any enemies who might have taken their revenge too far?"

Lorna nods. "Yes, a few. She was a bit of a bully...but I can't think of anyone besides Tiffany Doggett who would actually...commit murder. I thought you already caught her."

"Oh, no, she's getting released tomorrow. There was evidence that she didn't do it. They got into a little fight, but Piper didn't die from her injuries. How did you get along with Piper? I know you tend to fly off the handle at times."

"Well, she was one of my besties. We didn't even so much as argue," Lorna lies straight through her teeth.

"Really?" he asks, standing up.

"It's true. Everything was cool between us."

"You're not even looking at me."

"That's because you manhandled me, you creep! Why would I wanna stare at someone who touched me without my permission? You're gross!"

"I know the four of you are hiding something, but don't worry, I will find out what it is."

Lorna leaves when he dismisses her. He calls Alex in next.

"How was it?" Daya asks Lorna.

"He asked me stuff...similar to the questions we all got last year. He's very suspicious of us."

"Why? We didn't do nothin'!" Flaca says.

"Well, we _were_ her friends...and we got the same story to tell the cops. Just don't nobody mention that she was popular, otherwise he might think we were jealous of her and simply..." Lorna makes a slicing motion across her neck with her finger.

Alex's mother comes up to them. "Hi, girls. Alex texted me about the inappropriate cop. He isn't allowed to interrogate minors without an adult there." She opens the conference room door and storms inside, just when Mendez is screaming at a crying Alex about a love letter she'd written to Piper.

"What was this, huh? Did you two have a lover's quarrel? You must have realized she would never go for you because she's straight, so you shot her dead!" Mendez starts to read the letter out loud in a falsetto voice. "Dear Piper, I know you think of me as just a friend, but I love you so much more than that. I apologize if that makes you feel awkward, and you don't need to do anything with that information. You don't even have to talk to me for the rest of your life. I want you to be happy with whoever you end up with, even if it isn't me." Alex tries to grab for it, but he doesn't let her have it.

"Excuse me?" Diane yells. "What are you doing, accusing my daughter of murder? She'd never do such a thing! You know you're supposed to question kids with their parents or guardians around!" She pulls Alex into a hug. "I will call your supervisor! I want you off this case!"

Mendez smirks. "Too bad, Mama Bear, I'm already on it."

"God, what an asshole," Daya grumbles.

"I'm going to stab a voodoo doll of him," Flaca adds.

"Excellent idea," Lorna compliments her.

"Let's go, girls, we're leaving," Diane says, ripping the letter out of Mendez's hands. She points at him. "Get ready for a lawsuit and a restraining order to be put against you if you bother these poor girls again."

Alex looks humiliated as she walks away from them quickly, but they have to run to catch up with her. "Sweetie, having a crush on your best friend is nothing to be ashamed of!" Diane tells her.

"Well, I'm out, now you all know!" Alex sniffles and wipes her eyes under her glasses. "I knew you'd accept me being a lesbian...but I didn't want you to find out like this. It...it wasn't just a crush. We kissed, and I...I felt things. Then, she told me she was into guys."

"That's okay. I mean, I'm sorry that she did that to you...but I'm sure she cared about you a lot as a friend," Lorna murmurs and puts a comforting hand on Alex's arm. "It doesn't make you a bad person. You're still the same girl you were two years ago."

"Yeah," Flaca agrees. "You love Hot Topic and you're into chicks, just a couple of the many facts about you."

"We don't care who you date, as long as you're happy," Daya chimes in.

"Thanks," Alex says and they each give her a hug.

* * *

"Flaca, where are you?" Maritza whispers to herself. It's been twenty minutes of Mr. Humphrey droning on and on about dissecting frogs later for a project. He's describing it so graphically that it grosses her out. She wishes her best friend was there so she could make funny faces at her to distract them both from the lecture.

"Today, I'm going to talk about how babies were made and demonstrate it. I need someone to be my little helper, so who will she be? This is a new game I'm playing." Maritza glances around the room in confusion as the teacher walks down the aisles, patting each of the girls' heads while saying, "Duck...duck...duck..." When he gets to her, he shouts, "Goose!" while sifting his hand through her hair. It makes her extremely uncomfortable, even though it only lasted for a second.

"What?"

"Come on up to the front of the classroom, newt." He sniggers. "That means _newbie_."

"Uh...okay."

"Everyone knows that a man and a woman fuck to make a baby!" one of the boys interjects. "What, are you gonna take her clothes off and rape her in front of us or something?"

"Pete, you're such a moron!" a girl hollers. She glares at Mr. Humphrey. "If you're going to do something like that to her, we'll call the cops."

"Miss Harper, be quiet!" Mr. Humphrey snaps at her and Maritza begins to get nervous. She stands up on shaky legs and lets the teacher lead her to his desk. He turns her around to face him and starts pushing himself into her. She backs as far away from him as possible, but he's still way too close to her with his rock-hard stick inside his pants. She wants to throw up. "That's how you do it, boys and girls. Then, she gets fat for nine months. My sperm will connect with her egg, create a fetus, and come out of her cunt as a screamin' banshee!" Finally, he lets her return to her seat and Flaca comes in the second Martiza sits down. The taller Latina hands a piece of paper to Mr. Humphrey and he barely looks at it.

"Hey, what did I miss?" Flaca asks Maritza in a hushed voice. "Are you okay? You look like you're gonna pass out."

Maritza's eyes water with tears as she tries to hold them in."Humps is a creep. I hate him."

"Ladies, shut up and pay attention!" the teacher barks at them.

* * *

At the end of Geometry class, Daya goes into her English classroom to talk to Mr. Bennett once everyone is gone. "Why didn't you tell me you were a teacher?"

"I thought _you_ were one."

"What? Yeah, right."

"No, really, I did. You look very grown-up for a fifteen-year-old."

"Well, I assumed you were eighteen. My bad!"

"We can't do this, Daya...it's...it's wrong."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm not really a kid anyway. I haven't been one since I was like, twelve, because I'm the primary caretaker of my siblings. My mom is almost never home, and when she is, she's...not being a parent. Besides all that, I _like_ you. I don't care how old you are. Butterflies dance in my belly when I so much as _think_ about you. Don't you feel the same?"

He looks outside and closes the door quickly. Daya takes this as a good sign. "I'm twenty-three and you're not even at driving age yet! Fig and Caputo will have my head and I have worked so hard for this job!"

"I'm almost sixteen. Come on, we can sneak." Daya nibbles on her bottom lip and puts her hand over his. She stares into his eyes and gives him her cutest smile.

"Damn it-" he begins to say, but then he slams her into the wall and starts making out with her. "Supply closet? I've got five minutes til my next class."

"Yeah," she says through gasps of air. "Sounds good."

* * *

Flaca and Maritza walk together to Ms. Vause's room since Flaca is being overprotective and taking Maritza to wherever she needs to go. "I should tell Fig that Humps touched me, right?" Maritza asks.

"You can try, but she won't see it as aggravated sexual assault."

"It's coercion and he made me physically sick! Remember when you held my hair back while I was bent over the toilet? That was just five minutes ago! I still have the taste of bile in my mouth, and not just from the vomit!"

"He'll just give her the excuse that it was part of his lesson plan and you have to do what he says because he's the teacher. I hate being controlled like this, and believe me, if I was there with you, I would've taken your place."

"You're the best friend anyone could ever have, but I don't want you to go through it either. No one should."

Daya walks out of Mr. Bennett's class, looking flushed. "I, uh, had a question for the teacher," she explains while rushing past them.

"That was weird," Flaca mutters. "Oh, well...enjoy Ms. Vause's class! She's my friend Alex's mom. You'll like her."

"Awesome! Bye!" The girls hug and then Maritza goes into her class.

Flaca heads over to Woodshop as the bell is ringing. Luckily, the teacher doesn't give a shit if she's late or even shows up. He's rude, but he's lenient. Mr. Luscheck is so lazy that he gives them terrible instructions and sleeps while the students work. She was in this class with Piper last year, and it doesn't really hit her until she sees Piper's empty seat. She may have been frightened of her numerous times, but that doesn't mean she wanted the blonde dead.

"Hey, you, the ghost is still here!" Luscheck gestures toward where Piper used to sit. He laughs at his own awful joke and hands Flaca a wooden birdhouse with written instructions taped to it. "Make something like this and get it to me by Friday."

"Alright," Flaca mutters.

She hears Janae Watson chuckle behind her. "For once, the cracker was funny. She's always gonna haunt us, that Taylor Swift knock-off."

"Hey, you start talking like that, and I'mma think you're the motherfucker who killed her! I mean, you've hated her ever since she beat you in that one race," Flaca hisses. "This is a sensitive subject. She was my friend since seventh grade, so piss off, why don't you?"

"I can't feel sorry for your loss because that bitch was not friendly. She was as fake as they come!"

"Yeah," Poussey Washington agrees. "She cheated, by the way. She tripped Janae and that's how she won. Everyone knows that, and when Janae called her out on it, guess who got sent to detention? Not your white friend, that's for sure! They actually thought _my_ girl was gonna beat her ass up!"

Flaca could've seen that happen. Piper was unfair, but she had never cared to top Janae in track. "You both better shut up before I pull out your weaves!" Flaca threatens them. "How would you feel if someone in your clique died, huh?"

"Why are you sticking up for somebody that made fun of you for being emo? That doesn't sound like a friend."

Her eyes burn with tears because Janae is speaking the truth. Flaca really can't bring herself to miss the person who Piper was, but rather, the person Flaca wishes she was. "You just stay out of it."

"Whatever, let's leave her alone," Poussey mutters.

"Thank you," Flaca says.

"Wow, I thought I was gonna have to put that catfight on YouTube, but it never happened," Luscheck tells them. "That's too bad."

* * *

At lunchtime, Alex meets up with Flaca and a shorter Latina, who introduces herself as Maritza Ramos. Lorna and Daya join them a few minutes later and sit across from them at their table. Alex honestly isn't surprised, since they don't really have other friends to eat with. They don't talk about the interrogation or the text they all got because Maritza doesn't need to know about this. It really could've just been someone playing a mean trick on them.

"So, how do you guys know Flaca?" Maritza asks. Alex notices she's barely touching her food. "My name's Maritza."

"We all met each other through Piper," Lorna answers before stuffing a bite of macaroni and cheese into her mouth. "I'm Lorna, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. Are you doing cheerleading tryouts today?"

"Yeah, but I know I'll win head cheerleader. I'm already the it-girl!"

"Where's your rival, Brook?"

Lorna scowls and points at an Asian girl in glasses who's seated with Poussey, Janae, and Cindy. "She thinks she's so cool, but she's wrong! Everyone knows I'm the best."

"I like you already." Maritza gestures toward Daya. "Did I see you coming out of Mr. Bennett's room earlier? I recognize you."

"Yeah, you looked familiar. Uh, that was me...but like I told Flaca, I was talking to him about an assignment...um, like what to expect in his class. Did I tell you my name? It's Daya."

"Cool."

Alex shares a confused look with Lorna, who smiles widely and mouths, _She's blushing..._

"Hello, girls," someone says behind Alex, Flaca, and Maritza. The girls turn around and Lorna and Daya appear to be shocked. "Oh, don't look so surprised! I go to this school, too, you know."

It's Leanne Taylor, who Piper used to bully for being Amish and pimply with greasy hair. Leanne is no angel, either. She's homophobic and the leader of a hate group at school called _White Lives Matter_. Even so, Alex feels a twinge of guilt for her, and the others do as well. It's written all over their faces, except Maritza's, who has no idea what's going on at the moment.

The girls' phones suddenly chime and Alex looks down at hers. _Gee, I hope she doesn't still hold a grudge against you, but I wouldn't blame her if she did. This shit always comes back to you. -P_

"Why so pale over a text message?" Leanne asks with a slight smirk on her now scarred face. "I just wanted to see if I was finally allowed to sit here at the cool table."

"Oh...that's...that's fine," Lorna murmurs without even glancing up. The girl plops down between the small brunette and the Latina, who probably wished they'd sat closer together so there would be no room for Leanne.

"New girl?" Leanne wonders aloud and jerks her thumb towards Maritza.

"Yeah," Flaca answers.

"Maritza...Ramos," Maritza says and stretches her hand out to Leanne. Alex senses that Maritza's just trying to dissipate the budding tension and weirdness.

"How is everyone?" Leanne asks while ignoring Maritza, who draws her hand back.

"Fine," the girls say in unison.

"You four are in synch...and with your fifth squad member, it's like as if Piper never left," Leanne says smugly. "Not so chatty now, are we? I bet you miss her a lot." With that, she gets up and struts away.

 _The five friends are all trying on Piper's clothes while dancing to music in the blonde's bedroom. They're also laughing and talking._

 _"This would look so cute on you, Lorna," Piper says while handing her a pink tank top._

 _"Thank you!" Lorna responds. She removes her shirt and slips the top over her head while looking into the mirror._

 _"Hey, Pipes, can I borrow these?" Alex asks, holding up a pair of black ripped jeans._

 _"Yeah, but you'd have to wear them as capris. You're getting taller every time I see you!"_

 _"Check out this belt!" Flaca exclaims. "It's black and studded and everything!"_

 _Piper takes a bag of Doritos out of Daya's hands. "Hey, if you want to have a chance of fitting into anything in my closet, hold off on the snacks, okay?"_

 _"Sorry, I'm just hungry," Daya mumbles, appearing to be ashamed._

 _"She can wear a scarf of yours," Alex says to Piper, trying to make Daya feel better. Even though Alex had a thing for her, Piper could be harsh._

 _"Sure! How about my purple one?" Piper offers Daya._

 _"Thank you," Daya answers while slipping it on. "It's pretty."_

 _"Oh my god, that is disgusting!" Piper suddenly yells, making them all jump. "Pennsatucky's creepy little brother, Donny Doggett, is spying on us!"_

 _"Really? He's like, nine, isn't he?" Lorna asks, moving away from the window. Flaca rolls her eyes and Daya looks at Alex uncertainly._

 _"He's still being gross! Didn't his mother teach him anything? Where's his big sister? I bet Pennsatucky the holy devil put him up to this and he's getting enjoyment out of it! Come on girls, let's get out of here." Piper storms out of her bedroom and the rest of the girls follow her down the stairs and out of the Chapman house. "I'm gonna teach him a lesson he'll never forget!"_

 _"Piper, he's a kid!" Alex yells. "Plus, isn't he intellectually challenged? He probably doesn't even know that it's wrong."_

 _"That is no excuse! I'm at least ratting on him to his mother!"_

 _"You are so dramatic!" Flaca groans._

 _"Ha, says the girl who threw a fit over not being able to see_ The Smiths _in concert!"_

 _"They are the best, okay?! You wouldn't get it," the tall Latina snaps at their leader._

 _"Slow down, I can't keep up," Daya grumbles while jogging._

 _"It's only next door, Daya the Dinosaur. Oh, look, I made a rhyme." Piper marches up to the Doggetts' front door and knocks on it. Tiffany Doggett opens it. "Pennsatucky, your kid brother is being a perv! We're in my house in our underwear and I see him...watching us! Get your mom. She should give him a little spanking!"_

 _"No way, idiot." Pennsatucky tries to slam the door in Piper's face._

 _"Oh, Debbie!" Piper sings, but it seems like Pennsatucky's mother isn't home._

 _"Nice try," Pennsatucky says. Leanne Taylor appears behind her and Piper stifles a laugh._

 _"Don't worry. I'll get you some other way." Piper walks away from their house with the girls in tow. "You should've joined us when you had the chance!"_

 _"What are you gonna do?" Lorna asks once they cross the street and go into Piper's house._

 _"Not just me..._ we _are going to play a little prank on them!"_

 _"Uh oh..." Alex says worriedly._

 _"I'm going to shit in a bag, light it on fire, leave it on their porch, and ring the doorbell. It's fucking classic, man!"_

 _"That's gross!" Flaca and Daya exclaim at the same time._

 _"I don't think we should do that...like, you can, but I don't really want to," Lorna murmurs._

 _"Me neither, it sounds dumb," Alex agrees. "What if we get arrested or hurt someone?"_

 _"I can't go to jail," Flaca chimes in._

 _"I'm not gonna be responsible for any heart attacks," Daya adds._

 _"If you girls don't watch me do it, you're wimps!"_

 _The four friends sigh while rolling their eyes, and Alex could tell Piper knew they finally gave in._

 _Fifteen minutes later, they come out of the house and Piper's holding a bag of shit and a cigarette lighter. They tiptoe to the Doggetts' front door, set down the bag, and Piper lights it on fire. The girls jump back as the flames rise higher and higher. The leader of their circle rings the bell and then they run away as fast as they can._

 _"Uh...why isn't anyone answering?" Lorna wonders out loud._

 _"I dunno, maybe they're busy?" Piper guesses._

 _"Well, they better hurry up. The house could catch on fire!" Alex lets her know._

 _They see Leanne coming out of the front door. "Bye, Tucky, see you-" She's cut off by her own frightened screaming as the flames wrap themselves around her. The girls watch in horror as Pennsatucky rushes to her aid and sprays her with a fire extinguisher._

"Okay, what was that all about?" Maritza asks.

"Nothing, it was just-"

"You know I won't judge you, Flaca."

"She doesn't like us because she's jealous," Flaca says. "You know, typical high school drama."

"I can tell that you're lying. You're not looking in my eyes."

"I don't wanna talk about it!"

"Y'all have some kind of secret that you're sharing. I'm really good at keeping my mouth shut about things like that. If you hide things from me, then I don't know if our friendship is real."

Flaca sighs loudly. "Okay...can we go somewhere in private?"

"Fine."

As Maritza and Flaca walk away, Alex puts her head in her hands. "Does anyone else have butterflies in their stomach?"

Lorna and Daya nod and raise their hands. "Do we trust Flaca's bestie?" Lorna asks.

"I don't know her well enough to determine that, but if Flaca really likes her, then she's gotta be willing to spill her guts."

"We permanently scarred Leanne," Daya whispers. "That changed us. We could've been charged with arson, but the cops blamed Pennsatucky."

"Technically, _we_ didn't do anything wrong. Piper put the plan into action and we couldn't stop her," Lorna murmurs.

"We just let it happen," Alex mumbles. "There's no going back from it. Do you think Leanne's the one sending the texts?"

"She could be..." Daya answers. "Let's just block anything anonymous on our phones and laptops."

"Okay," Alex agrees, and Lorna nods. "We'll fill Flaca in on our plan once she gets her butt back here!"

* * *

"It wasn't your fault, Flaca," Maritza says, and Flaca breathes a sigh of relief through her tears. "You didn't mean to hurt her...and like you said, you girls didn't even wanna do it. You were just shocked and couldn't move, that's all. Leanne's a homophobic, racist bitch anyway, that's what you told me." Maritza wipes a tear off Flaca's cheek.

"Yeah, but we...we made Leanne's skin condition worse _and_ got her friend in jail!"

"I thought she was arrested for murdering Piper."

"Well, yeah, that too, but...no one should have to go down for a crime they didn't commit...and Leanne didn't deserve to get...burned. She didn't do nothin' to us. I'm surprised none of this fazes you."

"That's what true love's about, ain't it?"

Flaca nods. "Yeah. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Maritza says and then hugs her taller friend. "Did you ever tell your boyfriend, Ian?"

"We didn't say nothin' to nobody. We couldn't."

"I understand. I'm glad you told me, though."

"Me too."

* * *

Later that day, it feels like a brick has been lifted off the girls' chests when they're not receiving strange messages anymore. Lorna sees Christopher MacLaren by the gym. She smiles craftily at her friends. "Watch this, girls. I'mma make him go out with me. He's cute!"

"Good luck!" Alex says, giving her a thumbs up.

Flaca and Daya clap their hands with glee.

Lorna strides over to Christopher and crashes into him on purpose so they both drop the books that each of them are holding. "Oh, shit, I'm so sorry!" Lorna cries dramatically. "I totally didn't look where I was going...silly me!"

"Don't worry about it, that's okay," Christopher says. He gives her back her textbook and she grins up at him. She gazes into his soul. "Are you Lorna?"

"Yep! Lorna Morello. I'm in your drama class. There's so many people in there, though, you probably didn't recognize me. Oh well."

"No, I know you. I've seen you in the room. You're gorgeous...and _Morello_ , that's Italian, right?"

Lorna nods while blushing furiously. "Mm-hm! So, uh...would you wanna go out with me sometime? I think you're very handsome." She squeezes his huge bicep and winks flirtatiously at him. "I _adore_ your sweater."

"Well, thank you, that's very nice of you to ask, but...didn't you destroy Vince Muccio's car?"

"Come on, I don't bite, those were just rumors...and he _did_ cheat on me."

"I've never met a hot girl who was so forward! You are way too sexy to be cheated on. I'll take you out for some coffee, how's that?"

Lorna beams. "That sounds delightful! Oh, I'm so excited! Let's go...tonight!"

"Actually, I have football practice and then a lot of homework. I'll pick you up tomorrow at five!"

"Okay, here's my address. Don't lose it," she says while writing it down on a piece of paper in her notebook, ripping it out, and handing it to him. "See you later, snookums!" She pats his cheek and walks away while swaying her hips from side to side. As soon as she joins up with her girls, she announces, "I've got a boyfriend!"

"Wow! That fast?" Alex asks doubtfully.

"Yeah! I'm like a guy magnet," Lorna states proudly.

"Congratulations!" Daya squeals.

"We're really happy for you," Flaca chimes in.

* * *

Lorna's friends watch the cheerleading tryouts and root for her and Maritza. The new girls on the squad have to make up some cheers and those who were already on it, had practiced theirs for about a month. They all do cheers with partners. Lorna and Ella go up first.

"You might be good at basketball, you might be good at track, but when it comes to football, you might as well step back!" They kick nice and high and their cheer is very loud, which is exactly what the coach wants. They sit down as everyone watches the rest of the girls. Tiff and Lily go up next.

"We are the Bumblebees, we couldn't be prouder, if you can't hear us, we'll shout a little louder! We are the Bumblebees, we couldn't be prouder, if you can't hear us, we'll shout a little louder! We are the Bumblebees, we couldn't be prouder, if you can't hear us, we'll shout a little _louder_! Whooooo!"

Then, Amber and Kay cheer, "Let's go Bumblebees, let's go, _clap clap_ , let's go Bumblebees, let's go, _clap clap,_ whoooooo!"

The fourth pair is Caitlin and Ines. "The Bumblebees are the best, better than all the rest. Let's go, fight, win! Whoohoo!"

"Bumblebees, Bumblebees, hear our roar, we will beat you more and more!" Brook and Maritza chant.

Last up are Liza and Tia. All of the girls are really good dancers and the coach says they all did well. They cheer, "We don't care what you say, we're gonna win this anyway! Gooooooo, Bumblebees! Whooooo!"

At the end, they all have to do a dance to _Cha-Cha Slide_.

"Wow, you all look really good cheering! You'll find out the results next week," the coach says.

When Lorna and Maritza come up to their friends, Flaca says, "You're probably gonna make it!"

"Oh, I know we will!" Lorna exclaims. She and Maritza smile at each other and giggle. "I'm totally gonna be the flyer because I'm the shortest girl here!"

* * *

As soon as she gets home, Lorna hears her sister yell, "Leave and don't come back!"

"Fine, you want me to go?" Mendez shouts back.

"Yeah, if you're gonna be questioning my sister without me there and trying to go through her room!"

"I'm just doing my job, Franny, and we both know that Lorna is a bad seed!"

"Hey! I don't wanna hear more garbage come out of your filthy mouth!"

"What did you do to my shit?" Lorna demands to know.

Mendez backs out of the house and she flinches away from him. "Nothing, your sister wouldn't let me touch anything."

Once he's gone, Lorna says, "Thank you, Franny."

"Yeah, you're welcome."

"How far did he get, really?"

"Well, I was doing laundry and he snuck into your room...I couldn't find him, so I searched the house while callin' out his name...and then I saw him goin' through your closet and sniffing a pair of your undies."

Lorna gasps sharply. " _What_? That dirty bastard! You gotta take him down!"

"Oh, hon, you know, I wish I could. The best we can do is hope he goes away."

* * *

Alex and Flaca are walking home from band club when they see a bunch of ambulances across the street, at Sylvia's house. "That's where Piper used to live," Alex murmurs while running toward the scene. She has to see if Sylvia is okay.

Paramedics are digging a hole in Flaca's backyard, and Sylvia stands there and watches with Flaca's mom behind her. "We found something!" a man yells. "Step back."

The girls gasp as they lift an unmoving blonde girl out of a hole, check her pulse, and slide her into a body bag. "She's dead," another man announces.

"Are you sure that's Piper Chapman?" Alex asks worriedly. She blinks back tears. "I wanna see her face...say goodbye."

"We're positive. I'm sorry, miss, we can't show you."

Alex takes a few wobbly steps back, covers her mouth, and falls into Flaca's arms while sobbing. Theresa hugs them both and Sylvia appears to be in shock.

"Was that..." Sylvia asks, and Alex nods. "I'm so sorry."

Once Alex and Flaca get time to themselves, they go into Alex's room and close the door behind them. "So...Piper wasn't sending the texts...but then who could know all of our secrets? We only told our deepest, darkest ones to Piper," Flaca says.

Alex wipes her eyes with the palms of her hands. "It doesn't matter. We got rid of them."

"No, we didn't. Check your phone."

 _Someone was in my room and they wrote on my mirror that that they're still here and they're not leaving in jungle red lipstick. If it's Leanne, we have to report her! -Daya_

 _She's gone, but I'm not, bitches! Enjoy trying to figure out who I am, because you'll never guess. Of course, if you tell anyone about me, someone's blood will be on my hands. -P_

"That's fucking creepy! This person must have known that Daya doesn't have attentive parents. Our moms and Lorna's sister would've spotted them in an instant," Alex comments. "Leanne doesn't know us that well, or so I thought..."

"Whoever it is, why are they not leaving us alone?"

"I guess our stalker has an ax to grind."

"Do you think we should just confess to the Leanne thing?" Flaca asks. "Maybe that will make them stop. We could tell the police we never wanted to..."

"No! We'll still get in trouble for aiding and abetting."

"Okay...I'm desperate here. Maritza knows about it...I don't want her to get hurt because of this."

"You don't have to mention P to her if you want to keep her safe."

"I know. I won't. It's just between the four of us."

* * *

It's late at night when Taystee finishes working. She drives herself, Nicky, and Tricia back home, and knocks on the door. Vee opens it right away. "Hey, babies, you missed dinner!"

"We ate at Shake Shack," Nicky says sourly and they walk inside the house.

"Who's this?" Vee asks and nods her head towards Tricia.

"I found her on the street...she's homeless and I...you have to take her in, Vee. She's only eleven..." Nicky trails off. "No kid should be alone out there. It's fucking scary."

"That's fine. You can share a room with Nicky and Taystee, child," Vee tells Tricia. "One of you, fix her ratty hair!"

"I'm alright, yo," Tricia murmurs. "It's neater than Nicky's."

Nicky chuckles. "I'll kick your ass for saying that," she teases her younger friend.

"Get ready for bed. Nicky, come with me."

"Okay."

The older blonde follows Vee to her bedroom where a pile of bags filled with heroin are sitting. "My, would you look what I found dumped in the kitchen? What did I ask you to do?" she growls while grabbing a fistful of Nicky's hair and shaking her. "Huh?"

"I...I'm sorry, Vee! I couldn't...no one..." Nicky stammers. She's terrified because of the way Vee is glaring at her.

"What? Speak in full sentences, you brat!"

"They weren't interested," Nicky murmurs. She tries to make her voice not waver. "One girl was, but she didn't have the money. She'll get some tomorrow morning, I promise...and I'll do better next time. Let's face it, no one expects to pass someone selling drugs outside their school! This girl's friend said I was sketchy, so...and I don't do bad stuff!"

"If this happens again, you will be back on the streets again for good, do you understand me?" Vee threatens her.

Nicky gulps. "Loud and clear."

"Now go on and bring Tricia in here. I'll have her be with you. People love children, they're like bait."

"She shouldn't be around drugs. She needs to go to school. She's _eleven_! They'll call Child Protective Services on your ass."

"Excuse me? That wasn't a suggestion. You invite her to live with us, she needs to do something in this family."

"She can help Taystee at Shake Shack, not-"

Vee slams Nicky's head into the wall. "You are not listening to me! That girl is your ticket to you getting customers!"

Nicky gasps in pain. "Fine, but if she gets addicted, it's on you."

"She doesn't need to take the drugs, idiot! Besides, they're all over the house."

"Okay, you have a point..."

"Thank you. I'm glad we understand each other."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, **A Star In My** **Universe, **HannahMiley1fan** , Boris Yeltsin, haleypadilla229, peanut-brained, nnicholsnlyonne, ladyglorificus, cornedout, and thecharmedwerewolf! ****


	4. Stick Together

**Thank you for beta'ing, thecharmedwerewolf and nnicholsnlyonne!**

"Can I try some?" Tricia asks for the third time as she and Nicky take the bus to Martin Van Buren High.

"No, damn it! I'm not changing my answer. You're a kid!" Nicky responds in an exasperated tone. "I already told you, Vee only forced me to take you with me so I'd sell more heroin. Like she said, kids are cute enough to lure in customers. I didn't wanna do this. You should be learning...whatever sixth graders are doing in school."

Tricia gives Nicky an annoyed look. "I wanna get high! Besides, _you_ had some!"

"I'm older!"

"Some big sister you are, fucking hypocrite," Tricia mumbles and folds her arms across her chest.

"Hey!" Nicky turns the other blonde around to look at her. "Do you _want_ to overdose?"

"I won't, jeez!"

"You don't know that for sure. See...I'm an addict, but I know to take it in small amounts, just to give myself a bit of heroin. I've almost died a couple of times, but you know, I took less and less until I stopped being so close to the big man upstairs...or burning in hell, wherever I'm going. You cannot take that chance...you're smaller and skinnier, so it might be more serious if you take too much."

"Can't you just like, give me a pinch or something?"

Nicky chews on her lip in thought. "It'll make you feel really good and then you'll become addicted. Then, when you come down from your high, you'll be sweating and shaking like crazy. I'm not going to be held accountable for your self-destruction. I'm already responsible for my own."

"You're not able to predict the future. It's _my_ choice!" Tricia growls.

"I'm not arguing about this with you anymore. You're acting like a brat!" Nicky slouches down, slips on her headphones, and listens to her music while Tricia sulks in the seat next to her.

* * *

"She should be here any moment now," Alex mutters. "Really, Lorna, you don't need to stay with me."

"Yes, I do. Besides, what if your mom comes by?"

"Oh yeah, thanks for being on the lookout."

"Anytime." Lorna squints at two small figures walking down the street and disgust runs through her. "Did she really bring her kid sister? That's terrible! I _told_ you she was a bad influence!"

Alex rolls her eyes. "Maybe she's walking her to school or something and I'm her first stop."

"I hope you're right."

"One of us has to stall her while the other gets Red."

"I know," Lorna murmurs.

"You're a big softie deep down with a gentle heart. Why don't you just let Nicky in? You don't have to be cold to everyone you meet."

"I'm not! She just makes me mad. Who's side are you on, anyway?"

"I like both of you, so I'm Switzerland."

"Okay, then."

"Hey!" Nicky greets them. The blonde girl next to her has a sour look on her face. "Cheer up," she says through gritted teeth. "Alex and Lorna, am I correct?"

"Yep. Here's your moolah," Alex says and hands it to her.

Nicky gives a bag of heroin to Alex. "Put that in your backpack or something. Meet me in the cornfield at three to do crack, yeah?"

"Sure thing. Holy shit, where did that bruise on your face come from?" the raven-haired girl asks.

"What happened, did you get in a fight with someone you were a total bitch to?" Lorna coughs to cover up a laugh.

Nicky scowls. "No. I'm not tellin' you anything. It's personal."

"Is she being mean to you?" Lorna asks the sad girl, and she nods. "Nichols, you are a jerk!"

"What are you even doing here, Morello?" Nicky snaps. "What we're up to is none of your fucking business, so scram!"

"I'm protecting my best friend from getting hurt, duh!" Lorna glares at Nicky.

"Are you serious or just plain dumb? We're on public property! Even if we weren't, how are you, a girl of only five feet, going to protect your much taller friend?"

"Is that a threat?"

"Nope, just an honest question. Surely you aren't strong enough to physically defend her. The assailant would kick you aside like you're a toy that's in their way!"

"Do you want me to jump up on you from behind and choke you to death, because I can do that!" Lorna snarls and shakes her fists at Nicky. "How old are you, anyway, five?"

Nicky chuckles bitterly. "If you hate me so much, why are you talking to me? How come you don't just snitch on my ass?"

"Oh believe me, I want to, but-"

"You're not going to, because deep down inside your fickle little heart, you care," Nicky interrupts the brunette.

Lorna frowns. She doesn't want to admit it, but it's true. As annoying as Nicky is, she feels a bit sorry for the girl. "No, it's just that I don't wanna get Alex in trouble and I don't want people to know I'm associated with a dirty, stupid junkie since I'm the _it girl_. Everyone here loves me! Drugs are bad and you should stop. Get yourself an education or something."

"Aw, see, I knew you cared about me!"

"Shame on you for letting your...whoever she is...tag along!"

"Her name is Tricia and she's eleven. She's my foster sister. Our guardian instructed us to come together."

"She won't let me have anything," Tricia says grumpily.

"Good, you're a child," Alex responds. She raises her eyebrows at Nicky and Lorna. "Are you two done with your banter?"

"I am," Lorna replies.

"No way, kid, this is fun," Nicky says.

"Okay, I'll let you battle it out," Alex answers.

"If you're finished, why aren't you leaving?" Nicky wonders out loud as Alex walks away from them. "How about you introduce me to more customers since you're so popular?"

"I'm not going to help my schoolmates get stoned."

"Come on, there's gotta be a few druggies around here! I need the cash, okay? I really do! One person isn't enough."

Lorna folds her arms across her chest and sighs heavily. "Why are you so desperate? Just...apply for a job!"

"This _is_ my job."

"Well, it's illegal! Does your foster mom know you're doing this? I mean, you're minors, so she should be the one paying the bills."

"We gotta help out with rent, yo," Tricia cuts in. "Vee wants us-"

"Shh!" Nicky hushes her sister and claps a hand over her mouth.

"Okay, I'll organize a bake sale, but I'm gonna have to follow you around to see that you don't use the money I earn for you, on smack or whateva," Lorna offers.

"A bake sale, how cute!" Nicky mocks her. "You really _are_ a stuck-up prissy bitch, thinking she can do everything and be a little housewife. Dude, unless those goods have pot in them or prostitution is involved, I'm not interested! Just give me the green!" she demands. "I don't even mind licking your pussy for it or grabbing your tits."

Lorna makes a disgusted face and backs away from her. "Get this through your fuckin' head, ya smelly loser. First and foremost, I am _straight_ , which means I am in no way doing anything like lesbian sex, and certainly not with you. Number two, ya need cash. I have a way to make it. I'm very good with my hands and everyone's gonna buy my food. Take it or leave it!"

"There you go, bragging again! Look, I was nice at first, okay? _You_ were a complete asshole, callin' me sketchy and all that! You don't know who I am!"

"I'm trying to help you even though I think you're a no-good slob and _now_ , a pervert!"

"I was kidding, you dumbass! I wouldn't pressure anyone into fucking. I think the kids here just like you because you're pretty on the outside only, but not really so much on the inside."

Lorna gasps deeply. "How dare you! I am the sweetest girl you'll ever meet! My insides are mushy like jello!"

"Really, then how are you able to keep yourself upright?" Nicky asks with sarcasm dripping from her tone. "Cuz if you were literally filled with jello, well, you wouldn't have bones and muscles and shit."

"Stop pushing my buttons!"

"No can do. Hey, you've got big lungs for someone so small."

"Shut up, you moron!" Lorna shouts at her even louder.

"It's okay, right, Nicky? We don't need some schoolgirl helpin' us. We get by just fine," Tricia interrupts their squabble.

They glare at each other for a few seconds.

* * *

"Lorna's out there with them," Alex is saying to Red.

" _Them_?"

"Nicky and her younger sister, Tricia."

Red wipes her hands on her pants. "Thank you." She follows Alex to the back of the school and gasps softly when she sees the girls across from a furious Lorna. Nicky looks so familiar with her big chocolate brown eyes and frizzy, wild blonde hair. The girl next to her is a few inches shorter. They have tough stances about them, but they appear to be around ten and fifteen. They're wearing clothes that sag on their bodies and beanies cover their heads.

 _"You don't want to participate?" Red asks three-year-old Nicky in the preschool classroom. They have a close bond since Red is Nicky's favorite aide._

 _The little girl shakes her head no and pouts. She reaches her arms up for Red to hold her, so the woman picks her up, sits in an adult chair, and rocks her in her lap gently._

 _"Now, what's wrong? Are you having a bad day?"_

 _Nicky begins to cry. "Mommy doesn't love me! She went bye-bye before I got up."_

 _"Oh, sweetheart...I'm sorry. Grownups can be busy, but a mother must always make time for her child. She should've woken you up with hugs and kisses."_

 _"Can we snuggle?" Nicky asks while wrapping her arms around the lady, and Red nods while kissing the top of her head._

 _"Of course, honey."_

 _"Sometimes, I wish you were my mommy."_

 _Red's heart warms at hearing that. "Well, thank you, malyshka." She sings_ You Are My Sunshine _silently to Nicky and it calms down the child in her arms._

Just hearing Nicky's name yesterday had struck mother's intuition into her, which is why she tore out of the cafeteria so fast. "You shouldn't be doing this!" she reprimands them. "Why aren't you in school?"

"We were just joking about the drugs, we'll be on our way. Bye!" Nicky says and she walks away quickly with the other blonde following her.

"Oh, it's too bad I can't follow them because it's against staff policy to leave the campus during work hours." The first bell rings and the girls run inside the building with Red behind them.

"Hold on, do you actually believe her?" Lorna asks quietly.

"Not one bit. Those little girls need help and lots of it," Red declares.

"They were begging me for money...well, Nicky was doing most of the talking, and she said she really wanted my help in selling drugs to the junkies here. I told her that I wasn't gonna feed their addictions...and if I just give her cash, she'll just use it for heroin or whatever she's on next. Trust me on this, I know, because that's what Franny's ex-boyfriends always did before she dumped 'em. Apparently, the girls' foster mom, I think some lady named Vee, she encourages it...and when Tricia mentioned that, Nicky looked really scared, or mad, I wasn't sure. Maybe it was a mix of the two. Then, our fighting got worse because she started making fun of me for being able to cook and basically calling me a bragger...and I wanna be friendly, but what, was she raised by wolves? She's awful! I wanted to slap her so hard! Also, her sister refused my help, too...should we just forget them if they just don't give a damn? God helps those who help themselves, right?" Lorna asks.

"Yes...you tried your hardest, but they turned you down. You can't do anything about that. However, they haven't spoken to _me_ yet, and I will unleash the fear of Red onto them, I assure you."

"Could you see them after school?" Alex wants to know. "I'm meeting Nicky to hang out then today, but I just want us to trust each other before bringing her into an intervention with you. That's the one way I _won't_ gain her friendship. On Thursday, you can speak to her. Wednesday is Piper's funeral, as you know."

"Mm-hm. Okay, I will," Red tells Alex.

"Thank you," Alex says.

"Hold on, you're still gonna hang out with that girl by yourself?" Lorna asks.

"Yeah, but you don't have to come. I'll be fine."

"Okay!"

* * *

"All set, Pennsafucky?"

"Yeah, Big Boobs. Thanks!" Tiffany Doggett leaves her foster mom's car and slowly strolls to the school. She knows she won't be accepted here since everyone thinks she'd committed homicide, so she just plans to keep to herself.

She hopes Leanne Taylor and Angie Rice are still her friends, though. The three of them shared a love of meth and preaching to God, but right now, she doesn't believe in Him anymore. If He was real, she wouldn't have been accused of killing that damn Piper Chapman and stuck in a prison for kids.

Carrie Black, or Boo, as she liked people to refer to her as, had done Pennsatucky a whole lot of good. She'd been a witness and told the court that the kid wasn't even in town that day and although Piper and Pennsatucky did have their squabbles and physical fights at times, actually stabbing the stuck-up blonde to death just wasn't worth the jail time. She'd wanted to end Piper many times because she'd pissed Pennsatucky off, but she didn't want to get caught and Boo, her legal guardian, had talked her out of it. Even though she wasn't the best role model, she was way better than Pennsatucky's biological mother who never raised her right. It's like living with one's older best friend. Boo won't let Pennsatucky go to drugs, harm people, or tell her bad advice when she's going through puberty. Pennsatucky's brother is in jail, and Boo doesn't want that to happen to her.

Pennsatucky has gotten her hair cropped to just under her chin when she'd finally been released because she thinks it will make her into a new person, different than who she'd been before. Still, as she walks to her first period class, the students steer themselves away from her and some call her a murderer. Piper's friends look on, frozen in fear. Truthfully, they don't need to be afraid of her. All she's done was break Alex Vause's glasses out of anger for kissing her because of her own homophobic comments.

* * *

"Oh no, Pennsatucky has returned!" Alex whispers.

"Do we think she's P?" Lorna asks in the same hushed tone.

"We never said she didn't torch Leanne. She totally has a motive," Flaca answers.

"Yeah, we're probably dead meat to her," Daya chimes in.

"Look at you gossipmongers...I dunno, maybe Piper's not dead after all," Leanne says in passing.

Lorna growls under her breath and her hands clench into fists. She starts forward, ready to punch the bitch, but Alex pulls her back. "Hey, I wanna beat her up too, but then that's just encouraging more drama. She wants a reaction, and we're not gonna give her one!"

"Fine..."

The girls go to their respective classrooms. Flaca and Daya sit next to each other in their English class like they had yesterday. All of a sudden, Flaca's phone goes off and they jump.

"It's just my boyfriend," Flaca says in a relieved voice. "He's throwing a party this weekend, so I'mma tell him I'm so down and I'm bringing some friends!"

"Awesome!"

"He said I can invite whoever I want!"

"Did someone say something about a _fiesta_?" They glance up and see that Maria Ruiz is the one asking. Beside her, is a made-over Blanca Flores. She'd straightened her wild, frizzy hair, waxed her unibrow, and is now barely recognizable. Daya and Flaca have to squint a few times to see if that's really her.

"Oh, yeah! Her boyfriend's hosting it," Daya responds while jerking her thumb towards Flaca.

"Is it okay if we come?" Blanca wonders out loud. "I'd love it if we can be friends."

"Sure!" Flaca answers.

" _Gracias_!" Maria says.

"Okay, ladies, that's enough talking," Mr. Bennett says, and the other two Latinas take their seats. "Thank you. Now today, I'm going to separate you into groups of three to five for your book reports. You can choose who you want to be partners with."

Daya grins, knowing she's put him in a good enough mood to not care if the students work with their friends. She and Flaca hi-five each other and then Maria and Blanca excitedly join them.

"Mr. B is the coolest dude ever," Flaca comments.

"Yeah, he is," Blanca agrees.

"Don't you think so too, Daya?" Maria asks.

Daya tries to hide her blush. "Oh, yes! Definitely."

At the end of class, the teacher tells Daya to come home with him after school for their first date, and she gladly says yes. She doesn't need to be at her own apartment until five anyway.

* * *

Alex is glad that her mom is working at Friendly's at the moment because then, she won't have to think up a lie as to why she's not going to come home with her. If her mom asks how things are going at home, she'll just say she's with her friends. She goes to the cornfield and follows the sound of Nicky's laughter. This is where she used to go with Piper and sometimes the rest of the girls, so she knows the area pretty well.

"Good afternoon, Vause!" Nicky calls out. She's already smoking crack.

"Man, you started without me?"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist!"

Alex runs over to where she is and plops down. "Are you high yet, Nichols?"

"I don't think so. Am I slurring my words or anything?"

"Nope. Where's your sister?"

"I dropped her off at Shake Shack where our big sister, Taystee, works. I figured she'd be more effective in stopping Tricia from wanting drugs. Let's get to know each other a bit better," Nicky says while handing her a pipe. Alex pulls the heroin out of her backpack. "Shit, that's been there all day? You're lucky nobody saw that!"

"There was no good time to take it."

"Sucks, dude. So...you're into girls, right?"

Alex almost chokes on the pipe. "What? How did you..."

Nicky rolls her eyes and smirks. "Puh-lease, you've got _sapphic_ written all over you. Don't ask me how I can sense it, but...let's just say it's a talent of mine."

"Yeah, I just came out."

"Sweet. How'd your peeps take it?"

"Pretty great, actually. My mom and my friends are extremely supportive."

"Lucky kid you are. I didn't even bother telling my mom and her boyfriend that I was a lesbian because they never loved me. Then, I was homeless for a while and now I'm selling heroin."

"Oh, jeez, that's rough."

"No, it's cool...I don't need people who don't give a shit about me. So...what's your story? You never mentioned a father. I don't know mine."

Alex fiddles with some pins on her backpack."Yeah, me neither...but I think he was famous at one time. It's weird. Anyway...where do I begin? I was bullied in middle school and just last night, my best friend was found dead on my neighbor's property."

"God, how awful."

"Yeah."

They sit there in silence while smoking crack. Alex inhales the heroin. "I'm gonna hide this under my bed."

"Nice!"

"So, like, this is mamazing!" Alex gushes after a half hour.

Nicky bursts out into fits of giggles. "You're totally stoned!"

"Is that dancing rainbow real?"

"This is hilarious! I think it is!" Nicky exclaims.

Alex wrinkles her nose and adjusts her glasses. "Hey...after this, let's get some Pizza Hut."

"Sure, I got the munchies too. Are my eyes red?"

"Yeah, man!"

"Dude, did you know that like, as a lesbian, you cannot accidentally get knocked up?"

"Oh, totally! It's cool. It's so cool!"

"You know what else is cool?"

"Yeah?"

"The sky is blue and it's above us and there's a giant fireball up there that could kill us if we got way too close to it!" Nicky informs Alex.

"I know! I know!"

"When's the best time to get high?" Nicky asks between guffaws.

"Four-twenty!" Alex responds with a knowing smile. "Was that like, a riddle, did I get it right?"

"Yeah, okay, we are officially best friends now!"

"Fuck yes!" Alex holds her middle and ring fingers inside her thumb while pointing her index and pinky fingers up in the air on both hands while falling down into the weeds. "We rock!"

"Okay, okay...so there's a bush that's telling me to finger you, and I think it's right, because you're so pretty!"

Alex giggles while undoing her pants. "Mm, yes, you are too!" As Nicky's fingers pump inside of her, she moans in ecstasy. "That feels so good..." Her vaginal walls tighten around the blonde's digits and she claps her hands over her mouth as she screams through her orgasms. "Ohhh...ohhh...mmm!"

"Man, your pussy's soaked!"

Alex stares up at Nicky, panting heavily. "Thank you! I needed that!"

They start pulling off each other's shirts while scooting closer together. Nicky scoops Alex's breasts out of her bra and sucks on each one while Alex laughs a few times. The girl in glasses takes this chance to fist Nicky, who's straddling her. Nicky puts her hand over Alex's and rubs harder against herself. "Yeah, get me really wet!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

Nicky gasps and her eyes roll back inside her head. "I'm comin'...fuck! Aaahh!"

"How did I do?" Alex asks as Nicky's juices drip down her arm.

"Oh, excellent! You tasted delicious, but I'm still starving!" Nicky groans. "Let's get something to eat."

"I wanna have like, seven pieces of pizza...and maybe five hamburgers!"

"Yes, girl! Preach! Also, a big, fat burrito!"

"Mmm! Now we're talking! Ooh, how about an ice cream sundae with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry on top for dessert?"

"That sounds amazing!"

After putting their shirts back on, they walk to Pizza Hut and order an extra large cheese, pepperoni, and sausage pizza to share. Their next craving is the ice cream place and then, they're too tired to venture anywhere else. They don't have money for a cab or the bus. They just rest against the side of the building until they sober up.

"Look, man, all that shit I said to your friend...it really wasn't cool...and if you knew me, you'd probably wanna punch me too since I tend to run off at the mouth at times and go a bit too far...I'm just surprised you didn't rip me a new one for it...unless she never told you."

"Nicky, it's-"

"Anyway, just say sorry to Lorna for me, alright? She probably _is_ an excellent chef...and I might have the same reaction if some weird girl stumbled up to me and tried selling me drugs like they were Girl Scout cookies and begging for cash. I didn't really think about it in her perspective, you know? I probably came off as creepy! Oh, and that's the _best_ way to win over a girl! Not!" Nicky winces and scratches the top of her head.

"Actually-" Alex sighs as she's stopped again by her new friend's babbling.

"I was just trying to get revenge on her from yesterday. Also, how was she to know that I don't come from a good life? It's not like I didn't automatically assume that you two were rich with the best parents in the world. I mean, I'm aware you just have your mom and I'm not sure about her...but are you both okay financially?" Nicky pauses. "Oh, I'm sorry, I have foot-in-mouth disease. That was personal, wasn't it? I'm just asking because I don't wanna take money from poor people...not that having a single mom makes you poor-"

Alex grabs onto Nicky's shoulders and shakes her. "It's okay! No more rambling! I totally understand! Yes, I'm poor...but we have _some_ money. I wouldn't mind loaning you a twenty dollar bill every now and then. Lorna...you're gonna have to find a way to get along with her if you want a peek into her life. I don't share personal details about anyone unless I ask them first and I know her. She wouldn't want me to tell you anything about herself until she's completely forgiven you. I can let her know that you apologized, but she'd most likely want you to say it to her face and be sincere about it."

"Okay, I respect that."

"Thank you. Wait...do you have a crush on her?"

"I never said that."

"You kinda did...when you implied that you were trying to impress her."

"I don't know enough about her to like her. She's pretty, in general...but she's got a boyfriend and she told me she's strictly interested in guys, so there's no chance. I just wanna make a few things clear, okay? I don't commit to one girl." Nicky looks down at the ground and nudges little pieces of gravel around with her shoe. "I hate showing my feelings, so I'm unable to. I've never even cried in front of anyone. That thing we did in the cornfield...it's one of my other pleasures besides heroin. We can be best friends with benefits if you want. I swear, I didn't use you and toss you in the Dumpster like last week's garbage."

"I know. I should feel that way, but I don't," Alex says honestly. "I should be happy...now I can say I finally have experience. I think I have feelings for my neighbor and she might like me, too."

"Wow! Awesome!"

"Oh, I need to get home!" Alex realizes out loud.

"Tell your mom I said hi!"

"She hasn't met you yet. Are you proud of yourself for corrupting me?"

Nicky winks at her. "I sure am! You're seriously not gonna go sobbing to her of a broken heart caused by me?"

"No, I promise! You're not that special," Alex teases Nicky. "Hey...let's chill on Thursday, same time, but maybe a different place?"

"Anywhere you choose, it's your turn to decide! See ya then!" Nicky waves at Alex while getting up.

"Where are you going?"

"Shake Shack."

"Okay, bye!"

"Bye!" The girls hug.

On Alex's way home, a new text comes in.

 _You're dishonoring me by letting yourself get fucked by another chick. Also, you got super duper high! Dirty, dirty. Xo, P_

* * *

Daya takes a cab to her boyfriend's place and waits until he goes inside. A minute later, she joins him. His apartment is much nicer than hers, as expected.

"Hey, John!" she greets him with a wide smile while locking the door.

"Hello there, stranger." He brings her to the couch and they start kissing passionately. Her knee crashes into one of his legs, which is as stiff as a board.

"Oh, I apologize," she mumbles, ashamed of herself.

"It's okay...it's fake...I lost my real one in some filthy bathtub."

"I'm sorry. Do you want to stop?"

"No, keep going, Daya!" He continues to touch her everywhere.

She gets so hot over him that she takes off her shirt and begins to unbutton her jeans. "I want you to fuck me."

"What? Really?"

"Yes," she breathes out.

"Is this your first time?"

"Mm-hm," she lies. She can't have him knowing she'd done it with Cesar before, just to get under her mom's skin.

"Okay, let me just...hold on."

This is one of the times Daya is grateful for the weight she'd lost. Last year, a guy would've been numb under her. She undresses herself.

John comes back with a condom. He peels off his own clothing and slips it on. Then he slides into her easily and it's the best sensation she's ever had. He makes her forget all her worries and she loves him for it.

She returns home on the bus with her insides still tingling and reads her new message.

 _Wait til your mom finds out about you banging your teacher. How jealous will Cesar be? You really are a cheating slut, Daya. Kisses, P_

She whirls around to see who could've sent that to her, but everyone is on their phones, so it's hard to tell.

* * *

"Have the Chapmans decided on a date for Piper's funeral?" Franny asks.

"Yep...tomorrow at four! Hey, I got a date tonight! Christopher MacLaren and I are going out for coffee! He's the football quarterback."

"That's wonderful! Have fun!"

She's soon ready in a purple dress that has a gold chain design on it. She thinks the rest of her looks perfect. When Christopher honks, Lorna shouts excitedly, "That's him!" and runs outside to meet him. She opens his passenger car door and gives him a hug.

Christopher plays music in his car and she tells him all about her day, except for the stuff to do with Leanne and P, of course.

"Mendez sounds skeevy," he comments.

"Oh, he is! He should drop off the face of the earth! At least I've got all my girls back. They're gonna be my bridesmaids, you know."

"That's good."

They get out of the car and walk into the coffee shop. He orders them drinks and they sit down to chat as they wait for their coffees.

"So, how was football tryouts?" she asks. "I bet you made the team! I did really good in cheerleading! I might be the captain!"

"Oh, they went well, I think. I don't have to invite you to my games since you'll already be there!"

Lorna reaches across the table and squeezes his hand. "Oh, yeah, I'll be cheering on my man! We're gonna be high school sweethearts, you and me. After college, we'll get married and have four children. That's my dream!"

"We're not in a relationship yet," he mutters.

"Of course we are! We love each other passionately, but we just haven't kissed yet, that's all."

"How do you know that we're meant to be? You're not inside my brain."

"Well, yeah, but...I just got this feeling in my gut. I don't know how to explain it, but we're connected." Lorna can't stop staring at him, even when he looks down at his phone. "I'm very smart about this kind of shit. You are exactly the kind of man I want in my life. I...I love you."

He goes up to the counter to get their coffees. "Here's yours."

"Didn't you hear what I said?"

"Yes, you're a freak."

"No, really, I am falling for you! I'm mad about you, sugar. So...what names do you like for our children?"

"I have to go. Sorry." He gets up from his chair and leaves, but she chases after him.

"Wait! I don't have a ride home."

"You can call someone."

"No, I want to be with you. I'll miss you so much," Lorna says as tears form in her eyes. "Stop playing hard-to-get!"

He goes into his car and drives away, leaving her standing by herself on the sidewalk. She has no idea what she did wrong, but she's going to apologize tomorrow.

She returns to the coffee shop to finish her drink. "Hey...I'm not sure why you look so dejected over some guy who was not nice. I'm sure you'll find someone better than him," a voice comments from next to her.

Lorna turns to face Suzanne Warren from their drama class. "You're very kind, but I'll get him back. We're destined to be together forever. Where's your girlfriend?"

"Oh...she's using the restroom."

Lorna throws her empty cup into the trash. "Oh, my bus is here. I'm taking it back to my house. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

As soon as she's on it, her phone chimes. _You can't expect to keep a man if you're gonna go insane, Looney-Tunes Lorna. Love, P_

* * *

Flaca gasps as she receives a new email from P. _Alex got laid while Lorna was ditched!_ Two pictures are side-by-side, one being of some girl rubbing Alex's bare crotch and the other was of Christopher leaving Lorna stranded at the coffee shop. Flaca isn't sure who she should call first for details. The strange thing was, none of the girls had talked to each other today because at lunch, Maria and Blanca had joined their table and they couldn't really discuss what Pennsatucky's return meant for them.

She decides to ring them up on a three-way and they each pick up, one after the other.

"Hi, this is Alex!"

"Lorna speaking!"

"Daya's on the line!"

"Girls, I'm sorry that we haven't talked much since this morning. Maria and Blanca sorta barged in on our lunch, but they wanted to work on the project that Daya and I are doing with them. Besides, with Maritza being my bestie and all, she's always gonna eat with us, so we can't exactly talk about P. However, P is targeting all of us, so we need to stick together and not drift apart!"

"Yes, preach!" Alex agrees.

"That's so true!" Lorna chimes in.

"We should have meeting sessions at our houses and Pizza Hut whenever and wherever we can," Daya adds.

"Great idea!" Flaca says. "Did anyone get a message from P today? I did."

"Mm-hm," the others say in unison.

"Well, I think we should start sharing more with each other. P is using our secrets against us, right? What happens when they have no truths to uncover? Everything we told Piper, it comes out into the open between the four of us. I dunno, that's just my theory. It can't do any harm. We never did anything behind each other's backs and no one will judge anybody because that's true friendship!"

"Okay...so when's the first hangout gonna be?" Lorna asks.

"How about your house?" Alex suggests.

"Who are you talking to?" Daya wants to know.

"Flaca. Our places are the quietest."

"Sure, Alex!"

"When we get ready for a party or a dance together though, my room would be best!" Lorna exclaims.

"Yeah, same with mine," Daya puts in. "A red or black room is cool, but not when you need to see!"

"Ooh! Y'all wanna come to my boyfriend's party this Saturday? You can help me spread the word!" Flaca tells them excitedly. "Maritza's gonna be in charge of drinks and I'm DJ'ing!"

"Nice! I've already got a dress in mind! I'm totally making Chirstopher lose his virginity to me!" Lorna squeals.

"Why was P saying that he dumped you, then?" Flaca asks. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so harsh."

"Oh, P is a liar! Honestly, whoever it is, is just jealous they can't get some. He adores me."

"Can I bring Nicky?" Alex wonders aloud. "I mean, my new friend. I'll also take Sylvia as my date. She's my neighbor."

"Of course! Ian said anyone can show up who likes a good time!"

"I hope Nicky bails," Lorna grumbles. "I can't stand her."

"She told me to tell you she apologized for the way she treated you this morning."

"She's gotta show me she means it! Can you pass that message along to her for me, please?"

"Oh, I will."

"How do you two know her?" Flaca asks.

"She was selling drugs at school and Alex bought some. I was there as her bodyguard," Lorna informs her.

"I wanna go to Ian's bash, but who will watch the kids? My mom and Cesar will probably also attend a party at that same time," Daya says. "Your moms and the lunch ladies work until late."

"How about my sister?" Lorna offers. "I'll see if she's available."

"She's a college student. She should have her own fun," Daya answers.

"We'd love to have you there!" Flaca insists.

"I'll think of something," Daya tells them.

"Yay!" Alex cheers. "See you ladies tomorrow!"

"Bye!" Lorna says cheerfully.

"We'll watch Pennsatucky and Leanne for any kind of P behavior," Flaca instructs them.

"You got it, sister!" Daya tells her.

"Oh sure, and don't forget, people are starting to vote for class president and I'm running against Brook. We gotta give our speeches on Thursday," Lorna announces.

"Yep, and Piper's funeral...we should each say something meaningful about her," Alex puts in. "Adiós for real, though!"

"Good night!" everyone says at the same time and then hang up.

 **Thank you to Boris Yeltsin, HannahMiley1fan, A Star In My Universe, cornedout, haleypadilla229, nnicholsnlyonne,thecharmedwerewolf, ladyglorificus, peanutbrained, and Imaginary City for reading and reviewing!**


	5. Just Escape From It All

**Thank you for beta'ing, thecharmedwerewolf and nnicholsnlyonne! Note, if there's only little phrases or words in other languages than English, I'll say what it means up here, but if I'm writing a whole conversation in another language, I'll put the English translation right below it-kinda like how they have English subtitles while someone's speaking another language in the show :) oh and happy Election Day to any of my fellow Americans! #imwithher**

The funeral turns out to be pretty depressing and they're all wearing black. Nobody really expects a young person to die. The school has been closed due to the event. The girls sit with Cal, Carol, Bill, and Celeste Chapman, while their own moms, Flaca's brothers, Lorna's sister, Maritza, Red, Gloria, Claudette, Poussey, Brook, Cindy, Janae, Blanca, Maria, Suzanne, and Maureen are in the back. Daya's mom has no idea of what happened. Piper's family looks so solemn, except for Carol who cheerfully greets them with hugs and hellos. Alex has no idea how she's keeping it together. It's so hard to look at the lovely picture of a fourteen-year-old Piper they put up next to her casket without crying. Tears prick at her eyes and Lorna squeezes her hand gently.

"You don't have to hold it in, hon."

"I know." Alex manages to say through a strained voice. "I'm just trying to be strong."

The minister then has everyone go around the room and touch or kiss the coffin. Alex walks slowly behind Flaca and whispers, "I love you," as she bends down and presses her lips to the top of the wooden box.

"I'm sorry," Lorna says softly behind her as she strokes the casket.

"Rest in peace," Alex can hear Flaca murmur.

Daya trails after them. She gazes sadly at where Piper's corpse is and sniffles while patting the casket.

The attendees go into another room and then the girls gasp when they notice Pennsatucky stroll in with a cropped-haired older lady in a tuxedo and glasses. Behind them, are Leanne, of all people, and her best friend Angie Rice, linking arms.

"Why are _they_ here?" Alex asks nervously.

"They probably wanna taunt us," Lorna responds.

"Don't let them bother you," Maritza advises them while taking a seat next to Flaca.

"I'll try not to look," Daya mutters and Flaca rolls her eyes.

"I wonder if that woman with Pennsatucky is her parole officer," Flaca states.

"Yeah, maybe," Alex says.

The speeches start with Piper's parents and her grandmother, who take turns telling the crowd funny stories about her. They get everyone to laugh. Cal talks about how it's different not having a big sister anymore to tease and play with.

Alex swallows the lump in her throat and lets Flaca go up to the podium first. She would have, but she's afraid her voice will break too much in the middle of her sentences. She needs some time to breathe and practice keeping herself calm while speaking.

"The thing about Piper was that she was in control. She kept her head up high, even when times were tough. She wasn't scared of anything. She was cool with you, no matter what. That's all I gotta say." Flaca closes her eyes and sighs as she goes back to her place between Maritza and Alex.

Lorna shortens the microphone so her mouth can reach it. First, she reads a prayer from the Bible and then she continues with, "Friends are accepting, and Piper was that, like Flaca mentioned. She was also someone you went to when you needed tips about whatever...boys, clothes, jewelry, makeup, the whole enchilada, you know? She was my first friend that I made in school and I was so grateful for her. She got me my first real boyfriend-" The brunette stiffens and hands curl into fists, but then she composes herself. "Um...and my best girls. She was our leader, and a perfect one at that." She smiles and steadies herself as she walks down the stairs and returns to where she was previously sitting. "Alex, you wanna be next? She appreciated you the most out of all of us. I could tell."

"No, it's okay...I'll be last...Lorna, what was wrong? You kinda froze-was it stage fright or something?"

"Huh? I'm fine, don't worry."

"I guess it's my turn," Daya mumbles.

"Are you sure? You don't have to, I know you didn't have an easy relationship with her, and you're shy," Flaca whispers back.

"I was her friend too, though, it's expected." Daya stands and steps up to the podium. She makes the microphone a bit higher. "I can see why Piper was loved by everyone. She had that positive energy...and she made people better themselves. She was blunt...but that was okay. If you're friends, it really is. You want the truth, so that you can see where you went wrong. You couldn't pull the wool over her eyes, either. She wanted...no, _needed_ you to talk to her about...anything, practically." Daya switches spots with Alex, who raises the microphone to where it was when Flaca had been there.

"Pipes was awesome, amazing, and beautiful. She made you feel really good about yourself." Daya raises an eyebrow at this. "She'll always be in our hearts. Her soul is watching over us...and I think we should build some kind of memorial for her. You know, like a plaque with her name on it, and it would be surrounded with pretty flowers. She'd love it. I know her...and she'd be smiling down at us as we sat there and thought about her. She craved attention, so if she was here right now, she'd be begging us to make that. All eyes were on her, and that shouldn't ever change." Alex bites her lip and looks up at the ceiling. When she gets back to her friends, they rub her back in soothing circles.

"Y'all did great," Flaca praises them.

"Thanks, so did you!" Lorna replies. "Hey, Alex, great idea about the memorial."

Alex grins proudly. "We've gotta honor our girl somehow."

They don't expect anyone else to talk, but Leanne smirks as she makes her way to the podium. She knows exactly what she's doing, and Alex hates it. The other girls sigh in disappointment.

"Piper Chapman was an enigma. I don't think there will ever be another human being like her. She was tough, but kind, as evidenced by her visiting me in the hospital. She just blew me away. We're all gonna remember her until we join her. She may be gone, but her spirit lives on forever."

"Mm..." Alex trails off.

"Not bad, but I still don't trust her," Daya comments.

"Me neither," Flaca agrees.

"Now I'm curious about what Piper said to her there," Lorna murmurs. "Why would she even go?"

"I dunno," Alex answers.

They glance over their shoulders and see Leanne hugging Pennsatucky and Angie, and then Alex's phone buzzes. She hides it from Maritza once she sees who it's from, and she's filled with dread.

 _You better make sure nothing bad happens to your precious little memorial once it's built. I'd hate to see it ruined :( xxx P_

* * *

As the girls are sitting on a bench at the park, they discuss who they think could be P. They're in their regular clothes now.

"That bitch ain't gonna do shit, Alex, they should know it'll get them in trouble," Flaca says. "Leanne talks a big game, but she's a fuckin' wimp."

Alex twirls a piece of string from her ripped jeans around her finger. "I'm praying that you're right."

"Seriously, all she cares about is meth," Daya chimes in.

"I'd like to see her try destroying what we're gonna create!" Lorna declares. "I'd fight her! Oh, what if it's Pennsatucky? Her name starts with a P and everything! If someone got me in jail, I'd want revenge, too...just not on the _friends_ of the person."

"We'd have your back," Alex responds and taps Lorna's shoulder with her fist. "Pennsatucky isn't P since you can't send texts from jail. Maybe Leanne is sending the threats, but Pennsatucky's carrying them out, like a little annoying messenger. We know she can be savage. She snapped my glasses right in half! For all we know, she could've gotten so angry at Piper that she killed her."

"She's definitely a suspect. We'll watch her like a hawk tomorrow and every day after that," Daya agrees.

"Have you girls considered Poussey Washington or Janae Watson? They didn't seem to care about Piper, with the way they were talking about her disappearance on Monday. I mean, Poussey seemed kinder about it since she backed off when I asked them to, but Janae was _harsh_!" Flaca points out.

"Yeah, Poussey wouldn't have done anything. She's too nice. She may not have liked Piper all that much and she's one of Janae's best friends, so of course, she'd be on her side, but she's not the kind of girl who would go too far," Alex says. "That dumb Baxter Bayley knocked her down one time in a crowded hallway and she didn't even have a furious reaction...she just told him to watch where he was going and called him a stupid klutz when Brook got her up off the ground. Maybe she and Piper weren't on great terms, but she's very peaceful. Janae, however...we'll have to keep our eyes on her, too. Poussey might have been at the funeral to pay her respects, but Janae could've been sitting there and silently cursing us for standing by Pipes."

"Huh, that's three so far...how about Suzanne? She's friendly most of the time, but we know how she can get when she feels attacked," Daya tells them. "Maybe in a fit of rage, she did something...like not on purpose, but she thought Piper was someone she was mad at...I heard that happens with people who have mental disorders. She's got a serious one. She used to be called Crazy Eyes, which really wasn't right at all, but now, more and more people are referring to her by her first name. She nicknamed Piper _Dandelion_ and Piper would always reject her. A lot of bullying victims want to get back at their abuser. She has some motive, too, and she's easily influenced. P could get her to torment us."

"Oh, yeah...they're all very suspicious. I don't want it to be Suzanne, though, because I like her and want her to get help." Lorna murmurs. "She's in my drama class."

Suddenly, they see Mr. Bennett riding by them on his bike in a tank top and athletic shorts, and their seriousness fades away. Flaca waves at him and giggles. "Hey, teach!" He smiles back at them and goes on his way. She turns to her friends. "Wow, he's sexy!"

Daya tries not to blush with embarrassment. "Careful, his girlfriend might hear you!"

"It's not like I'mma go for him, but _damn_! That man can ride, if you know what I mean!" Flaca goes on, and Daya laughs too loud.

Lorna shakes her head. "Not as much as Christopher, though! Hey, I'm going to his house every night this week! My poor baby was sick today, so I'm going to make him soup and crackers. I'm such a good girlfriend, huh?" she asks enthusiastically.

Alex nods. "Yeah, you are."

The shortest one in their group squeals enthusiastically. "We're so perfect together! You should see us when he's better." She holds up her phone. "I'm always checking up on him. Look." She shows them the texts she's sent him. There's about fifteen in a row from her and Daya squints to see if there's really that many.

"Whoa! He hasn't answered you after all that?" Daya chuckles. "You're being so sweet, but I think you should wait for him to reply. He's probably sleeping. The ball is in his court. Stop throwing more of yours."

Lorna pulls her phone away sharply. "Can it, Daya!" she growls through gritted teeth, and the Latina holds her hands up in surrender.

Flaca takes out her small compact mirror to draw a teardrop under her eye with eyeliner. "Nah, she's right! If Ian was ignoring me, I'd do it right back! It just means he's either busy or doesn't like me. I can tell the difference."

"Well...then you'd never talk. One of us has to do it!"

"Yeah, but you can't be the _only_ -" Alex starts.

"I'm not!" Lorna cuts her off. "So...did you guys get this?" She opens an attachment on her phone. "P said karma's a bitch."

Daya is shocked by her sudden change in topic, but she looks anyway. It's a picture of the girls staring at Daya's vandalized mirror. "Holy shit!"

"That's us," Flaca mutters.

Alex gulps. "Jesus, they were right there. They were at the funeral too, they threatened Pipes' memorial. Why did that fucking weirdo only send it to _you_ , though?"

"I guess because I'm the only one who wears bright red lipstick and they don't know the brand name of mine."

"Well, this just proves that Aleida is as oblivious as shit!" Daya grumbles. "Honestly, I'm embarrassed that she's my mom. She was literally out there with P hiding in the bushes and they probably rustled or something, but she was focused on stupid Cesar!"

"We didn't see them either." Flaca adjusts her wrinkled plaid skirt and smoothes it over her black tights-covered legs.

"We weren't meant to," Alex contradicts her. "P is aware that she's like that. Everyone else would notice something weird on their own property."

"Yeah," Lorna agrees. "Hey...Daya, I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just...Nicky. She came by the school and discussed the _great time she and Alex had getting high_!" Daya jumps.

" _Lorna_!" Alex exclaims.

"What? Nobody heard. I hissed that."

"I know, but-"

"I had to say it. We can wean you off it. I'm fine with keeping secrets, but not dangerous ones."

Alex rolls her eyes. "I'm not on anything, alright?"

"Wait, you did _drugs_?" Daya questions the girl in glasses. "I hope to hell you don't become my mother!"

"Oh my god, I won't!" Alex glares at the tiny Italian. "What's next, Lorna, are you gonna mention that I fucked Nicky, too?"

"No, that's your business! Quit frowning, by the way, it causes wrinkles."

"You _did_? How was it?" Flaca asks, leaning in with an intrigued expression on her face.

"Well, you've done it before, you know the feeling. It's just like... _it_ , but minus the dick," Alex replies.

"Oh, like a pussy rub and a boob grab!" Daya realizes out loud and Lorna makes a grossed-out face.

"Please, no visuals of _Nicky's_ hands on _anyone_!" she begs.

Alex chuckles. "She's not that bad once you get to know her."

"She never called you stuck-up when you offered your assistance."

"At least she apologized."

"Yeah, but it was half-assed. _Sorry for being nasty to ya, kid_ , with like, no emotion. Also...I'm _so_ not a child!" Lorna pouts.

"That's just Nicky, it's nothing against you. Maybe if you became actual _friends_ _,_ she'd be a little warmer. Also, snarling, _gaze into my eyes when you say that, you cheap whore_ wasn't very nice either," Alex scolds her.

Flaca stifles a chortle and Daya side-eyes Lorna.

"Well, she _is_ one!"

"Okay, yes, she likes sex, but you shouldn't say that. Hookups can be fun."

"Hey, Alex, I know you're her girlfriend and all-"

"I'm not, it was just a romp. We're besties. Why don't you apologize for calling her skeevy and those other names? Then you'll be even. I'm just trying to be a peacemaker here. You gotta work with me, Lorna. I know you have a lot of pride, but so does Nicky. It wasn't easy for her."

"I know I was wrong...and I'm glad she admitted how she was mean...but she makes me so...I'm not sure how to put it...like, she's _badass_ , okay? She's fully aware by now that I'm an explosive girl and she pushes me just right! She stares at me with those big ol' brown eyes as we fight and she's always doin' that stupid smirk at me like she know somethin I don't...I mean, if she was a guy and she didn't reek of smoke or drugs, we'd be having wild hate sex all the time with her pulling my hair, I'm just sayin'." Lorna's face goes tomato red and she smiles as she confesses this. "You know, but that's me and Christopher. I bet he's an animal in bed! Is Nicky?"

"Well-" Alex begins, but then she, Daya, and Flaca burst out into peals of laughter. "Jesus Christ, Lorna, you're killing me! Oh my god, if she heard you say that...wow!"

"Please don't tell her!" Lorna blushes uncontrollably.

Daya covers her face and tears come out of her eyes as she leans against Flaca's shaking body. "I want to see them in action!" she breathes out. "Not the actual fucking, but-"

"Yeah, the bantering...it sounds hilarious!" Flaca says.

"You will, at your boyfriend's party!" Alex tells her.

Lorna huffs. "I'm glad y'all are getting a kick out of this. I didn't know we were so entertaining!" Eventually, she lets out a small giggle, but she's still very flushed.

"It's part of your charm, Lorna," Daya murmurs. She can't bring herself to look at Lorna without thinking of what she's just revealed and then busting her gut from cackling all over again. She hadn't even noticed she'd gotten a message from P until she sees her phone vibrate inside her purse.

 _I hope Mommy and Daddy don't see your doodles about Johnny boy yet...it would soooo prove them right! -P_

Daya gasps. "Hey, I've gotta run...literally...can't leave my sister and brother alone with my mom and Cesar for too long, ya know?" She gives the girls quick hugs. "Bye!"

Once she bursts through her apartment door, panting with her hair stuck to the sides of her reddened face, Cesar asks, "How was your day, chica?"

"Fine," she says shortly and then heads into her room.

To her dismay, Aleida holds up Daya's sketchpad and starts laughing. "You fucking your teachers to get A's, huh? Whenever you get home, you're always glowing, so there's gotta be someone at school who's making you that happy! Besides, I found your stupid drawing. Look!"

"Give me-" Daya grabs for it, but Aleida pushes her away. She rifles through the pages carelessly and shows her a picture of two stick figures that resemble her and John with the caption, _my favorite teacher_ over it.

"See? Your vagina got itchy again. Aw, don't pout, whoever this is, he'll make you feel all better, won't he?" Daya angrily wipes a forming tear away and wrestles her notebook out of Aleida's hands. "Cesar and I will be meeting him at, uh, Back to School Night, when is it?"

"Why do you even give a fuck?"

"I wanna see if he's Prince Charming like you think he is, or if you're just saying that because you're banging him...besides, you don't say much about school, so we gotta find out somehow, right?"

"Tomorrow at seven-thirty," Daya barks. "Don't forget to pack some heroin to share with everyone," she mutters sarcastically.

"Nah, I wanna be fully alert for this one. It's good."

Daya scoffs and rolls her eyes as Aleida finally leaves her room.

* * *

"It wasn't that funny!" Lorna protests as she and Alex board the bus to meet Nicky at Shake Shack. "I was being serious, okay?"

"Alright, but girl, you've gotta admit that you tried so hard to hate Nicky that you actually like her now, otherwise, you wouldn't be going with me to take Nicky to Red's for her intervention, and choosing to exchange witty comebacks with her, when you could just stay away from her instead and have someone else make sure nothing bad happens to me."

"Yeah, well, I'm your wingwoman. I gotta be there. It doesn't have anything to do with...Nichols. I've gotten used to our bickering, and I actually kind of enjoy it because of the thrill it gives me, but I don't love her. We're civil and the only thing we agree on is that we think each other is as dumb as they come. Hate sex is rough and without emotional ties, if that's what's been on your mind for a while. With Christopher, it would be slow and sensual, like it was when I dated Vinny, got it?"

Alex nods. "The two of you are just being silly, that's all."

"How? I've met my match, and it's her. It makes perfect sense, right?"

"Uh huh," Alex murmurs skeptically.

When they reach the fast food joint, they get off the bus and walk inside. Nicky waves at them and walks over to give Alex a hug. Lorna steps aside and smiles awkwardly at Tricia. She notices Poussey talking to another African American girl who's behind the counter.

Nicky stares Lorna down. "Morello."

"Nichols," Lorna shoots back at her.

"Wow, such sexual tension when you said my last name like that," Nicky murmurs and winks at her.

Lorna stands on her tiptoes to appear taller. "Fuck you!"

Nicky waggles her eyebrows and licks her lips. "Go ahead."

"What? Ew! Ugh, get away from me, you horny lesbian!" _Stop thinking about her having a dick and pushing you into a wall while yanking off your clothes. No, stop it, right now,_ _Lorna_ , she reprimands herself. She starts breathing heavily while raking her fingers through her hair and Nicky's smile gets impossibly bigger. "I can't tell which is grosser, you or the bus! When's the last time you washed yourself?"

"Oh, I think the bus beats me by a landslide, because many people like me get on it, so it'd be like if I passed gas three thousand times in a row before finally shitting my pants and stunk it up. I always make sure I'm clean, well, except for with my best girlfriend heroin, of course."

"Come on girls, you're giving these people a show," Alex says while placing herself in between them and ushering them out. "Nicky, you shouldn't tease her like that."

"Thank you!" Lorna says, relieved.

Nicky sneers. "Why not? Kid likes it. You think I don't know a turned-on girl when I see her?"

"This is called an anxiety attack!" Lorna retorts and tries to calm herself down. "You rile me up!"

"Oh, I do, huh?" Nicky's teeth tug on her bottom lip.

"Yeah, so...so leave me alone!"

Nicky shrugs her shoulders at the little brunette. "Fine, I will!"

 _No...Lorna doesn't mean that. She already misses Nicky's scratchy voice directed at her. Hearing her talk to only Alex is a lot different._

After going out for pizza and a movie, they take the bus to Red's house. Alex exits the bus first, followed by Nicky and then Lorna.

"You seem mellowed out now," Nicky tells Lorna. "What, you're not gonna complain that I smell and look like a sewer rat?"

"You already know that, I don't need to tell you again. I'm no bully! It's just...when was the last time you washed yourself?"

"Last night, I don't live in a cave!"

"Maybe I could give you, like, tips on how to take better care of your hair. It's a rat's nest and there were probably bugs living in it before you shampooed it." Lorna's hoping to get a rise out of her.

"Thanks, but no thanks. What's the use? It'll just go back to being like this." Nicky points to her massive hair. "Honestly, I've got better things to do with my time than worry about how I look."

"That would itch my face!"

"Good thing you're not me, then, huh?"

"Yep. Hey, you didn't call me names this time when I offered to help you!"

"I _did_ apologize, you know." Nicky folds her arms across her middle. "Now, it's your turn."

"I was being honest! You were wrong!"

"Okay, you're right about me having been dirty the first day I came to your school, but you have no idea _why_ I looked homeless."

Lorna rolls her eyes. "Enough with the sympathy trip, okay? You're hooked on drugs and that was your choice. Don't try to tell me you really do live on the streets-"

"I did until Vee took me in!" Nicky yells as her eyes fill with fury. "You know nothing! You're like one of those idiotic rich little trophy wives who wear polka-dot dresses in the kitchen and evening gowns on nights out, but oh shit, what dude in their right mind would wanna marry some brainless twit like _you_?"

Lorna pushes Nicky extra hard so that the blonde falls into Alex. "Shut up! I'm sorry, okay? I can't read your fucking mind! Apparently, you're just as dumb because you assumed that I was an ignorant, selfish brat who thinks she's perfect, simply because she can cook. I'm poor and my family lives in a small, crowded apartment! My sister does everything and I'm sometimes her right-hand woman! My dad is crippled and the only thing he can do is laze around and watch television with my brother! My mom is bedridden and probably is developing a bad form of cancer, which is what you'll have soon too if you don't quit smoking! I don't have money! I wear hand-me-downs and cheap makeup...coffee grounds make for really good eyeshadow...so life is kinda hard for me, too!" she screams breathlessly. "I know I don't have it as bad as you did, but I certainly didn't resort to drugs to make things worse. I'm more of an optimist. It's all gonna be okay in the end."

"You can't depend on what you don't know, but hey, everyone deals with their own shit in different ways to just escape from it all," Nicky responds in a calmer voice. "Do your parents love you, though, are you coddled and called cutesy pet names?"

"Yeah," Lorna scoffs, "if they've got the energy."

Alex knocks on Red's front door and she opens it. "Hello, girls, come on inside. Nicky, do you have any drugs for me? The girls told me you were selling. I'm Galina Reznikov, but you can call me Red. I just wanna see what you got. I might be interested."

Nicky scrunches up her face and her eyes flicker between Lorna, Alex, and Red. "No...what's going on here?"

The Russian woman's face hardens. "It's a good thing you don't, because I would flush them down the toilet and smack you upside the head for being so foolish! I want you to stop this habit and be healthy, little girl!" Red says in a no-nonsense tone. "Do you know that heroin, crack, meth, molly, and whatever else is out there can kill you at a very early age? In fact, you looked like death warmed over last time I saw you!"

"What are you, my mother? Jesus Christ, fuck off!" Nicky hollers while storming away. Lorna and Alex throw Red apologetic glances before running up to Nicky. "Did you two just toss an intervention at me? What's wrong with you, Vause, you bought my shit! Don't you want it anymore? Are you _trying_ to stop me from giving you what you asked and paid for?"

"No she doesn't, and yes she is," Lorna answers for her. "She doesn't wanna be like you."

"Lorna, it's fine, she knows I'm not addicted." Alex turns to Nicky. "It's true. I don't want to become a junkie because it'll ruin my life. I only like it occasionally. I'm sorry, but we were just worried about you and Red's really good at taking care of people. I promise she won't tell anyone. Would you forgive me if I invited you to a fun party this Saturday? There will be great tunes! I'll give you the address when I get it."

"You had good intentions...I guess," Nicky admits. "I'll go, but I don't want Red to bother me again."

"Awesome," Lorna mumbles sourly.

When they take Nicky to where she lives, they exchange looks of pity for her and don't let her see how they feel. At least it's a shelter, although worn down.

"It...protects you from the elements!" Lorna says in a fake high-pitched voice.

"I will never say I live in poverty again," Alex chimes in.

"Believe it or not, I was born in a mansion," Nicky murmurs as the girls walk to the shack. "Ha, look at me now!" She spreads her arms out wide and then wraps them around Alex. She kicks at the door a few times until a polished African American woman lets her in. Nicky's foster mom peers out of it.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Lorna jumps at the lady's rough manner of speaking and then she hears a dog barking loudly a few trailer parks over. A siren wails in the distance and then glass breaks somewhere. A group of guys whiz by on skateboards. Even though she and Alex are holding hands and she's slightly behind her, she doesn't feel at all safe in this neighborhood. This is the kind of street where, when her father used to drive, her mother would tell everyone not to get out of the car, no matter what. There's a chill in the air and she shivers.

"Oh, we're...friends of Nicky's," Alex says calmly. "We were just dropping her off, we'll be going now. It's getting dark and we need to get home."

"Yeah...bye!" Lorna calls out as cheerfully as she can.

"Wait...you don't wanna eat with us?"

"We did, actually, but thank you for offering," Alex declines.

"You kids want any drugs?"

"No, it's fine, I've had my fill, and she doesn't even so much as smoke." The taller girl moves more in front of Lorna, probably wanting to conceal her completely, and Lorna hugs her while sneaking a peek at the scene before them.

"See you two later!" Nicky waves goodbye to them. "Vee, let them go." She reaches in front of Vee and shuts the door quickly.

"I'm glad the bus station is nearby," Lorna comments as she runs along with Alex.

"Me too."

Once they're on it, they can breathe easier. "She's so stubborn!"

Alex uses her black shirt to wipe her glasses and then puts them back on her face. "Who, Nichols?"

"Yeah. She's completely fucked up and I suppose, knows it, but doesn't wanna do anything about it."

"Well, you can't help someone who's refusing to take it, so Red's gotta get her at a time when she's really weak, like in withdrawal."

Lorna looks up at her friend with a curious look. "Have you experienced that yet?"

"I did, last night, and it was awful. I just told my mom I was having period cramps and I'd sleep it off. I also took a cold shower because I was sweating."

"I hope you threw the rest out."

"I want my money's worth, so I'll just stash it under my bed...I'll have it once in a while."

Lorna sighs deeply. "Your funeral."

"Hey, I need to get high, okay? It...it helps me forget that she's not here anymore."

"When it wears off, though...what do you do?"

"I hang out with you three gals and mourn Pipes." Alex looks out the window at Friendly's. "Oh...this is my stop. My mom told me to meet her here."

"Okay, say hey to your mom for me!"

"I will! Bye!"

Lorna hugs Alex, waves at her, and watches as she gets off and heads inside the fast food joint.

* * *

When Flaca gets home, she sees her favorite uncle on the couch, sitting between her brothers. "¡Tío Fernando!" Flaca exclaims and he stands up, grabs her, and kisses her cheeks.

"¡Mi sobrina favorita! ¿Cómo estás?"

 **My favorite niece! How are you?**

"¿Estoy bien, y tu?"

 **I'm good, you?**

"Bien, bien."

 **Good, good.**

"¿Tienes regalos para mí? No, sólo bromeo." They both laugh and Theresa shakes her head.

 **Do you have presents for me? No, just kidding.**

"Cenaremos pronto, prepara la mesa, chicos, deja que tu tío Fernando se relaje, lleva un largo viaje en autobús," Theresa announces.

 **We're having dinner** **soon, so set the table, kids, let your uncle Fernando relax, he's had a long bus ride.**

During dinner, which is tamales with rice and beans, they talk about what they've all been up to. Theresa discusses her sewing business, which is going quite well, Uncle Fernando goes on about the different women he's met and how none of them are right for him, Marco and Pedro talk about video games and how they're going to beat their uncle, and Flaca's quiet, just giving them small smiles in response to what they're all saying, until it's her turn to speak.

"¿Qué he estado haciendo desde Navidad? Bueno, ya sabes que mi amiga Piper, que estaba desaparecido, fue asesinada, no saben quién lo hizo, pero espero que lo descubran pronto para que nosotros-Alex, Lorna, Daya, y yo-puedo obtener justicia. Ah, y Hot Topic tuvo una buena venta este mes y voy a ser un DJ en la fiesta de Ian este sábado. ¡Será realmente genial!"

 **What have I been doing since Christmas? Well, you know my friend Piper, who was missing? She was actually murdered. They don't know who did it, but I hope they find out soon so we-Alex, Lorna, Daya, and I- can get justice. Oh, and Hot Topic had a really good sale this month and I'm gonna be a DJ at Ian's party this Saturday. It'll be really cool.**

Theresa and her brothers look at her sympathetically while her uncle says, "Siento tu pérdida."

 **I'm sorry for your loss.**

"Gracias."

 **Thank you.**

Flaca and her brothers help Theresa clean up dinner and then her uncle says they should honor Piper for Day of the Dead. "Dia de los Muertos, es importante," he mentions.

"Lo sé, voy a ponerle fotos de ella, flores y velas y preparar comida para ella."

 **I know, I'm gonna put up pictures of her and flowers and candles and set out food for her.**

Theresa sends the boys up to bed and kisses the top of Flaca's head. "Me voy a dormir, estoy cansado. Fernando, no dejes que se quede despierta hasta tarde, por favor. Ella tiene escuela mañana por la mañana. Disfrute del partido de fútbol. Buenas noches, vosotros dos."

 **I'm gonna go to sleep, I'm tired. Fernando, don't let her stay up too late, please. She has school tomorrow morning. Enjoy the soccer game. Good night, you two.**

"Noche, Mamá. ¡Te amo!"

 **Night, Mom. Love ya!**

"También te quiero, cariña."

 **Love you too, sweetie.**

After Theresa leaves, he looks at her quizzically. "¿Te gusta el fútbol? Eres una niña."

 **You like soccer? You're a girl.**

Flaca chuckles. "Las chicas pueden gustar lo que hacen los muchachos. Además, los jugadores están calientes."

 ** **Girls can like what boys do. Besides, the players are hot. Duh.****

Her uncle cheers and she admires the way the players' bodies move across the field. When the ads come on, she gets up to make them ice cream sundaes. As she's breaking up a cupcake for the bottom layer, he comes up behind her. "Hazlo picante, dulces mejillas...al igual que tú. Wow, usted ha crecido realmente."

 **Make it spicy, sweet cheeks...just like you. Wow, you've really grown up.**

"¿Cómo estoy...?" She stops when his hands slither down her hips and into her undies, squeezing her butt cheeks. She grips the edge of the countertop, trying to keep herself steady enough to fight him off. " _¿Qué mierda?_ " she yells, sick to her stomach that he would betray her like this. Her eyes burn with tears and there's a lump the size of a watermelon in her throat.

 **How am I... _What the fuck_? **

He spins her around rapidly, forcing his groin into her crotch while staring at her lustfully. "No puedes hablar con tu tío de esa manera, Marisol."

 **You don't talk to your uncle that way, Marisol.**

Flaca chokes when his hands wrap around her neck. "¡Bájate de mí, idiota, no vuelvas a tocarme!" It's meant to sound louder and reach her mother's ears, but it doesn't. She struggles as hard as she can and claws at his face as he pushes her down and lays her flat on the floor. He grasps both of her wrists and roughly tears her pants and undergarments off while tightening his knees against her waist on either side, trapping her under him. "No, no, no, _por favor_..." she begs, but he won't stop. He's slamming hard into her while calling her his _puta_ and sometimes biting and twisting her nipples after lifting up her shirt or ripping strands of her hair out, and when he lets go of her wrists, she lets her arms fall limply at her sides. His hands grip her thighs and it hurts. Then, he gags her with his gross stick. She sobs and she wishes she could be stronger like she usually is, but she's trembling so much that she can't breathe. He's disgusting with his violent assault on her tender body and she feels like shit.

 **Get off me, dumbass! Don't touch me again. No, no, no, please...**

After a few agonizing moments, he goes back to watching his lame soccer match and Flaca puts the ice cream away and takes the cupcake to her room so she can eat it when she's in a good mood again. She pukes in her sink, washes the bile taste of him and the vomit out of her mouth, scrubs her damp face with cool water, and lays in her bed until she can stop crying and muffling the sounds with her pillow. Then, she goes to her dresser, glances at her reflection in her mirror, pushes her wet bangs back from her forehead, and traces her tears, one under each eye, with her black liquid liner.

She reads the texts she's missed.

 _Where you been all night, girl? Missed you, mi mejor amiga xoxo, Maritza_

 _P has now been around my property twice!_ _¡Ay,_ _caramba!...fuck_ _in' Aleida -Daya_

 _I couldn't go to Christopher's house because I don't know his address and I'm really sad now, I miss him :'( -Lorna_

 _Sylvia and I are having our first sleepover and she keeps flirting with me lol she has definitely improved my mood, I mean you chicks did too, but I really like her if you know what I mean...oh, and I'm wondering if I should invite Nicky over sometime or take her to Friendly's cuz I don't wanna hide my friends from my mom. She won't like Nicky's drug habit, but maybe she'll feel bad if I tell her that she lives in a horrifying neighborhood -Alex_

 _I sold so much molly today it's insane! I'll make you a rich girl yet. -Ian_

Maritza, Alex, and Ian all make her beam slightly with their messages and she feels sorry for both Lorna and Daya, but the last one causes Flaca to throw her phone across the room while shrieking.

 _God, you're such a whore for allowing that to happen! That was a good show, he's a beast! -P_

 **Thank you to** **Imaginary City,** **Boris Yeltsin,** **cornedout,** **HannahMiley1fan, A Star In My Universe, LindaAndrewsfan, thecharmedwerewolf, nnicholsnlyonne, and ladyglorificus for reading and reviewing!**


	6. Unfair Treatment

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe, ladyglorificus, nnicholsnlyonne, and HannahMiley1fan! Warning, mentions of abuse and ableist/racist language. Also, I don't support cultural appropriation, but Tricia's hair will be in cornrows for the remainder of the story for canon purposes.**

 **milaya devushka-sweet girl**

 **pizda-cunt  
**

 **lo siento-I'm sorry**

 **Dios** **mío** **-My God**

 **Abusador de niños-child molester**

 **sabes-you know**

 **olvídalo-forget about it**

 **estúpido hispanos-stupid Hispanics**

 **HAPPY HOLIDAYS!**

Gloria's hand shakes as she turns the knob to the front door of her house. She's praying Arturo isn't home from work yet. It's nine, and she had recently started her second year of working at the high school to support her family; her job at the convenience store isn't entirely sufficient. He doesn't know about this at all - he can't know about it. It's a secret. No one knows he hurts her, except her aunt Lourdes. Gloria remembers the first time the older woman suspected that Arturo was beating her. She'd taken Gloria to the park and they talked while watching the children.

 _"Florecita, ¿qué te pasó? Primero, un rasguño en el brazo, luego en la pierna, luego en el muslo, y tienes un corte en el costado de la cabeza." Lourdes is very concerned.  
_

 ** _Little flower, what happened to you? First, a scratch on your arm, then your leg, then a gash on your thigh, and you've got a cut on the side of your head._**

" _Te_ _lo dije, tía, me caí por las escaleras."_

 ** _I told you, tia, I fell down the stairs._**

 _"No creo que lo hayas hecho. Alguien te ha empujado."_

 ** _I don't think you did. Someone pushed you._**

 _"¿Por qué piensas eso?"_

 ** _Why do you think that?_**

 _She sighs._ _"Usted está cubierto de pies a cabeza en moretones. Usted necesita un icepack. Veo una huella de color rojo en el lado de su cara. ¿Por qué usted se da una bofetada? Además, sé que usted no es en lo más mínimo torpe. Usted nunca menciona nada acerca de tu novio cuando le pregunto cómo lo hace. Solo cambia de tema."_

 _ **You are covered head to toe in bruises. You need an icepack. I see a red handprint on the side of your face. Why would you slap yourself? Plus, I know you are not in the least bit clumsy. You never mention anything about your boyfriend when I ask how he's doing. You just switch the subject.**_

 _"Bueno, él me empujó por las malditas escaleras, ¿de acuerdo? No se lo digas a nadie, por favor, él me matará."_ _Gloria squeezes her eyes shut, blocking out the memory._

 _ **Fine! He pushed me down the fucking stairs, okay? Don't tell anyone, please. He'll kill me.**_

 _"Deberías ir a la policía."_

 _ **You should go to the cops.**_

 _"Sólo mantén esto en secreto," Gloria pleads, looking into Lourdes' eyes. She blinks back tears. "He estado haciendo un fraude de estampillas de comida y no puedo ser atrapado por eso...Arturo seguramente les contará sobre eso. Juro que está recibiendo ayuda."_

 _ **Just keep this a secret.** ** **I've been doing some food stamp fraud and I can't get caught for that...Arturo will surely tell them about it. I swear, he's getting help.****_

 _"¿Cuando?_ _¿_ _Qué pasa si la próxima vez que te vea, esté en una morgue?"_

 _ **When? What if the next time I see you, it's in a morgue?**_

 _"La única manera de irme es si hace algo podrido a los niños."_

 _ **The only way I'll leave is if he does something rotten to the children.**_

 _"¡No debería estar con tus hijos o contigo!"_

 _ **He shouldn't be around your kids or you!**_

 _"¡No quiero hablar más de esto!"_

 _ **I don't wanna talk about this anymore!**_

Gloria realizes she's just standing there and quickly unlocks the door, goes inside, and starts on dinner. She loves her babies dearly, and she's always plotting ways to run away with them. Arturo's always watching her though, so she can't stand a chance. She never knows when he'll strike, because he's always drunk, but he never hits the kids. He only takes his anger out on her. He doesn't want them to find out that he beats her, because he says children don't do what they're told, and they will tell someone. So, she takes his daily beatings as quiet as she can, and she's only able to cry silently. She tries not to sob in front of her kids as she doesn't want them to worry and question her about it. He'll be home soon, so she must hurry so she won't get in trouble.

"¿Dónde has estado?" Lourdes asks, making Gloria practically jump out of her skin.

 **Where have you been?**

"¿Está el aquí?" she whispers. "Espero que no haya llegado temprano."

 **Is he here?** **I hope he hasn't arrived early.**

"Todavía no. Sus hijos y yo ya hemos comido macarrones con queso y los chicos están durmiendo ahora."

 **Not yet. Your sons and I have already eaten macaroni and cheese and the boys are sleeping now.**

"Gracias, Lourdes."

 **Thank you, Lourdes.**

"Te pido que encuentres fuerzas para dejarlo pronto," her aunt says while wrapping her arms around Gloria.

 **I pray you find strength to leave him soon.**

Gloria really wishes Arturo would treat her as an equal. After all, it _is_ the year two-thousand and four, _not_ the nineteen hundreds - times should have changed by now. He'd slam her into the wall every time he raped her, giving her a backache for weeks as well as bruises all down her back. He was so nice all of June when she first met him; but in July, something changed and he turned into a complete asshole.

Some students and teachers at school stare, but none of them question it. They probably think it's personal. Whatever the reason, Gloria is glad, as she prefers not to share what's going on with her. She's broken, and no one can help her. Her co-workers in the cafeteria kitchen-and the students who bother to converse with her-make her feel better. She guesses that she's just lucky that Arturo doesn't know about her working at the high school. He'd kill her for sure.

Gloria knows she shouldn't pick a favorite out of the group who talks to her, but she gets along with Daya the best, even though the girl isn't quite fluent in Spanish. She's sweet and such a great artist, so vivid and colorful with her drawings that Gloria just wants to hang them up all over the house. Unfortunately, she can't-just like she's unable to display her own kids' work.

She's taught Daya some things her mother hadn't yet, such as speaking Spanish and taking care of her baby siblings. They have girl talks, and Gloria will sometimes treat Daya as her own daughter - this lead Daya to considering Gloria like another mother. It made her feel all warm inside and they hugged.

Although Lorna, Flaca, and Alex are also friendly, they don't connect with Gloria the way Daya does, probably because Lorna's closer to Red and she says and does strange things, while Alex and Flaca already have excellent mothers. Daya, on the other hand, doesn't, really. It's nice to have friends, but having a boyfriend who treated her well would please Gloria to no end.

* * *

"Benny, ¿por qué la Tía Lourdes dijo que subiera?" Gloria's youngest son asks his big brother quietly in their dark room. "Mamá ni siquiera nos besó buenas noches. ¿Está enojada con nosotros? ¿Qué hicimos?"

 **Benny, why did Auntie Lourdes say to go upstairs?** **Mama didn't even kiss us good night. Is she mad at us? What did we do?**

 **"** No lo sé, Julio. No hicimos nada. Tal vez se olvidó," Benito mumbles. "Vamos a dormir."

 **I don't know, Julio. We didn't do anything. Maybe she forgot. Let's just go to sleep.**

Benito suddenly has a nightmare. He sees his daddy kick his mommy down the stairs and then jump on top of her, and she's screaming in pain. The little boy starts to cry for his mommy and he wakes up. He tiptoes to his parents' room and opens the door. His father groans, but his mother holds her arms out to him. She's wrapped in her bed sheet, and he climbs into bed with her.

"¿Puedo dormir entre tú y papá?"

 **Can I sleep between you and Daddy?  
** **  
**"No, Benny, déjame contigo en mis brazos. ¿Qué te pasa?"

 **No, Benny, just let me hold you in my arms. Now, what's wrong?**

He wipes his eyes. "Tuve un mal sueño de que papá te lastimara y estuvieras llorando."

 **I had a bad dream that Daddy hurt you and you were crying.**

"Oh, no, cariño, eso nunca sucederá. Ven aquí." She hugs him tight, but he can hear her sniffling. She's sad too, and he asks her why. She says she's crying tears of joy because she loves her family.

 **Oh, no, honey, that'll never happen. Come here.**

* * *

"You spent the drug money on going out with your little friends, huh?" Vee accuses Nicky. "Well, let me tell you something-"

"I loaned her cash, but let's face it, white girl can't sell shit!" RJ shouts from the top of the stairs.

"He's kinda right...up to a point," Nicky explains.

Nicky's problem is her addiction to her own product. She wants it to herself. Another reason she misses potential customers is because she's too busy thinking about a certain tiny Italian brunette with blood red lipstick and an annoyingly cute accent. On this day, however, she'd actually managed to bring home a one hundred dollar bill from this rich girl, Stella Carlin, who attends Martin Van Buren High. Stella had seen her and wanted both her stash _and_ her body. The sex was disgusting, but at least she'd done what Vee had asked of her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Vee snarls.

Nicky presents her with the money and wills herself not to look frightened. "I got what you wanted!"

"This isn't yours. It's from RJ!" Vee yells.

"I swear it's mine!" Nicky insists. "Here...all yours!" She presses it into Vee's palm. "Oh, and RJ, it's not because I'm white, it's just that I've never done this before and I needed a little practice, but I actually was successful the same day you decided to cover for me!"

"How convenient," RJ mutters while going into the living room.

Vee stands across from Nicky with her arms folded across her chest. She shakes her head and snickers. "You got lucky, girl. I hear it's probably gonna rain soon."

Nicky gives Vee her best cold stare. "I've survived worse."

"Good," the woman responds nonchalantly and crumples up the bill in her fist.

* * *

Tricia follows Taystee into their bedroom after coming home from the older girl's work. "Yo, can you do cornrows in my hair?"

Taystee chuckles. "Girl, you're white!"

"Yeah, I know, but it looks cool! I want 'em like yours. Come on, we're _siblings_ now! I'm not wanting this to be racist, I swear."

"Alright, fine. As your big sister, I'll do 'em. Sit your skinny ass down." Taystee points to the bed and gets a brush and a bunch of small elastics from the bathroom. She returns to where Tricia's waiting and then plops down on a chair behind her. "Get ready for some tight braids! You gonna look so adorable!"

It takes her some time and when she's done, she directs Tricia to the mirror and puts the blonde's hair over her shoulders. Tricia smooths her hand down the back of her head. "Wow, it feels nice! Thank you."

"No prob, kiddo. Anything else?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"I'ma see if I can find our brother. You just...hang out here."

"A'ight."

Taystee hasn't noticed RJ around the house in days, it seems like, so when she finds him in his room watching television and eating pizza, she's surprised. "Hey!" She takes a seat next to him on the pullout couch. "You been foolin' around out there, huh?" she asks.

"I missed this part!" he complains. "Take a slice and shut up or just leave."

"I need to talk to you," she whispers. "Why you doin' the dirty with Vee, huh? She's twice your age _and_ she's basically our mother. The fuck, man?"

"That was private, how-"

"You apparently forgot we have two new sisters! Nicky saw you and she was thoroughly grossed out!"

"She can mind her own fuckin' business! Look, Vee and I, we like to play around a bit, that's all. It's not like I can get her pregnant. She's on the pill."

Taystee shudders. "Ugh!"

"We're not related!" he adds. "Confront Vee about this, not me."

"I don't wanna get Nicky in trouble, she's a good kid. She's already walkin' on eggshells around Vee, I can tell. I like her, she's real nice and all, but she sure as shit ain't suited for this life. She's got her poor white friends with the big talk, maybe they can help her out."

"No shit. Vee came onto me first," RJ admits.

"Well...do you want her?"

"Just go," is his answer.

* * *

"Don't be yellow, vote for Morello, eh? Are you running for class president or something?" Nicky gestures to the campaign posters and buttons Lorna and Alex are holding.

Lorna nods. "Yeah. I hope I win."

"Isn't that sign kinda racist though? Your competition is Asian," Alex murmurs while folding her arms across her chest.

"No, no, it's just that when some things go bad, they turn yellow. I don't want anyone to be rotten and not vote for me!" Lorna answers. "Get it now?"

Alex shrugs. "Oh, well that makes sense..."

Nicky gives Lorna a toothy smile. "You're clever, I'll give you that, kid. Good luck."

Lorna beams proudly. "Thanks."

"I'm her campaign manager," Alex informs Nicky. "I'm helping her hand buttons out and hang her signs up."

"Oh yeah? You're a great friend! It's always nice to have a tall assistant for us shorties!" Nicky punches Lorna's shoulder lightly and the brunette shrugs her hand off with a groan. " _What?_ It's a fact!"

"I never said you could touch me!" Lorna remarks with a scowl on her face.

"I _barely_ tapped you!" Nicky defends herself, an irritated expression crossing her features. "You shoved me yesterday!"

"That was different! I don't...oh, never mind. I was gonna say you're germy and I'm not, but my ma's ill, so I'm kinda around ickiness all the time." Lorna sighs. "I guess I better get used to it from you."

Nicky laughs loudly. "You sort of already are."

Lorna scoffs. "It doesn't mean I like it!"

Alex's eyes flicker back and forth between them. She's trying to wait for a moment when she can cut in because that text from P - about getting high and doing it with Nicky - has been eating at her for days. She just hasn't had the chance to ask; she wants to know if Nicky noticed anyone around the supposedly barren place.

"Do you think someone may have been watching us in the cornfield?" Alex asks worriedly. "I felt a presence out there..." She shivers at the mere idea that P was right with them, hidden somewhere they couldn't see him or her.

Nicky shakes her head no. "Nah, 'course not! You were probably just paranoid because of the drugs."

"I hope so," Alex mumbles.

"You shouldn't take that lightly!" Lorna scolds Nicky.

"Shut up, you squeaky grocery cart!" Nicky shoots back. "I've had to deal with tons of those and yes, you are as annoying as them!"

Lorna rolls her eyes. " _Really_? Well, you're like a spam email because I don't need you! Burn!"

Nicky pauses, probably thinking of something to say. "Your boring advice is as useless as an expired coupon!" She puts her open palm in Lorna's face.

Lorna gasps and turns away. "You're a wet sock!"

Nicky fumes. "Alright, you easy bake oven!"

Lorna gives her stuff to Alex, puts her hands on her hips, and gives Nicky some attitude. They're circling around each other now. "Itchy sweater!"

Nicky grits her teeth. "Inconvenient fire drill, like nah, nah, nah in my ears!"

"Cold bowl of soup!" Lorna almost growls.

"Wobbly table!" Nicky's voice rises.

"Overdraft bank fee!" Lorna hollers.

"Crying baby on a plane!" Nicky raises her eyebrow.

"Oh, like you've ever been on a plane...you can't even afford to buy a ticket!" Lorna purses her lips. "You can do better than that!"

"Unnecessary movie sequel!" Nicky shouts back.

"Sun glare when I'm in the passenger seat of Franny's car just before sunset and I have to put my sun visor down because I forgot my sunglasses but I'm still really uncomfortable and it's just a big hassle all around!" After a while of Nicky not saying anything in retaliation, Lorna pumps her fists in the air. "Ha! I threw the last insult!" Nicky flips the bird on both of her hands at Lorna, who giggles. "Hey, don't be a sore loser!"

"It wasn't a name-calling competition! You made it one."

"I did not!" Lorna grumbles stubbornly.

"You two and your bickering...I should make you wear a huge get-along t-shirt with two holes for your heads to stick through and you'd be like, chained together!" Alex exclaims, amused.

"Ugh, I'd have to wear earplugs," Nicky mutters. "Fuckin' Lollipop Guild kid over here..."

"All day long with _her_?" Lorna jerks her thumb toward Nicky. "No way!" she cries.

"Yep...and night, too," Alex continues to tease them.

"Nichols, quit battin' your eyes at me!" Lorna says irritably.

"You could look in the opposite direction, you know, and you're blushing, why?"

"You're weird! I'm doing nothing of the sort!" Lorna insists.

"Actually, Lorna, you are," Alex tells her.

"Oh, not you too!" Lorna whines.

Red suddenly comes up to them with a frantic expression on her exhausted-looking face. "Girls, hurry, Piscatella is looking for you...and Nicky, you should go before he-"

"Did you forget you're the school chef?" Piscatella interrupts her roughly and Alex gets a shock through her system. Lorna's eyes widen in fear. "All we got now is the distracted beaner and the mute serving breakfast! The ape has jury duty! What kind of idiots do you work with? You're not looking so hot yourself, did you get three hours of sleep last night?" He sharply pushes Alex and Lorna in the direction of the school. "Get back inside, divas!" Lorna stumbles over her own two feet and almost falls to the ground from the force of his heavy hand against her back, but both Alex and Red steady her.

"Oh, jeez!" she yelps, trying to regain her balance.

"You alright, honey?" Red asks soothingly.

"Yeah...I'm fine, thanks. I'm more resilient than I appear!"

"Miss Vause, I'm going to have to check your backpack and do a full body search. I heard you purchased drugs from the dope head over there!" Piscatella booms. Alex exhales slowly and extends her arms while standing with her feet wide apart. She's glad she hid her stash under her bed when she did. She just hopes Nicky doesn't have anything either.

Red looks like she's in pain. "She's never touched smack or anything of the sort in all her fifteen years! Don't be ridiculous!"

Piscatella carelessly dumps out the contents of Alex's black backpack. "Nothing, good." He gives her a complete pat-down, injuring her a bit in the process. "Leave my sight, you vermin! Pick up your shit, Stretch!" He kicks the tall girl's books out of his path as he walks away from them.

Alex rolls up her sleeves to check for bruises, but there are surprisingly only a few red patches where he'd crushed her limbs unnecessarily hard. "He's so vile!" she hisses as she, Lorna, and Red gather up her scattered belongings and stuff them back into her bag. "He's been working you all to the bone, hasn't he, Red?"

At this, Red yawns. "He thinks Norma is incapable of doing anything but washing dishes and serving and since Gloria keeps dropping plates and scrambling mix so hard that it tumbles out of the bowls, he's threatening to get Fig to fire her...and Claudette was assigned to jury duty, so that gives me even more work to do. He's forcing me to get up at three in the morning!"

"What?" Lorna snaps bitterly. "He can't fucking do that to you... _any of you_!"

"Sorry, I don't really go here...just visiting some friends!" they hear Nicky say quickly.

They glance behind them to where the bastard is shouting at the blonde. "I was tipped off by an anonymous source that a drug addict was on school property. I'm going to have to call the police."

"Oh, shit," Red mutters. "Go help Gloria and Norma, please, I'll handle this."

Lorna and Alex head up to the building, but still watch what's happening by strolling backwards at a snail's pace.

"You don't have to do that, man, I'll leave! I don't even have anything!" Nicky tries to run from him, but he doesn't let her go. He grabs her by her shirt and makes her stay in her spot while dialing the cops. She looks terrified as he pats her down.

"Bingo!" he bellows victoriously, holding up five bags of heroin.

Alex's heart sinks down to her knees and Lorna looks defeated. However, Red resembles a feral mama bear protecting her cub. Alex has never seen Red so scary since the day Piper challenged her to fight. Nicky's perspiring and she blinks rapidly. She grabs her chest and a choked gasp escapes her mouth.

"Stop it!" the older woman snarls furiously and her Russian accent becomes more prominent than ever. "Get away from her!" He - _of course_ \- ignores her.

"Reznikov, toddle on inside with Stretch and the midget before you get yourself out of a job," he threatens her.

"Don't talk to her like that! You also have no right to call my friends those names!" Nicky hollers and then her voice cracks. "Lady, just do what he says. I'm going to prison and that's the way it is. I fucked up, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

"I'll bail you out, I promise," Red murmurs.

Nicky chuckles dryly. "Please don't. You can't say you're gonna do shit that'll be impossible. We're strangers to each other. You'll never find me. I could be shipped to, uh, Chicago, for all you know."

" _Milaya devushka_ , I'll find a way," is all Red declares fiercely before joining Lorna and Alex. "Let's go, I don't want to see her get taken away. My stomach is already in knots."

"Red, no offense, but you literally met her a few days ago. She's only been snotty to you," Lorna says. "She swore in your face!"

"Yes, she's disrespectful," Red agrees, "but I remember the sweet little girl she was in preschool. I'm almost a hundred percent positive that's her and she can change back to her innocent self with a good role model. She had bouncy blonde hair that was always curly and these huge brown eyes...and why else would I have a motherly pull towards her? It's the same one I have with my boys. You see, she was like a daughter to me...and then that _pizda_ yanked her out so fast, saying that Nicky and I were becoming too attached to each other...I never saw her again...until now, I think. When...or if, you ever have children, your protectiveness will go up a few notches," Red insists, her gaze falling back to the girls.

"I feel that way about her too, though," Alex says as her eyes moisten. "A chunk of me is missing. She's one of my best friends!"

"That's understandable. I forgot to ask...how did she get that forehead wound?" Red's voice is laced with concern for the girl.

'She never explained it," Alex responds.

"How are you gonna get her out?" Lorna wonders out loud. She's visibly in distress. "That's the most important thing here...the mark will heal."

"The Internet is a very powerful thing," Red tells them.

"Yeah, or she'll call me from wherever she is," Alex points out, "that is, if she's not too proud. I hope she isn't."

"It all happened so fast," Lorna murmurs guiltily. "I feel responsible for this..."

"Lorn, you didn't notify Piscatella about Nicky," Alex replies. "You wouldn't, no matter how much she bothers you. You're not that cruel."

"I...I can't..." Lorna blubbers as she tears up. "Who am I gonna squabble with now?" She buries her face in her hands and lets out a short scream. "She doesn't have...she's alone now...without us...she's so stubborn, and...she won't ask anyone for help...and Tricia...tough as nails, but where could she be?"

"They have an older sister and their foster mother," Alex reassures her. "I wouldn't be surprised if Nicky thinks Tricia's better off with them."

"They should still know what happened to Nicky," Red notes. "We'll tell them after school."

"Of course," Lorna answers her while she and Alex wipe their wet cheeks and sniffle.

Red appears desperate as she stands in front of Alex and clasps her hands together. "Please tell me you're not using. Your mother did not raise you to be like this. She didn't work her ass off being always there for you, to have you end up a drug addict! She would be so disappointed in you, and so would Gloria and I!"

"I'm not! I promise, Red, I would never let you three down! You're my role models, you know that!" Alex has only taken drugs once, and she'll now feel bad if she does it again. She doesn't want to go against them, or her friends. Not to mention, she can't have a criminal record.

"I'm happy to hear that!" Red continues leading them further into the building.

Alex feels her phone buzz in her pocket and both she and Lorna take their phones out as they follow Red to the kitchen.

 _Sorry for snitching, girls, I just wanted to see if white privilege existed. Maybe it doesn't apply to Nicky because she's unable to make ends meet. I'll do you a favor if you accept my apology! Xo, P_

Alex scoffs. "I knew it!"

"What if Piscatella's P?" Lorna asks worriedly.

"These texts sound young and feminine. I mean, they could be from a guy, too, acting as Piper...but I don't think forty-year-old men text like this..."

"Norma, where's Gloria?" Red asks, and the girls quickly put their phones away.

The silent woman points in the direction of the women's restroom and makes a sad face.

"Well...what's wrong?" Lorna wants to know.

Norma holds up a finger and starts writing on a notepad while glancing up occasionally. She shows them the paper.

 _Gloria needed a break. Just leave her in peace for a while. She'll return when she's ready._

"Piscatella's gonna be so furious!" Red panics and threads her fingers through her hair.

"You got us for a good half hour," Alex tries to calm her.

"Yeah, we'll whip up something yummy!" Lorna chimes in.

"I am eternally grateful," Red lets them know as Gina Murphy walks by them and starts to assist Norma. "Make some omelets, please," she instructs the girls.

"Will do," Alex says.

Lorna salutes Red and grins happily. "Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

When Theresa had woken Flaca up that morning, she'd screamed at the slight kiss on her cheek. She had thrown herself out of bed, mumbling an apology to her confused mother. She'd grabbed a sweet Mexican bread for breakfast and a bottle of horchata, and ran out of the house, claiming that she had to work on her English project an hour before school started. Flaca's still shaken up about _him_ and plans to do everything she can to stay out of that house until that slimy pervert leaves for good. He doesn't even deserve to be called her uncle anymore. Family members don't hurt each other and uncles are supposed to spoil their nieces with love, not sexual assault.

Flaca wonders how it all started with that animal. _Was it when she was squeezed against him at her q_ _uinceañera_ _or when he gave her a lingering stare at Thanksgiving?_ She hadn't thought this much about it until now.

Someone slams into her from behind and she shrieks. "Didn't you hear me calling for you?" Maritza asks in a tired tone. "It took me a few tries to get your attention!"

"Oh... _lo siento_ , Mari," Flaca mumbles. "What were you saying?"

"Nothing, just your name a few times. We gotta get Humps out of here! I keep having nightmares and I jump every time he comes near me. He's always like, got his eye on me."

Flaca's temper flares and she squeezes her eyes shut. "Has he made a rape attempt or anything?"

The shorter Latina's eyes dart around the hallway. "No, no...but he keeps, like...asking me to come to his class after school. I never go, because I don't wanna be by myself with him. He has my contact info since I'm his student."

A fire explodes inside Flaca. "Odio a los ancianos, ¿sabes? ¿Cuál es su trato con querer chicas adolescentes o follar a sus esposas y novias? Quiero decir...tuviste a Humps, y el papá de Alex dejó a su madre cuando estaba embarazada, no sé qué pasó mi padre, pero yo asumo lo mismo, Daya se fue con ellos cuando ella tenía dos años y no ha vuelto ya que, mientras tanto, el novio de su madre es un sicko, y el señor Morello pretende que Lorna y su hermana Franny no existen, a menos que estén hablando mientras él está viendo sus estupidos espectáculos...él ni siquiera les agradece cuando se inclinan hacia atrás para cuidar de su culo podría pensar, ya que su mamá está a punto de morir, él estar sentada en su silla de ruedas, a su lado y estar allí...tal vez leyendo un libro o lo que sea...¡pero no! Todos ellos son _douchebags_ , y por favor, don't tell the girls I spilled their dirty laundry."

 **I fucking hate old men, you know? What's their deal with wanting teenage girls or fucking over their wives and girlfriends? I mean...you got Humps, and Alex's dad left her mom when she was pregnant, I dunno what happened to my father, but I assume the same thing, Daya's walked out on them when she was two and hasn't come back since, meanwhile, her mother's boyfriend is a sicko, and Mr. Morello pretends Lorna and her sister Franny don't exist, unless they're talking while he's watching his stupid shows...he doesn't even thank them when they bend over backwards to take care of his crippled ass. You'd think, since their mama's about to die, he'd be sitting in his wheelchair, by her side and just being there...maybe reading her a book or whatever...but nope! All of them are douchebags.**

"I won't, but wow, that's really sad!"

"Oh, and I forgot to mention that Piper's idiot dad was a lying cheater when she was like, eleven. It just never ends!" Flaca rants. She pushes her damp bangs back from her forehead and punches a wall so hard that it hurts and she hopes she hasn't broken anything. During her tirade, she'd been sweating and she could hardly catch her breath. " _Dios_ _mío_..."

"You're trembling," Maritza points out and takes her clammy hands. " _Cariña,_ it's okay...I'm alright, see? So are your friends. We're gonna go to the principal and get this all taken care of." She uses her purple binder as a fan to wave in front of Flaca's face. "Just relax, you're having an anxiety attack. I've been through this, too."

"La habitación está girando!" Flaca screams hysterically and feels herself floating down, down, until her butt hits the floor. She notices that Maritza has guided her to a seated position against the bottom row of lockers.

 **The room is spinning**

"You were gonna faint," Maritza explains.

Flaca buries her face in her hands and sobs. "How are you so strong about this? He's a fucking... _abusador de niños_!" She's not sure if she's talking about Humps, Fernando, or both of them.

"I know, and I wanna take him down for it! I guess I just try not to think about it...I do stuff I enjoy and while he's not in my line of vision or intruding my mind, I'm fine. Why are you taking this so personal? Did something happen?"

"No, I...it's nothing, Mari...just...you're so little that I can't...I can't handle people even thinking about hurting you...it's like last year, when I saw Piscatella towering over Lorna and reprimanding her for not being fast enough in any sport because she's got these really short legs, and I just _froze_ , like...it was totally nerve-wracking and you _know_ he's stronger and bigger than her! Does he do that to you?"

"He just yells a lot...Alex is in my class, so she's my partner...I'm not alone there. She and this girl, Sylvia, keep people from bumping into me and shit. No one's mean, but I'm the new girl still...there's time for me to get picked on. It won't happen, though. People think I'm cute."

Flaca sighs deeply and feels herself finally beginning to calm down. She tucks Maritza into her side and smiles while sniffling. "That's good, I'm glad...however, I wish Lorna wasn't alone in Piscatella's class...Daya and I got cool teachers, you're with Alex and Sylvia, but Lorna's...like a tiny kitten in a swarm of tigers. She swims in her uniform, like you, and I try not to worry about her because she can defend herself-"

Maritza frowns. "So can I! I'm vicious! Flaca, just 'cause we're small doesn't mean we ain't tough! Didn't she take a bat to Vinny's car or something? She's bad-ass!"

"Right...sorry for going on a tangent. What were we doing again?"

"Going to speak to Fig about Humps?"

"Thanks."

They stand up and walk to Fig's office. Maritza grunts while yanking the door open and Flaca holds it in that position until they're both inside.

"Good morning, ladies," she greets them.

"Ms. Figueroa, we have an issue," Flaca starts out.

"Oh, Christ," she mutters while crossing her ankles. "Another brown baby from a drug addict father and stupid tempting teenager who couldn't glue her legs together..."

"What?" Maritza asks, confused, and Flaca rolls her eyes. Ever since Maria got pregnant, Fig planted this idea in her head that every single time there's a problem with a Mexican girl, it has to do with sex. "No, that's not it...Humps...Mr. Humphrey, my Biology teacher...he was...he..." Maritza clutches the arms of her chair tightly and Flaca puts her hand over her best friend's in encouragement.

"I can't understand your stuttering. Who are you again? I can't tell you Spanish girls apart."

Flaca scowls at how ignorant she's being. "Her name is Maritza Ramos and she's just started here on Monday. Would you just let her tell you what she needs to say? It's very hard, but she's _trying_!" It takes all of Flaca's self control not to throw her chair at the bitch.

"Okay, but I have a limited amount of time. I'm very busy. Talk, Miss Ramos. What about Mr. Humphrey?" Fig leans forward with a fake smile plastered on her horse-shaped face. Flaca wants to slap it off.

Maritza gulps and she scoots closer to the principal's desk so her feet can touch the floor fully. "He dry-humped me...for a lesson to show...procreation...between a male and female...I mean, he could've just given us a lecture on sex ed or whatever..."

"If it wasn't rape, don't waste my time. Why would you agree to this?"

Maritza's hands curl into fists and she pounds them onto her lap a few times while biting her quivering bottom lip. Her whole body deflates and she slumps in her chair.

"¡No lo hizo!" Flaca screeches. "He _made_ her do it...he's got this twisted attraction to her and felt her up without her consent! Everyone's trauma is valid! ¿Por qué no lo entiendes?"

 **She didn't! Why don't you get that?**

"Miss Gonzales, remember who's in charge here. You need to calm down before your outburst lands you in detention. You need to speak English, remember, we live in America. You may use Spanish with your friends who understand the language fluently, but not me."

Flaca wonders how it would feel to dig her fingernails into this imbecile's wrinkled skinny neck.

"It's true, though, Ms. F. Not only did he do that to me, he's also staring at me constantly, sending me suggestive emails, calling me up, leaving me sleazy voicemails, trying to get me alone with him...like, listen to this recent one." Maritza takes her phone out and plays a message while curling her legs up and hugging them to her chest.

"Hey, girl, I can't wait to see you today. I need to give you a private lesson after school or tonight, if you know what I mean...I crave for your body, preferably hog-tied to my bed with duct tape muffling your screams of how much you want me to slam into you _harder_...damn, Miss Ramos, you've got me all hot and bothered. We can only stop when I make your little cunt bleed."

"What'cha gonna do about that? She's just fourteen!" Flaca exclaims and then swallows the bile that's about to come up. "That's rape, what he's describing. He would do that to her!"

"Not necessarily, it's simply locker room talk. Men say all kinds of stupid things, but it doesn't mean they'll follow through with said actions. He just has a sadomasochism fetish. It's weird, but that's what he likes doing in the bedroom. That's his business, not ours. You can choose not to show up."

Flaca lets out a strangled yell. She wants to reach over Fig's desk, tackle her to the ground, and repeatedly bash her face in. If this were a rich, white girl talking, Fig would kiss her ass and do everything possible to make sure Humps never came near her again. She remembers how nice Fig was to Piper.

"He also threatened to feed us the live animals if we acted like we were repulsed while we dissected them," Maritza adds onto Flaca's statement. A tear slips down her cheek as her voice breaks in a few places. "I don't wanna be in his class anymore...and Flaca shouldn't be there either. Please, do something...I'm begging you here..."

"You're fourteen, Miss Ramos?"

"Yes," she responds weakly.

"When do you turn fifteen?"

"Um...next summer, why?"

"You're in ninth grade. Whoever made your schedule messed up...Mr. Humphrey teaches the tenth grade and I have no reason to pull Miss Gonzales out, but you don't belong in there. You're in Earth Science with Ms. Bell."

Maritza gasps softly and looks extremely relieved, but Flaca's still pissed that she was put there in the first place, so she never should've had to suffer there. She hopes Maritza won't fall into Fig's trap and forgive her too quickly. "Thank you so much...but how should I get Humps to stay away from me? He knows my email address and phone number. He's...stalking me!"

"Confront him about it, get a restraining order, whatever, but don't call the cops until he actually does commit a crime."

"¡Eso _es_ un crimen! " Flaca bursts out. " _Sabes_ , what I don't get, is that you'd consider dropping a Latina cafeteria worker just because she's having a bad day, but you can't even _think_ about giving a straight white man his pink slip that he for sure deserves!"

 **That _is_ a crime! **

"Ms. Mendoza was reckless in the kitchen today...if she does better tomorrow, she can continue slaving away in there. Mr. Humphrey has always been wonderful at his job."

"¡Deberíamos haber ido a Gloria o Red!" Flaca says furiously and gets out of her seat. "Su feminismo blanco le pondrá en problemas un día, Fig!" She shoots up her middle finger and aims it at the principal.

 **We should've gone to Gloria or Red! Your white feminism will get you in trouble one day, Fig!**

"That's a detention for you, young lady! Wait, what problems? What did you-"

Flaca grabs Maritza's hand and they can't get out of there fast enough. "Ugh! ¡Me siento físicamente enfermo!"

 **Ugh! I feel physically sick!**

 **"** Yo también," Maritza agrees.

 **Me, too.**

Flaca checks her vibrating phone. _I hate her and Humps, too! White people, right? Of course, you're no better; because you allowed Piper to be a bitch to everyone she looked down upon! Don't start feeling bad now that you're on the receiving end of racism. Mwah! -P_

"Who texted you?"

"Just my mom," Flaca answers her bestie.

They go into the bathroom when they see Gloria applying makeup over what appears to be a busted lip. "Hey...are you okay?" Flaca asks her. She sees that Gloria's eyes are red from crying for a while. Her shoulder-length hair sticks to the sides of her face.

Gloria closes her lipstick tube and drops it into her purse. "Yes. How are you girls this morning?"

"We're...fine," Maritza lies.

"¡ _Dios_ _mío_! What happened to your face? That looks bad! You should put ice on it or something," Flaca advises her.

"Just stay out of this, please," Gloria says firmly while putting on her eyeliner. She gives up when she gets to her swollen left eye. She sighs and just goes with mascara and dabs on some light brown eyeshadow.

"Okay, but we're just reaching out to you because we're really worried about you," Maritza replies.

"Yeah, we wanna help," Flaca adds.

"Well, don't! ¡ _Olvídalo_!" The older Latina rushes out of the bathroom.

"Do you think she's being abused?" Maritza wonders out loud.

"Maybe, but I hope not. Who would hurt Gloria?" Flaca wants to know.

"One of the teachers?"

"Could be. Piscatella was quite harsh to her earlier."

"Let's play detective and spy on her...see where she goes and who she speaks to when she's not in the cafeteria. Then we have a really good chance of catching the snake." Maritza's voice rises excitedly as she explains her plan.

"Oooh, great idea!"

* * *

The principal's voice comes through the loudspeaker. "Hello, everyone...I have an important announcement to make. There was a junkie prowling around our school." Lorna rolls her eyes at Fig's stupid wording. It's not like Nicky was doing anything dangerous. She wasn't even smoking or shooting heroin into her veins. She was just conversing with Lorna and Alex. "Because of this, some of you may have bought her drugs. We will not allow this on campus, so from now on, we will be issuing Breathalyzer tests and searching bags and bodies." The whole yearbook and journalism class groans and some students curse loudly. Flaca bangs her head on her folded arms, which are laying in front of her computer. Daya mouths, _What the fuck_? and Lorna quickly scribbles, _P tattled on Nicky to Piscatella_ on a sheet of lined paper and shows both her friends. Daya shakes her head in frustration and Flaca snarls something about taking out Humps and Piscatella instead of personal freedom under her breath. "Don't worry, you can keep your clothes on. This goes for both students and staff. Remember, student debates are at lunchtime. Enjoy the rest of your day, ladies and gentlemen!"

"Well, I guess I gotta leave my cigarettes at home," Ms. Maxwell says. Lorna's not sure if the teacher's trying to make a joke or not. "Start working, boys and girls."

"I have the best idea for an article in my head," Flaca says unexpectedly. "I came up with it in five seconds flat after Maritza's and my chat with Gloria. I have to get approval from them first and see if I should change their names."

"Oooh, what's it about?" Lorna asks.

"Oppression of minorities...and how men use women...like we're just here for their sexual pleasures or punching bags...and fuckin' Fig makin' excuses for 'em because we're just _estúpido hispanos_...and even you and Alex get unfair treatment because you're not well-off like her."

"You're the farthest thing from dumb! She's a shithead if she thinks that way about you, Maritza, and Gloria! She makes me embarrassed to be a straight white female," Lorna says. "It sounds like a good story! I'll write it with you."

"I'll draw a comic relating to it," Daya puts in. "I wonder what exactly happened." Her phone goes off and she claps her hand over her mouth. She lets the others see it.

 _Look what I've got! It's Aleida and Cesar's heroin. If you don't want me to take it to the police, you'll do as I say. Here's a hug from me to you! -P_

An image of the white powder inside many plastic baggies is attached. "That's how they make money! It's...it's our only source of income! If they get arrested, who knows what may happen to Christina, Emiliano and me?" she whispers in alarm. "I know I don't like them that much, but...I'd hate to be separated from my baby brother and sister. Your houses are crowded and I can't bother Diane and Alex for too long...I'll have to do P's tasks."

Lorna pats Daya's hand kindly. "You guys can stay with us for a while, get a job like my sister did, and eventually buy an apartment. Why do what that cooze says?"

"I'm not qualified like Franny," Daya says dejectedly, "but thanks anyway."

"Hey, don't say that! You're a brilliant artist...you could be like, a designer for children's picture books or comics. You could even sketch suspects in a crime!" Flaca tells her. "You can crash at my place! My mom would be happy to have you!"

"Thanks, girl, but P is going to make me humiliate myself in some way...and I don't think I have a choice. Even if I'm sharing a roof with either one of you, P will start shit! It's better if I just deal with this..."

Lorna and Flaca sigh unhappily and give Daya hugs of support. It's really all they can do.

Fourth period is also entertaining because Alex's mom is Lorna and Maritza's English teacher and almost every sentence that comes out of her mouth contains a four-letter word. The only times that she doesn't swear is when one of the strict teachers, Caputo, or Fig, come in. She also doesn't mind dragging her evil co-workers. "What a fuckin' awful rule they've got going on here! I mean...I understand Breathalyzers, they don't want you to come to school trashed, but come on, you can totally see if someone's shitfaced. If a student has had a drink, their breath smells like alcohol...by the way, no one drinks before eight in the morning...but if they're able to conduct themselves, they should be fine! Don't get me started on the full-body pat-downs...what are we, in prison? Come on, you know that's just an excuse for those dirty assholes like Humps, Dixon, Ratman, and Piscatella to be abusive...both physically and sexually! I tell you, if anyone puts their hands on you aggressively, you kick 'em where it counts. They're supposed to be seein' if you're hiding drugs in your clothes, but they _can not_ touch you in inappropriate places or leave bruises! If that happens, you call nine-one-one! That's called corporal punishment and against the law. Hell...they think sending one druggie away will protect everyone's safety...they are as dumb as they come! A nastier burnout could always come around, you know, and bring their violent psychopath friends with locks in socks, guns, knives, any weapon you can think of! Now we all gotta worry about this person sending someone to get revenge on us...and we can thank that skanky bitch and the idiot vice principal who really needs to shave his mustache!"

The class erupts into cheers and Diane bows dramatically.

Lorna exchanges a smile with Maritza. "Diane's sweet, huh? She's got a good heart."

"I know, she is," Maritza says back. "Is she cool with you callin' her by her first name?"

"Yeah! I've known the woman for three years! We always chill at her diner, the bar she works at, or Alex's house since she's an only child and we have our privacy. Flaca probably told you already," Lorna rambles with a friendly smile.

"Mm-hm."

Diane lets them go on their phones until she finishes scrawling her lessons on the board in loopy handwriting. Lorna suddenly has time to ask something of P. She makes sure no one is watching her.

 _Can I please have Christopher's address? He's my boyfriend and I wanna seduce him tonight hehe especially after this troublesome morning!_

She gets a reply half a minute later.

 _Of course, I really owe this to you. I'll tail him after school ;) Love ya! -P_

Lorna can't help but smirk.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMiley1fan, LindaAndrewsfan, cornedout, A Star In My Universe, thecharmedwerewolf, ladyglorificus, nnicholsnlyonne, and sxpphic!**


	7. Not Our Fault

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Again, warning: abuse, racism, and mentions of sexual assault. This story takes place in 2004, by the way. Happy New Year! 2017 yay!**

 **milaya-sweetie**

 **ay dios mío-oh my god**

 **si, gracias-yes, thank you**

 **muy bueno-very good**

 **pridurki-assholes**

 **tia-aunt**

 **putas-whores**

Before Diane begins the lesson, she walks up to Maritza's desk and puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asks the small Latina while kneeling down next to her. "He didn't do anything to you, I hope!" she adds in a whisper.

Maritza nods. "Yeah, I'm fine now! I got out of the class."

Diane smiles. "Oh, good! How did that happen?"

"Fig said I wasn't supposed to be in there because I'm in ninth grade, not tenth. She didn't acknowledge that Humps was the problem."

"What an idiot! Well, at least he won't bother you again. I just wish we could all get him fired."

"Same."

 _Maritza strolls into her English class at a leisurely pace, but she's feeling anything but relaxed. Being in Flaca's arms during their hug before they separated brought her much comfort. Now, though, she's alone again. She's in a big school where hardly anyone knows her-quite the opposite of the small town she used to live in, where everyone was friends with each other and made her feel safe. It wasn't as clique-y as Martin Van Buren High seems to be, and there were no innapropriate authority figures. In fact, they were her babysitters when her mother wasn't home. Flaca had warned her about Humps and the other bad teachers, but Maritza never imagined anything like sexual harrassment happening to her, especially not on the first day of school._

 _She'd just finished crying, but she can feel the lump in her throat rising again. She sniffles a few times while wrapping her arms around her middle._ One foot in front of the other, Maritza, _she thinks to herself._ Remember, this woman's nice.

 _"What's wrong? First day nerves?" Ms. Vause suddenly interrupts her self-talk._

" _I'm...I'm not feeling well," Maritza explains in a soft voice, willing it not to crack. "I just got back from Mr. Humphrey's class..."_

 _"Say no more, sweetie," her teacher tells her kindly._

 _"Can I use the restroom...to, uh...to clean up?" she asks._

 _"Of course. Take as long as you like."_

 _"If I don't return, my name is Maritza Ramos."_

 _"Thank you."_

 _Maritza goes into the girls' bathroom and stares at her reflection in the mirror while her trembling hands grip the sink for balance. Her eyes are red and her nose is pink. She looks a mess and she feels it, too. She starts to get clammy and the urge to barf comes on again. She grabs a chunk of her hair to get it out of her face and empties her tummy. After wiping her mouth, she slips into a stall and sits down before she can pass out. Tears roll down her cheeks as she sobs into her hands. She lays on the cold tile floor, not caring that it's dirty._ He _touched her with his grubby hands, so she's already gross. Gone is the girl who had it all-she's now a stain on her own glamourous life. Her mother has finally made it big, but_ he _screwed it up completely. She really doesn't want to be her mother's first case. Juliana Ramos would never take money from her own daughter._

 _"I'm sorry, Mama..." she mumbles._

 _She stays there until the next bell rings, and she finds out that she was never punished because Ms. Vause is cool and she understands why Maritza skipped class._

 _From her second day on, Ms. Vause offers her student a comforting hug-and Maritza takes it every time._

Today, it's better, but she's now worried about how Flaca's been acting all morning. Something else is bothering her, Maritza can see it. She just doesn't know what it is. It could be empathy, but no one has a panic attack about _someone else's_ trauma unless they went through the same thing. Flaca denied it when Maritza asked, and she feels so bad that her best friend is still stuck in there with _him._

She wishes there's some way to get rid of him forever without getting into legal trouble.

* * *

Loneliness is the only emotion that Nicky's feeling right now. In the last few hours, she'd been fondled and roughed up while getting carted off to the youth delinquent center-and it wasn't even by her fellow prisoners. Her heart's still acting up and she can hardly move, let alone breathe, without it throbbing. She just wants someone to hold her and her mouth is so dry that she can't swallow. She's about to go into withdrawal, she knows it, and she's very sweaty and thirsty. Water sounds so delicious right about now. She gasps sharply as her chest heaves and she allows herself to cry for maybe the sixth time in her entire life. The first few times she can remember letting tears spill was when she was three, probably at the overnight camp Marka left her at and in her preschool classroom. Then, there was that moment at age thirteen when she realized Marka never loved her. Vee being rough with her was upsetting. Now she's stuck in this desolate place and she's completely lost. She'll never see the outside world again. She can't bother her friends-they've probably already forgotten about her-and that annoying lady who pretended to give a shit, for sure has pushed Nicky out of her mind, too. _That rude man better not have hurt them like he did her_ , _though_ , she thinks infuriatedly.

"Itching for a fix? You seem jittery." Nicky raises her head out from between her knees. It's that touchy-feely Mendez, who'd firmly cupped his sleazy hands on her bottom when he put her into her cell. "If you want something, you big crybaby, just suck my dick, and I'll get it for you."

She sniffles and wipes her eyes dry with her sleeve. "I don't like cock, especially filthy ones...so no, thank you." She rolls over on her side until he disappears.

* * *

"You're high, aren't you?" Dixon accuses Gloria in a nasty tone and shoves her to the wall. He forces her to face it and slam her hands against it, causing a sharp pain in her palms. He pats her down roughly and she's shocked she hasn't had another panic attack yet.

 _Arturo circles around Gloria as he decides what he'll do next. He looks her up and down and smirks. He'd put her in crutches over the summer, and she'd gotten them off right before school started. Her legs are still weak, though._

 _Suddenly, he stops behind her. She doesn't want to turn in fear that he'll slap her for not being still. He breathes on the back of her neck and whispers her name. He strokes one of the bruises on her cheek and she winces in pain. That's a new one he'd given her yesterday._

"Sniffling...a clear sign you've been snorting coke. General shakiness and red eyes mean you're using drugs of any kind. What, did you get beat up by someone you owed money to?" Dixon reaches under her shirt and she squirms in his tight grasp. He's making her injuries hurt even more and she bites back a scream when he sticks his hands into her bra and clutches her breasts.

 _He pushes her forward to the oven to make dinner and gives her a quick slap on the butt. "Sé una buena chica esta noche."_

 ** _Be a good girl tonight._**

 _He just sits there, leering at her from the kitchen table while she makes the dinner. She carries the soup over to the table and he sticks his foot out. She stumbles over him and falls, her arms flailing out in front of her and the soup bowl crashing to the floor, spilling hot soup all over herself. One drop gets on his shoe and he begins to laugh evilly. Her elbow catches the table before she tumbles to her knees and then on her face. She hears him get up and then feels a very sharp stab in her chest._

 _"Aaaah," she gasps._

"I don't do drugs," Gloria says in the most even voice possible.

 _"Te dije que no fueras tan tonta, que no me escuchaste. Eres tan patético, que te acuestas con sopa encima de ti mismo. Dios, limpiaos, mujer, no recibís la cena. Lo arruinó para mí."_

 ** _I told you not to be such a klutz! You didn't listen to me. You're so pathetic, just laying there with soup all over yourself. God, clean yourself up, woman, you get no dinner. You've ruined it for me._**

 _"¡Me has tropezado!" Gloria cries angrily._

 ** _You tripped me!_**

He squeezes her butt cheeks and slaps her bottom extra hard. "You're a bit chunky there. Were you born with a huge ass?"

 _ **"** Yo no hice nada semejante." Arturo's foot comes fast and meets her leg solidly and she lets out a shriek._

 ** _I did no such thing._**

 _"Me pateaste en mi pierna casi curada," Gloria hisses._

 ** _You just kicked me in my almost healed leg._**

Gloria closes her eyes in a futile attempt to block out what's happening. "Maybe."

 _ **"** Deja de decirme lo que hice. Sé lo que hice. Es divertido hacerte daño."_

 ** _Stop telling me what I did. I know what I did. It's fun to hurt you._**

"Just shut up, bitch." He slides his grimy hands down her jeans and pulls her undies up and into her butt crack. It's so uncomfortable.

 _It hurts like always, and the insides of her thighs are sore. She'll have to cover up more bruises tomorrow._

* * *

Lorna runs into the cafeteria while Red is busily working on lunch with Norma. The tiny girl's face is full of despair. "I just saw Dixon frisking Gloria and bein' all handsy with her by Ms. McCollough's classroom...can you check up on her? When he left, she was really upset and I dunno how to ask her what's the matta without buggin' her! I know it was because he did that to her, but she was crying before, Flaca implied it in our yearbook and journalism class. I gotta run to Art, but I just had to let ya know."

"Thank you, Lorna." Red tries not to show her anger in front of the brunette and her best friend. Norma gestures for her to go, as she has everything handled, and as Red passes Lorna, she gives her shoulder a light squeeze.

Red finds Gloria against a wall taking deep, shuddering breaths in and out while whimpering. The older woman's heart aches for the younger's when she sees her like this. She knows Gloria hates looking weak. "Hey...hey..." she murmurs soothingly while rubbing circles on her back. " _Milaya_ , you wanna talk about it?"

"No," Gloria murmurs and sighs heavily. She shakes her head. "I...I can't..."

"I know these new rules are absurd and those _pridurki_ will use it for their own disgusting pleasure-"

"I'm not strong...I want to be, but...why aren't I like you? I mean, you probably take these pat-downs in stride, but I...I broke down...I'm still doing it. _Ay dios m_ í _o_ , I need air!"

The redhead puts her arm around the Latina in solace and leads her outside. "You probably want privacy, too, no?"

" _Si, gracias_. A smoke and a piña colada sound _muy bueno_ right about now!" Gloria hisses.

Red chuckles quietly. "I'm with you there." She wipes a tear off Gloria's cheek. "You better not let those pricks hear you say that shit, though."

"It won't ever stop. They'll search us and we'll be violated in every way possible. They'll fulfill their fantasies and be in all of our nightmares. They have fucked up this place so much..." she blubbers.

"Did one of them give you those marks? You're all banged up, you poor girl..." Although Gloria is a grown woman like Red, she can't help but mother people who are even slightly younger than her. It's just in her nature. She'll go through hell before she lets it happen to anyone else. Gloria's bottom lip is swollen, like someone had punched her there, and her black eye shows, even through the makeup.

"No...I...I fell...on-on the sidewalk...rushing out the door..."

Red would believe this if she hadn't seen Gloria being so jumpy this morning before Piscatella arrived, quite the contrary to how she'd been a total badass all of last year, even with the crooked teachers. "This is the work of a person! Who is it? We'll talk to their boss-"

"It's nothin'! Don't worry about it."

"Gloria, listen to me. I want you to be safe, so please...let me help you," Red begs while holding her hands. "I can tell when someone I'm close to is lying. You're like a different person than you were when you started here. I will ask you one more time. Who the _fuck_ is hurting you?"

"Arturo. Don't tell anyone." Gloria says shakily.

"I don't recognize the name..."

"My boyfriend of three months and one week..."

Red growls under her breath. She wants to kill him. "He's done it all this time?"

"No...just since July. He's got something on me, so I can't call the police. At least he doesn't cause harm to my sons."

"What could he possibly have on you?" Red can't think of a reason why anyone would lay a cruel hand on a woman as sweet as Gloria. "Why wouldn't we take his lousy ass to the cops?"

Gloria's voice grows softer and Red has to strain her ears to hear her. "Well...you know how you, Norma, and Claudette have committed crimes and never gotten caught? I'm also going against the law. I run a convenience store and just after beginning my position as a cafeteria worker, I did some food stamp fraud. Children were starving, and I had to feed them and support myself...I'd basically steal money from the government...and I'm eventually going to use it to escape Arturo if he knocks around my babies. I cannot go to jail for that! I'm a mother and I need to be there for Benito and Julio, plus all you girls here! He _will_ report me to the police!"

"Of course. You've come to the right person...I'm a mobster's wife. That means my mafia people can slaughter him like the animal he is. I'll talk to Dmitri-"

"It's not that easy..."

"Don't underestimate me. My husband's kingpin is a very powerful man. He and the others will tear that weasel boyfriend of yours to shreds and burn the body to a crisp."

"The boys love him...this will terrify them. They have no idea that he's abusive. He lives with us."

"So, come to my house, all three of you, and you can tell them that he got into a really terrible car crash or something...or he was deported. Where is he now?"

"Working as a drug dealer...he should be home around nine, just after I finish my job."

"I'll see you at your house tonight, then."

Gloria throws her arms around Red. "Thank you. You're such a great friend!"

Red returns the hug. "I won't let him touch you again," she vows.

* * *

All throughout her Biology class that morning, Flaca had been glaring daggers at Humps. When she sees him staring in their direction in the lunch line, she storms up to him. "My girl Maritza told me everything...and I will ruin you!"

He sniggers. "Okay, beaner, whatever you say. She felt so good against me! Mmm-mmm-mmm!"

She narrows her eyes and clenches her jaw while her hands ball up into fists at her sides. "You can't touch her, you don't live with her, and she can change her phone number and email address! ¡Vas a quemar en el infierno... _joderte_!"

 **You're gonna burn in hell...fuck you!**

"I understood that, you bitch," he snarls.

Flaca goes back to where she'd been standing and she notices Gloria watching him carefully as the kitchen workers slop food on each tray. " _Dios_ , he's coming this way," Maritza says nervously. What'd he tell you?" she asks. "You both looked pretty angry over there."

"I threatened that asshole, but he didn't take me serious," Flaca grumbles. "I may have made things worse..."

He stalks toward Flaca and her friends and pushes ahead of them. Maritza immediately whimpers as she scurries to a table to get far away from him. The other girls follow her just as quickly.

"Oh, no, why is he headed over here?" Daya wonders aloud.

Alex groans. "Maybe he's making up for lost time...with Piper there to kiss up to him and the others, they never bothered us...but this morning, Piscatella manhandled me because some snitch told him about me purchasing heroin from Nicky."

"You're saying we should embrace it?" Lorna wants to know. "I don't feel like doing that! I'm scared to go to his class later this afternoon!"

"Hell no, I ain't takin' his shit!" Flaca agrees. "Even if they were 'nice' to us, we hated 'em 'cause of the stories from their students!"

"Then why did we sit there in silence and flank Piper as she ratted out people she bullied?" Daya questions the girls.

"We deserve this," Alex mutters. "It's our turn now."

This whole time, Maritza's been picking at her pizza. "No, you don't, and no, it isn't!" she exclaims.

Humps creeps in between Flaca and Maritza and faces the latter. "Why would you stop coming to my class?" he inquires in a frighteningly calm tone. "I want you there." Maritza's unable to move. She's gasping while pressing her hands on her belly. Before the others can do or say anything, Gloria helps a shaking Maritza out of her seat and strokes her hair in a loving manner. Maritza responds to the sweet gesture by burying her face into Gloria's chest and wrapping her arms around her.

"Just breathe...inhale...and exhale..." Her attention switches to Humps. "Hey, you can treat me however you'd like, but leave that little girl alone!" Gloria yells at him furiously. "I noticed the way you were lurking around her...what business do you have, being at a table with a group of teens?"

"I was telling her how good of a job she did on her homework!" Humps removes himself from the seat.

"That's for during class and you stayed there for way longer than necessary! You're a fucking teacher! Go sit with Piscatella, Dixon, or Stratman, but do not eat with the students! They are so freaked out by you!" Flaca sees that Red, Norma, and the decent educators are grinning proudly in the background.

"Yeah!" Poussey shouts from another table and the whole cafeteria cheers. It doesn't die down until Humps leaves out the door.

" _C_ _ariña_ , will you be okay?" Gloria asks Maritza.

Maritza presses her lips together. "I...I think so. Yeah. Thanks, Gloria!"

"Oh, good! No problem."

When Maritza sits back down, Flaca holds her protectively and rocks her back and forth.

"All this fuckin' drama with Piper...you shoulda dumped her!" Maritza's voice breaks at the end of her sentence. "You five...you had privileges over everyone else, huh?"

"Yeah, but without her, we're nothing," Lorna responds despondently, her brows knitting together.

Maritza jerks out of Flaca's arms and climbs over her lap to where Lorna's on her other side. "Oh, right, like me and the rest of the school," she snaps. "You ever think about how that feels? You're in his Bio class, but I bet he didn't do shit to _you_ , whitey!"

"She didn't mean it like that, Mari," Flaca murmurs. "Lorna's on our side. We can't stand that sicko."

"While he hasn't done anything...yet...I'm still terrified of him," Lorna adds.

"You have no reason to be. None of you do. I bet last year, y'all walked around without a care in the world...kinda like I did."

"Where is all this coming from?" Daya asks.

"Don't blame us for Piper's wrongdoings. It's not our fault that she was like our human shield! We couldn't help what the men did!" Alex defends them. "We know it wasn't fair. We were terrible...but karma's gonna get us. It's already happening. I didn't know what Piscatella would do to me."

"He'd obviously go easy on you because you were associated with Piper, right?" Maritza asks sassily.

"Wrong!" Lorna retorts, and Alex pushes up her sleeves to reveal light bruises. "See?"

"Okay, well, I'm sorry. It'll get worse! Humps...he groped me today," Maritza lets them know.

"What a sadistic motherfucker!" Daya cries.

"Disgusting," Lorna chimes in saltily. "Dixon did the same thing to Gloria. I caught the tail end of it and told Red...she couldn't have stopped him, but she at least comforted her."

"I wanna cut all their heads off!" Flaca says fiercely in a hushed tone. She doesn't know why Red's organized crime crew hasn't done it already.

"We'd only do that in self-defense," Alex whispers. She beckons the others to lean into her. "Ms. Berlin, my English teacher, is having us learn about the play, _Macbeth_. She says she relates to Lady Macbeth. She told us how to commit the perfect murder and have no one find out. I think she learned from _experience_! We were so grossed out, though...I mean, blood, knives, _dicks_! I raised my hand and asked if she could butcher the awful teachers...and everyone laughed. She said she liked my thinking, but she can't take down all four of them. If one went missing, the others would wonder and an investigation would start. She added that we could all do it for extra credit."

Maritza's eyes widen. "Are you for real?"

Alex nods. "Oh, yes...but I could never. For one, it'd be body horror...and not to mention, I'd be taking away someone's life. Even if they are despicable, they're a living...thing!"

"They don't act human," Daya mutters darkly.

"Yeah, more like wild animals," Lorna goes on.

"Al, you're way too good for this crew," Flaca continues. "Half of 'em felt up one of my best friends and a woman who's like my _tia_. I'm biased."

"Yeah, me, too. Piscatella was brutal with Nicky, Red, and you, Alex! You Latinas didn't see it, but I witnessed the whole thing! He also knocked me down!" Lorna states further. "What can I say, they're all violent!"

"Ratman doesn't seem that bad," Maritza disagrees.

"Last year, he forced this girl named Blanca Flores to stand up on a classroom table for not showering, and she pissed herself twice until Gloria got her down. He's more of a rookie now, though...he hasn't done anything horrible except for that. He even felt like he shouldn't have done it...he told Piper that, and she called him a pussy. It was still so wrong!" Daya explains. "Blanca was really weak after that, but then, she took better care of herself and he never bugged her again. I bet she hates him with good reason, but the three we need to focus on are Humps, Dixon, and Piscatella. They are the worst!"

"For sure! Yo, you think there's somethin' goin' on with Gloria?" Flaca asks.

"Yeah, we saw her in the bathroom this morning, and it appeared as if she suffered a blow to her face!" Maritza puts in.

"I noticed that she looks kinda triggered whenever the horrible teachers yell at her," Daya says.

"Same," Alex murmurs.

"It broke my heart when Dixon was feeling her up...gosh, she was so traumatized after that!" Lorna remarks sadly.

Flaca throws her arm around Maritza. "We're gonna find out what the fuck's happening to her, by hook or by crook," she declares.

Her phone goes off with a new text, and she glances at it when Maritza's not facing her. _Don't you dare fuck this up! I'm counting on you! xx, P_

* * *

While everyone is eating their lunch, Diane comes into the kitchen's backroom. "Okay, I'm here. What's the deal with that Maritza girl? Is Humps still bothering her or something?" she wonders out loud.

Norma waves at her and Red announces, "Sadly yes, it seems so, but we'll discuss ways to keep her and the rest of her group safe. Let this meeting begin!"

"How will we do it?" Gloria asks while folding her arms across her chest. "This is only the start of Piscatella's reign and the end of Piper's powerful shield over our girls, so to speak. Now they're in possible danger, so we gotta be a lot more protective. We're not going to kiss up to those creeps like she did. They hate us anyway, so they wouldn't believe it."

"Yeah, we can't really go to the cops...remember, we tried that? There was no evidence."

"Oh, but now, there is!" Gloria answers Diane while touching her fat lip.

Diane frowns. "You got that from them?"

"No...I'll just say I did."

"I doubt that'll work. The lie detector test would show that they're telling the truth when they say they didn't cause that injury, and then they'd bring _you_ in for questioning," Diane lets Gloria know. "I want those fuckers in jail as much as you do, but framing someone is a crime. How'd you get that, anyway?"

Gloria frowns. "It's from a bee sting-I'm allergic to 'em. Red...what about your mob boss, or hiring hitmen?"

"Ooh, those are nice ideas...but they live together in a cottage with two cops...Dimitri spied on them for me when they started terrorizing the school."

Diane and Gloria groan in unison.

"She begged me not to tell you, Diane, but I have to...Piscatella was abusive to your daughter while searching her for drugs."

Diane gasps sharply. " _What_?! She's never touched that shit! Why would he...oh, I hate him a thousand times more than I did a few seconds ago! Did he draw blood or break a bone?"

"No, but he was rather careless with her and her things. He didn't force her to lay down on the ground, but she had some redness from where he'd grabbed her," Red informs her.

"Police won't see it as that serious, even though it is to us!" Diane says crossly. "We can't allow Piscatella and his cronies to bully _anyone_!"

"Dixon and Humps should definitely recieve sexual harrassment charges," Gloria tells them. "Piscatella would get time for violence against students and co-workers...and sleep deprivation is a form of physical torture, which is what he's doing to Red."

"He also targeted Lorna and Nicky. The girls were out there, just minding their own business, when Piscatella stomped toward the front doors of the school. I went out the other way to warn them he was coming, but he'd started interrogating them before I could finish my sentence."

"Nicky's that girl you consider your daughter, even though she's a stubborn bull?" Diane wonders aloud.

"Yes. I miss her already and I'm worried about her...but she isn't here," Red says bitterly. "What we need to do is keep a close eye on those monsters, and one of us will step in if it looks like they're harrassing the kids."

"Oh, definitely!" Gloria agrees. "We can get them to open up more, too, and let them know that they can always come to us if they need to."

"Of course," Diane affirms. "Even if the men are in prison, they could have nightmares and panic attacks. We'll be there for them. It's what mothers do."

"Speaking of which, isn't Lorna giving her debate speech soon?" Red asks. "Let's go out there and listen to her!"

* * *

"I want...no, I _demand_ a hunger strike because I hate the food served here! I know it's not the ladies' faults, but we need change. It can't be the same stuff every day...it looks like boring old mush. We could bring paper-bag lunches, but that's just a waste of trees, and plastic Baggies would cause more littering," Brook rattles on, and Lorna is glad that Alex's hand is on her back, otherwise she'd lunge at the Asian girl and attack her for insulting Red, Gloria, Norma, and Claudette's cooking.

"Brook, that's your opinion. How would you get everyone to agree with you? You can't just change others' minds...that's brainwashing. I think most people here love the food and they'd recycle if they brought their meal to school. Litterbugs know they'd have to pick up their garbage and throw it in the trash, unless they wanna be in trouble. Not chowin' down isn't going to fix anything. In fact, it'll encourage people to gorge at home, which isn't good, or the opposite, which is an eating disorder called anorexia. People _need_ to eat, otherwise they'll faint," Lorna argues. She turns to her audience and beams when she sees her supporters, front and center, holding up posters of her smiling and giving the camera two thumbs up. "What I'd really like for this school is for some of the staff to respect us. We're not inmates...these searches oughta be illegal!"

"I'm with you on that one," Brook says.

"Also as your sophomore class president, I promise to help make the school a more positive place for my fellow classmates. I aim for us to take more steps to prevent bullying. Additionally, I'd love it if the teachers would give us less homework. Many people skip it anyway, or they stay up late trying to complete something they'll never need to remember for the future, and lose sleep while doing so. If teachers require homework, it should relate more to the real world. For example, learning about the homeless around our city would open our eyes and lessen our judgements when we hear their stories." An image of Nicky flashes in her mind as she says this. "My cheerleaders could raise money by hosting bake sales and car washes. I hope you consider choosing me to represent the sophomore class. Thank you."

"Ditto! Peace!"

Everyone cheers and both groups of supporters shout their preferred candidate's name over and over again. Lorna's friends, along with Red, Gloria, and Diane, hug her and tell her they hope she wins.

"You did a great job!" Daya compliments her, and the others nod in agreement.

"I trained her well," Alex comments.

"I guess we have to pick the lesser of two evils...the annoying chink versus Psycho Barbie!" a white supremacist, Jennifer Digory, complains and a few children laugh.

"What the _fuck_ did you just say?" Lorna hollers furiously, and Alex and Red have to hold her back from fighting the bitch.

"I _know_ you weren't being racist!" Poussey defends Brook.

"Come on, Jenny, don't start drama," Skinhead Helen mutters and pulls her away.

"You get no lunch tomorrow!" Red shouts after Jennifer. "Hey, Brook, if you don't appreciate the food, we won't cook for you anymore."

Brook takes a few steps back. "I didn't mean-"

"Oh, you did...but maybe you don't realize how hard we work," Gloria says in a tight voice.

"I do!"

"If you want to whine about someone, it really shouldn't be the cafeteria ladies," Diane advises her.

"I'm sorry. I'll just...shut up."

"That would be greatly appreciated," Flaca murmurs.

"Yeah, bring a plastic lunchbox filled with whatever you want-but you don't need to try to make us go on a hunger strike...that's lame!" Maritza chimes in.

"Whatever!" Brook flips the bird at them and stomps off with Poussey.

Lorna checks her phone a while later. _I'll make sure you're the champion since you lost to Piper last_ _year! What an embarrassment that was...I felt sorry for you! XOXO, P_

As soon as Lorna leaves Humps' class, which is also her last period of the day, she tries to forget about his suggesting that she and Maritza wear bikinis while washing his car or go naked like they're on _Girls_ _Gone_ _Wild_ and that he'd like to see them in their cheerleading uniforms while having a threesome. That perv probably saw Maritza at tryouts. She feels like she shouldn't have mentioned car washes and cheerleading in her speech in case he was listening. Not to mention, she can't think about dissecting the rat without gagging or wanting to faint. She attempts to let all of her stress roll off of her. She'd packed up her things as quickly as she could and met up with Alex and Red in the kitchen. It can never be right outside Humps' classroom door since she doesn't want them to have to be near him.

"Let's go, I wanna get outta here," she mumbles while staring at the ground and hugging them so she's in the middle.

They leave in Red's car so fast that the tires create skid marks on the pavement. Lorna is in the passenger seat and Alex sits sideways in the back with her feet up and her shoes off. Lorna's glad they don't ask her why she's so quiet and pale, but instead, play fun music and sing along to it. She closes her eyes and enjoys the moment.

Once they arrive at Shake Shack, Red asks, "Are you alright now, _malyshka_?"

Lorna nods. "I'm doin' better. Humps was just bein' a moron...it's only fifty minutes out of a twenty-four hour day."

Red makes a tsking sound and wraps her arm around Lorna. "Did he touch you?"

"No..."

"That's good, but if he does, you come straight to any one of us," Alex says.

"I will."

Alex discreetly shows Lorna her phone, which shows a text that reads, _I'm waiting for your request...Lorna sent hers in already! xo, P_ "What's this about? You're seriously gonna fall for that?"

"I dunno," Lorna fibs. "Let's just stay on topic."

They go up to the counter where Taystee is. Tricia's sitting at a table and writing in a journal. "Hey, you two!" Alex greets them.

"What brings you here?" Tricia wonders aloud while barely looking up. "I'm just chillin', ya know. It's kinda early for dinner and late for lunch...how about a nice snack or dessert?"

"Actually, we were just about to open up with that," Lorna answers her. "This is Galina Reznikov, by the way...but just call her Red. She's like Alex's auntie and my mother figure because my own ma is too sick to do the job."

"Cool. She'd be best friends with our foster mama. Vee doesn't even make me go to school! Isn't that awesome?" Tricia chuckles. She doesn't see that Red has a horrified look on her face. Red opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. She simply turns around to face Taystee.

"Hello...Taystee, is it?" Red asks.

"Yeah, that's me! Do you ladies want a burger, fries, milkshake-"

"No, thank you, we're not hungry or thirsty," Alex interrupts her.

"Nicky's locked up!" Lorna blurts out. "It happened this morning...you gotta bail her out, or ask Vee..."

Taystee grimaces. "Fuck! None of us have cash for that shit! Imma work at Storky's as well and see if I can come up with enough...but man, how did this even...Vee will be so mad!"

"She wasn't selling...she just had it, and someone at the high school...we don't know who...they told one of the meanest teachers to come out and get her. He was so cruel and she may have been having a heart attack while he searched her, but we weren't sure. I work there as a lunch lady, in case you were curious," Red informs them. "That poor girl is stuck behind bars...she won't call anyone for help, but I just wanted you to know. I'll pay for her bail."

"Wow, that's real nice of you and all, but Vee said we're on our own if we get caught. We gotta pay for our mistakes!" Tricia says as Lorna, Alex, and Red sit at the table with her.

"I won't let that happen. Tricia, you're not doing drugs, are you?" Red asks skeptically.

Tricia scoffs. "No! I'm eleven, come on! I really wanna try 'em, though, but Nicky and Taystee don't let me near it. I'm just the bait to lure in customers."

"It sounds like Vee is a perfect role model for you girls, then!" Red snaps sarcastically. "Well, if she doesn't want to take care of her foster daughter, I will."

* * *

When school's over, Flaca and Maritza take the bus Gloria is on and duck behind one of the seats so she doesn't see them.

Flaca knows she'll get double detention tomorrow for missing it today, but this is so worth it. The bus goes to a convenience store and she gets out. They leave the bus as well, but out another door. They link arms as they tiptoe to where Gloria and another woman are conversing in rapid Spanish.

"¿Lourdes, dónde están mis hijos?"

 **Lourdes, where are my sons?**

"En mi carro...pero, Arturo golpeó a Benito. Si no pensabas que era hora de irnos antes, definitivamente es el momento."

 **In my car, but Arturo hit Benito. If you did not think it was time to leave before, it is definitely time now.**

"Leave? What...what's she talking about?" Flaca asks.

"Beats me. Oh!" Maritza taps her friend's shoulder frantically. "They're going in!"

The girls head into the store after they're sure the women haven't seen them. They peek out from behind a shelf full of beer and listen to Gloria yelling at a man in Spanish. Apparently, he's Arturo. He shouts back at her and then Maritza claps her hand over Flaca's mouth before she can shriek, because the man has just slapped her across the face, making her head whip to the side. Gloria cradles her jaw in agony and the ends of her hair have flown into her mouth.

"Call the cops," Maritza directs Flaca in a wavery voice.

"On it."

As Flaca dials nine-one-one with trembling fingers, they back out of the tiny shop.  
"Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?"

"I just witnessed a man smack a woman and he's done this before. She denied it when I asked, but..."

"Where is this domestic violence occurring?"

Flaca gives them the address of the convenience store and they stay outside of the building until the police come. The girls put their hoods over their heads and look into the window as the cops arrest him and drag him out in handcuffs. Gloria looks relieved but shocked at the same time.

Arturo spits at them. "¡ _Putas_!" He points at Gloria. "Ella hizo fraude de estampillas de comida!"

 **She did food stamp fraud!**

"Uh oh, he knows it was us," Maritza worries out loud when they stuff him in the squad car. "What an idiot...trying to pin things on Gloria while getting taken to the slammer!"

"We won't see him after this. He _should_ actually die in a fire."

"I know, right? We did real good!"

Inside the store, Gloria is pacing back and forth with her hand over her forehead. Lourdes is talking to her and using hand gestures, as if to calm her down. "Now why is she stressin'? He's done for!"

"Let's find out...we'll pretend to buy something." They casually stroll through the doors just when they hear Lourdes assuring Gloria that she'll keep the money at her house so the police don't find it at Gloria's, and she'll send it to Gloria in small amounts each month.

Flaca closes her eyes and groans softly. "I think we got her into more trouble, Mari..."

"I had no idea she actually committed food stamp fraud!" Maritza whispers back. "Neither did you! No wonder she didn't want the cops involved."

"We should just let Lourdes handle it from now on. We don't wanna get way in over our heads with this shit," Flaca points out. They slip back away from the store and go to Daya's house, as that's where they agreed to do their English project. Maritza is only with them because she doesn't want to be home alone.

"I'll try not to bother you," Maritza says.

"You can watch television and play with Daya's sister and brother...that should keep you plenty busy and entertained!"

"Sounds fun! Should we tell Daya or the others about Gloria's tough situation?"

"No, it's private, and it's taken care of."

* * *

"Your services won't be needed tonight!" Gloria shouts at Red as she enters the school kitchen's backroom. "You did exactly what I asked you not to...you got him arrested! The boys are asking where he is. You created _more work_ for Lourdes and put a _ton_ of pressure on me. I had to think fast before the police came back and searched my store and my house! Luckily, they didn't find anything because it's now all at Lourdes', but-"

"I didn't call the cops." Red's knife comes onto the surface of the counter with a heavy slam and she never breaks eye contact with Gloria. "Look at me! I. Did. Not. I wouldn't be staring at you if I was lying. How long have you known me? We've been working together for a year now! Are you sure _Lourdes_ didn't do this?"

"Yeah, because I interrogated her too, and it took her like, a second to convince me that she hadn't...I'm sorry, I just have trust issues...Arturo told me he loved me to my face..."

"Of course he did, but then he beat the shit out of you. I didn't, and neither did Lourdes."

"Okay. I believe you...but _someone_ must have turned Arturo in. Maybe they saw him attack me in the store or one of my sons told their friends' parents when he hit Benito, because he was in handcuffs right after he did those things."

Red considers for a moment. "That's a possibility."

* * *

"How do you know which one she's banging?" Cesar asks Aleida at Back to School Night.

She smirks at her boyfriend. "Oh...I've seen Daya's artwork...and all I gotta do is eliminate her fat teachers." She laughs in triumph when they go into Daya's English class. "That's him, I'm sure of it! No one here is as good looking!" Aleida checks Daya's schedule again. "I saw her teachers on the website."

"We'll get him to admit it!"

"Hello...and you are?" Mr. Bennett asks as they sit down across from him.

"Aleida Diaz, her mother, and this is my boyfriend, Cesar Velasquez."

Mr. Bennett gives them a blank stare and then chuckles awkwardly. "Nice to meet you," he says while shaking their hands.

"You got Daya in your class!" Cesar booms. "So, tell us, how's our girl doin'?"

"I can already see that she's such a bright student. She's quiet, but that's okay. She gets along very well with others. She's one of the nicest girls in my class." Aleida catches him blushing as he speaks so highly of Daya. His smile doesn't disappear. She starts to lift her shirt a little, preparing to get back at Daya for hooking up with Cesar.

"You're fucking her, right?" Aleida sniggers.

Mr. Bennett's grin fades, as does the twinkle in his eyes. He suddenly gets serious. "No, of course not!" he denies. "Why would you say that? She's your daughter! That's very inappropriate!"

"Her tits are big, right?" Cesar asks, and Aleida feels jealous of his attraction towards Daya. By this time, Mr. Bennett looks horrified.

Aleida quickly flashes Daya's teacher. "Are mine really that much smaller than hers?"

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Mr. Bennett says nervously.

"What's up with the lying, homeboy?" Cesar shouts while standing up.

"You're digging it in deep!" Aleida tells him.

"Please stop talking like this. I'm not doing anything with Daya! She's fifteen!"

"No bro, you are!" Cesar insists. "Just make sure you treat her right!" The bell chimes and that means they need to go to Daya's next class.

* * *

 _To Kill a Mockingbird_ has been discussed to death and the five Latina girls are now chilling and enjoying each other's company.

They make themselves dinner from scratch and eat their tamales around the table while talking about their favorite music and movies. Christina and Emiliano are in their hi-chairs and Maritza's having fun feeding them animal shaped macaroni and cheese and tickling their little tummies to make them giggle. It's so cute how much she loves babies. Daya does too, but she gets sick of taking care of them all the time when it should be Aleida's responsibility. Her phone displays a message that reads, _What I want you to do tomorrow is go back to your old eating habits. Pile in a dozen cupcakes! That should be easy for you! Kisses,_ _P,_ so she turns it off with a worried sigh.

Blanca starts talking in Spanish about how she wants to kill Millie, the old woman she's been looking after. Millie annoys her so much, from being demanding and calling her _Bianca_ just because she feels like it, to not letting Blanca see her boyfriend and Millie's gardener, Diablo.

"Deberías dejar de trabajar allí," Maria advises her. "El abuso de ancianos es un crimen."

 **You should just stop working there. Elder abuse is a crime.**

"¡Voy a frotar nuestra relación en la cara de ese coño!" Blanca says wickedly. "¡Vamos a joder cuando se despierte mañana por la mañana! ¡Será genial!" Flaca, Maritza, Blanca, and Maria laugh like hyenas.

 **I'm gonna rub our relationship into that cunt's face!** **We're gonna be fucking when she wakes up tomorrow morning! It'll be great!**

"Okay, you gotta slow down! I don't speak much Spanish...and I really can't understand it when you're talking so fast. I'm only in my second year of learning the language," Daya interrupts them. "You lost me after you cracked a joke."

" _Ay dios_ , okay...Blanca and Diablo are planning on doing somethin' extremely naughty in front of ol' Millie!" Flaca explains while thrusting her hips forward a few times, and Daya chuckles. "It's like, she disrespected them, so they'll do the same to her!"

"I'm very rebellious," Blanca adds on.

"I admire that about you," Maria compliments her.

The terrible teachers would also bully Piper's victims and she'd tattle on students. Two girls who are currently sitting at Daya's kitchen table, will always remember that.

"We're sorry that Piper ratted out Maria for starting a panty-selling competition and sneaking drugs into school." Daya suddenly apologizes. "We should've done something when you were standing up there, Blanca."

"Why? We weren't close or nothin'," Maria says. "You were her best friends, so obviously, you'd stick by her."

"Yeah, but Piper would make excuses for them and our heads were just so far up her ass...we stupidly thought she had a point and the key was to be good and follow the rules, which we did. We were selfish, though...we were just glad they were friendly to us...but we're all in the same boat, students against the horrible teachers. We don't snitch on each other...we're supposed to be equal...stick with each other, and we didn't follow that...so we're sorry..." Flaca responds.

"Gloria saved me then. She told that _hijo de puta_ Ratman, that I would go home and take a shower and because he made me do this, she called my parents on him. That bastard was suspended for a week without pay," Blanca tells them.

"We were happy she did something," Daya murmurs.

 _"My sister stands all day at her job, but she takes breaks and is able to walk around and bend her legs," Lorna says._

 _"Yeah, and my mom can do that too, but she's still tired after coming home late from the bar or Friendly's," Alex chimes in._

 _"Well, Blanca the Beast shouldn't have misbehaved, she's like a wild animal! She wasn't even up there for that long!" Piper mutters. "Shut the fuck up about people who aren't us. You're all lucky to be friends with me."_

 _"She was starving and falling asleep when Gloria found her! She also urinated-"_

 _"Daya...stop being gross. I don't wanna know."_

 _"Okay, what about Dixon breaking Taystee's watch with his boot?" Flaca asks. "You gotta admit, that's mean!"_

 _Piper scoffs. "You need to be polite and call him Mr. Dixon. Seniors, they think the world owes them shit 'cause they're getting outta here soon, and Taystee was acting all high and mighty just 'cause she's Caputo's assistant, no wonder Mr. Dixon did that! He had every right to."_

Daya's broken out of her flashback when Maritza asks, "So, how do we take 'em all down? I say we work together...along with Lorna and Alex...even get Gloria and her friends in on the plan!"

Maria rubs her hands together and she grins. "I got somethin'...each of us skips school...not the whole day, but just the classes where we have them as our teacher. We take turns...not all of us will play hooky in every single classroom...at first. Say, day one, I don't go to Bio with Humps. Day two, Blanca misses the ogre man's gym class. We do something like that for a whole week-all seven of us. Just one girl per day so they don't notice at first. You pass it along to every single person in those classes without the scoundrels knowing. Pretty soon, their rooms will be empty. As for the adults who you admire, you get them bodyguards."

"Fuckin' genius!" Blanca exclaims while hi-fiving Maria. "That's civil disobedience for ya!"

"Yes, I love that!" Maritza squeals and clasps Flaca and Daya's hands tightly.

"I'm excited about how it'll turn out!" Flaca agrees.

"Wow! How'd you come up with that? I'm amazed!" Daya gushes.

"I got a lotta time on my hands," Maria answers her. "So, who's gonna go first?"

"I will!" Maritza volunteers. "No Geometry for me!"

"We need to talk to Lorna and Alex about this right now!" Flaca says cheerfully.

 **Thank you to** **cornedout,** **HannahMiley1fan, A Star In My Universe, thecharmedwerewolf, nnicholsnlyonne, and ladyglorificus for reading and reviewing!**


	8. Go Out and Have Fun

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe, HannahMiley1fan, and nnicholsnlyonne! Warning: Sexist, homophobic language, and sexual assault.**

 **I'll give you a clue about P: This person has been in the story-not just mentioned, but they've also said stuff. Also, their texts are very telling :) any guesses to who it could be?**

An hour later, when Aleida has just finished impressing Daya's art teacher, Ms. Fischer, about how Daya started to express an interest in drawing during camp at age six, the parents and guardians stand in line for dinner. Four ladies are serving them, and the Latina one directly in front of Aleida says, "Your man has a wandering eye! He got his hands on your hips, but he be lookin' elsewhere!"

The nosy woman's words strike envy in Aleida. "I'm about to smack a bitch down now that you said that!"

"Why don't you talk to _him_ instead?" She snaps her fingers in front of Cesar's face a few times. "You're holding everybody up, sir! Move your ass!"

"How come you're giving me advice and doing all this work when your face is so battered?"

"I'm like Wonder Woman!"

Aleida decides she likes this lady's sassiness and is interested in her friendship. "My name's Aleida Diaz," she introduces herself.

"Gloria Mendoza." They exchange a smile and shake hands. "Diaz, huh? Are you Daya's older sister?"

"No... _su madre_! Fifteen years ago, I fucked up!"

"Holy shit!"

* * *

"I had a really fun time tonight, Sylvie," Alex tells the girl she's been flirting back and forth with for a while now. "Is it okay if I call you that?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Sylvie holds Alex's hand and leads her inside the mall's photo booth. "Let's take pictures. I'll pay. It's the least I can do, especially after you bought both of our dinners!"

"Thank you."

They set it up and do cool poses. On the last one, they end up making out, and Alex has butterflies dancing in her stomach.

"Sorry..." Sylvie murmurs as they pull away from each other. "I couldn't just not kiss you...you're so pretty! Glasses look hot on you!"

Alex blushes and runs her hands through Sylvie's hair. "Thanks! You don't need to apologize. I'd been waiting for that, but I was shy to make the first move. I wasn't sure if you felt the same."

"Or were you afraid to love after losing Piper?"

"No...I knew I could move on..."

"You're lucky that your mom's accepting. I have no idea how to come out...my parents may not be as open-minded. I can't introduce you as my girlfriend yet."

"Well, we only shared one smooch, so it's too early anyway. My mom thinks we're friends...but she'll figure it out soon."

"I'm sure she will."

When they exit the photo booth, the pictures aren't in the slot. "Shit..." Alex mutters. She feels her phone vibrate in her pocket, so she checks her new message and closes it before Sylvie notices. She's now disappointed, but not surprised.

 _Thanks, you girls are super cute! You'll get 'em back right when you confess to Mommy about gettin' trippy! xo, P_

"I thought for sure this idiot machine printed them!" Sylvie yells and kicks it.

"Maybe someone stole it!" Alex panics. "What a waste of money!"

Sylvie shrugs. "Oh well. Wanna take another one?"

"Nope...sorry, I'm kind of in a bad mood...with these stupid rules in place and Nicky getting arrested...let's just call it a night."

"Um...okay," Sylvie says uncertainly.

"I'm not mad at you, I promise." Alex brushes her knuckles against Sylvie's cheek. "How about we go to the movies tomorrow, though? It's dark and quiet...perfect place to lock lips...and I'll make sure no one takes our tickets or popcorn. We'll split the cost, is that cool with you?"

"Totally!"

* * *

Daya's phone lights up with three missed calls and a few texts. They're not from P, but rather, a private number that she knows as Mr. Bennett's. "You tell 'em...I need to use the little girl's room." She escapes the kitchen while dialing his number.

"Daya, I've been trying to reach you for an hour!"

"Hey, John, sorry, I was working on our book report," she says when she goes into the bathroom. "What's the urgent emergency?"

"I don't think this is going to work out. They know _everything_ about us! Why would you tell them?"

Daya's heart skips a few beats and she pinches her top lip. "I warned you that my mom was coming and she could be crass and crude...I didn't know she'd bring Cesar! I never said anything about you being my boyfriend!"

"They got every detail correct. They wanted me to confess that I was...fucking you! Cesar talked about your breast size and your mother...she exposed...her frontal view! I should've called the cops! Do you actually live with these people? Is this a joke?"

"Unfortunately yes, and no, they weren't pranking you...they're just inappropriate like that. Were they loud?"

"Extremely."

Daya's cheeks burn with humiliation. "Was anyone else there...like other parents?"

"They came in late, so no. I was alone with them for two whole minutes. It was just too much for me. I love you, but I can only deal with their impolite comments when I have to, like at school events like parent teacher conferences, back-to-school nights, and open houses. I'm not going to listen to them at say, family gatherings at dinner or on the weekends. If you're just gonna blab to them-"

"I didn't!" Daya protests and claps her hand over her forehead. Her eyes become watery and it's like a baseball is stuck in her throat. "So, you're gonna dump me just because of Aleida and Cesar, right after we've had sex?"

"This was a hard choice to make. I had no idea you came from such a messed up life...your mother's boyfriend has seen your...and she's okay with that!"

"Actually, she hates it, but not for the reason you'd think. Please don't leave me, John..."

"I'm sorry, but I have to walk away. It's best I do this now, rather than marrying you ten years later and getting a divorce when you're on baby number three."

"No..." Daya sobs while sliding down to the floor on her hands and knees.

"Goodbye."

Her heart thuds against her chest and she realizes she hasn't taken a breath yet. Her tears drip down her cheeks, off her jaw, and land on her phone. She uses a few minutes to collect herself and then go back out with the rest of the girls. She tries to smile and keep the sniffling to a minimum.

"They're totally down with the idea!" Flaca exclaims as Daya sits back down. It takes a second for her to remember what's going on at this moment in time. She just can't believe how quickly her world has turned upside down-and she's the only one who knows about it, except P.

"Oh, really? That's great!" Her voice comes out sort of squeaky, so she clears her throat.

"Were you just crying?" Maritza asks her.

"Yeah, I'm so happy! It's all about women empowerment, and that shit makes me emotional!"

"Aw, you're a sensitive one!" Maria comments.

"I know a lot about cars...my mom used to be a mechanic and I learned from her. While I'm skipping Geometry, I'll steal Humps' car and crash it somewhere outside of the school and then run off as the alarm rings," Maritza says.

The others look uncertain. "Awesome revenge plot, but you can't drive and it shouldn't be done in broad daylight where people could walk in the parking lot any time...what if you get hurt? People could connect it to you," Flaca tells her. "Don't commit grand theft auto unless you know for sure you won't get caught."

"Aww, I'm such a sucky criminal!" Maritza complains.

"Maybe you can learn from my mom," Daya suggests sourly.

"How about you steal the keys, put a brick on the gas pedal, and crash it into something? Wait until it's dark, after midnight, and quietly take it from his curb or wherever he keeps it, and drive it into a lake! By the time he hears it and gets up, you and his car will be gone. Go with someone who has a license, though, so you can get back home faster," Maria advises Maritza. "I'll take you, if you want...Yadriel, my boyfriend, taught me how to drive, and now I have my learner's permit. He can take us. I actually don't have to be there, but after being sexually assaulted by a man, I don't think you'd wanna be alone with another one. He won't do anything, but I don't want you to be scared."

Maritza beams. "Thanks, you're so thoughtful!"

"Yeah, and really smart, too!" Flaca adds.

"Thank you!" Maria smiles at them proudly. "I'm no amateur, you know?"

Maritza gets a phone call. "Oh, this is my _mami_! Excuse me." She leaves the room momentarily.

"Where should we meet next time?" Maria asks. "We gotta alternate between each other's houses."

"Maybe yours?" Daya suggests.

"It's unavailable. Her dad's weird and embarrassing," Blanca says.

"Mm-hm, one time after school, I brought my friend Sirena over, but he flirted with her," Maria explains.

The girls make grossed-out faces. "Ew!" they exclaim in unison.

"Well, what about when you're home alone?" Flaca wonders out loud.

"I never am...in fact, I spend most of my life at Blanca's house or Yadriel's."

"Maria and I are like two peas in a pod, but when we're not together, I'm with Diablo. My place would be too distracting...my father, Chad, is busy making deals in the living room with his friends, or my cousin, Antoni, is visiting...and if I'm by myself, I'm reading and don't wanna be bothered," Blanca tells them.

"We could always go to Flaca's, work in the library, or at a coffee shop if you don't wanna always come here," Daya lets them know.

"No, not right now...things at home are complicated," Flaca murmurs while propping up her chin with her fist. "One of my estranged relatives came over and he and my mom were always arguing when they were younger. Nothing's changed."

The girls nod in understanding. "I'm sorry, Flaca," Daya says.

"Really? That sucks," Maria answers.

"You should tell your mom to kick him out," Blanca advises her.

"He doesn't listen."

Maritza returns to the kitchen. "Flaca, we gotta go, my mom's about to pick us up!"

"Okay, great!" Flaca gets up and both she and Maritza hug Daya goodbye.

"Time for us to leave, too," Maria announces, gesturing to herself and Blanca. They wave at Daya as they follow Flaca and Maritza out the door. Just then, Aleida and Cesar come in.

"The frisking was great!" Aleida exclaims.

"I know! I got no idea why the students hate it!" Cesar mutters. "Women do the guys, men do the girls...now if it was the other way around...I mean, don't get me wrong, lesbians are hot, but I don't want some dude squeezing my dick!"

"You guys are unbelievable and revolting!" Daya says through gritted teeth. "I fucking hate you both!"

"That's a lovely way to greet your mommy."

"Shut up, Aleida!"

"Hey!" Cesar yells. "You want me to get out the gun again?"

Daya puts her hands up in surrender, takes the children to her bedroom, and slams and locks the door. She sits down on the floor, pulls her knees to her chest, and tucks them under her chin firmly. She wants to tell someone about this so badly, but she can't, because all of her friends are busy, Gloria has her own kids to take care of, and Red really needs her sleep. She's not about to bother them with something as stupid as heartbreak over someone she should've never fallen for in the first place, when they've got bigger issues. Daya starts sobbing hysterically beneath her palms and her siblings hug her, one on each side.

* * *

"No, he didn't!"

"Oh, Lorna, he was asking every single mother or female guardian there to go on a date with him this weekend! Red and Gloria warned us all, but I thought they were over-exaggerating! This guy's a douchebag _and_ twice my age...and he made several passes at Maritza's ma, trying to get her to go home with him...she told him she was a lawyer and very busy. He was also persistent with me...but I just kept saying I had a boyfriend and showed him a picture of my ex."

"Gross!" Lorna shrieks while throwing her orange comforter over her head and realizing that he did this just so that he could see her regularly. "Don't tell me no more, Franny, I believe you!" She can't even stand seeing Humps teach her and her class biology. She doesn't want to picture him as her sister's boyfriend and being in the house all the time, and she's thankful that Franny was smart enough to say no. She shows herself again and looks up at Franny while laying on her side. "Did he say anything about my performance in the class?"

"Just that he wants you to grow a stronger stomach because apparently, you're going to be learning about the insides of...bigger animals." This seems like it's really hard for Franny to report.

"No!" Lorna cries. "Eeew! That's worse than cleaning up after Ma!"

"Hey, kid, I know he's a jerk, but that's what biology is. Everyone's gotta do it. You wear gloves so you don't actually touch it with your bare hands...and think of it as science, nothing else but that. It's like...working with raw meat. We make hamburgers all the time!"

"You gotta cut through the animal and lay it on its back...and sometimes, it's not all the way dead...so he just stabs it and tells us to get to work. He's a disgusting creature!" She doesn't want to mention that he's attracted to her or that there's talk at the school that he's a cannibal, because she's feeling sick enough.

Franny makes a repulsed face. "I'm really sorry!"

Lorna groans. "I guess I have to deal with it..." _She won't need to on Monday, because she's not going there then._ "Did you get patted down? It happens at the beginning of each class except Diane's 'cause she's awesome and extremely trusting...she also knows that I've never been interested in narcotics. My lady teachers barely touch us, or rather, they search us appropriately, but not the men...it ain't very pleasant."

"They separated us by race and gender, and they did it before we started goin' through the rooms. Dixon made all kinds of vulgar comments about our bodies and he and Mr. Stratman were tellin' sexist jokes, like listen to this one...how many women does it take to fix a lightbulb? None, they're all in the kitchen! Then, they pointed to where Red, Gloria, Norma, and Claudette were cooking dinner. They asked if we got it, and then sniggered while pushing us away."

"Ugh!" Lorna exclaims and shakes her head in frustration. "Did you get molested?"

"No, but only because they don't like pregnant women. I should consider that a good thing, huh?"

"Yep..." Lorna puts her hand on her sister's belly and grins.

* * *

"¡Ew, Mamá, ni siquiera vayas allí! ¡Es realmente una mala noticia!"  
 **Ew, Mom, don't even go there! He's really bad news!**

"Lo sé, las mujeres que trabajaban en la cafetería me advirtieron...así que rechacé su invitación, educadamente, por supuesto. Tengo un horario agitado de todos modos." Flaca can hear the eyeroll in Ms. Ramos' voice as she says, "Me dio una línea de recogida muy cursi en español."

 **I know. The women working in the cafeteria warned me...so I declined his invitation, politely, of course. I've got a hectic schedule anyway. He gave me a really cheesy pickup line in Spanish.**

"Bueno, él ni siquiera es mi maestro ...¿cómo te gustó Señorita Vause y Señorita McCollough? ¡Tienen que ser mis favoritos!"

 **"Well, he's not even my teacher...how did you like Ms. Vause and Ms. McCollough? They've gotta be my favorites!"**

"Parece que son los mejores, sí...y estás aprendiendo cosas interesantes en sus clases, igual con Señorita. Bell y el Señor Stratman...pero no puedo decir quién es peor entre el Sr. Piscatella y el señor Dixon!"

 **It sounds like they're the nicest, yes...and you're learning about interesting things in their classes, same with Ms. Bell and Mr. Stratman's...but I can't tell who's worse between Mr. Piscatella and Mr. Dixon!**

"¡Los dos son horribles! ¿Qué te hicieron?"

 **They're both awful! What did they do to you?**

"Bueno, nada ... pero Gloria y Red me contaron todo lo que han hecho hasta ahora, como comentarios sugestivos acerca de sus cuerpos. Me ofrecí a ser sus abogados, pero no quieren empezar nada ... dijeron que lo manejaron y que los protegerían a ustedes. Si empeora, quiero que me lo digas. Voy a demandar a sus culos tan rápido que sus cabezas girarán ... y luego estarán en la cárcel."

 **Well, nothing...but Gloria and Red told me all about what they've done so far, like suggestive comments about their bodies. I offered to be their lawyers, but they don't want to start anything...they said they've got it handled and that they'd protect you girls. If it gets worse, though, I want you to tell me. I'll sue their asses so fast their heads will spin...and then they'll be in jail.**

Flaca gives Maritza a meaningful stare, but the shorter Latina ignores her. "Te lo haré saber, Mamá. No te preocupes."

 **I'll let you know, Mom. Don't worry.**

"Gracias, dulce niña."

 **Thank you, sweet girl.  
**

Juliana pulls up to a large black gate and then she presses a remote control, which opens it to let them into their circular driveway. Flaca tries not to show her amazement at the fact that Maritza is actually quite rich. Her fancy designer clothes should've been a dead giveaway, but Flaca was thinking that maybe her bestie got really good deals at the mall, like her and her other poor friends. The girls and Maritza's mom get out of the etruscan onyx GranCabrio.

"Best car ever, right?" Maritza gushes. "I can't wait to drive it someday! I always tell her that!"

"It was a thrilling ride!" Flaca agrees, and they both giggle.

"Maritza told me you girls ate at Daya's, so you can just go up to her room and hang out for a couple hours, but please get ready for bed so you can just drop in at eleven and have plenty of rest before school tomorrow. Does that sound good?" Ms. Ramos asks as she and the girls walk into the mansion.

"Yeah, but is it okay if we explore?" Maritza wonders out loud. "I'm _still_ getting used to this place, and Flaca's never been."

"Sure. Would you want to drink or eat anything like a dessert?"

"Maybe just water, Ms. Ramos...thank you," Flaca murmurs.

"I'll make an ice cream sundae for us both!" Maritza exclaims happily.

"Yay!" Flaca responds. "I just got hungry again!"

After eating their delicious treat, Maritza shows Flaca the lit-up swimming pool and tennis court outside, and all of the rooms inside the huge house. It's like a castle, but Flaca knows it isn't.

"This is where I sleep," Maritza says as they go into her bedroom. Flaca sets her big black purse down on a purple beanbag chair. Maritza opens her closet to reveal hundreds of beautiful dresses. "These are what I'm considering for my quinceañera and the homecoming dance. One day, I'll have you all over so you can help me pick. You could even borrow one."

"Sure, _princesa_ , I'd probably choose the black one with the halter straps or the royal blue strapless," Flaca says with a smirk while getting up on top of Maritza's pink queen-sized bed. "You're filthy rich...but also so generous! My mom's a seamstress, so she'd sew most of my outfits for that fancy shit...and when Piper was alive, her mom would treat us to all kinds of clothes and outings. I can't wear your things because I'm too tall. The only one of us who would fit into those is Lorna."

Maritza smiles widely and comes over to where Flaca is. "I see." Her phone buzzes and she glances at it. Her face turns ghastly, and Flaca's afraid for a second that P has threatened her. "Eeeww! He is nauseating! I won't show you because you shouldn't be scarred with the mental image either. It's a dick pic...from Humps."

"Ugh! You gotta hand that over to your mom as evidence!" Flaca advises her.

"I'm just gonna delete it," Maritza says as she does so. "There...it's gone!"

"No! You shouldn't have done that!"

"Well, I did, because I don't want my mom to think moving here was a mistake...she's already so busy...please don't tell her!" Maritza begs. "I don't wanna be her client...I'm her daughter!"

"You can be both. Look, as I said before, my mom makes my clothes, Diane taught Alex English last year, and Lorna's sister serves her drinks on the house!"

"Those are all different. I'm supposed to be transforming into a lovely lady for my quinceañera...not a victim that my mom is helping. There's people who need her more."

Flaca rolls her eyes. "You're already pretty, Mari. Okay, well, what if he hurts someone else? You gotta step forward."

"It's not a big enough crime," Maritza grumbles. "The cops will brush it off as a joke...some dumb kid wasting their time."

"Your mom won't."

"Can we just do something else?"

Maritza clearly doesn't want to discuss this any further, so Flaca won't press her on it again. She also knows that she's being a hypocrite by not talking about what happened to _her_. "How about...making my mom an online dating profile so she'll be unavailable if Humps asks her out?"

"Oh yeah, that's a brilliant idea!" Maritza says excitedly. She takes her laptop out from between two pillows and hands it to Flaca, who balances it on both of her knees. The laptop is already on, so Flaca opens Google and types in _single men over_ _forty_. Photos of unattractive men come up on the screen, some being in their fifties and sixties and looking way too old and gross for Theresa.

They both snicker. "No wonder these dudes are single! Half of 'em are bald with gray hair," Flaca points out. "I'll just create an account for her on...eHarmony!"

"Okay! How would she find it, though?"

"I've seen her browsing the site sometimes because she gets lonely. Also, I'll eventually tell her. If she's upset about this, I'll just say I want her to go out and have fun...because it's the truth!" Flaca directs her attention back to creating her mom's profile. "Oh...I need to update a photo of her...hold on." Flaca scrolls through Theresa's Facebook account until she finds a picture that's suitable.

"She looks good there!" Maritza exclaims.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Flaca begins typing in Theresa's interests, which are sewing, cooking, and salsa dancing. "Occupation...seamstress...age, forty...height, five feet eight inches...kids at home, yes, two are twelve, one is fifteen...ethnicity is Mexican...religion, Christian...she does drink, but doesn't smoke...and I'm done! Phew!"

"Her username could be _mamacita_ ," Maritza recommends, and Flaca pushes her to the side teasingly.

"It stops there! I just needed her real name."

"Now what?"

"We just wait!"

"Hey, someone texted you! I felt it vibrate."

Flaca grabs her phone out of her jeans pocket and checks the message. _You should let Gloria know it was you who turned in Arturo before she finds out from someone else. Piper was wrong, you know. Keeping secrets can be harmful. Make sure you do it before your boo's party! xox, P_

"Wrong number, I guess," she mutters.

* * *

"You want me to accompany you on a date tonight with Ian and Baxter Bayley?" Daya questions Flaca. She doesn't like the idea of being near that douchebag Baxter and she certainly doesn't want to go out with one guy when she's too into another.

Flaca nods eagerly. "I'd love you to. You don't gotta kiss him or nothin...but the boys are going out and I wanna be with my man. Besides, you're single, you're one of my besties, and you liked him when Piper took us all to his eighteenth birthday bash!"

"He should be out of school by now, Flaca. I'm way too mature for him. You'll see Ian tomorrow...why not just let him hang with Baxter?"

"Nah, come on, please?" Flaca widens her eyes innocently and pouts. "I never been on a double date before! I'd ask Maritza, but she's already gonna chill with some dude from her phys ed class named Potato Chip at Pizza Hut. We could go to Friendly's..."

"We'll go, if you'd like," Blanca cuts in and rests her elbow on Maria's shoulder.

"Sure! Look at that, Daya, a whole gang's going now!"

"It's just not a good time. I'm sorry. I'll think about it."

"Okay...thanks."

It's so difficult to concentrate on Mr. Bennett's lecture, especially since Daya can't even look at him without thinking back to the last thing he'd said and done to her before she'd run off to meet up with her friends.

 _"Can't we just try to work this out?"_

 _"I told you...I don't feel comfortabl_ _e around them! Do_ _you understand that?" Bennett grabs Daya's arm and slams her against the_ _wall. "I don't want you here right now."_

Later on at lunch, she lags behind her friends and tells them she'll catch up with them in a minute and to find a table. She chokes up when she overhears Gloria telling Red, Norma, and Claudette all about her sons and how proud she is of them. Daya wishes that her own mom would give her this much love. Gloria puts a veggie burrito on her tray. "How are you doing, honey?" she asks warmly.

"Aleida and Cesar ruin everything!" she responds bitterly. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I just needed to get that out."

"You mean your mother and her boyfriend?"

Daya scowls. "Yes."

"I met Aleida last night and we're gonna hang out this evening. What happened? We'll talk in here." Gloria waves Daya into the backroom and gestures for the other women to take over.

Once they're both seated on the counter, Daya starts to explain. "Well, I had this guy, right? We hit it off right away...and we'd been...dating...for a few days." She takes a trembling intake of air and sniffles. "My mom and Cesar introduced themselves to him...and he doesn't wanna commit to me because of them." She blinks her eyes a few times, letting tears soak her lashes and trickle down the sides of her face.

"That sounds like his problem," Gloria says sharply. She gently strokes Daya's jaw and brushes a tear off of it. "If he can't accept where you come from, what family you were born into, no matter how fucked up it may seem...then he ain't the one for you, kid. Another thing, never trust anyone who acts like he's diggin' you when y'all first saw each other. Fairytales only exist in movies. True love isn't for everyone."

"I haven't told you the rest...Aleida hates me because I...I had sex...with her...her, um...Cesar," Daya lets Gloria know in a tiny voice. She doesn't want to see Gloria's reaction to this. "She kept accusing me of doing it with him, when I hadn't...he's just a dirty, rotten cheater with all kinds of whores, and I just...snapped! I couldn't take it anymore...and it was my first time, and I wasted it with him!" she cries.

"I'll talk to her tonight. This isn't okay at all. I'm so sorry, sweetheart," Gloria says sympathetically.

"You don't gotta be my fairy godmother or nothin'...but I just need a hug..." Daya trails off as Gloria's arms wrap around her. "I shouldn't annoy you like this...it looks like you've been through hell, too..."

"There, there," Gloria murmurs soothingly into her hair. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. You're gonna be okay as well. Has he done anything else to you? I could get him arrested!"

"No, it was just a hookup...and I instigated it, so..."

"It doesn't matter! He should've stopped you!"

"Please don't call the cops...he's in charge of income!"

Gloria sighs. "I won't, then, but if anything else happens, I'm just a phone call or text away."

Daya nestles in the older woman's embrace. "Thank you, Gloria. I'm here for you, too."

" _Gracias, mija_."

Right after the bell signals that school is finished for the day, she sprints out of the locker room and avoids Piscatella on her way to the local cupcake shop near Martin Van Buren High. Her phone vibrates as she takes it out of her purse. No one is texting around her.

 _All twelve-your usual, then make like Lorna and choke yourself until it's all out of you. I'll be watching. Xoxo, P_

Daya wonders why this bitch would insinuate that Lorna is bulimic. "A dozen mini cupcakes, please," she tells the woman at the front. When she gets the pink box filled with vanilla cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles, she carries it outside to a table, sits down, and begins eating. She licks her fingers and lips clean and free of frosting and crumbs after each bite.

 _"How do you think you'll get a boyfriend if you're like this?" Piper asks Daya, who burps in response to the rude question. She picks up Daya's personal empty ice cream carton. "Please don't tell me you ate all this in one sitting! Holy shit, you're farting! Go to the bathroom! Fuckin' dinosaur...at least Lorna's skinny so she can afford to binge-but not you!"_

 _Daya feels embarrassed as she runs out of the room. She comes back in five minutes and Piper's still sitting on her couch. "I think I feel better now," she says tearfully._

 _"It doesn't really look it." Piper stands up and hugs Daya while stroking her hair. "Everything will be alright. You'll diet and exercise that weight off of you, okay?" she says comfortingly._

 _Daya sniffles. "You really think I can?"_

 _"I know it."_

Unfortunately, on cupcake number nine, she's full and a group of football players take their seats near her and start making pig jokes and sniggering while pointing in her direction.

"She's trying to make herself as big as a dinosaur again!"

"It's so nasty when chicks eat messily and more than what they should."

"Why don't you roll around in the mud while you're at it, piggy?"

Daya attempts to ignore them by keeping her eyes on the sweets. She starts getting queasy around the eleventh cupcake, and she hiccups, but she keeps going. The lump in her throat is about to explode and that's when she'll start tearing up. She wants to leave, but her stomach hurts so much that she can't breathe well, let alone move.

On her last one, she hears Lorna yell, "You're an embarrassment to boys, you know! How dare you pick on my bestie? Are you sure you're in high school because you're acting as immature as kindergarteners!" As the boys leave the area, Lorna shouts after them, "That's right! Get the fuck outta here!"

Daya sighs in relief. "Thank you," she says quietly.

"Anytime. I was just on my way to get cupcakes for Christopher, but I gotta talk with you for a minute." Lorna wipes some food out of Daya's hair. "How you doin', hon? Your color's not too good."

"P's a motherfucking sick cunt," Daya mutters. "They made me binge, and they expect me to throw it all up, just like they said you did."

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry...please don't do that. It can really mess up your tummy...I learned that from Piper when she caught me puttin' my toothbrush too far back on my tongue after eating a ton of mac 'n' cheese."

"You've stopped?"

"Yeah, I did."

"When I was eating all those cupcakes just now, I remembered when Piper was mean about me putting so much in my body...and then she turned nice and actually helped me..."

"She was two-faced...real manipulative."

"Uh-huh...I'm glad I realize that now."

Lorna helps Daya up and keeps a supportive arm around her. They go into the restroom and Daya washes her hands. She takes out a paper towel and the note on it reads, _Good job! I've returned some of it..._

Daya crumples it up and stuffs it deep inside the trash can. She isn't able to look at food for a while, so she closes her eyes while Lorna gets it for her boyfriend. They sit down at the bus stop outside and she just lets her momentary illness pass.

* * *

Amongst the crowds of teenagers who mill about Friendly's, looking at the menu for something to eat, Diane spots Theresa. Flaca's mother has a worried look on her features as she approaches Diane.

"Hi...any chance you've seen Marisol? I mean, of course you have in school, but has she hung out here lately?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"She doesn't seem to wanna come home...she calls me and says she gonna be out with friends all day. I know it's what teenagers do, but two days in a row and a sleepover on a weeknight? That just isn't Marisol. I know my baby. She never misses dinner or our telenovela. She's got band practice and that's it."

"Theresa, I'm sure she's around, but maybe she wants some independence. She's calling you to let you know that she's safe, which is a good thing. She'll probably be back by tonight."

"Her favorite uncle's visiting, and she never goes out when we got family over."

"Huh...that _is_ puzzling. Is she aware of this?"

"Yes, last time she was home, was his first night at our house."

"I think you should talk to her," Diane advises Theresa.

"Thank you, I'll certainly do that."

"I understand why you'd panic. There's not a day that goes by when I don't think about Piper being here one minute and gone the next...I can only imagine what could happen to our daughters with the killer possibly out there...but as long as they're with each other and their friends, and they're in a protected area, they should be okay. Alex always tells me exactly where she is. Maybe you could ask Marisol to do the same."

"Of course, yes."

At lunch, Diane had overheard from Flaca that her mother now has a dating profile on eHarmony, and she wonders if Theresa has met someone yet. "By the way...do you have any special nights coming up or at least some admirers?"

Theresa appears confused. "What do you mean?"

"You have an eHarmony account..."

"No, I just check it out sometimes."

"She never told you...she must have made it herself. Why don't you look it up?"

Theresa shakes her head and chuckles. "That girl's gonna be the death of me."

Diane nudges her playfully. "Ay, mamí, get it! Consider this a blessing in disguise. Something sweet could come out of this."

"Why, you try it before?"

"A few times...but I'm not big on serious dating. Alex is all I need. However, if the right guy comes along and makes my heart beat just a little bit faster, I'd be in heaven. It's not every day that a man over forty with good intentions wants to date a woman his age. Most of 'em in this city are assholes or going out with twenty-somethings."

"Yeah...and it's nice having a man around sometimes. Fernando's been here one and a half days and he's fixed everything in our house."

"Alex's former babysitter was a dude. He helped me with so much shit...he made being a new single mother in a filthy apartment with fucked-up appliances just that much easier. We drifted apart from him when she was old enough to stay home alone and he was Alex's age when we met-I was twenty-four-so nothing came out of it."

"There's other fish in the sea."

Diane winks at Theresa. "Exactly! Oh...can I make you anything?"

"Coffee, please...decaf."

"I need one, too, actually." Diane pokes her head into the backroom. "Two decaf coffees, please!" She turns back to Theresa. "We should meet up for drinks at the Sparrow Tavern when we're both free, and Gloria could maybe join us since she's also single. Hot mamas like us need a night out, too!"

"Good plan!"

* * *

After Gloria and Aleida drop their children off at Red's house, they go to the Sparrow Tavern to smoke outside. Gloria doesn't think it's a good idea to stay in her house for too long since Dixon could show up at any moment. She could move in with her aunt, but Lourdes lives all the way in Florida, too far from where Gloria's friends and the younger girls are. She and Aleida hold the cigars between their index and middle fingers as they talk and occasionally smoke. Out here, with another woman by her side and away from the leering teachers at school and her abusive boyfriend, she feels free. She even almost forgets that Aleida packs heroin and probably has some in her system right now.

"You gotta get a job," Gloria recommends. "I could get you an interview at Martin Van Buren High, working in the cafeteria."

"Cesar brings home the bacon, and I help him."

"There's another thing. Imma just get right to the point...why the _fuck_ do you hate your own daughter?"

"She's a _puta_...she fucked my boyfriend, Cesar!"

Gloria acts surprised. "Hold on a second. I'm finding something really wrong with what you just said...do you realize you slut-shamed your little girl?"

Aleida chuckles sourly. "Oh, she ain't no little girl!"

"No, because you know why? You up in the kitchen getting high while she plays the mother to _your_ children! She was acting out! She's not attracted to some old guy!"

"Yes, she is! She likes her teacher, Mr. Bennett, and they-"

"Don't you dare tell me that Cesar and Mr. Bennett are the same age...they aren't! She wouldn't have to get with your boyfriend if you were a better mama! Also, think about it...what kind of man do you have if he cheats on you, especially with your own _flesh and blood daughter_! That is _sick_!" Gloria says furiously.

Aleida shuts her eyes and places her hand on her forehead. "Ay caramba..."

"Here's what I'm gonna do. You and Daya obviously need support, and Cesar is no good to either of you-"

"He is!"

"I didn't ask you to interrupt me! I'm moving in and bringing my sons with me. I'll take care of the children so Daya can go out and enjoy herself. I have the money to share rent. Cesar had sexual intercourse with a minor, so he should be in jail. You don't need him in your life. You gotta step up, lose the heroin, and become a productive member in society, and maybe then, you'll see why you should've always taken Daya's side over Cesar's. She's already starting to think of me as her mother and you as her estranged _tia_. You want that?"

Aleida quickly bounces on the balls of her feet a few times. "No..."

Gloria points her cigarette at Aleida. "Well, then, come on, mama! Make things right with your kid."

"It's just hard!"

"I'll help you."

* * *

"¿Estás durmiendo en la casa de Maritza...otra vez?"

 **You're sleeping over at Maritza's house...again?**

"Sí."

 **Yes**

"Está bien, entonces." Flaca can hear the dissappointment in her mother's voice. "¿Por qué? El tío Fernando está de visita, y siempre pasas tiempo con él."

 **Okay, then. Why? Your uncle Fernando is visiting, and you always spend time with him.**

Flaca gulps when she hears his name and she chooses her words carefully. **"** Ya no estoy cerca de él. No tenemos mucho en común. Apenas dijimos una palabra el uno al otro después de que te fuiste a la cama. Se sentía incómodo. Cuanto tiempo se queda?"

 **I'm just not close to him anymore. We don't have a lot in common. We barely said a word to each other after you went to bed. It felt awkward. How long is he staying?**

"Un mes...lo siento. Antes de ir, ¿por qué me hiciste un perfil de citas en eHarmony?"

 **A month...I'm sorry.** **Before you go, why did you make me a dating profile on eHarmony?**

"Sólo quería que se soltasen y se diviertan. Espero que esté bien." She doesn't bother mentioning Humps.

 **I just wanted you to let loose and have fun. I hope that's okay.  
**

"Está bien, es solo que...no he salido desde que nacieron tus hermanos. ¿Y si, por algún milagro, algún hombre me invita a salir en el sitio, y yo chupar...o son horribles?"

 **It's fine, it's just...I haven't dated since your brothers were born. What if, by some miracle, some man asks me out on the site, and I suck...or they're awful?**

"Mamá, eres hermosa, divertida y dulce, y tan linda...no hay razón para que una persona no te caiga bien. No elimines tu cuenta todavía...inténtalo para ambos, por favor?"

 **Mama, you're beautiful and funny and sweet, and so nice...there's no reason why a person shouldn't like you. Don't delete your account just yet...give it a try for both of us, please?  
**

"Gracias, cariña. La próxima vez, sin embargo, usted debe preguntar."

 **Thank you, honey. Next time, though, you should ask.  
**

"Lo siento, lo haré."

 **Sorry, I will.**

"Bueno, te dejaré ir. ¡Te amo!"

 **Well, I'll let you go. I love you!**

"¡Adiós, yo también te amo!"

 **Bye, I love you too!**

"¡Adiós!"

 **Bye!**

Thirty-one days without seeing her mother would be too much to bear. She'd even miss her brothers, and not returning to her house at all for an entire month could make anyone think she's trying to run away from home and that she's being very disrespectful to her family since they didn't do anything terribly wrong to her-except one of them did. She wants to invite her mom to do things out and about with her at times, but she's afraid Theresa will bring that dreaded monster.

"I was going to ask you to call your mother because she was worried, but you did already, so good!" Diane notes, and Flaca gives her a tight-lipped smile.

"I always do!"

"Somethin' the matter?"

Flaca shakes her head no. "I'm alright."

"Hey, it's the Grease Club!" Diane whispers, and Flaca sees what she means when her friends and Ian come in through the door. Daya is behind them, and Flaca hugs her after kissing Ian hello.

"I'm glad you decided to come after all!" Flaca tells Daya happily. "You look like you could use a good time!"

"Yeah...I wanted to do this for you, girl."

They push two small tables together and Flaca, Daya, Maria, and Blanca sit across from Ian, Baxter, Yadriel, and Diablo. They order cheeseburgers and large fries and for dessert, they have a caramel fudge brownie sundae. They catch each other up on their lives and laugh at Baxter's funny jokes and pranks he wants to pull on people. Of course, they discuss the movement going on at their school and Flaca tells them that Maritza at first, hid in one of the cabinets of the kitchen's backroom, but since the bad teachers go there at times, the lunch ladies told her to run to Starbucks and ask for Franny since she's their friend Lorna's older sister, knows about this, and works at the coffee shop.

"Was she scared?" Blanca asks.

Flaca nods. "Terrified. She had to sneak around the school because they often lurk around the halls. She kept texting us and we gave her advice on how to be secretive."

"Amateur," Maria coughs.

Baxter snickers. "Yeah, we're pros!"

"Played those pigs successfully and passed it along to our girls and our buddy Baxter!" Yadriel adds while hi-fiving Diablo.

"Hey, give her a break! She's new and doesn't really know the place like we do," Flaca defends Maritza. "I shouldn't have let her go first...but she said she enjoyed the adrenaline rush."

The only one not in on the moment, but instead gloomily drawing a heart in a puddle of ketchup with a French fry, is Daya. She's barely eaten-just half her burger, a few fries, and two spoonfuls of the treat.

"Hold on," Flaca murmurs. She gets up from the table and takes Daya to another part of the restaurant. "What's up with you? You've been down in the dumps, like all day!"

Daya stares at the floor while shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "It's the P stuff and what's going on at school. You're mad, too."

"Yeah, but we got a way to fight it! I just wanna relax for a while...don't you?"

"'Course I do...but I can't forget it. It gnaws on me all the time...I feel empty. I don't have a good family, so I need friends...but since y'all are with your significant others and Gloria's with Aleida, I got nobody."

"We gotta split," Ian announces, and he, the other guys, Maria and Blanca get up out of their chairs. "Bye, girls!"

"What? Already?" Flaca groans. "Whatever, see you tomorrow. I love you!"

"You too." Ian blows Flaca a kiss and leaves with them.

"It was over anyway," Daya murmurs. "Let's just wait for Maritza to return from her date."

They sit on the swivel chairs in front of Diane, who's working hard on an Original Fribble. "Hi, girls!" she greets them. "Can I talk to you like I actually know you now?"

Flaca giggles. "Yeah, it's fine, Ms. V."

* * *

"I'm Lorna Morello...Christopher's surprise, you know, his girlfriend," Lorna tells Mrs. MacLaren while balancing the box full of cupcakes on her hip.

The blonde woman cocks her head to the side and gives her a confused look. "That's funny...he's never mentioned you before."

"Well, we just started dating, but I'm sure he'll talk about me soon! Your son is very sweet, you raised him right!" Lorna chirps, which makes his mother grin with pride.

"Thank you, dear. He's out with his pals, but he should be home soon."

"I know, he told me to hide somewhere in the house and let him find me."

"Alright, go ahead." Christopher's mother steps aside to let Lorna in, and she waits until the woman goes into the kitchen. Then, Lorna tiptoes upstairs and enters his room. She puts the box on top of his dresser and snoops through some of his clothes and breathes in his scent. She hugs one of his sweaters and falls back on his bed, sighing and squealing to herself with pleasure. He smells so good, and he isn't even here yet. She can't wait to see him.

She makes sure she's followed all of P's instructions by looking through her text. _Buy him a special treat. Introduce yourself to his mother, get her to trust you-that's her little boy. Lie on his bed sexily. He'll be yours instantly._

A door slams from downstairs and she hears Christopher holler, "Mom, I'm home!" She tosses his sweater to the floor and lays across his bed in a seductive manner, with her red silky dress hiked up and showing off her lacy black thong and she allows her straps to fall off her shoulders and expose her matching bra.

As soon as he gets into his room, she licks her lips. "Hello, Christopher," she greets him in a sultry voice.

"What the fuck? You...you need to get out of my house before I call the cops, bitch!"

Lorna puts her finger to her lips and alternates between massaging her breasts and rubbing her vagina under the thin fabric with her free hand. "Shhh...I like rough boys and bein' manhandled. I'm fine with only wearing high heels..."

"I'm not kidding around!" He pulls his phone out of his pants pocket and starts dialing.

She laughs hysterically. "I'll do anything for you...even spend a night in jail. I love you way too much! I also bought you some cupcakes!"

"I don't want them." He presses his phone to his ear. "Yeah, there's this chick who won't leave my home...she refused, even when I asked her to go."

"I'm cold." Lorna tries to get under his blankets, but he pushes her off the bed so she lands on the floor. "Ow!"

"I guess you'll freeze to death, then." Christopher gives the police his address while dragging Lorna down the stairs and out to the front porch. He keeps a vice grip on her forearm as he does so. "Stay there!" he directs her. "If you love me as you claim, you'll do as I say."

"Okay, but can I be the dom sometimes?"

"Shut up. I don't want to hear you. Keep your eyes on the cement."

Lorna stays silent and puts her hands up as the police car comes into view. She sees Christopher go back inside his house. An African American officer with a name tag that reads _C. Ford_ handcuffs her and she goes into the vehicle willingly. She'll just call Red to bail her out since she can't bug Franny about this again.

Officer Ford takes Lorna to the youth center and places her in a cell with a familiar wild-haired, baggy-clothed girl who has her elbows resting on her knees and her fingers pressing against her temples as she recites the state capitals, alphabetizing the states.

"Great way to pass the time, Nichols."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star in My Universe, Tiff, HannahMiley1fan, and cornedout!**


	9. On Your Side

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: abusive situations, implied violence, sexism, and hate speech.**

 **bebé-baby**

 **qué mierda** **-what the fuck**

"Hey, Lorelai!" Alex calls out as she walks into Friendly's.

"Rory, how's it hangin'?" Diane asks. They're making references to the show, _Gilmore Girls_ , which causes the Latinas to chuckle. Everyone knows that Daya isn't jealous of their extremely healthy fun mother-daughter relationship or the one on television because she lives vicariously through them. "How was going to the movies with Sylvie?"

"We shared popcorn, but then we dropped it when we started making out! It felt unbelievably hot!"

Diane smiles at Alex and hi-fives her. "That's my girl!"

"Oooh, sounds like things are gettin' real!" Daya comments.

"Yeah, we're so happy for you!" Flaca adds.

"You should have her over for dinner on Sunday, Allie," Diane tells Alex.

Alex beams. "Oh, okay. I will!"

"Do you girls need rides home?" Diane wonders out loud. "I finally don't have to work late! Alex and I are gonna have a girls night in with pop and wine while watching _Gilmore Girls_!"

"Popcorn," Alex quickly clarifies. "I'm only gonna have a few sips of her drink. My mom may be cool, but I'm not twenty-one yet."

"Still, that sounds like a great time! I don't want to take it up, Ms. V, but thank you anyway," Daya says.

"We're actually gonna stay here until Maritza returns because I'm sleeping over at her house," Flaca informs Diane. "It's okay, we'll take the bus."

"I really don't mind!" Diane insists. "It's dark and starts to get dangerous around this time of night."

"Alright, then," Daya mutters. "I appreciate it."

"Yeah, so do I," Flaca agrees.

"I'm texting Gloria to ask her if she can get us from Pizza Hut," Daya tells them.

As soon as the last customer finishes eating, another waitress leaves the fast food joint, and Diane groans. "Fuckin' lazy bitch, that Brenda is! I hate closin' up and bein' alone out there! I have to do that, like ninety-nine percent of the time. Somethin' happens to her, I'm the one who calls the cops...but if it's just me, then...I don't know!"

"You two should leave together," Alex points out.

"Yeah, I know, right? Jesus..."

"Why don't you talk to her about it?" Daya suggests.

Diane sighs in annoyance and begins mopping the floor. She hands cleaners and rags to the girls, who start wiping up the sticky tables and chairs. "It's no use. I've tried so hard. She's just eager to get out of work. I mean, so am I, but it's a job, and we have to do it. She shouldn't skip out like that! I'm talking to our boss next time! I don't want her to get fired because that would leave me by myself again, but I'd like her to be threatened into working longer hours like I do!"

"I wish you luck on that!" Flaca exclaims.

"Thanks."

When they finish, Diane brings Flaca and Daya to Pizza Hut, and as soon as Maritza's date is over with, Gloria takes Flaca and Maritza to the small Latina's mansion. During the ride, Flaca is in the middle of her two besties, the back row is filled with four car seats, and she sees that Aleida is in the passenger seat.

"Is your mother home, Maritza?" Gloria asks while she and Daya walk them up to the gate. Maritza opens it with her personal key.

"Yeah, but she's very busy at the moment...so we're alone, but not really. That's totally okay with us!"

"Great! Have fun!" Daya says.

"Thanks, bye!" Flaca calls out after she and Maritza hug Gloria and Daya.

* * *

"So here's the thing," Gloria starts out as Daya gets settled into the backseat. "I will be living with you for a while, just to support you financially and get your mother off heroin and back on her feet. I plan to cook and have Aleida help, get her closer to you kids, and I'm also gonna watch your baby sister and brother for you because you're a teenager and you deserve to live like one." She glances in the rearview mirror to check what Daya thinks of this. The girl looks slightly confused, but a small smile is growing on her face.

"Isn't this Aleida's car?"

"Yeah, but I don't own one...I take the bus to save money." Gloria remembers that she can stop using excuses now that Arturo is in prison. "Um, that, and I recently got out of an abusive relationship. My old apartment is too expensive for me to live in now that he's been arrested." Daya appears shocked and she puts her hand on Gloria's shoulder. The gesture is sweet of her to do.

"Wow...I'm really sorry for everything he put you through."

"Nothin' we can do about it now, right?" Gloria asks. "I've done my best."

"Yep," Aleida agrees and then changes the radio station to a pop song.

"I'm glad you're safe, at least." Daya murmurs.

Gloria shakes her head and laughs humorlessly. "He has friends who know where I used to live, so there's another reason I had to escape. I don't want to take any chances."

"I get it," Daya responds. "We'll be more than happy to have you."

"Thank you."

"She didn't really give me a choice," Aleida mutters, and Gloria smirks.

"I promise, you will love me being around," Gloria assures the other woman. "Your daughter sure seems to enjoy the idea."

"Just lemme warm up to it," Aleida says.

Gloria drives to Red's house. She and Aleida walk up to Red's front door and knock while ringing the doorbell. Red's husband, Dmitri, opens it. She isn't surprised, since Red had told her there was an emergency with Lorna and Nicky. As soon as the kids see their respective mothers, they run to them and hug their legs.

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Aleida grumbles, while Gloria scoops both of her boys up into her arms. Daya's younger siblings toddle after them while grabbing onto Aleida's hands and then they put the children in the very back.

Once Gloria finishes explaining what's going on to her sons and makes sure they understand, they're at the Diaz home. "Follow us and hold each other's hands," Gloria instructs the kids. She takes Benito's and lets him lead the rest of the little ones. Daya and Aleida walk on either side of her. "It's dark and we don't want them getting lost," she explains to Aleida, who unlocks the door. "Welcome to Mothering 101."

"Good point."

The kids run off into another room and the only reason why Gloria doesn't go after them to take Daya's place as their caretaker, is that she has to deal with removing Cesar and his drug ring from the house. She can hear them chattering away from the kitchen and bragging about their biggest deals. She storms into the room, just when a few people are cutting up bags of heroin and others are mixing the white powder in bowls.

"Cesar, my friend Gloria wants to talk to you," Aleida says and then kisses him.

"Oh, the cunt who told me to move!" he hollers. He makes his way over to Gloria in long strides. "What are you telling me now?"

"You need to work on this little operation somewhere else. Aleida is an addict, so she can't be around this crap, and she's got two little children and a young girl who _definitely_ shouldn't be exposed to it. Y'all being here...it's an extremely bad influence."

Cesar folds his arms across his chest and smirks. Gloria copies his actions, trying to appear stronger than him. "Excuse me? This is my house!"

"It's mine, actually!" Aleida retorts.

"She still can't boss me around!"

"Yeah, well, Aleida is my friend and Daya is like my daughter, and I don't let my friends or children be around trouble. So, unless you can act like normal guests, I suggest you get out of this apartment immediately before I call nine-one-one on all of you!" Gloria snaps ferociously, and his buddies start chortling. "I'm not fuckin' around!"

"Oh, you've done it now!" Cesar exclaims. He rushes to a drawer and yanks out a handgun. He aims it at her and she backs up on wobbly legs while raising her hands. Her heart is beating wildly inside her rib cage and she can almost feel the coldness of the metal against her skin. Unlike her co-workers earlier today, it's _her_ who's facing the barrel of a gun. "No one talks to me like that!"

 _What's up, Hot Pants?" Dixon asks condescendingly and he, Piscatella, and Humps storm towards an alarmed Gloria. The other women stand in front of her protectively, but Dixon shoves them out of his way. "I'm talking to her...not you old cunts! Get outta here! I need to be alone with this bitch!" His weight crushes her against the counter and tears prick at her eyes. Last night, she'd told her sons that they're going to be okay now that Arturo is put away, but with Dixon on the loose and being one of Arturo's friends, she isn't so sure of this._

 _"We have to be here to make sure you don't hurt Gloria," Red insists, and she, Norma, and Claudette stare him down. Piscatella and Humps direct them to the stove._

 _"Why? What are you gonna do about it? I'll wrestle the phone out of your hands as you're calling the police, and I'll yell if you try to kill me."_

 _"I hope she gets you first," Claudette says murderously, even in Piscatella and Humps' threatening presences._

 _Humps gets his gun out from his pocket and aims it at the other ladies. "Start working!"_

 _"Hot Pants? She's a twig!" Dixon chuckles. He grips her upper arms tightly and whispers in her ear, "Arturo wants to see you in a pile of your own blood." Chills run through Gloria's body and she nods. "He asked me to beat you to death, but I won't. I want to fuck you instead, and the only person who I know that's a necrophile is Humps...he literally keeps his dead wife as a table centerpiece, but anyway...you wouldn't be as much fun if you were a corpse since you'd decay eventually." By now Gloria's shaking and trying not to cry. "See you at home, sweet cheeks." He grips her chin tightly and forces his tongue in her mouth and his hand down the front of her jeans and digitally rapes her while masking her body. She tries to twist away from his sexual harassment, but he doesn't let her move. "Just checking if you had something up there...but there's nothing but pussy. You're so good!"_

 _"That's enough!" Red shouts, and he gives up, only because he and the other men have a work emergency. When he exits the kitchen's backroom with his co-workers, Gloria bursts out into full sobs as she sinks to the floor. The rest of the ladies take their spots around her and gather her into a group embrace._

"It's just a threat. Leave them alone," Aleida recommends to Gloria, who's still panting and forcing herself out of her horrifying flashback.

Out of the corner of her eye, Gloria can see Daya racing towards the front door and escaping the apartment. She quits staring down Cesar and follows Daya. "Get the children, Aleida," she directs her friend. "Daya needs us, and I don't want them near here," she adds in a whisper. "Say you need fresh air."

"He don't scare me. He's too much of a pussy to actually do anything."

"I know, but just follow my advice."

"Okay..." She relents.

Once Gloria and Aleida take the kids outside, they hear Daya on the phone and speaking while crying. "Thank you, Officer..."

Aleida's eyes widen and she whips the phone out of Daya's hands, but Gloria quickly takes it back and puts her arms around Daya warmly. "She was doing the right thing, Aleida!"

"I didn't want nothin' bad happening to you, Gloria," Daya blubbers into her shirt. "When I saw him doin' that to you...that was it for me. He's pulled a gun on me before...it's supposed to be, like a warning, but...I got so scared...especially when I learned about what some man did to you..."

"Oh, _bebé_ , I'm sorry..." Gloria murmurs and kisses the top of her head. "I'm alright...you did good, though, calling the cops." Aleida's about to go back inside the house, but Gloria pulls her back into a sitting position on the stairs.

"You won't be taking the rap for them. You're gonna pretend you were never involved," Gloria says in a no-nonsense tone while letting Daya rest her head on her lap. "Watch me. This is what we do for our kids when they're terrified! We just hold them and rock them back and forth or stroke their hair, no matter how old they are!" Gloria runs her fingers through Daya's straight black locks and swipes her tears off her cheeks. "We protect our babies from bad people. Once I found out Arturo hit Benito, I was ready to take the boys and run."

"It shows that I love him."

"Your kid needs you more. He wouldn't do this for you...I went out with a guy like him! It was two months of pure torture. While Cesar never physically abused you, he made you believe that it was okay for him to screw Daya and hold someone at gunpoint when they don't agree with him!"

"He's never pulled the trigger-"

"It's still petrifying. Now...when the police come, you don't say a single goddamn word, you understand me? Daya and I will do the talking."

Aleida scoffs while rolling her eyes. "Fine...but you can't stop me from visiting him. I won't be able to bail him out, because you won't let me."

"That's right! You learn fast! Trust me...it's for the best. You'll thank me later."

* * *

"Sacramento, California...ugh, you messed me up!" Nicky grumbles. She glances up at her new fellow prisoner through her temporarily hooded eyes due to having to blow CO Enders for drugs. Nicky checks Lorna out, from her soft, wavy brunette locks that are tied into a half pony, to her skimpy red dress and silver high heels. "Oh my god, what the fuck are you in here for, prostitution?" She sniggers and Lorna glowers at her. "You got a decent guard. Congrats."

"Mail fraud," she admits as CO Ford unlocks her handcuffs. "Scammin' online stores and all that." She bends and flexes her wrists, and Nicky notices that one of them has a red handprint mark around it.

"Oh, and what, you just _happened_ to be dressing for your boyfriend when you got arrested? That's fuckin' lingerie, Morello, and damn, I must say, you look good! You into sadomasochism, because that's one nasty bruise!" Nicky wolf-whistles, knowing Lorna's temper's going to flare. She's so cute when she gets mad, she really is.

"Yeah, I was, and he couldn't resist me!" Lorna stomps her foot on the ground while rubbing her hands up and down her goosebump-covered arms. "Shut up with the sexual shit!"

"Ladies, that's enough!" CO Ford reprimands them. He turns to Lorna. "Do you have anyone to call?"

"Yes," she answers.

CO Ford directs his attention to Nicky as Lorna's dialing a number. "Are you sure there's no one who can get you? You two seem to know each other pretty well."

"I'm positive. We just met briefly at school."

"Okay, well, I have to monitor her phone call."

"Hi, Red, sorry to call you this late...yes, I know you're watching four children...you can scold me and kick my ass all you want because I'm in jail. No, I ain't fuckin' around...I just...I really need your help. I was caught for stealing company cash...sayin' I never got something through postage when I really did and asking for a refund. They were expensive items!"

CO Ford raises his eyebrows and Nicky can tell by his reaction that she was in because of something much more interesting, but she apparently doesn't want to say it. Nicky can hear Red's voice through the phone since she's now yelling at Lorna. "I don't care! You don't do that! You be grateful for what Franny gives you!"

I know, Red," Lorna mumbles shamefully. "It was just a way to escape reality...but can you just come get me...bail me out? I...I hope Gloria and Aleida are back already to pick their kids up so you don't gotta bring 'em."

"Of course I will, and luckily, Norma is available to babysit, but you know the Russian rule."

"Yes, baseball isn't one of your sports. I won't screw up again, got it. I promise. Please don't tell Franny! Pretty please, with a cherry and whipped cream and sprinkles on top!" Nicky chuckles at this and has to press her fist to her mouth from being too loud.

"Thank you, and I won't, this can be just between us. Now...is Nicky with you?"

The girl in question makes wild hand gestures and mouths, _don't tell her I'm here!_ but Lorna does anyway. "Yes," she says while looking right at Nicky.

"Good. Does she need anything?"

Nicky rolls her eyes to the ceiling as Lorna tells Red to bring them both a full bottle of water because being in this stuffy place is making her thirsty, and she's _so sure_ Nicky must be, too. "That's all," Lorna finishes.

"I'll see you soon. Goodbye, my girl."

"Bye, Red! Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome."

Lorna hangs up and then CO Ford walks away from them. "What the fuck did you do that for?" Nicky asks Lorna irritably. "Do you not understand that I don't want help?" She's having a hard time figuring out why she likes Lorna so much if Lorna does the exact opposite of what Nicky has asked of her.

"I just need you get out of the shady business and stop all the drugs stuff! Besides, Red's already paid to bail both of our asses out, so...get over it and be thankful you got her watchin' out for ya."

Nicky doesn't believe that for one second. She sits down on the hard bench and drums her fingers on the concrete. "Why? What business is it of hers, or yours, for that matter?"

Lorna takes her seat on the opposite side of the room and does the butterfly stretch. "We're nice people, that's all...and Red does shit out of the goodness of her heart!"

"Well, she wasted her money because I'm not leaving here," Nicky says stubbornly. "It's no different than my mom giving money to people in extreme poverty and Vee bringing me into her home. I'm just a charity case. Cool." She laughs humorlessly and sniffs.

"You aren't. Red doesn't do this for just anyone," Lorna insists and then breathes into her hands. "She let Taystee and Tricia know where you were and it took her two days to collect the money to get just you out. She's gotta get more in the bank for me. It was gonna be a long process, but me being arrested tonight was pure luck!"

Nicky peels off her sweatshirt with a sigh and walks over to Lorna. "You look freezing. Here." She holds the article of clothing out to the short Italian. "I take care of my women, even when they've been stupid. Ripping off straight rich people...who even gets busted for that? At least drugs are common."

"I'm not your _woman_ ," Lorna responds, a little angrier now. "You're the _last_ human being I wanna be alone with! You're so dumb...you should've accepted Red's help, then you wouldn't have wound up in here!"

Nicky snorts. "Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh!"

"I don't need her!"

Lorna rolls her eyes and starts doing different yoga poses while holding onto the bars for balance. "Your voice is raspy...when's the last time you had water? A few drops of rain that landed in your mouth during the storm a week ago don't count!"

"Vee gave me some," she lies, involuntarily trying to wet her parched lips with her equally dry tongue. She's only able to produce a tiny amount of saliva every few hours.

"You're fuckin' dehydrated! Look at you, can't even swallow!"

"Aw, you got arrested on purpose to be my prison mommy!" Nicky realizes out loud while smirking.

"I did not!"

"Sure, and I'm the fuckin' queen of England! Just confess the truth, you were hoping to find me in here!"

"No, I wasn't," Lorna murmurs, sounding a little less sure of herself. Nicky knows she's trapped Lorna in a lie.

Nicky steps closer to Lorna and the brunette backs away to the wall. "Yes. You. Were." Her gaze travels into both of Lorna's chocolate brown eyes, searching for an honest answer. One more move, and their bodies would be touching. Lorna's bright red lips look so chewy at this moment and her dress that's showing off her cute little figure isn't helping, either.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lorna hisses while ducking under Nicky's right arm. "Are you a crack baby or something, did your mother do crack when she was pregnant with you?"

"You don't know what it's like to be me!" Nicky explodes. "Just try sleeping on the street or at the bus station for one night! I bet you couldn't last a minute!"

"Fine, I will. You're _on_!"

Nicky's surprised that Lorna's actually taking her up on this. "Really? You're not afraid you'll get dirt all over your pretty dress or even worse, robbed or raped?"

Lorna puts her hand in Nicky's face. "I've stayed out late with friends and my boyfriend before and survived to tell the tale!"

Nicky pushes Lorna's hand away. She hates how naive Lorna is. The younger girl sees the world through rose-colored glasses and probably has never been in a scary situation. Lorna may be in jail, but she's sure not acting like she even knows she is. "That's nothing, kid. You'll be alone, all businesses are closed at dark, so you can't seek shelter, except for maybe under tiny overhangs or creepy, empty parking garages, _and_ it might rain!"

"I'm just as streetwise as you! I'll be fine! I can't help it that you've had a shitty home life!"

"Try to understand my situation, alright? I'm always desperate for the money, so I actually have an excuse for being an asshole. You don't."

"Why don't you spend the night at my house, kill the bugs that come through the cracks on the walls, get my grumpy father into his wheelchair and clean up my mother's messes, she's bedridden! Oh, and my brother makes dirty jokes, and I think you'd probably just get along with my sister! I don't know much about you...I've been raised to believe that drug addicts are awful people who just wanna get others high...and I know that my life has been considerably better than yours because even if I have to help take care of my parents and I grew up poor, I've had a roof over my head and my sister is always there to provide meals and love. I've just been having negative responses to your bitchiness!"

"Okay, you two, you're out!" CO Ford interrupts them. Red is behind him. "I better not see you in here again, am I clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Lorna says brightly. "When's my trial?"

"You'll have to discuss that with your lawyer."

Red's face is stern, but she also looks relieved. "Let's go, girls." The lady gives Lorna a one-armed hug. "That means you too!" She waves Nicky over, but she doesn't budge.

"Nichols, you comin' or not?" Lorna asks.

"No," Nicky mutters flatly.

CO Ford sighs. "Just go home, kid. You've been released. Don't let yourself rot away in this depressing place."

"Please. It hurts me to see you or any child behind bars," Red adds.

"Then get outta here!" Nicky snaps. "I don't need anything from either of you, _comprende_?"

Lorna shakes her head in disappointment and Red throws her hands up in the air. "You are being moronic, Nicky! Drop the arrogant attitude right now!" She sounds near tears, and Nicky has no idea why.

"What, you wanna be in here your whole life or somethin'?" Lorna asks sharply. "Fine, you idiot! Have fun!"

Nicky chuckles and flips both of them off. "Stop faking that you give a fuck about me, 'kay?"

CO Ford speaks into his walkie-talkie. "Yeah, bring her in." He turns to Nicky. "I'm bringing in someone to replace Morello."

All of a sudden, a muscular, tattooed girl who's much taller than Nicky saunters up to her cell. She's cracking her neck and has a threatening appearance, with furrowed brows, narrowed black slits for eyes, and gritted teeth. She reminds Nicky of Vee when she gets angry. The girl, who looks more like a female bodybuilder around thirty, punches her fist into her palm and clenches her jaw while glaring at Nicky like a vicious animal focused on its prey.

"You mean she'll be with me?" Nicky wonders aloud, attempting to keep the nervousness out of her tone. She also feels her withdrawal symptoms coming on, so if this dangerous-looking criminal wants to beat her up, it'll be her last night on this Earth. CO Ford doesn't answer. He starts to open her cell door.

"Hey, you did drugs at sixteen?" the harsh voice asks. Nicky nods silently while closing her eyes. "So what? I've killed wimps with my own two fists! I can smell a junkie from a mile away! You guys are the most fun. My last victim was a drug mule...he was found with his member sliced open and his girlfriend had her boobs chopped off and her hair was tied around his neck. I stuck a knife in them both. He was my boyfriend, and he cheated on me with her. Even the guards are scared of me...and what I really don't like, are chicks being bailed out by their rich white mommies or lawyers or whoever the hell she is!"

"I'm not going with her!" Nicky exclaims. She wants to test Red. "You wanna clobber the shit outta me, I won't stop you."

"There will be no fighting!" CO Ford shouts as the girl steps forward with her fists raised.

"You better sleep with one eye open, bitch!" she yells. She brushes Nicky's shoulder roughly as she marches into their cell and lays down on a bench.

"You're outta here," Red decides while sliding past CO Ford. She quickly leads Nicky out of the small space with her hand on Nicky's back. Lorna snickers as she and Nicky walk with Red to the car. Nicky mentally sighs with relief.

"Okay, you win...this time. Take me to Vee's, but don't tell her I got arrested...just that I was in a dangerous area. She's my foster mom."

"Okay." Red gives them their bottles of water. "Drink up."

"Why are you doing this if you sold me out in the first place?" Nicky asks. "Tryin' to get brownie points or something, or absolve yourselves of guilt?"

"We didn't say shit to that Nazi soldier!" Lorna exclaims.

Nicky huffs and fidgets in her seat. "Yeah, right!"

"Didn't you see him shove me down roughly?"

"Hmm, maybe you didn't, then."

"Neither did Red."

"Lorna is correct. If I had, I wouldn't have warned you girls he was coming. I can see why you'd accuse us, but even though you're rude, everyone hates Piscatella; he's an asshole. I can see that there's a good girl behind that tough facade of yours. Don't argue with me about this anymore. I'm on your side!" Red tells Nicky. "Now, put your seatbelt on. I'm not gonna have you flying through the windshield if there's an accident."

"Nah, man, I'm badass," Nicky mutters. "I've seen the white light a couple of times...and I'm still here!"

"Just do it, kid," Red says sternly. She turns around and faces Nicky with a look that means she's actually serious. "I will not start this car until I hear that click."

"What the fuck? Drive!" Nicky yells while kicking the back of Red's seat. The Russian woman bops her upside her head. "Jesus, tough crowd," she grumbles while rubbing the back of her head. She has to admit that what Vee and that man had done to her was much more painful. "Why does everyone wanna hurt me?"

"Mouthing off to people is what gets you into trouble, Nicky," Red scolds her. "I asked you to do something reasonable and for your own safety."

"You gotta respect Red," Lorna adds, and Nicky flicks her middle finger at the shorter girl's cheek. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Shut the fuck up," Nicky growls while reluctantly buckling herself in. "Okay, done."

Red finally steps on the gas and begins to drive them home. "I'm going to tell you a story. One time-"

"We won the Cold War over you guys. Yes, we know," Nicky mumbles under her breath while rolling her eyes.

"Lorna, would you smack her for me?" A small, balled up fist rams into Nicky's shoulder.

"There's so much more where that came from," Lorna says.

Nicky scoffs and falls back on the headrest. "Please, that was nothing!"

Red continues. "Do not speak out of turn. There was a spoiled little girl who used to go to our school, named Piper Chapman. She was just like you. She would insult people, even her own friends, and she acted like she was the most important person in the entire world. Her posse would always agree with everything she said and one day, she talked down to the lunch ladies, who consist of me and three others. The rest of the girls were quiet. We took them behind the counter and made them cook with us. We barked orders at them, just like Piscatella and his people. We rushed them in their work, physically pushed them around-the leader, especially-not enough to leave bruises, of course, but they were soon extremely afraid to mess up. They wanted to listen to us...but their yuppie Queen Bee was still not getting it." Red adjusts her rearview mirror so that Nicky can see cold blue eyes glaring back at her own brown ones. "One of my co-workers, Claudette, told her, 'We are grown women who cook your food,' and I said, 'You will _not_ disrespect us-otherwise we won't give you shit!' Gloria, my other right-hand woman ended with, 'You got that?' I slapped a spatula on the stove that was very close to where Piper's idle hands were, and she yelped like a frightened puppy." Lorna nods in affirmation while smirking. "Her friends jumped back, and they learned that the lunch ladies are not to be messed with." Red's voice grows a bit more terrifying. "I let them know about the same thing I'm about to inform you of. I'm part of the mafia and we do organized crimes. I have chopped-up bodies in my freezer. Claudette murdered a man in cold blood and Norma, who doesn't speak, pushed her husband off a cliff. We got away with it, too. Those sons of bitches never stood a chance."

Nicky bursts out into anxious laughter and tries to see if Red is really being honest about this. "Come on, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! I get teaching this Piper a lesson thing, but killers cannot work with knives and fire without...slaughtering people! That's...that's...fucking crazy, okay? Why would you...how..." Lorna cackles maniacally beside her, but Red keeps a straight face. "Stop trying to be evil! You can't pull the wool over these eyes."

"You don't believe me? I'll show you the proof," Red states. Her red lips turn up into a creepy smile.

"She really will, too," Lorna says as her facial expression darkens. "Personally, I wouldn't look, because it's disgusting, but you can see for yourself."

"I can still hear their screams to this day. Claudette stabbed her victim multiple times with a kitchen knife and cleaned up the evidence. Norma caught that mushroom completely off guard."

"Gross, no thank you. What happened then?" Nicky asks, making sure to push away all the shakiness out of her voice. The effects of not having heroin coursing through her veins are already sinking in, and she doesn't need her nerves to make things worse. She yanks off the cap of her water bottle and takes a long swig since no one is really paying attention to what she's doing. The liquid running down her throat is like heaven. She can sense the stickiness in her mouth vanishing.

"We threatened them not to tell anyone. They know the rules. Piper narrowed her eyes at us and said we didn't want to fuck with her, but I could see that she was embarrassed to show her weakness. She stormed out of the kitchen with the very scared girls following her." Red chuckles and her smile seems nicer now.

"Do you actually, like...do that...to women or children?" Nicky wonders aloud quietly while trying to calm her frantically thumping heart. "How are we still...alive? Just tell me if I need to escape, alright?"

"Of course we don't. You and Lorna are fine with us because we will never cause harm to either one of you. I told you that story simply as a warning to not be a snotrag. The doors are locked, anyway."

"Holy shit!" Nicky guffaws. "Wow! You're criminals..."

"Yeah, so are we, the heroin junkie and the mail scammer," Lorna points out while gesturing to herself and Nicky. "Oh, and in case you couldn't guess, I was one of Piper's friends before she disappeared. Once you get to know Red, Gloria, Claudette, and Norma, you'll find out they're the sweetest and most protective group of women around, just like second moms or aunts to us."

"I just need to wrap my brain around this whole thing," Nicky says. "So...you're kind, but you've done awful things...wait, were they justified?"

"Stick around, and you'll find out." Red answers her.

"Oh, I'm getting out now!" Lorna announces, and she and Red leave the car. "Are you gonna stay there, Nichols?"

"Yeah...I'm not in the best mood right now." Nicky watches from the car's window as they walk up a flight of stairs to a worn-down apartment building. Lorna rings her doorbell and a girl a bit older than Lorna steps out, and Nicky assumes that this is Franny. She wants to run away, but at the same time, she'd like to know what they're saying to each other. Franny appears to be concerned as she adjusts the twisted strap of her little sister's dress and Red tousles Lorna's hair while they both laugh. After Red hugs Lorna, she returns to the car and gets into the driver's seat. Nicky pretends that she'd been staring down at her lap and twiddling her thumbs for the past five minutes.

"Nicky, I'm going to treat you to some dinner. You must be starving!"

"It's okay. Vee will give me it."

"You'll have to give me directions to your house."

"I know, seeing as you've never been there. Go straight up here, then take a left turn, stay on 125th Street, and my place is on your right side." Nicky makes hand motions as she describes which way to go.

"Thank you. Did Vee enroll you into school? Lorna, Alex, and I went to see your sisters at Shake Shack to tell them you were in jail, and they told me that Vee just lets you all run amok and fend for yourselves, basically."

Nicky groans as her eyes flutter rapidly. "Could you just play some music or whatever? This is already too weird. Who even owns a car in New York?"

"I do, but you may have to check the trunk."

"No way! You wouldn't drive around with corpses. I'm aware you're not _that_ dumb. It's just funny, I guess, because...I mean, you barely know me, yet you had money ready to bail me out."

"I have three sons and four girls I consider to be my daughters or nieces. When my children or any members of my family are in trouble, I help them. You remind me of the little girl I wish I had, Nicky."

Nicky feels confused. "Well...I thought I was a mouthy brat."

"You are, but you're also strong-willed and stubborn."

"That I am," Nicky agrees.

"I can see so much potential in you, if you would just stay away from drugs!"

"Sorry," Nicky says sarcastically. "Dope's my thing. Okay, this is me." She exits the car and Red does as well.

"Wait!" Red goes into her car and scribbles something on a piece of paper. She comes back out and hands it to Nicky. "This is my info. I want you to call this number or go to this address if you run into more trouble! That's an order!"

Nicky takes it from Red. "You're very demanding."

"It will be good for you in the long run."

"Oh, you can just drop me off..." She slips her bottle and the paper in the front pocket of her gray sweatshirt.

"Nonsense. This is not a pleasant area to live, especially this late at night. Anything could happen. Did you finish all of your water?"

"It's just half gone. I don't want to have so much that I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night." _It's not like she'll have more at Vee's._

"Good thinking."

She almost loses her balance caused by the combination of the uneven ground, the growing sickness in her stomach, and the clenching of her heart. Red catches her just before her knees can buckle under her. "See? It's not safe here. Are you alright? I don't know if it's the streetlights, but you look very pale...and you just stumbled."

"Yeah, I'm fine...it's this concrete. I forgot to watch my step, I guess," Nicky replies softly while shrugging Red's hands off her forearms, even though she enjoyed the contact and the warmth of the older red-haired Russian woman beside her. Everyone who she gets close to never stays-and they leave when she needs them most. "You know that moment when you're gonna fall, but then you don't?"

"You lose your breath for a moment."

"Exactly. That's what happened to me." _Stop talking and being friendly_! Nicky commands herself. It'll only lead to crying and missing someone who doesn't give two shits about her. "Anyway, uh, we're wasting time." She briskly walks to where she lives and knocks on the door rapidly while repeatedly ringing the doorbell.

Red giggles next to her. "You are a pest!"

Nicky pauses for a second. "Why?"

"You're making quite a racket!"

"Believe me, this needs to be done."

"You need a house key."

Vee opens the door and stares down at them with scorn while shaking her head. "Nicky, what have you done this time...and who's your friend?"

"I'm one of the workers from the school that Nicky was selling at. You don't need to know my name, just my face." Red points to herself. "Pay attention to me, not her." Nicky sees that there's a scary glint in Red's eyes and her mouth is set in a thin line. "If she gets caught with drugs _ever again_ , I will have you arrested for involving a minor in your heroin dealing business."

Vee sniggers. "Shit. I thought you were just selling all night long and avoiding cops. That's what Taystee said."

"No, I wasn't put in handcuffs or anything," Nicky lies. "There was a school official there yesterday morning who let me off with a warning. They took my stash."

"It was a close call!" Red puts in. "I found Nicky in some alleyway and there was this gang harassing her...so I brought her back here."

"I appreciate that, but you cannot threaten me."

"Oh, yes, I can." Red takes two steps forward so their chests are touching. "You need to keep a better eye on your foster children, otherwise, you'll get CPS banging on your door and the police right behind them with a warrant."

Vee scoffs. "Believe me, commie, you don't want to be fighting with this bitch. Leave my property before I slock you to death!"

Red raises her eyebrow as if to challenge Vee. "So, when you're motionless, would you want to be cut everywhere, or just straight down the middle? It's your choice."

Nicky steps in between them, knowing how frightening both of them can get. "Okay, this is pointless. You hate each other. So what? It doesn't mean you have to use violence." She turns to Red. "Go home and take a nap. It looks like you need one." She swivels around to look at Vee. "I'm hungry, so we should make something together."

Red waves goodbye at Nicky before she takes off in her car. A sharp sting shoots through her face and she topples over from the impact. She hisses in pain and tries to get herself back up, but Vee shoves her foot into Nicky's already aching side. Vee bends down and grabs Nicky's throat. "I told you to make sure you were never busted!"

"I'm sorry!" Nicky chokes out, her eyes welling up with tears. "I-I didn't mean to..." She curls up on the floor while shuddering, but Vee yanks her to her feet. "Please don't hit me anymore..."

She was planning to go out to see if Lorna's really going to take herself on a detour around the dark streets of Brooklyn and discreetly make sure the tiny girl will be okay, but she has no idea how she's going to leave the house now. She can't call Red since Vee will hear, and she's sure that Vee will throw out the water as soon as she notices Nicky drinking it.

It's really back to the old grindstone for her.

* * *

"How was your date?" Flaca asks Maritza.

"We didn't mesh well-he's a hoodlum and wants to hide drugs inside chickens so we could get doped up during school hours. I wanna smoke pot, but not anywhere near Martin Van Buren High!"

"Girl, me too. It's a good thing you're not gonna be around him no more."

Maritza nods. "Yeah, he can't be nothin' useful to me." She puts her hand on Flaca's cheek, and leans forward so their foreheads are touching and they're staring into each other's eyes. Maritza presses her lips to Flaca's quickly while giggling. Flaca jumps back at the sudden contact.

"What was that for? I'm with Ian..."

"I'm sorry, I was kissing you jokingly...I thought you'd laugh, too," Maritza says awkwardly while joining Flaca on her bed. "I know you have a boyfriend...there were no feelings behind it or nothin'. It's no different than the time we got drunk at camp and made out 'cause you were sad that he wasn't writing to you."

"Maybe he thought I was cheating on him...and that's why he was distant."

"I doubt that! I understand why you pulled away...I didn't mean to surprise you like that."

"It's okay."

"I never told you what it was really like for me, ditching Geometry," Maritza says suddenly.

"I thought you did at lunch?" Flaca asks her.

"No...I just kinda need to warn you. I know that I always need to hold someone's hand while going to my classes because I'm really scared to even run into that monster, and Alex is with me until I get into my Geometry class...but this time, she just dropped me off in the backroom of the cafeteria's kitchen. So, I go there, right, and I hide inside a big cabinet. I fit perfectly. I close it, and then someone opens it. Gloria kneels down in front of me and she's got the most panicked look on her face...she says in the quietest whisper, that them protecting me in there is the equivalent of when people used to hide Jews from the Nazis. If the bad men were to ever come in, which they do at random, they'd get suspicious once the lunch ladies started guarding their cabinets. She told me to hurry and take the bus to Starbucks where she'd hoped Franny was working today, so I did. I had to watch out for the enemy...and the cafeteria workers were always on the lookout for those assholes leaving campus. They're gonna keep in contact with whoever does it on each day because this is a dangerous thing they're doing! I was probably shaking the whole time until I made it to the bus." Maritza doesn't think she's taken a breath until now.

"I'm sorry you were the guinea pig," Flaca murmurs guiltily.

Maritza shrugs. "It's okay...it _was_ my choice, after all."

"Thanks for preparing the rest of us, though...so we gotta be stealthy and just go right out of the building."

"Yep!"

Maritza scoots into Flaca's lap, but when she leans on her friend's thighs, Flaca lets out a shriek of excruciating agony and then whimpers, "Ow, ow..."

"Shit, did I gain super strength overnight?" Maritza gets off of her immediately. She knows Flaca is skinny, but Maritza's certainly not strong enough to hurt her. Flaca's still wincing and gasping in and out deeply.

"No...I-I'm fine..." she stammers.

"You've been extra sensitive lately, and I know you're not on your period because I always get it at the same time as you. I'm also aware that you don't cut yourself."

"We've only been in each other's lives for two months!"

"I have used your thighs as drums before and it's never bothered you. You flinched when we stopped kissing. You went on a tyrant about men when you've never even been made fun of! In fact, you _love_ when you get attention from dudes!" Maritza had noticed Flaca's red and black chunky necklace, along with elastic bangles of all different colors decorating her wrists. She never really thought there might be bruises under the pieces of jewelry, but when she takes a closer look, she can see them, and she gasps sharply. "Oh my god..."

"Please, don't..." Flaca murmurs while turning away from her.

The signs are right there, and Maritza feels dumb for not being very observant while Flaca is slowly breaking inside. Flaca never wants to go home for some reason-which Maritza had chalked up to teen angst, her reaction about every shitty thing that guys had done to her friends was a full-blown panic attack, and she had a nightmare, which she'd passed off to Maritza as being about seeing Piper's dead body and someone making her touch it. Someone at her house must be hurting her, but Maritza doesn't know who it could be since Flaca just lives with her mom and her two lazy, television-watching brothers. "What happened to you?"

"Fuck off, Maritza," Flaca says weakly and covers herself with one of Maritza's purple blankets as she lays down.

"No...I won't. I'm not gonna just ignore...can you please just show me where it hurts?" Maritza strokes Flaca's hair gently. Tears leak out of the other girl's eyes, and Maritza does her best to hold her own back.

Flaca shakes her head no and her breath trembles. "I-I can't..."

"It's not that I don't enjoy having you here...I do...but why are you staying anywhere but your home? Are your brothers...abusing you?"

"No!" Flaca shouts. "I just need a break from my family..."

"How come?" Something clicks inside Maritza's head. "Your mom...she's dating Humps, isn't she? That's why you wanted to make-"

"No, no, stop guessing!"

"I wouldn't have to play twenty questions if you'd just tell me. There's a difference between respecting your privacy and letting some horrible person get away with their crimes. Besides, you can't just live out of your house for the rest of your life...it really looks like you're trying to run away."

"I'm not," Flaca mumbles, "and it won't be forever...just for a month, and then he leaves."

"That's a long time. Who are you talking about?"

Flaca slides her pants down to her knees while her eyes are closed. "The animal who calls himself my uncle...he did this to me on Wednesday night..."

Huge, reddish-purple marks in the shapes of handprints wrap around Flaca's thighs where his grip must have been as he held her down and raped her. Maritza's heart breaks for her and her blood boils. " _¿Qué mierda?_ You should tell your mom," she encourages Flaca while laying down next to her and putting her arm around Flaca's waist. "Am I the first person you've talked to about this?"

"Yes...and I really don't want to mention it to her. He was my favorite uncle. I had to lie and say I wasn't really tight with him anymore and it was weird being around him..."

"Well, that's true," Maritza murmurs. "He's a scumbag creep!"

"The reason for it is false! It wasn't because we no longer had the same values or whatever. My mom's just always been grateful to him...he's her step-brother and he always helps her out...he even got her the sewing job." Flaca conceals her face with her hands and wails, "Why would he do this to her only daughter? We didn't do nothin' to deserve it! All I did... _all I did was treat him with respect_! I loved him!" Her voice cracks at the end of her sentence.

"I know you did," Maritza says gently.

"I'm ruined!"

"No, you aren't! You're still the prettiest and most badass chick I know! He's just a fuckin' bastard! He don't mean nothin' to you no more."

"Yeah, but he-he bought me treats, taught me how to fish, introduced me to cool music...I think it was all for show...he said I was a grown-up now, so that made it okay...but it wasn't...it wasn't!" Flaca shrieks. "Don't make me call my mom...please, Mari, ain't nobody gonna force me ever, _ever_ again! I'll sleep over at Ian's tomorrow after the party...and-and um, I'll give her a ring on Sunday. I need you to be with me, though, okay? I want you holding my hand and shit."

"I will. I promise." Maritza attempts to swallow the huge lump expanding inside her throat, but it's too late now. She starts sobbing along with Flaca.

 **Thank** **you** **for** **reading** **and** **reviewing, HannahMileyfan1, cornedout, charmedwerewolf, A Star In My Universe, and sxpphic!**


	10. If You Need Me, I'll Be There

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warnings: implied child abuse, scary situations, sexual harassment**

 **verde-green**

"I just can't thank you enough, Gloria," Daya tells her while ignoring Aleida giving them the evil eye. "What's the next phase of Operation Get Aleida Off Heroin So She Can Be A Better Mom?"

"Would it be too soon for you to share a bed?" Gloria asks.

"Kind of, yeah...besides, mine is too small for both of us," Daya responds. "I also don't wanna be near her if she's angry."

"You bet I'm pissed!" Aleida snaps. "You got Cesar and two other couples arrested! How could you do this to me?"

"Maybe this could help you concentrate on your children better," Gloria retorts.

"I don't get it. You smoke, but ain't nobody up your ass about it!"

"There's a difference between you and me, Aleida. I'm not addicted, and I'm an attentive and caring mother. You, on the other hand, are selfish and only care about two things: drugs and Cesar."

"Yeah, you didn't even try to protect Gloria!" Daya chimes in. "I bet you'd let us go homeless in order to bail Cesar out and be back on heroin!"

"Hey, don't be negative," Gloria says. "She _wants_ to be a good mother."

"I'm only not gonna slap you for talking back because I don't wanna do it in front of Gloria," Aleida hisses. "I can't remind her of her ex."

"Oh, how sweet of you!" Daya murmurs sarcastically. "I should give you a medal, right?"

Aleida scowls. "I sent you to camp, which you _loved_ , by the way? Remember? You didn't wanna leave my side at first, but by the end, you acted like we were strangers."

"Yeah, then you destroyed my artwork when I came home because you were jealous of that counselor! I was six!"

"Your drawings haven't really changed since then."

Gloria raises her eyebrow in Aleida's direction. "So what? It doesn't mean you gotta be a bitch about it! You think my boys are perfect? I appreciate whatever they make because I love 'em!"

"Whatever...I'm going to sleep." Aleida goes to her room and closes the door behind her.

"She's right, though," Daya admits. "My pictures _are_ childish-looking."

Gloria hugs Daya close to her. "It's your passion. Don't ever let anybody put you down for that." She sighs. "Tomorrow, I'm gonna take Aleida to the Sparrow Tavern while you girls are all at Ian's party. Diane invited me, Theresa, Red, Norma, Claudette, and Juliana. Franny would be with us, too, since she works there at that time. It might make Aleida realize there's more to life than drugs, like friendship. We won't even lecture her or nothin'! It'll just be nine women drinking and gossiping together!"

Daya smiles at how hard Gloria's working to improve Aleida. "That sounds cool."

"Uh-huh!" Gloria stands up from the couch. "Let's get ready for bed."

"Okay."

Right after Cesar and his drug ring were carted off to prison, Gloria had called Lourdes to pack up the Mendozas' belongings and ship them to the Diaz apartment. She's apparently expecting them to arrive tomorrow. Gloria has to borrow one of Aleida's nightgowns since she refuses to waste money on new pajamas for only one night. She and Daya had also put Julio and Emiliano in Daya's baby brother's crib, and Benito would be sleeping next to Gloria in an old suitcase stuffed with clothes. It's a nice arrangement for now.

As Daya and Gloria pass by her mirror, she remembers how much of a bitch it was to clean, and is relieved no marks remain on it. Just before Daya slips under her covers, Gloria kisses her cheek. "Buenas noches, niña bonita _."_

 **Good night, pretty girl**

Daya grins happily at the affection. "You too, Gloria. Where are you gonna sleep?"

"I'll take the couch. I like to stay up and read, anyway."

"That won't be comfortable."

"I'll manage."

Truthfully, Daya had wanted Gloria to hold her through the night so they could cuddle, but she feels embarrassed about it because she's not a kid anymore. Plus, she's concerned about Gloria being alone and frightened out there. "If you get nightmares, just wake me."

Gloria squeezes Daya's hand. "I will...and if _you_ need _me,_ I'll be there."

They wave at each other and then Gloria leaves Daya's room. Right when she does, Daya sends a group message to her friends.

 _Oh em gee! Gloria's staying with me, she got Cesar outta my house, and she's gonna get Aleida to stop being a bitch!_

 _Yay! -Lorna_

 _Awesome!-Alex_

 _Lucky you! -Flaca_

She gets a new text notification that changes her mood. _You kinda cheated by getting Cesar put away yourself and letting Gloria live with you people...so it's not fun anymore. Either convince Gloria to move out to a battered women's shelter or seduce and fuck Mendez. I saw him eyeing you a few days ago! If you don't do either choice, I'll kill him and put all the blame on you. -P_

Daya groans with disgust and her stomach turns over. "Eew, gross..."

* * *

"You had fun, then, besides Christopher's car breaking down outside the restaurant and some guy grabbing you?" Franny asks Lorna, who's resting her injured wrist on a bag of ice.

"Yeah, totally, and Christopher saved me! He's my Prince Charming! We'd already eaten, so the night was finished," Lorna replies while looking at her phone. She doesn't show any reaction when a text pops up on the screen, even though she wants to frown and kick P's ass into dust. _You just couldn't leave that poor shmuck alone, huh? What a fuckin' liar you are, telling me he's your boy-toy! -P_

"I'm glad Red was there to drive you guys home."

"Same."

"What did you have for dinner?"

"It was pasta, by candlelight! We had the most romantic date ever!" At least those are Lorna's plans for next time with Christopher. She doesn't get why he kicked her out, but she guesses that maybe he was just having a bad day or he was aggressive with her because he was drunk. "Gotta love Italian food!"

"I do! Okay, so as you know, I start my graveyard shift at eleven and I get home at six in the morning. I need to leave soon, so good night! Don't go to bed too late, little sis. Love you!" Franny pecks the top of Lorna's head and walks out their front door. Lorna stays by the window until she sees Franny get into her car and drive away. She leaves a note on the door that says, _Went out for an early morning walk to watch the sunrise, should be back around eight! -Lorna_

She's relieved that she had something to eat before her adventure in jail because she doesn't want to waste any time or have a feeling of fullness while pretending she's homeless on a street corner. Escaping her house is easy because no one will notice that she's gone. Mikey's busy playing video games and their parents are sleeping. Lorna changes into her gray ski jacket, a long-sleeved dark blue and black striped shirt with silver rhinestones on the shoulders, a pair of white jeans, thick socks, and her pink Ugg boots. She wraps her purple scarf around her neck, slips out, and locks up the apartment with her personal key. The chilly air hits her and her whole body is covered in goosebumps within a second, so she runs down their sidewalk to get her blood circulating. She plans to use her phone if she gets bored and purposely wear it down so she'll really have the feeling of no contact or help. It'll just be her and the world outside.

She mills about the streets while thinking about her day. The funniest thing that happened was probably the lunch ladies making Brook's food salty and putting hot sauce all over Jennifer's pasta, which they'd both screamed at, causing the whole cafeteria to burst out laughing. Lorna was ready to fight the boys making fun of Daya for eating the cupcakes later that afternoon. It was disappointing when she had to leave Christopher, but at least she got to banter with Nicky in their cell. She really needed the assurance that Nicky was okay and still around Harlem. Also, she's admittedly attracted to Nicky's cockiness, yet irritated at the same time. It's annoying, but the kind of expression and body language that comes with it-the self-satisfied attitude, the smug comments, the eye rolling, the smirking, _come and get me_ hand gestures during a fight, and the eyebrow-raising with an air of superiority-so even though she always wishes Nicky would just fuck off, she never wants to lose her. Now, she's about to see what Nicky had to go through and she's eager to teach herself a lesson. Plus, Lorna wants to prove her point that Nicky's wrong-she isn't a wimp. She has to try, otherwise, she'll never know, and she won't dare risk Nicky laughing at her for chickening out. So far, it seems fine, because there are people still out and the streetlamps are on. The roads are busy, so she doesn't bother crossing them. She passes stores that are closing, nightclubs, and brightly colored signs. She knows that she must stay awake for the full night so that she can protect herself if need be. Ominous black clouds cover the sky and she hears a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning.

When an hour or so passes and her feet start to get sore, she sits on a bus station bench and plays on her phone until it dies at around two in the morning. She hadn't looked up once, and when she sighs and puts it back inside of her pocket, she sees that there is literally no one around and she can barely see in front of her. Water drips onto her cheek and then her hands. There are soon so many raindrops that she rushes to find someplace to rest that's under an overhang, or inside a parking garage. She's quickly soaked and shivering by the time she gets to a lit-up gas station that's near a twenty-four-hour convenience store. She jumps when an alarm goes off and Janae and her boyfriend, Donte, rush past her with plastic bags in their hands. They're way ahead of a policeman, and she hides herself behind a pump so the cop doesn't see her and ask which way the kids went. Even though Lorna isn't all that fond of Janae or her companion, she doesn't want to be a tattletale or risk lying and getting herself in trouble for helping them commit a crime. Of course, he might also think she's a runaway teen and take her back home, thus spoiling her plan.

"Hold on!" Donte shouts.

"No way, man, run faster!"

Lorna chuckles to herself. Janae has a promising future, so she has no idea why that girl would chance not ever being able to compete in professional track and field because of her criminal record. Lorna, however, has no idea what she's going to do with her life after high school except be Christopher's wife and mother to their children, so being in jail won't wreck it completely.

When the officer is long gone, Lorna continues to walk around, tired and bored out of her mind. She wonders how Nicky entertained herself. There's nothing interesting about this place, and it's so excruciatingly cold. She wants to do something fun, like sneak into a nightclub, so she takes a deep breath and rapidly walks through the deserted alleyways and watches out for any signs of danger. What she doesn't know, is that the closest bar seems like it's a million miles away, since she's still in the abandoned part of Brooklyn-that is, if she hasn't already ventured into the next town. There's very little light and she's apprehensive every time she turns a corner.

"I got no idea...where the fuck am I?" she mutters to herself. "Which way do I go..."

She needs to find a bus stop or train station to get back to some form of civilization. She gasps when she hears a trash can rattle behind her. It's a raccoon, so she backs away from it.

Lorna's teeth chatter and she notices how worn out her hand-me-down jacket really is. There are a few holes and it isn't as cozy as it used to be. She rubs her hands together to create heat, as she doesn't have gloves. She runs until she can find a warm spot to rest. Her eyes pass over a black jacket with a hood laying on the ground, and she skids to a stop, nearly toppling over into a puddle. She only gets a bit splashed, but it isn't quite as bad as having rain pelt down on her. She picks up the jacket and inspects it carefully. It's a little wet and smells like smoke, but the interior is so warm that she puts it on and zips it up. It's huge and reaches the middle of her thighs like a dress, but it'll do. She stuffs her freezing hands in the pockets and they wrap around thick balls of material, so she pulls them out and smiles when she discovers that they're actually blue gloves-the waterproof kind instead of the useless cotton.

"Yes!" she hollers and then breaks off into giggles. She's now motivated to keep going and searching for someplace cool to hang out. As soon as a glowing neon sign above a bar comes into view, she grins happily and looks around for an entryway where there aren't any bouncers present.

All of a sudden, Lorna senses someone following her. She hears laughter and catcalls as she walks even faster. She doesn't even want to turn around to look at whoever's bothering her. _Maybe if she ignores them, they'll give up._

"Hey, hottie, take your clothes off!"

"I'm hard already!" another person shouts. "Don't stop smiling!"

"Don't run away from us!" a third yells.

"We love you! Especially your ass and your tits!" a fourth hoots. They all wolf-whistle at her, and she breaks into a sprint.

"Stop it!" she hollers. "All of you, git!" She's soon cornered by the four drunk men, and she doesn't know how to get away. Her whole body turns cold and she's trembling. "Please...don't touch me..." She's going to burst into sobs at any moment.

"Hey, leave her the fuck alone! This isn't funny!" Lorna knows the feminine, raspy voice all too well.

"Nichols!" she cries in relief. "What are you doing here?"

"We'll talk later, kid." She pushes the guys away from Lorna, and one of them roughly hits Nicky, but she stands her ground.

"Fuck you, lesbian! Shut your mouth!" he grumbles.

Nicky angrily whips out a pocket knife and stabs him in the balls so he collapses to the ground.

"You made him bleed, you bitch!"

"Wanna meet my friend _touch me once and I'll blind you!_ '?" she asks while swiftly pulling a can of mace from her bag and spraying the rest of his cronies in their eyes. "Unfortunately, this is how girls and women can survive these mean streets."

Lorna watches in amazement, but she's still mad that she couldn't save herself. They stagger around in pain, and Nicky leads Lorna far away from the scene.

They're gasping heavily after moving so quickly, and Lorna doesn't realize she'd been holding Nicky's hand tightly until now. She lets it go and steps back from her. "Why didn't you give me those?" she demands.

"You're not used to this, so you'd probably drop 'em in fear or something. Anyway, you're welcome. Come on, I'll take you home."

"I'm not backing out! I've made it this far!" Truthfully, Lorna does want to go home, but she also doesn't want Nicky to be alone, even though she knows Nicky can handle herself.

"God, you reek!"

"Yeah, it's this jacket I found, don't blame me!"

Nicky smiles. "You put it on!"

"How come you were hanging around? Don't you have something better to do than wander the streets in the middle of the night...like sleep, for instance? Aren't you tired? You should just go back home...unless you didn't think I could make it?" Lorna quirks up an eyebrow in suspicion and folds her arms across her chest.

Nicky sighs. "Kid, I knew you couldn't make it. That's why I kept a lookout...I didn't want anything bad to happen to you."

Lorna's eyes narrow. "What, you don't think I'm strong enough, just because I'm short?"

"That does make you a target, sadly, and you're a tough kid with a sharp tongue and all that, but I'm not dangerous, and neither are your classmates, I'm pretty sure. Out here, you could meet anyone and if you try to defend yourself against the wrong person, well, that's what I was worried about."

"My mother and Franny did always warn me about being alone out there late at night and as a girl, I need to protect myself because unfortunately, there's bad guys around. I thought you hated me and wouldn't care if something happened..." Lorna mumbles.

Nicky shakes her head no. "I can't be held accountable for putting someone in danger. I know you're scared...it's okay, go home. I'll be alright."

"Nobody ever believes in me and I don't need you to rescue me, so screw you, Nichols!" Lorna doesn't leave the area since she doesn't want to face another terrifying situation. She just focuses her attention to the pavement.

"Look, be glad I stopped them from attacking you! Why would you even do this? That's fucking stupid...I never imagined you'd actually attempt living like a homeless orphan!" Nicky says loudly.

"It was going well until those idiots came along and hit on me!" Lorna screeches.

"Well, first of all, it rained, and then you got cold and put on my old jacket!"

"This is yours? You...you trailed me?" Lorna stammers. She wants to remove it, but it's doing a great job of keeping her warm. _If only Nicky had a penis, what Lorna would do with her...damn!_

Nicky smirks. "Yeah, just in case you decided to be dumb! I understand bravery...but that doesn't mean you gotta throw yourself in the lion's den! I didn't want to, but I _had_ to."

Lorna scoffs and rolls her eyes. "You grew up rich! That was your choice! You do know that I'm _poor_ , right? I'd kill to live in a fancy house and get literally everything I wanted. You're so ungrateful!"

"At least you're sheltered and someone there adores you...I couldn't live with my bitch of a mom! She doesn't even deserve the title!"

"One fight because you were a brat and you left, just like that?"

"It wasn't my fault! She takes all the blame here...and she hasn't looked for me since...at least she listened when I told her to go fuck her boyfriend instead of trying to get me to come back home." Nicky pauses to take a deep breath. "Why am I telling you all this? We should keep screaming at each other in the street 'til dawn."

"I don't know what to say," Lorna says hoarsely. "I don't wanna quit..."

Nicky yawns, as does Lorna. "I'm too tired to argue."

"Same here, I'm ready to drop. You sure you won't tease me that I'm giving up?"

"Nah...but I would if I wasn't so exhausted!"

They kneel down and rest against the brick wall with their legs spread out. "I know I can't fall asleep...but..." Lorna's speech slows down and her eyes droop shut. She hears Nicky snicker beside her, but she's too wiped out to care.

She's jostled awake and is surprised to find out she had her head on Nicky's shoulder for who knows how long, and she pulls her thumb out of her mouth, wondering how it even got there in the first place. "Ow!" Lorna squeals, almost toppling over. She rubs her eyes open so she can see who bumped into her.

"Ah, what the fuck, Vee?!" Nicky exclaims while massaging her upper arm.

"That's my question for _you_! You seem to think you can do whatever you want...well, I'll tell you this...you can't, unless you're working for me! Bring your little girlfriend to breakfast."

"She's not my-"

"I've prepared it, and Taystee, Lily, Cindy, Janae, and Tricia are ready to eat. I've already cooked and set the table with their help, so I don't need you...you should be hungry, too. Hurry up!"

"Fine, but why so early? It's not even light out."

"We got a big day ahead of us! RJ's already begun. The girls all want to go to some party, which will take up time...I don't need to explain! I've taken the liberty to come all the way out here instead of allowing you to skip breakfast. Let's go!"

"Actually, I wanted to see the sunrise," Lorna cuts in. She doesn't like or trust this woman at all. Even if she's putting a roof over Nicky's head and making meals, she's also feeding her heroin addiction by allowing her to sell drugs.

"Come see how the other half lives instead," Nicky says, and it appears as though she's pleading with Lorna. "We'll try finishing before the sun wakes up."

"You're not a racist cunt, are you?" Vee asks this in a way that sends chills up and down Lorna's spine. "You've turned down my invitation twice now. You're a weed like that bitch friend of yours who's gone. Mara tells me everything." Lorna tries to think of who Mara is and if she goes to their school, because she could also be a candidate for P. She doesn't know anyone with that name.

"N-no, ma'am...I ain't like that no more. I've learned to accept everyone."

"Then why don't you leave with us? You should be famished. What's the polite thing to say when you've insulted someone and they continue to want to put food in your ugly trap, even though you don't deserve it?"

"Okay, I'm sorry...thank you."

"Lorna, you didn't have to-" Nicky starts to say, but Vee silences her with a glare.

"Follow us," Vee instructs Lorna, and they trudge through the storm. Once they enter the stinky place, she announces, "I want you to meet some people first before we eat. Just sit with them." Lorna shakily goes into the kitchen with Nicky and Vee. She sees four African American girls she knows from Martin Van Buren High, along with Tricia, relaxing there. She attempts to compose herself.

"Hey, girls," Lorna greets them. She's not too surprised that Janae didn't get busted because she's pretty fast. She's just curious as to who Lily is and why Vee didn't mention Suzanne. _Maybe she got the names mixed up._

They wave at her and Nicky awkwardly.

"Go get your food and put it on a plate," Vee says, and Nicky and Lorna do what they're told. They sit between Tricia and Suzanne and everyone starts eating their eggs and bacon. It's actually pretty good, and Lorna can only hope this isn't filled with heroin. The girls, including Nicky, discuss their accomplishments of their deals with Vee and it's one of the most unsettling topics of conversation that Lorna's ever heard. All she can do is listen and keep her thoughts to herself.

Lorna finishes quickly and gets up to wash her dish in the sink, but Suzanne stops her. "I'll do it! Let me!"

"Okay...thank you, Suzanne."

"It's Lily!" Suzanne whines and pouts. She starts loading the dishwasher.

"Uh...I know her...she's in my drama class-" Lorna starts to say anxiously while keeping her eyes on Nicky.

"She likes to be called Lily. Get over it!" Vee reprimands Lorna.

"Hey!" Nicky starts to cut in, but they're all interrupting her at once.

"You don't wanna be callin' her by the wrong name, do you?" Janae asks challengingly while punching her palm into her fist.

"We all know what happens to white girls who don't behave," Cindy growls.

"It's not just white girls," Taystee says quickly. "It's everyone, really..."

"Yeah, just try to fit in," Tricia mutters.

"Hey! Lorna's a guest. She didn't know," Nicky jumps in. "She didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Lily...or to disrespect anyone."

"Mm-hm...won't do it again!" Lorna adds. "I'm sorry."

"Yay!" Suzanne hollers. She hugs Lorna tight. "Politeness is the best!"

"It is," Lorna agrees.

When Nicky's done with her meal, she gives it to Suzanne and then stands. She grabs a few bags of heroin from the kitchen cabinet and tucks it into her large sweatshirt pockets. "Vee...we're gonna get going, if that's okay? Lorna needs to be home and I'm about to begin my shift."

"Scram, bitches," Vee dismisses them.

Lorna's still nervous, even when she's halfway down the block. The sun is just starting to come up, and its rays push out brilliant yellows and oranges. The clouds almost have a pink hue as they glide along the dark blue sky. "It's beautiful," she murmurs.

"Mm-hm," Nicky agrees.

"Why did you come with me? You've seen this all the time, I'm sure...if you're not in a shelter, it must wake you up."

"I saw the way you were looking at me in Vee's shack...like I was the only one there who could protect you...and you stayed with me for the rest of the night, grabbed my hand like it was your lifeline, and you were sleeping on me! Admit it, Morello, I make you feel safe! You trust me enough to be alone with me!"

Lorna shakes her head furiously. "No! You can't force words into my mouth! I would do that with any of my other friends if they were here!" Lorna closes her eyes in annoyance when she realizes what she's just said, and Nicky smirks.

" _Other_ , huh? You consider me your friend, too?"

"I don't...I don't know," Lorna murmurs.

Nicky chuckles and runs her hand through her hair. "You do."

"What, you do me a favor and you think I owe you my friendship now?"

"Kind of, yeah...I mean, we don't have to be pals, but you could at least help get the kids to trust me at the party tonight."

Lorna sighs. "Fine, but on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You don't tell a soul about what I did last night."

"Deal. How'd you get out with your sister there, anyway? She seems like she cares if you get into trouble and shit..."

"She was working overnight, and the rest of my family was dead to the world, so I snuck out," Lorna snaps her fingers, "just like that!"

"That's pretty neat."

Lorna gives Nicky back her jacket and gloves. "Here."

"You can keep it."

"No, thanks...I don't want Franny wondering where I got it."

"Okay, then."

They stroll the rest of the way to Lorna's apartment in silence and wave goodbye at each other.

Lorna knocks on the front door until her sister opens it. "How was your walk?"

"It was..." Lorna tries to find the right words for her experience. "Interesting! I can check one more thing off my bucket list!"

Franny gives Lorna a confused look. "You've been up before dawn."

"I know, but that was just while riding in your car while quickly passing the scenery. This morning, I got to really take it in."

"Well, that's good."

She starts to go to her room, but she stops when she hears Franny call out, "Lorna?"

Lorna lets out an exasperated puff of air. "Yeah?"

"You're soaked...why didn't you come home when it started showering?"

"I find something romantic and soothing about the rain." It's true, she does, but being out in it isn't very pleasant-just watching it from the inside is nice. "Besides, it stopped like a minute into my walk, but a big stream of water splashed me when I went under a building."

Franny continues her interrogation. "You never took off your makeup?"

"Nope...I forgot, I guess."

"That's weird, but okay."

* * *

 _Flaca sprints into the attic as fast as her feet can carry her. She dives into a metal box with a lock and slams it shut. Curling herself up in the fetal position, she whimpers into her shaky hand as tears cloud her vision. There's a thunderous pounding on the door and she doesn't know how she's still alive if her heart has stopped. She can't make a sound, or they'll find her, and they'll kill the people protecting her. A loud slap is heard from outside and then a feminine voice begs,_ _"No, no, no, please...no!" The person bursts into sobs as Flaca's safe place is broken into. Flaca starts screaming while covering her mouth when she sees Fernando glaring down at her like the demon he is._

A bloodcurdling shriek wakes Flaca up, and she realizes that the sound came from her. "Shh, baby, you're okay now. You're okay," Maritza whispers to her. "Take some deep breaths." Flaca keeps whimpering into Maritza's chest as the shorter girl rubs soothing circles on her back.

"Don't let him get me! Please!" she cries.

"He won't, honey...you're gonna call your mom and get it taken care of tomorrow morning. I'll protect you, and so will she."

"I'm sorry..."

"You don't need to apologize. I've had nightmares too, but even if I didn't, you can't help what happens while you're sleeping."

"I know. Thank you for being here for me."

"Anytime."

The girls roll out of bed and Flaca takes some time to check her phone. _Clock's ticking...you need to confess the truth to your so-called auntie figure-or you're a fraud. -P_

She sighs and ignores it for now since she's trying to figure out what to say. "Maritza, we gotta pay Gloria a visit, like today, and tell her what we did."

"What?! Why? She'll hate us!"

"Maybe at first, yeah...but then she'll understand it was for her own protection."

"I'm not sure about that, Flaca...she might forgive you because she knows you really well, but not me."

"I'll go, then...I won't say you were involved. I'm the one who called the cops, anyway...you were just the other witness."

Maritza rolls her eyes. "It's okay. I'll come with you."

"You just said-"

"Forget that...I can't let my girl go down for this alone. Besides, I thought up the idea in the first place!"

"Alright...after breakfast."

"Yep!"

* * *

The Saturday morning tradition for Alex and Diane is to eat cereal and then go to their yoga class, which is taught by Erica Jones. Alex pours her cornflakes into a bowl as Diane makes her coffee. They had a wonderful time last night, watching their favorite show while snacking on warm, buttery popcorn. After Diane had finished her wine and their food was gone, Alex relaxed comfortably in her mother's arms on their beige leather couch with a brown blanket draped over them both. When they were in that position, Alex felt like nothing could ever go wrong. The same can be said for their entire life routine, really. Since Diane works so much, Alex barely gets time to interact with her, except for small talk and quick hugs between, before, and after shifts. Diane always makes sure to kiss her daughter goodnight and wake her up in the morning. They have long conversations as often as they can.

Alex takes a few spoonfuls of her food. "Mmm...I dunno what it is about cornflakes, but they're delicious!"

"One of the best meals on the fuckin' planet," Diane agrees, "and here's some fruit for health reasons, obviously!" She chops up a banana and strawberries and lets the pieces fall into Alex's cereal.

"Gotta have orange juice, too!" Alex pulls it out of the fridge and puts some into a glass.

The birds chirp outside and a rainbow forms in the blue sky. "Such a beautiful morning after that shitty rainstorm, huh?" Diane asks.

Alex's phone buzzes with a text and she quickly reads it. _I guess you don't care if everyone sees your juicy photos...you're a cheater for being with Sylvie! What'd you do, forget about Piper? -P_

"Ugh," she mutters while turning it over.

"What was that about?"

"Nothing...yeah, everything's all clean!"

"Mm-hm. Did it wake you up, though?"

Alex nods. "I loved it...I fell asleep, again, listening to the rain."

"I couldn't...it pattered against the window all night long. Um...we had another goddamn leak, which I got up to fix...I put a bucket under there and had to actually research how to stop it."

"Oh, no...you must be tired!"

"I am, which is why I'm taking a nap right after yoga."

"You don't have to go."

"I want to, so I can spend time with my little girl!" Diane kisses her fingers and touches Alex's cheek softly.

Alex smiles at her mother's affection towards her. "Aw, Mom, you're really sweet, but-"

"No buts. I'm coming with you, and you can't stop me!"

"I could've helped you..." Alex mumbles apologetically.

Diane shakes her head no. "It's fine, I wanted to let you sleep."

"You work too hard, Mom."

"Don't feel bad! It's all for you, Allie. I'm giving my kid the life she deserves...only the best."

"Still, Lee's a jerk for knocking you up and then leaving."

"Eh, I know, but whatever. We got each other, and that's what counts. So...party tonight?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Well, all I can say is be safe and enjoy yourself!"

"Thanks, you too!" Alex responds, referring to Diane going to her girls' night at the Sparrow Tavern.

They meet up with Franny and Lorna outside their yoga class an hour later, and Alex hugs her friend. "Hey!" they say at the same time while giggling. Behind them, Diane tells Franny about the leak.

"You're Lorelai and Rory and all you need is Luke!" Lorna whispers.

"We don't need a Luke," Alex hisses.

"Why? It would be so romantic if your mom got a guy to repair something in your house and then she fell in love with him! I mean, look at _The Notebook_...he built a whole house for her!"

"Stop being cheesy," Alex grumbles as they set up their mats next to each other's. "My mom can do shit on her own!"

"Yeah, I know, but having a special someone doing the work for you doesn't hurt! My Christopher isn't at all like the one on _Gilmore Girls_."

"I don't want her to give her money away when she can just fix something herself."

"If he loves her, though, it would be on the house!"

Alex scowls. "Okay, can you just please leave the subject of my mother dating alone? It's fuckin' weird."

"Sorry..."

"Thank you."

Diane places herself on the other side of Alex, and Franny is on the other side of her sister. Ms. Jones begins having the students do different poses and even though yoga isn't Alex's favorite thing in the world, not only because it reminds her so much of how Piper used to love it and she's so tall and lanky, but she also thinks it's a little slow for her, being with her mom and one of her besties is what's really important.

* * *

There's a U-Haul outside of the Diaz apartment and the movers, along with Daya, Gloria, and Aleida are carrying boxes of all different sizes inside the place. "Hey, can we help?" Maritza asks as Gloria passes her and Flaca with a package.

"I could really use it, thank you!"

After a few hours of grunt work and eating potato tacos that Gloria cooked, everything is set up. The truck leaves and then they all cut open boxes and assist Gloria with putting her clothes in her closet and making her bed. They put Benny's big-boy bed and Julio's crib next to where Gloria would sleep, and then admire her new bedroom.

"Are you gonna paint it?" Flaca wonders out loud.

"Maybe, to make it fun for the boys. I haven't really thought about that yet." Gloria peers down at her youngest son, Julio, who's in her lap and trying to pull at her gold hoop earring. "¿Cuál color te gustaría?"

 **What color do you like?**

"¡Verde!" the little boy answers.

Gloria turns her attention back to the girls. "I still gotta get Benny's opinion."

"How about you do all the colors of the rainbow?" Maritza suggests.

"Yeah, that would look really cool!" Flaca exclaims.

"I could create a mural," Daya offers, coming into the room with the other kids.

"Yeah, please let her do it, Mommy!" Her older kid wraps his arms around her and his brother. It's very cute.

Gloria chuckles and ruffles Benny's hair. "Okay! That sounds good."

"Yay!" the boys shout, clapping their hands in happiness.

"It's my birthday next week! I'm gonna be this many!" Benny says, holding up five fingers, and Gloria beams proudly.

"Wow, you're a big boy!" Maritza responds.

"We'll throw you a party!" Flaca chimes in.

"You'll have a blast, trust me. High schoolers host the greatest parties!" Daya adds.

"Aww, that's very nice of you!" Gloria tells them. "You girls are too sweet."

"I want a lot of cake and ice cream and tacos!"

"You got it, champ!" Flaca says. "Well, Gloria, you're basically my aunt...so he's like my cousin. Umm...can we talk to you in private, though?"

Daya gives Flaca a questioning stare and ushers the children out of the room.

"Sure...what did you wanna tell me?"

The girls sit on either side of her with their hands folded in their laps. "Where did you buy those neat headbands you always wear? The patterns and colors are so pretty!" Maritza gushes. She was going to say something, but just watching Gloria be in such a good mood, even through the stress of moving and escaping an abusive boyfriend with her kids in tow, Maritza couldn't bring herself to ruin it.

"Wow, thank you! I thought it was something big and secretive...I get 'em all different places, such as the mall and little Mexican stores here and there."

"Gloria?" Flaca says, narrowing her eyes at Maritza.

"Yeah?" Gloria's eyes travel back and forth between the girls. "What's wrong? That wasn't what you wanted to say, was it?"

Flaca plays with her fingers. "No. We...we um...I...I was raped." Maritza closes her eyes and groans quietly. She can't believe Flaca chickened out, too. This is too deep of a subject to confide in Gloria about, but then again, it's Gloria, who had also been abused by someone she thought adored her.

Gloria gasps softly and pulls Flaca into a warm embrace and rubs her back in soothing circles. "Oh, sweetie...I'm so sorry to hear that!"

"It happened a long time ago. I keep having the worst nightmares! I feel dirty, like every time I think about him touching me..." Flaca shudders and her breath hitches.

"I hope he's put away for good."

"He is."

"You have to remind yourself that _he's_ the gross one-not you."

"That's what I told myself when that nasty Humps...you know," Maritza says.

"What did he do to you besides what happened the other day at lunch?" Gloria's voice is full of worry.

"When I first went to his biology class, he...he used me to do a demonstration of how to make a baby...he stood up in front of the students and had me face him...and while fully clothed, he thrust his sickening groin into mine!" It makes her tummy hurt just talking about it.

" _Dios mio_ , you poor girls," Gloria murmurs, and Maritza curls up beside her and lays her head in Gloria's lap as her throat tightens and the dam behind her eyes begins to burst. Flaca literally cries on Gloria's shoulder. "I wish we could get Humps behind bars...and I have totally been there."

"Really?" Flaca asks weakly and then sniffles.

"Humps actually...forced himself on you?" Maritza pretends to act clueless.

"No...but I'm a domestic violence survivor...my boyfriend, Arturo, he'd always...but it doesn't matter now-he's been arrested. He can't hurt me anymore, and he'll never strike Benny again." Gloria sounds like she's trying to convince herself of this, but Maritza can sense that she's still scared of what could happen. She gulps audibly and Maritza can feel the way Gloria's fingers shake as they run through her hair.

"Why would he...what kind of monster abuses a woman and a four-year-old?" Flaca wants to know.

"One who needs to live in Hell," Gloria mutters. "You know what, though, we're safe with each other."

"Yeah," both Flaca and Maritza agree.

* * *

 _"Hi...I'm Nicky."_

 _"Yo, it's Cindy in the hizz-house!" one of them says cheerfully while holding up the peace sign._

 _"Janae," the athletic girl next to Cindy greets her._

 _"Hello, my name is Lily!" the girl with braids all around her head informs her in a childish voice._

 _"I was going to have them replace you," Vee announces, "but they can join you instead. They told me their school has very strict rules, but I taught them how to sneak it in successfully. They're pros now."_

 _"Awesome," Nicky says emotionlessly._

Nicky's okay going to the party with her new fellow housemates, but she doesn't know what to do about Tricia. On one hand, she can't leave her with Vee, and on the other, she shouldn't take her to another house full of booze and drugs, even if trustworthy girls like Lorna and Alex will be there. For a split second, she thinks of calling up Red to see if she can babysit Tricia, but she brushes away this idea because Tricia isn't Red's responsibility-Nicky doesn't even know the woman well enough to ask a favor of her.

Then, it hits her. Taystee is the most level-headed of those who live here, and while she could watch Tricia like always, Tricia had been begging Nicky all day to let her come, and the three foster sisters hadn't spent much time together in a while. Nicky pulls on her black miniskirt and buttons up her blue blouse. After adjusting her silver cross necklace and applying mascara to her lashes and eyeliner, she slips into her black leather jacket, steps into her black boots, and slips her purse onto her shoulder. She takes a cab to Shake Shack and walks inside. "Hey...let's go to a party!"

"Ha! I knew you'd cave!" Tricia chuckles while hugging Nicky.

"There's a few ground rules, though. Number one, no getting drunk or high and don't be stupid enough to take pot brownies or leave your punch or soda unattended...in fact, bring a snack and something to drink and don't take your eyes off them for a second. Two, if you can't see me, Lorna, Alex, or Taystee, you're in the wrong place. Lastly, if some dude wants to show you something in his room, say no and don't follow him up there because it's gonna be his dick."

Tricia wrinkles her nose. "Okay, but I don't even like boys! Gross!"

"There's a thing called _rape_. Well...it won't even happen, because you gonna stick with one of us," Taystee says. "We'll just dance!"

"Awesome!"

The three girls catch a taxi and go to the address that Alex had given Nicky. When they get to Ian's mansion, more excitement ensues. Loud music is booming from the place and a bunch of kids who look like they're in both college and high school let themselves in.

"That's huge!" Taystee points out as her eyes widen.

"Wow! I wanna stay here _forever_!" Tricia gushes while spinning around and taking it all in.

Nicky rolls her eyes, knowing full well that money isn't the only thing that can buy happiness. "He's not a celebrity, calm down! I do agree, though, it's nice to be rich!" They walk through the wide open door as the floor shakes with the music's vibrations. It's so crowded that they practically have to push through people to search for Lorna and Alex. Nicky grabs her younger sister's hand so Tricia doesn't get lost in the crowd. She tries asking the guests if they've seen the girls, but it's deafening.

"Where are Lorna Morello and Alex Vause?!" Nicky yells.

"They're the only two we know here!" Tricia adds.

"Actually, I recognize a lot of you!" Taystee hollers. "Yo, P!" She runs toward a skinny African-American girl with a mohawk and hugs her tightly.

"Hey!"

Nicky and Tricia follow her. "This is Poussey, my best friend!" Taystee introduces the other girl, who's dressed in jeans and a red leather jacket. "She can probably find your gals. P, you've met Tricia, but this is Nicky."

"'Sup," Poussey says with a grin while shaking Nicky's hand. "Uh, I think I saw 'em in the living room...come on, I'll show y'all."

"Thanks, dude!" Nicky responds.

They go with her and sure enough, they find Alex and another chick grinding up against each other in the center of a circle. Lorna has her hair up and is in a crop-sleeved purple dress that's decorated with gold chains. She's holding hands and dancing with a ponytailed Spanish girl, who has full lips, nicely toned legs, and a thin sleeveless white dress covering her figure. A short Latina wearing a royal blue strapless dress that stops at her knees, is going around and serving drinks while a taller Mexican girl with headphones and a microphone is spinning CDs. She's in a red and black plaid dress and black tights paired with tall black boots. A guy throws her a bottle of something and she takes a swig of it.

Nicky cups her hands around her mouth. "Morello! Vause!" she shouts. "We're here!"

"Damn, Nichols!" Alex exclaims and comes over to her quickly. "That outfit is hot!"

"You look good in your tight black jeans and your red skull and crossbones tee, too."

"Do I have to worry about her?"

"No, Sylvie, we're just friends!"

Alex makes out with the girl and Nicky smirks. "Congratulations!"

Lorna bounds up to them seconds later, with her friend hot on her heels. "Hi...um, this is Dayanara...Diaz. She's one of my besties. One thing, though, just call her Daya."

"Hey, I'm Nicky!"

"Nice to meet you," Daya says warmly with a smile and a short laugh. She and Nicky exchange a handshake. "I've heard some...interesting stuff about you!"

"I'm sure you have!" Nicky winks at Lorna and sniggers to herself. "So...my younger sister, Tricia...we just wanted to chill with each other." Nicky gives Tricia a noogie, and the girl in blonde dreadlocks pokes Nicky's belly.

"Aw, you're cute," Daya murmurs. She waves at the DJ and the other girl with a plate of drinks in her hands. "Yo, Flaca, Maritza, the famous _Nicky_ is here!"

The two Mexican girls stop what they're doing and join the small group. They move their bodies to the music a little. "Welcome to the party! My name's Flaca Gonzales, hers is Maritza Ramos," the girl with pink stripes in her hair greets Nicky. The other one-Maritza-smoothes down her hair. Nicky can't help but notice all the cleavage these girls are baring. "Cool...necklaces, bracelets, and hoop earrings," she mutters, trying to keep her eyes up. This is not a lie-she does admire their jewelry quite a bit.

"Thanks!" Maritza squeals. "Oh my god...you've gotta check out the molly here. Flaca's boyfriend's like, loaded!"

Nicky gives her a thumbs-up. "Man, that sounds fan-fuckin'-tastic!"

"Actually, she shouldn't..." Lorna interrupts. "Nicky's an addict."

"Aw, okay. Sorry!" Flaca apologizes, and Nicky shows Lorna her middle finger.

"Whatever. Morello...can you...show me around?"

Lorna sighs tiredly. "Yeah, come with me." Nicky does as Lorna says and keeps her arm linked with Tricia's. She makes sure she never loses sight of her heroin-filled purse. "Leanne Taylor and Angie Rice...always wanting to get high." Lorna points out two girls, one with blonde, stringy hair and bad acne, and the brunette beside her, who already looks strung out. "They'd be your best customers." Lorna gestures to each girl as she speaks about them. "Also, Poussey Washington, but she just smokes marijuana...who knows, she could want to try some heroin as well. Janae Watson, a wannabe junkie, but also a track star. Stella Carlin...she's got money and loves drugs. Maria Ruiz...her father runs a drug cartel, and rumor has it, she helped her boyfriend Yadriel get away with dealing heroin. Brook Soso enjoys getting stoned every once in a while. Maritza's a pothead. That's it for now, I think."

"Gee, thanks! I'll get started."

"I'm gonna get a bite to eat...probably gorge on macaroni and cheese!"

Nicky walks up to Maritza, who's staring out the window at an almost naked Flaca and her boyfriend drunkenly kissing in the huge, lit-up pool down below. Maritza turns away sadly as they get out, both dripping wet.

"You're into your straight friend too, huh?"

"What? I'm not a lesbian..."

"Maybe not, but you like her and you're jealous of him. Anyway...heroin?" Nicky opens her purse and Maritza pulls out a stash.

"Thanks!"

Nicky collects thirty dollars from Maritza. "Anytime."

She's about to sell more drugs when she sees Lorna by the couch, stumbling around alone with her mouth chuck full. Nicky and Tricia both come up to her.

"I...I think I'm gonna sit down. I'm feeling a bit woozy. I think it's these lights and maybe the music, too," Lorna mumbles after swallowing her large bite. She's shaky and her face is pale and sweaty.

Nicky guffaws. "Or you're just finally high as fuck!" she teases her.

To Nicky's shock, Lorna doesn't snap back with a reply. She falls over and lands face down on the floor. When she doesn't move after a few seconds, Nicky starts to panic. She kneels to the floor with Tricia and they turn Lorna over and start fanning her. Nicky's heart slows down when she doesn't feel that Lorna has a pulse and is barely breathing. "Holy shit!" she shrieks, unzipping the back of Lorna's dress to allow the Italian girl to cool down and not be so constricted in her outfit. "Someone...someone get Flaca to stop the music...and where's Lorna's other friends? She needs them, please..." Nicky keeps nudging Lorna, trying to get her to stop being immobile. "Lorna, Lorna, are you okay? Lorna, come on, wake up..."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, cornedout** **, HannahMiley1fan, Caitlin, ladyglorificus,** **LindaAndrewsfan, and Tiff!**


	11. Haze

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Just to clear it up for the first two scenes: they happen at the exact same time, which is why I switched back and forth between them** **. Plus,** **whatever I write in Spanish, I have the English translation right below it! If I don't write the bolded translation under it, that means it's being translated in the actual dialogue, rather than an author's note thing. Like in Orange is the New Black, when someone's translating, they don't bother to put the English subtitles over the spoken Spanish.** **Warning: self-harm and use of the R-word, not meant to offend anyone-it's just the joke in Orange is the New Black, which I don't own! Also, from here on out, imagine the actress Constance Marie (the mom on George Lopez and Switched at Birth) as Juliana :)**

 **coño-cunt**

 **sí-yes**

 **abuela-grandmother**

 **corazón-sweetheart**

"So I was like, 'I don't wanna be here, and the teacher don't wanna be here either, so why are we even here?'" Maritza, Blanca, and Maria laugh at what Flaca's just said.

"Detention's pointless, Flaca, it don't teach you nothin'!" Maritza comments.

"Mind if I join y'all?" a curly-haired girl with cheeky cheeks asks.

"Like that's even a question!" Maria exclaims and pats the empty space between her and Flaca. "You're always invited to hang with us, Ouija. Alright, so you know Blanca, but these two are Flaca and Maritza."

"Hi," Flaca and Maritza say in unison, and Ouija waves back at them while sitting down.

Ouija grins at Flaca. "Who'd you kill?" she whispers. "Don't worry, I won't tell."

Flaca has to put down her drink before she spills it in shock. "What? Nobody..."

"Oh, well I was just wonderin'...you got teardrop tats like mine." Ouija points to the ones below her right eye. "Why are they on both sides, though?"

"It's just my style," Flaca mutters, scooting away from her and impossibly closer to Maritza. _What if this girl killed Piper?_

"Mine too, girl. I know what you're thinking, you were friends with that dead white yuppie, but she ain't worth my time!"

"She's right," Blanca says. "Maria, Ouija, and I were chilling together that whole night. We may not have liked that _gringa_...but we ain't gonna end up in jail because of _her_ sorry ass."

* * *

The ladies made sure to get dressed up tonight for a good time. Aleida's cousin Jazmina is taking care of the children, so she and Gloria had no problem finding someone. The women are already a bit tipsy and it's only ten-thirty. The night is still young. Diane, Theresa, and Juliana are scoping out random guys, Gloria and Aleida are dancing together and twirling each other around while giggling, and Red, Norma, and Claudette talk to the bartender, who is Franny. They're not as drunk as the others. When the song ends, the single ladies all sit back down. They clink their full glasses of alcohol and yell, "Cheers!" all together.

"How many shots was that?" Red asks them jokingly, and Norma smiles widely.

"I dunno," Juliana mumbles.

"Too many to count," Diane slurs.

"None of your motherfucking business!" Aleida hollers, and then she cackles while doubling over.

"I think you had seven," Claudette mutters.

"This was exactly what I needed!" Gloria exclaims. Her eyes go every which way and she puts her arms around Aleida and Diane.

"Yeah, me too! I tried to bail out Cesar, but this Margarita tramp already did it! You try to do a nice thing for somebody...I _knew_ he was seeing her!" Aleida shakes her head and beckons Franny for another shot of tequila.

"If they're going out behind your back, fuck 'em! You got your girls, and there's always other fish in the sea!" Franny tells her while handing her the full cup. "Let's look at the facts. Men suck, big time! Always cheatin' or usin' us...my last one hit on my sister...actually, they all did."

Red nods in agreement. "Dmitiri's weak and stupid...in bed, in _life_...too bad he's not mean enough for me to do what Norma did-kill my husband." At this, Norma smirks.

"It took Baptiste twenty years and a dead wife to realize he loved me," Claudette puts in bitterly.

"Lee walked out once I showed him the plus sign on my pregnancy test," Diane adds while resting her chin on her fist. "At least your husband got smart."

"I barely remember my former man," Theresa murmurs. "I must have liked him at one point..."

"Same," Juliana says.

"You bitches got no idea...I mean, I already told Aleida and Red, but...ya'll gotta know...I'mma need to take another swig for this." Gloria holds out her glass toward Franny, who pours her more wine, and she guzzles it down and slams her glass on the counter. "I'm finished with him...my ex-boyfriend! He's...he's scary...he treated me like shit and laid his cruel hand on Benny. They locked him up...but who knows if he'll break out or get released." She blows her hair out from in front of her face and tucks it behind her ear. "If that happens, it'll be a nightmare!" she cries, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Her voice breaks and she grips the counter's edge. "I need help!"

Diane gasps and squeezes Gloria's hand supportively. "The bee sting...that was a cover story? _He_ did that to you?"

"Yep, and the black eye, too. I can't believe you bought it!"

"What's his name, so we can keep him away from you if he gets out somehow?" Franny asks.

"Arturo," Gloria whispers shakily. "I...I don't want to say it too loud, in case someone here knows him."

"We got your back," Theresa says.

"If you want to testify against him, I'll be your lawyer," Juliana puts in.

"I just need a friend...no trial, please. It's unnecessary."

Norma makes a stabbing motion and raises her eyebrow. "Yeah, do it!" Claudette encourages Gloria.

The Latina shakes her head. "I'm not powerful or fast enough like you two. He'd murder me instead...he's already threatened to, numerous times. I...I despise him for doing this to me! He turned me into someone I'm not!" Gloria tries to grit her teeth, but her bottom lip quivers and she crumbles into sobs while laying her head down on the table. The women wrap her in a group hug.

Aleida's heart shatters at Gloria's words. Although she barely knows this lady, she feels a connection to her, and therefore, wants her to always be happy.

* * *

"Hey, what'd I miss?" Daya interrupts them, and Flaca is glad for it. "Sorry...Lorna wanted to give Christopher a private dance, so I had to leave 'em alone."

"Listen...Flaca wants to break into the crappy teachers' rooms and put smack in their desks to get them fired...and we need to see what's up with Fig and Caputo...find out why they act so fishy all the time. It's gotta be something more than being horny and cannibals, in Humps' case, at least. Also, I could get into their computers to search for information on them," Maria lets the girls know.

Blanca snickers. "She's really good at tech stuff."

Daya raises her eyebrow. "Sneaky! I like it!"

 _"You know her full name means white flowers?" Maria gestures to Blanca._

 _"I'm well aware, but those are beautiful, so they describe the opposite of what you are because you're fucking ugly!" Piper responds, and Blanca stares angrily at the ground. The girls can barely see her face because of her massive hair. "We can't see where your hair starts and unibrow ends! You're like a gorilla!" Piper snickers at her own joke and Flaca, Daya, Lorna, and Alex just share awkward glances with each other._

 _"Whatever, coño," Maria snaps. She puts her arm around Blanca and walks past them. "Y'all don't say nothin', you just as bad as her!"_

 _Piper rolls her eyes as the Dominicans leave the area. "Ignore that stupid drama queen. She's just mad because she's a slut and her only friend is part animal! I know you girls are poor and live in dirty apartments or in Alex's case, a trailer park, but you keep yourselves looking hot...and Daya's making an effort to not eat so much. Keep up the good work."_

* * *

Once Gloria stops wailing and sniffling, Red announces, "Here's a fun way to cheer you up...I dare you to kiss Aleida, if you're up for it!"

Gloria plays with Aleida's hair. "You _are_ looking extra pretty tonight..."

"Thanks, and you're hella fine, too!" Aleida replies, and then latches her lips onto Gloria's while gazing into her eyes. The women cheer them on as their smooch turns into a full makeout session with hands everywhere. Gloria and Aleida then pull back away from each other while giggling hysterically.

"That was hot!" a white man shouts, and they all flip him off.

* * *

Alex shakes Flaca back to the present. "Sorry, I spaced out...what?"

"Our girl...she blacked out...or fainted, I'm not quite sure...Nicky and Tricia are with her."

"We gotta go," Daya mutters and Alex leads them both by the hand. The others follow them and Flaca's eyes widen and a lump forms in her throat when she sees a passed out Lorna on the floor with about ten kids surrounding her. She, Alex, Daya, and Maritza force their way though their peers and kneel down beside Lorna. They gather her in their arms.

"Give us space!" Nicky hollers. "I got an ambulance coming very soon!" Continuing to stroke Lorna's hair, she murmurs, "I should be the dead one, not you..."

"What was she doing before..." Flaca wants to know.

"She was eating and swaying back and forth...I think someone spiked her drink. Why were you not with her?" Nicky demands. "Flaca has an excuse, but Alex and Daya..."

"I was, but Lorna said she wanted to be with her boyfriend," Daya answers. "I didn't see him even looking at us...he was engrossed in some other chick, and I tried telling her that, but she told me to fuck off."

"Her obsession with that dumb jock is driving me up the wall," Alex chimes in. "She was kinda being annoying."

"That white boy don't even care about her...he's making out with Angela Kuznick!" Flaca points out. She storms over to Christopher and kicks his leg hard. "You broke Lorna's heart!"

"Beat it, bitch! Your friend is nutso!" Christopher yells.

"Don't call her that!" Nicky screams.

"Fuck you, asshole!" Daya adds.

"You should've just let her down gently," Alex says.

"That freak showed up at his house last night and got herself arrested for refusing to leave when he asked her to," Angela tells them.

Nicky rolls her eyes. "I don't believe you. I don't even _know_ you!"

Flaca scoffs. "Yeah, Lorna's harmless!"

"Why would you go out with her if you had a girlfriend?" Daya questions Christopher.

"You're a sleazebag!" Alex shouts.

"It was once...and then I started dating Angela!"

"We all gotta start telling people to leave," Maritza says.

Flaca looks over her shoulder at Taystee and Tricia, who are starting to get up and spread the message. Ian walks over to Flaca. "Hey, sugar, why is my party clearing out?"

"Are you blind, Ian? Lorna's unconscious!" Flaca shrieks.

"Relax, she's not dead...probably just really drunk or accidentally took a roofie or one too many pot brownies! This happens all the time at my parties!"

Christopher guffaws while escaping the room with Angela, and the girls show them their middle fingers. Flaca hates how nonchalant some people are being about this. Since Taystee and Tricia aren't that close to Lorna, they go home, but ask the girls for updates on her. The ambulance then soon takes Lorna and her friends to Lincoln Hospital.

* * *

Aleida takes another shot while tossing her head back, and she quickly falls backward before anyone can grab her. She lets out a short scream until she collapses into a pair of strong arms. Lust fills her entire being as she gazes up at her savior, who is a tall, handsome African American man with a buff build. She has the feeling that he could make her panties wet by just staring at his muscles.

He stands her upright and holds her upper arms when she starts to wobble on her feet. "You're lucky you didn't hit the floor! You were kinda high up there...in both senses of the word. Wow...cool tattoo."

She licks her lips seductively and winks at him. "I want you to fuck me! I haven't been this crunk since Daya's quinceñera!" She senses her friends behind her, but she ignores them for the moment.

"I won't take advantage of a lady when she's plastered."

Aleida sticks her tongue out at him. "Boooo!"

He flashes a smile at her and hands her a card with his name and phone number on it. "If you ever need construction done on your house, I'm your man."

"Yessss, you are...Leon McDonald," Aleida moans through her drunken haze while gripping his purple shirt. "I'll put this in my pocket!" She takes it and then remembers that her green dress doesn't have one. "Ooopsies!" It falls to the floor, so Gloria picks it up and puts it into her purse while everyone snickers.

"Good way to give a girl your number...hope she remembers you in the morning!" Gloria points out. Despite Aleida's groaning about being torn away from Leon, Gloria and Diane lead her to a couch. They give her water and a plate of nachos so she can sober up.

"Oh my god! I'll be right there!" Franny says into her phone, her voice tearful and frantic. "Ladies! We need to go to the hospital! My sister...she's been badly hurt."

"Shit!" Diane swears, and Aleida groans. Her head's pounding with all this noise.

"We gotta carry her," Gloria mutters, starting to help Aleida up while Diane is on her opposite side, also holding her steady. "Even though Lorna isn't our daughter, we'll comfort our girls because their friend is injured...and I'm also worried about Lorna."

"Let's take a cab," Red suggests anxiously. "I call shotgun!"

* * *

"Caucasian female, mid teens, possible drug overdose..."

 _"See?" Lorna shows Christopher her self-inflicted tattoo on her forearm, which is a heart with their initials inside. "I bleed for you!" She'd done the same thing with Vinnie, and both of them had said she was crazy._

 _She thinks that patting her injuries dry with towels will stop the bleeding, but it doesn't._

Lorna opens her eyes slowly and sees doctors and nurses above her, along with her friends. The fluorescent lights quickly pass by her on the white ceiling and they remind her of the strobe lights at the party, but instead of music, she can hear people chattering about medical stuff she can't really understand. It's too bright, so she closes her eyes again. Her friends keep asking if she'll be okay, and she wants to assure them that she's fine, but the blood loss made her too frail to talk very loud. She moves her hand slightly and touches Nicky's fingers. The blonde wraps her hand around Lorna's.

"I need...blood transplant..." Lorna whispers, and she hears the girls sigh with relief. "Where's...where's Christopher?"

"He's not here, kid...but we are. We've called Franny, and she's coming soon, along with her gang of women she was with," Nicky answers.

"Hey, doc...she's bleeding somewhere, like from a really bad wound!" Flaca tells Dr. Brooks as the red liquid starts seeping through her sleeves.

They go into a room and her friends help the doctor lift Lorna from the stretcher to a cot. Dr. Brooks instructs Lorna to remove her dress all the way, so she does. She whimpers in pain as the fabric rubs across her wounds, and the girls gasp. The doctor wraps Lorna's forearms in thick white bandages and has her lay there until she can find a match for a blood transfusion, since Franny is pregnant and can't donate her blood. Lorna's friends crowd her in a group hug.

"Why would you cut yourself?" Maritza asks.

"What does that say..." Nicky gently holds both of Lorna's wrists in her own.

Daya peers closer. "You still love Christopher and Vinnie? Newsflash, Lorna, they don't feel the same way."

"Seriously, Lorna?" Alex hisses.

"Honestly, you could've bled out!" Flaca cries.

"I just wanted to show how deep my love for them is!" Lorna protests in a tiny whisper. Tears swim in her eyes. "You girls...you don't understand..."

"You're right, we don't! You hurt yourself for some guys who don't give a shit about you!" Nicky yells. "What the fuck?! Are you out of your damn mind?"

"Vinnie wants me back...he's jealous of Christopher! They're fighting over me!" Lorna insists weakly.

" _Ay dios mio_..."Flaca holds her head in her hands. "That's so wrong..."

"Stop fucking lying," Alex grumbles. "You're being dumb right now!"

"I'm not!" Lorna growls. "Quit trying to steal my happiness!"

"Your precious Christopher had his hands all over Angela Kuznick! We all saw them, and they were trash-talking you!" Daya informs her, but Lorna won't hear it.

"Shut up with that nonsense!" she screams as loud as she can. "You're all just jealous because you don't have two handsome older people who want you!"

"It's true! Why don't you believe us?" Maritza asks. "We're your friends!"

Lorna breathes in and out shakily. "Well, I'll discuss that with him, but please stay out of our relationship...I don't intrude when you and Ian are arguing, do I, Flaca? I don't know Sylvie that well, Alex, but I wouldn't just barge in on a quarrel you two were having!"

"Oh, if he's cheating on me with some slut, you better tell me," Flaca murmurs.

"Yeah, same about Sylvie," Alex puts in.

"Just drink your fuckin' water, it'll make you feel better," Nicky grumbles, handing Lorna a bottle of the clear liquid. Lorna takes a few gulps of it until her big sister rushes in, along with Red, Gloria, Aleida, Diane, Theresa, Juliana, Claudette, and Norma.

Franny wraps Lorna in a bone-crushing hug and kisses her temple while tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Oh, Lorn, I'm so glad you're okay! I'm sorry I can't give blood, but I'll be with you the whole time. The surgery should take one to four hours."

"Thanks, Franny," Lorna mumbles with a small smile. "Sorry for making you panic."

"I'm not gonna say it's fine...you _did_ give me a big scare! Jesus...all this over your ex and your current boyfriend who I haven't even met yet?" At this, Red frowns and folds her arms across her chest. "What were you thinking?"

Lorna glares at Franny. "Don't start!"

The other women look slightly buzzed, but unimpressed with what Franny's just said. Still, they give Lorna sympathetic looks, except for Claudette, who mutters, "You have no time for this foolishness!" Diane, Theresa, and Juliana encircle their daughters in comforting embraces, while Gloria leads Aleida to Daya and hugs the girl.

"Love hurts, don't it?"

"That's not love, Aleida," Gloria says. "What Lorna did to her body is entirely different."

Quick introductions are made between Nicky and all of the women except Red, and Maritza and Franny, Diane, Aleida, and Theresa, before the doctors kick everyone out except Franny because they aren't Lorna's family.

* * *

"Nicky, are you going to stay in the waiting room?" Red is asking as Gloria eats her Snickers bar.

"Yeah...I have to, you know?" Nicky clutches her purse tightly. "I wanna be there when Lorna wakes up."

Red smiles at her sadly. "Okay. I'm glad you two are getting along better these days. Would you like me to join you?"

"Nah, I'll be fine."

"I'll sit with you anyway." Red groans quietly when taking a seat next to Nicky. "Ah, my back...it likes to act up at times."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Nicky mutters.

"We're gonna go." Juliana gestures to herself and Maritza. "Flaca, what about you?"

"I gotta spend time with my mom here," Flaca says while hugging Maritza, Alex, Daya, Gloria, and then her mother. "I haven't seen her in a while." Theresa holds her daughter close and kisses the top of her head.

"Actually, Mama, can I stay?" Maritza asks.

"Sure, honey." Juliana gives Maritza's knee a squeeze and then waves goodbye at the others before leaving.

Alex and Daya wrap their arms around each other, and Daya walks out of the waiting room beside Gloria and Aleida, and Norma, and Claudette follow them. Nicky and Alex embrace each other goodbye and then bump fists. Diane looks over her shoulder at Nicky as she and Alex exit the place, and then she stops suddenly.

"What, Mom?"

"I'm trying to think of where I've seen Nicky. She looks awfully familiar, with that blonde, frizzy hair and thick mascara and eyeliner. How do you know her?"

"Uh, we kinda met on the bus on day one of school, and we always hang out-we're best friends. Why do you ask?"

"I recognize her from when I served food at Thanksgiving...there was a teenage girl who came every year, discreetly picked up a dinner and a slice of pumpkin pie, and then left-and it was Nicky! We've crossed paths!"

"Wow! Well, she isn't homeless anymore, so I try not to worry too much about her."

"You should have her sleep over."

"Okay, I will. I have so much fun with her!"

"Excellent!"

Alex gets a chance to peek at her phone once she gets into the back of the cab with Diane, and she's filled with disdain almost immediately _. You wanna share a bed with way too many girls, Al...well, maybe Mommy's job as a slut kinda rubbed off on you? Hope they're giving you money while you're at it! Xoxo, P_

* * *

"¡Lo siento, mamá, no puedo volver a casa!"

 **I'm sorry, Mom, I can't come home!  
**

"¿Por qué? No entiendo..." Theresa murmurs, and Flaca wants to tell her when she's sober.

 **Why? I don't understand...**

"Por favor, no me hagas. ¡No quiero quedarme solo con tío Fernando!"

 **Please, don't make me...I don't wanna be left alone with Uncle Fernando!**

"Te echa de menos, cariño, y francamente, yo también."

 **He misses you, honey, and quite frankly, so do I.**

"You can do this...she's not _that_ out of it," Maritza whispers into Flaca's ear.

"¡Yo también, mamá!" Flaca squeezes Maritza's hand tightly and takes a deep, shaky breath. A warm teardrop trickles down Flaca's cheek and Theresa swipes it away, gently strokes her hair, and rubs her back. Flaca squeezes her wet eyes shut and chews on her bottom lip while whimpering.

 **I do too, Mom!**

"Oh, mi nena...entonces por qué..."

 **Oh, my baby...then why...**

Flaca hides her face in her mother's purple and yellow floral blouse. "Es que...¡nunca más quiero volver a verlo! Él...él...hizo un pase a mí y luego me violó...mientras todos los demás estaban durmiendo...¡Ya no quiero volver a casa! No quiero ir..." Her voice cracks and then she breaks off into loud sobs.

 **It's just...I never want to see him again! He...he...made a pass at me and then raped me...while everyone else was sleeping...I don't wanna go home anymore! I don't wanna go...**

Theresa gasps sharply. "¡Voy a matar a ese bastardo!" She starts to stand up, but Flaca pulls her back down.

 **I'm going to kill that bastard!**

"Todavía no, mamá...quiero que solo nos quedemos tres por un tiempo. Le dije a Maritza anoche y planeaba contarle mañana por la mañana por teléfono después de dormir en la casa de Ian, pero ahora las cosas son diferentes...estoy tan feliz de estar juntos otra vez."

 **Not yet, Mom...I want it to be just us three for a while. I told Maritza last night and was planning on telling you tomorrow morning over the phone after we slept over at Ian's house, but things are different now...I'm just so happy we're together again.**

"Okay, dulzura. Yo también. Sólo tienes que poner tu cabeza en mi regazo y llorar. Lo tan siento, cariño. No merecías que eso te sucediera," Theresa murmurs into Flaca's hair and starts crying a little herself while patting Flaca's back softly.

 **Okay, sweetie. So am I. You just lay your head on my lap and cry.** **I'm so sorry, honey. Y** **ou didn't deserve to have this happen to you.**

* * *

"Will you help me get your motha into bed, please, Daya?" Gloria asks while dragging a half-asleep Aleida through the front door. She giggles as she trips over the threshold and Daya narrows her eyes at the older Diaz. "Watch your step, woman!" Gloria scolds her.

"Fine," Daya says reluctantly. She loops her arm through Aleida's and walks with Gloria, who's leading Aleida by the hand. "Just so you know, Gloria, this kind of person shouldn't have kids!"

"She can have fun once in a while. I agree, she had too much, but at least it's not heroin and she's not an alcoholic. I can't believe Jazmina disappeared right when we came home...she couldn't even answer how the boys were...just took my money and left as I was thanking her."

"Yeah, she's kind of a bitch," Daya mutters. "At least someone was watching them."

Aleida hiccups. "I gotta blow chunks," she mumbles, and Gloria and Daya rush her to the bathroom. A bit of puke has dribbled out of her mouth and down her chin, but Gloria wipes it off to stop it from staining her nice dress. Daya looks grossed out, and Gloria thinks it's disgusting, too, but she wants to support her best friend. They get her down to a kneeling position over the toilet and Gloria gathers Aleida's messy hair in her hand as Aleida vomits into the bowl.

"It's alright, mama, let it out," Gloria murmurs. "Get all that out of you."

After she finishes throwing up, Daya grabs some Kleenex and pats Aleida's sweaty face dry. When they take her to bed and Gloria tucks her in, Aleida begins trembling and bawling. Daya rolls her eyes, not buying her _woe is me_ act. "I bet she's fuckin' him right now!"

"Don't you worry about that...I told you he ain't good for you," Gloria says while untangling Aleida's hair and moving it out of her eyes. "You gonna find someone else who _isn't_ a drug dealer...you're a sexy, badass chick...and that man is gonna treat you and your kids with respect...and you gonna go to Narcotics Anonymous meetings and turn your life around..."

"She's already asleep," Daya points out.

"Good night," Gloria whispers and gives Aleida a quick kiss on her forehead. As she and Daya exit Aleida's room and go into Daya's, she asks, "Cesar ever do that for your motha?"

Daya scoffs. "I doubt it...but I don't equate having a bad boyfriend with being an awful mom...look at _you_. You're fantastic, and you had your ex, who beat you."

"That's true, and I'm not making excuses for her. What we don't have in common, though, is I'm not a junkie like her, and I don't have low self-esteem issues, nor am I needy for love. I got it, you know, from you girls, my sons, and my _tia_. People like Aleida...somethin' real shitty must've happened to screw her up. No one is born evil."

"Yeah, she had me." Daya sits on the bed glumly. Gloria joins her and puts her arm around her shoulders.

"You are not the problem, baby. It's...how a person is raised, and education is also a part of it...also, a support system, such as a mentor, or friends outside the family to teach them better...and then they have to choose to be good once they learn the right way to be."

"I just know that her mom...my abuela Lourdes, even Aleida thinks she's super mean. Uh...she was pregnant in high school and right after he graduated college or something, my biological dad left us. I was two. Two other men, including Cesar, knocked her up on different occasions, and they've all been drug dealers."

Gloria shakes her head while pursing her lips. "There you go."

A hopeful expression crosses Daya's face. "You really think you can change her, Gloria?"

"That would be her choice to _want_ to follow my advice and get to know you as her daughter, rather than her rival for Cesar."

"Sometimes, it's like we're friends, though. It's rare, but-"

"She's not supposed to be your buddy...she needs to be your _motha_."

Daya nibbles on her bottom lip. "I know. Do you mind if we have a sleepover here...in this room?"

Gloria taps Daya's nose playfully. "Of course not. I'd love to."

* * *

"Hey, what's wrong over there?" Nicky wonders out loud.

"Stay out of this," Maritza snaps.

"Excuse me for being concerned!"

"It's not about you."

Red turns to Nicky. "Why don't you just talk to me?"

"About what?"

"Anything. I'll start. I have three boys-Yuri, Vasily, and Maxsim, who are all in college now. We grew up in one of the worst areas...full of crime."

"I bet they never got in trouble with you at the helm, though," Nicky mutters.

"You're right. When they were kids, I occupied them with board games, pillow forts, chores, music, sports, outings...whatever I could do to keep them from going to the wrong side of the tracks. I'd always take them to Coney Island!"

"Nice!"

"We don't live there anymore...and I work not only as a cafeteria lady at Martin Van Buren High, but I also own a family restaurant in Queens called _Dmitri's Russian Market_ with my husband-though I am seriously considering to change it to _Reznikovs' Russian Market_ because we share the place."

"That's not a bad idea. Wait...you drive almost a half hour to your job?"

Red shrugs. "It's what pays most of the bills. Have you ever taken the N train to Queens? That's how you get there."

"I dunno...probably, but I've never really seen it."

"Okay, well I think you'd like the food. I make the most wonderful pirozhkis-they're stuffed buns...think of them like meat pies."

"Are they your specialty?"

"Yes. I could take you there one day and have you try one, and then after, go to Coney Island. We'd have a little road trip. The other girls, including your sisters, could come along too, if they'd like. Gloria, Norma, and Claudette have all been there. Sunday is the most popular day, so if you wanted to be really spontaneous, you could go with me tomorrow."

Nicky twists her hair around her index finger a few times. "Sure, maybe not tomorrow, but one day, if I'm feeling adventurous. I don't mind long car rides. Just play cool music, and I'm set."

"Okay, that's fine, too. Would you like to hear a joke? It might cheer us both up."

"Sure. What else are we gonna do besides wait around?"

"So, a penguin and a farmer walk into a bar. The farmer is very angry because his penguin broke his umbrella while they were fighting out in the rain. They order drinks to loosen up and everyone is surprised that the penguin can talk. The bartender says, 'Your friend there...is he an eggplant? He's very bulbous and purple...' The farmer slams his drink down and says 'I'm not a fuckin' eggplant!'. The penguin mutters, 'Not enough alcohol in you, buddy...you're still extremely purple-which means you haven't stopped being mad at me _and_ you can't take someone teasing you!' and the farmer snarls back at him, 'I'm only purple because you punched me in the face, you dick!'. The farmer's wife comes up to him and she says, 'Now, calm down, dear...perhaps we can live it up under the sheets tonight?' and the farmer replies with, 'Yeah, only if our penguin doesn't interfere again! What are you doing here?'. She says, 'I thought you were cheating on me, but it turns out that you were only hanging out with a damn talking penguin...that's kinda dumb!' The bartender cuts in with, 'Are you sure he isn't an eggplant? He has the personality of one!' The farmer stands up and throws his drink on the man before his wife can stop him. So the third time, same thing happens, and the farmer looks at his wife, then back at the penguin, and finally, the penguin goes, 'He's not an eggplant, man, he's retarded!'"

Nicky cracks up so hard that tears come out of her eyes and she slaps her leg a few times. "Oh my god, Red, that was a good one!"

"I'm glad you have a sense of humor! You see, when I still lived in Russia, I told that same joke to a group of stuck-up ladies while we were on a walk...they were mob wives like myself. They took offense, told me I wasn't funny, and one of them made fun of my dye job, so I punched her in the chest, deflating one of her tits! It cost us sixty thousand dollars, but it was so worth it!"

Nicky chuckles and wipes her eyes while sniffling. "Trust me, I would've done the same thing. That's like, one of the best stories you've told me so far. You're, uh, cooler than I thought."

"Well, thank you."

"I've stolen a taxi, crashed it into another car, and broken into someone's home once." Nicky takes a deep breath. "I never got caught...but I did learn the hard way that I cannot drive! I don't even have a license...I'm sixteen, I should have one by now, but I'd probably be terrible!"

"You don't know that until you take driving lessons, silly girl. Now, what's in that bag?" Red goes to touch it, but Nicky pulls it away from her. "I know you're selling drugs," Red whispers. "You need to throw it out before someone else sees."

Nicky slumps in her seat and yawns. "I have to do that for money!"

"What would you spend it on?"

"Uh...my broken phone...it's four hundred dollars to repair and my broke ass can't afford it."

"I'll give you the cash. Let's go outside. Help me up?"

Nicky gets off the plastic chair and assists the older woman in standing to her full height. They both leave the room and while looking side to side for anyone who may be coming their way or passing them, they walk down the hallway to the women's bathroom. They slip inside, go into a stall, and Nicky unzips her purse. Red appears to be sick as Nicky takes out a few packages.

"Toss it!" Red hisses at her.

"I just love it so much...it's a waste!"

"No, it isn't. Your life is so much more important. I didn't pay a thousand dollars to get you out of juvy, just to watch you get sent back there!"

"You didn't have to! Who says I'll get busted next time?"

"Hurry, before people get suspicious!" Red commands.

Nicky huffs and dumps each sack of heroin into the toilet and flushes it. "That's probably about three hundred dollars worth!"

"Do you want the money in cash or check?" Red asks as they return to the room.

"Cash...thank you." Nicky is dumbfounded that Red has just unknowingly prevented her from receiving a Vee attack.

Red pulls four one hundred dollar bills out of her purse and hands them to Nicky. "Would anyone like some food or drinks from the cafeteria before I sit down again?"

"I'll have some pepperoni sausage pizza and soda," Maritza says. "Theresa, ¿a ti ya Flaca le gustaría algo de comida o bebidas de la cafetería? Red está preguntando."

"Tacos con arroz, frijoles, queso, guacamole y salsa caliente. El agua también sería genial. Dile gracias."

"She said tacos with rice, beans, cheese, guacamole, and hot salsa." Maritza translates as Theresa strokes her sleeping daughter's hair. Nicky sees that Theresa has Flaca's tear stains on her shirt since she's been cradled in her mom's arms this whole time. "Water would be great, too. Thank you so much!"

"Can I get whatever pasta is there?" Nicky requests.

"Sure! I'll be back soon."

Nicky feels awkward when Red leaves, since Flaca seems to be going through some kind of crisis that only Theresa and Maritza know about, and she doesn't want to interfere. She walks around the chairs and tries to find out where Lorna is having her surgery, but no one will tell her anything. It's the second time she's felt bad for Lorna-the first was when the little brunette was frightened being out in the big, bad world overnight. Frustrated, Nicky tugs at her hair and hisses while plopping down on her seat. Her legs jiggle and her feet can't stay flat on the floor. She rests her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands while rocking back and forth. This position stops being pleasant after a few minutes, so she swings her legs up on the row of chairs beside her until her lower back begins to hurt from being pressed into the hard arm of her chair. She scoots all the way down so she's laying on all of the chairs. Her eyes almost droop shut until Red comes in with the food.

"Thanks again," Nicky murmurs while Red hands her the food, and Red grins at her in response.

Maritza gets up and takes the tacos, pizza, water bottles, and soda off of Red's hands. " _Gracias._ "

"It was my pleasure," Red answers while looking between Nicky and the Latinas. She's bought a salad for herself. Theresa gently wakes Flaca with a few kisses on the girl's cheek. The way she's being so sweet with her daughter brings tears to Nicky's eyes and her throat tightens. She tries not to stare or look sad or jealous. She wishes she had a mom to do those kinds of things with.

After they all finish eating and throwing their cardboard containers and plastic silverware away, Flaca rests her head on her mother's lap and both Maritza and Theresa start braiding her hair. Nicky sighs and leans back in her chair.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Red wonders out loud. "Besides the obvious, of course. I'm sure Lorna will be just fine-she's a strong girl. We need to be positive."

"I know that. Nothing...it's stupid."

"No, it isn't." Red folds her hands on her lap and leans toward Nicky. "You can tell me anything. I promise I won't judge you."

Nicky scoffs, wanting to believe her, but she can't let Red in entirely yet. "Man, how come? Why are you doing all this...for me? Like...okay, besides giving me moolah, you drove me home from... _fuckin' prison_...forced me to drink water and stay off drugs...told me a joke...shared parts of your life with me...you just won't give up on me, even when I was such an asshole before...you're acting like...a-a mom...my mom, or uh, how she should've been."

"I care about you, honey. I would never do anything to put you in harm's way."

 _There it is again-the affectionate names._ Nicky folds her arms across her chest. "I'll ask again, why?"

"I met you when you were three, in preschool...and I wanted to adopt you because you were the closest thing I'd ever had to a daughter-"

"Why the fuck didn't you, then?" Nicky screeches while backing far away from Red and pushing her hands through her hair. Her outburst causes a few people, including the Latinas, to glance in her direction, but she ignores them. Red stands and puts her hands up, as if to get Nicky to stop freaking out. The Russian woman comes closer to Nicky, but this just makes Nicky storm out of the room. She walks briskly down the hall, but Red catches up to her.

"Your mother, I suppose, informed me that I was becoming too attached to you and vice versa, and needed to stop being around you! She took you right out of that school-"

Nicky sniffles and wipes her wet eyes so she can see better. "You didn't even look for me!"

"I tried to!" Red's voice wavers with emotion. "That bitch filed a restraining order against me! When I saw you thirteen years later, I...I couldn't believe it! I could _never_ forget those unruly blonde curls or those big, brown eyes, so full of expression...or that cute little toothy smile..." Nicky's whole body shakes as she begins to sob loudly. She collapses to the floor while hugging herself and Red takes a spot next to her. "Oh, _malyshka_...would you like me to hold you?" the older woman offers. "You were struggling to get comfy, so..."

"Please..." Nicky whimpers, and Red pulls her in close, puts her hands on both of Nicky's cheeks, and kisses the top of her head.

"What was she like, Nicky?"

"Terrible enough that I had to leave...that's really all you need to know."

"Okay."

Nicky snuggles into Red, too tuckered out to realize she's actually letting her guard down. All that matters right now, is that someone is comforting her. She can feel Red's steady hands making a braid in her hair and she sighs with content. She's never had anyone do this for her since Paloma when she was thirteen, the morning of her middle school graduation.

* * *

Once a groggy Lorna comes out of surgery at around three in the morning gripping Franny's hand, Red, Flaca, and Maritza hug Lorna.

"Thank god you're alright," Nicky says, her eyes lighting up. "I always knew you were a tough cookie."

"No kidding!" Lorna responds.

Apparently, Lorna has been diagnosed with depression, which she continues insisting that she does not have, but nobody buys it. Her loved ones have been instructed to support her and keep her away from sharp objects so she'll stop cutting. They all go home in two separate cabs. Red, Nicky, Lorna, and Franny take one and Theresa, Flaca, and Maritza are in the other. Flaca opens her phone, which has a new message that reads _This wouldn't have happened if you weren't such a whore! See, if it really wasn't your fault, you would've told your girls already. Love, P_

Flaca gets a weird feeling when she sees her apartment for the first time in days. She doesn't want to go in, knowing who exactly is in there, and she's relieved that Maritza and her mother are holding her hands.

"I'm going to call Immigration, but I want to bash his head in first," Theresa says. "You girls can stay in the foyer until he's unconscious."

"No, don't! As much as I'd love to have you kick his ass, it's much easier to get him deported simply for living here illegally. He could tell the cops that you beat him up, thus also getting you arrested!"

"He needs to be punished for what he did, Flaca!" Maritza exclaims.

"I'll just slap him across the face and confront him about it. That's not a crime."

"Good enough!"

Theresa begins dialing nine-one-one. "Yes, hi...my name is Theresa Gonzales. I need to report a Mr. Fernando Gonzales...he is an illegal alien, and he also raped my daughter." She gives ICE information on where they live and then thanks them just before hanging up.

The girls tiptoe inside the apartment behind Theresa, with Flaca clinging onto Maritza, fearing that she'll fall. Theresa charges ahead of them and bursts into the guest room. A hard _thump_ can be heard and then Fernando swears. "¿Por qué carajo hiciste eso?" he shouts. Flaca shivers at his voice, and watching him rush out of his room is even worse, especially because he has his shirt off.

 **What the fuck did you do that for?**

Theresa roughly pushes him back into the room."¿Sabes qué, monstruo! ¡Te estoy deportando! ¡Empaca tu mierda! ¡Ahora! Si vuelves a tocar un cabello en la cabeza de mi hija, veré que nunca respiras, ¿estoy claro?"

 **You know what, you monster! I'm having you deported! Pack your shit! Now! If you touch one hair on my daughter's head again, I'll see to it that you never get to breathe, am I clear?**

"¡Esa perra está mintiendo! ¡Ella me ama, y la amo!"

 **That bitch is lying! She loves me, and I love her!**

"¡Cállate, jodido!" Theresa screams at him.

 **Shut the fuck up, you asshole!**

Maritza pulls Flaca into the kitchen where they can no longer see him. "Just close your eyes, baby. Breathe in for four seconds, hold it for seven, exhale for eight, and repeat those steps once or twice more. That always calms me when I get a panic attack."

"I'm already doing it."

When ICE knocks on their door and takes Fernando away, the girls can't be more relieved. Flaca runs into Theresa's arms while crying happy tears. "Mami...gracias...te quiero."

 **Mommy...thank you...I love you.**

"Oh, nena...de nada. Yo también te quiero." Theresa presses her lips into Flaca's hair. ¡Estás de regreso a casa, sano y salvo, y tenemos un criminal más en las calles!"

 **Oh, baby...you're welcome. I love you, too. You're back home, safe and sound, and we have one more criminal off the streets!**

Flaca smiles and nods. "Sí..."

* * *

At around ten in the morning, Daya wakes up wrapped in Gloria's loving arms. She turns to Gloria and smiles at her sleepily. "Good morning."

"Morning to you too, _corazón_." Gloria presses a kiss to Daya's cheek and sits up.

Daya rubs her eyes open and then stretches while yawning. She and Gloria get out of bed, go to the cribs, and gently wake up the children. "Morning, angels!" Daya sings, and Gloria widens her eyes dramatically and waves at them excitedly. Christina and Emiliano raise their arms up to Daya, and she scoops them out of their cribs and sets them down on the floor so they can run around and play before breakfast. Gloria leaves the room for a minute and returns with her cherubs.

"What do you want for breakfast, little ones?" Gloria asks sweetly.

"Eggies!" Christina squeals. She pokes Emiliano and tackles him to the ground.

"Off, sissy! I like pitha!" he can barely get out.

Daya chuckles while shaking her head and separates them. "Pizza isn't usually a breakfast food, kiddo."

"Chocwit chip pancakes, Mommy," Julio mumbles.

"Waffles, please!" Benito shouts while pumping his fist in the air. "I'm the oldest, so I get to pick!"

"Now, Benny...you have to make a compromise with your friends and your brother," Gloria reprimands him gently. "Remember what that means?"

"Yes, Mama...how 'bout eggs on chocolate chip waffles?"

Gloria and Daya look at each other with raised eyebrows. "Interesting," they say in unison.

"Let's do it," Daya says.

"Sounds delicious," Gloria agrees. "Let's see if Aleida's still passed out. I'll make her help cook again. She can stir eggs and milk together and throw them in a pan, can't she? It's easy."

"God, I hope so," Daya mutters. Her phone pings with a new text and she looks at it quickly before flipping it so the screen is facing downwards. _Reminder: Make sure he has a condom and you're on the pill, or you'll be as big as a balloon, just like before! Kisses, P_

They go into Aleida's room with the kids toddling after them, and both Christina and Emiliano bounce up and down on Aleida's bed. With a groan, Aleida bolts up, holding her forehead. "Ay...go away!" she commands them grumpily.

"Good morning to you too, Aleida," Gloria murmurs with a smirk while Daya pulls her siblings off of Aleida's bed. "That's being a mother of preschoolers for you."

"I have a hangover," Aleida informs them.

"You gotta participate in breakfast, Ma," Daya tells her. "You can do somethin' simple like beating eggs and combining them with milk. Just...pretend it's heroin you're mixing. You use a whisk and make sure it doesn't slosh out of the bowl...and also wash strawberries and blueberries, cut a banana into slices, and pour syrup and then orange juice. Gloria and I will make the waffles and teach you how to use the waffle iron later."

"Look at you two smarty pants!"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Gloria answers her. "Come on, we're all hungry!"

Aleida lazily picks up a business card that was previously lying on her bedside table and stares at it in confusion. "My, my, my, who is that hottie?"

Gloria laughs. "That, my dear, is Leon, the charming and handsome gentleman who rescued you from hitting the floor when you fell off the bar stool last night! He's a construction worker, so if you ever wanna hit him up, I'll purposely break a window with a rock or something and he can repair it."

Daya puts her hands on her hips. "Wow! How could you forget _that_ dude?"

"Did I fuck him?"

"You wanted to, but he rejected your advances because you weren't all the way _there_ , if you know what I'm sayin'," Gloria explains. "He seemed to like you, though...you just gotta be sober next time you see him. Maybe, then, you'll know if you wanna give him consent."

"This shit's funny...no one turns down Aleida," Daya comments with a giggle. "Are you sure _you're_ remembering it correctly, Gloria?"

"I'm positive."

* * *

"Why would you brush your teeth in the shower?" Lorna asks her sister as they begin to make lunch. "That's gross!" Her eyes scan across her new message. _I have a few ways to get your Christopher back, but you'll have to allow the girls to see the video of you taking down Piper! Great job, by the way! -P_

"It just saves time and water. What's it to ya?"

"Nothin', just wonderin'!" Lorna shoves her phone in her pocket.

Franny shakes her head slowly and frowns as she examines Lorna's self-made tattoos. "These are gonna be scars."

"Hey...you didn't tell anyone about them, did you?"

"No."

"You don't think it's true, right...that I have depression?"

"Actually, yes. Etching your boyfriends' names into your skin with a knife...or whatever you used, that's not fuckin' normal, Lorna. That's dangerous!"

"No, it isn't! I knew what I was doing! I just lost a little too much blood, that's all. You know me, Fran...I'm almost never sad, except for when I get my heart broken or people are mean to me, just like anyone else! That stupid doctor gave me the wrong diagnosis! I ain't takin' those dumb antidepressant pills!" Lorna screams, feeling anger build up inside of her.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you have to-"

"No, I don't!" Lorna growls. She hurls a plate across the room and it smashes against the wall, nearly missing Franny and causing their father to yell about the racket. Her sister gets out of the way just in time, for which Lorna's thankful. "I don't have depression, I looked up the symptoms, and if you think I do, you don't know me at all!" She stomps to her room and locks herself inside.

She'll give P permission to expose her secret because even if her friends dump her over this, she still has Christopher in her life, and hopefully, they'll get why she did it.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMiley1fan, cornedout, A Star In My Universe, Celestial Vapidity, and Tiff!**


	12. Rising Tension

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! I know I had said Daya's baby sister Christina was 3 in chapter one, but she's 4 instead since this story takes place ten years before canon. Emiliano is 3. Benny does have a big boy bed-NOT a crib.** **Sorry for the confusion! Just so you guys know, Leon McDonald is an actual character in the show-he's the construction foreman that all the women are into-and I can totally picture Aleida having a thing for him. He seemed decent, just doesn't like when ladies throw themselves at him while he's trying to give them instructions. How'd you like his and Aleida's first meeting?**

 **Warning: hate speech, sexism, references to violence against minors**

 **Cariño can mean two things-a term of endearment (darling) or the word "affection"**

 **perra celosa-jealous bitch**

It's the first time that Alex has woken up by herself, so she knows right away that something is off. Lorna had informed her and the other girls that she was okay and apologized for giving them a scare, so Alex replies back with _I'm so happy to hear it!_ Their friends have similar responses _._ After relieving herself, washing her face, and putting her glasses on, she walks into the tiny kitchen where Diane is making herself a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Mom."

Diane turns around and the sadness on her face rips Alex's heart in half. "Hey, Al..."

"What's wrong?"

"Are you high?"

If Alex was holding something, she would've dropped it. "What?! Mom, no! Jesus..."

"Have I ever lied to you, even once?" Diane sets her cup down and crosses her arms over her chest.

"No," Alex mumbles, so embarrassed of herself now.

"Then why, pray tell, do you think it's okay to be dishonest with me?"

"I'm not using!"

"Oh, _really_? Then can you explain... _this_?" Diane asks as she pulls out the drugs from her pocket. Alex's stomach plummets to the ground and her insides twist in knots. There's a note stuck on the bag that reads, _Please don't touch_ , and only the P is circled. Alex certainly did not write it.

"Mom...I apologize...I had it once, to try...I'm not hooked, I swear!"

"Who did you buy this from?"

"Nobody...it was just provided at Ian's party, and...haven't _you_ ever wanted to experiment with smack...or feel like you're floating out of your body because reality is weighing you down?"

"Of course...I'd just smoke weed occasionally, but heroin is very addictive. Your father offered me some, but I never took it because I was afraid I'd be tempted for more. Sweetie, we live in a trailer park. You cannot pay for this kind of shit! Not only is it against the law and highly dangerous, it's expensive...there are much better things to spend your money on. If you want to escape the world for a while, just go for a bus ride with your friends, or we'll drive to New York City and back, talking and giggling the minutes away."

"I know...I never touched it again after snorting a line. It was weird." Alex keeps her eyes on the floor. "I'm so sorry for disappointing you."

Diane smiles and pats Alex's cheek. "Good. Next time I see it in your possession, which I fucking hope I won't ever have to again, you're grounded for a week with no social or media life. You'll just go to school. Is that understood, little girl?"

"Yes."

"Now, go flush this down the toilet and come back for some egg pancakes with lots of fruit!"

Alex nods and takes the stash from her mother. She obeys Diane and then goes to tell her friends what just happened and how chill Diane had been about the whole thing. _I was hoping she'd be angrier when she busted you! That was nothing! You can thank Lorna for snitching, though...you're annoyed with her anyway! It's all her fault! xo, P_

She writes a group text to everyone who knows about P. _Girls, my mom knows about my heroin purchase, but she wasn't all that mad-she took it well, actually! She may have been upset and given me a warning, but I wasn't locked in the house for the next few months or anything, so that's great! We can blame this one on P!_

 _I apologize greatly, Alex...P stole my dream board and gave me pieces of it back when I told your mom. I was worried about you, anyway...I see it's not a problem for you, though, and I would've never said anything if I hadn't been bribed. -Lorna_

 _Ugh, P is so mean for trying to break up you girls' friendship and your tight bond with your mom! I'm glad they didn't succeed! Btw, sorry for getting back to you so late...Gloria and I are teaching my mom how to cook. -Daya_

 _That doesn't shock me at all...your mom's cool, and Lorna wouldn't dare betray you like that! -Flaca_

Alex doesn't think she should tell Nicky because she doesn't want Nicky to feel guilty for it, and she's not that close to Maritza. She goes back to the kitchen and serves herself an egg pancake, sprinkles cinnamon and sugar all over it, and rolls it up. She and Diane take bites of their food at the same time. "Mmm!" they exclaim in unison.

* * *

"Why do I gotta get up this early?" Aleida groans.

"Ma, it's half past ten!" Daya states the obvious.

"Let's get our day goin'!" Gloria adds on.

Aleida pushes the covers off herself and after changing into her nightgown in her closet with the door closed due to Gloria and Daya's urging because of privacy reasons, she trails after them to the kitchen, which is stuffed with newly bought groceries. "It all looks different."

"Sure does," Daya replies. "I love it."

"Me, too," Gloria says. They all start pulling out the things they need to cook for this morning's breakfast. "Make sure no shells get in there. If you see one, it's a pain to pull it out, because the yolk's slimy," she lets Aleida know as the latter cracks three eggs and dumps the yolk into the bowl.

"Yeah, and pour just a few drops of milk, otherwise, we'll have soupy eggs," Daya adds. "Make sure it doesn't come out too fast."

"Alright, I got it!" Aleida says, grabbing the milk out of the refrigerator, twisting off the cap, and slowly letting it out and into the unbeaten eggs. "I gave you this shit in a bottle."

"Okay, but it's been a while since you've really cooked," Daya tells her mother. "You haven't since I taught myself when I was three."

"You focus on what you're doin' over there." Aleida gestures to the other bowl filled with waffle ingredients. She stirs the milk and eggs together and then dumps the mixture into the already hot frying pan.

The waffle timer dings as Aleida uses a spatula to cut apart the huge cooked eggs into bite-sized portions, to turn them scrambled. Gloria picks the waffle up with a fork and lays it on a plate. Daya brings it to Aleida, who plops eggs, melted chocolate chips, and cut fruit on top of it, drizzles syrup on it, and gives it to the children so they can share. Gloria's oldest helps to set the table, and Christina is just learning. They repeat this process a few times until everyone has eaten. Daya, Gloria, and Aleida decide to have their eggs on the side with ketchup, separate from the waffles, syrup, and fruit.

"You did really well," Gloria compliments Aleida after finishing the meal. "Congrats on not fuckin' up!"

"It was easy!"

"No shit!" Daya mutters. "Now, we wash dishes."

After everything is cleaned and they've gotten ready for the day, Gloria takes them to a church where she and her boys once sought shelter. They protect victims of domestic violence there, and Gloria is friends with one of the nuns, Sister Jane Ingalls. When mass is over, the Sister comes over to them. "How are you doing, Gloria?" she asks kindly as Benito and Julio wrap their little arms around her legs. She ruffles their hair with a grin. "Hey, guys!"

"Hi, Pope's homie!" Benny replies, which makes everyone chuckle.

"Oh, much better...he's been carted off to prison," Gloria informs the Sister.

"She ain't gonna forgive him," Aleida chimes in.

"I don't expect her to."

"I thought that's what Christianity's all about," Daya says.

"Well, there's a difference between forgiving someone in your heart and wanting to reconnect with the person. Forgiveness is healthy because it means that you are aware that what the person did was wrong, but you are not carrying the weight of a grudge. It's about letting go, moving on. However, I am sympathetic to all survivors, and I'm not in charge of how they want to deal with things." The nun gives Gloria a hug. "Be well, and see you next Sunday. God bless you all."

"Thank you."

"What's next?" Aleida wants to know as they go to their now shared black van.

"Not putting Emiliano in the trunk, that's for sure," Daya mutters, and Gloria gives Aleida a stare as if to say, _Really?_

"He could breathe in there, and he fit!" Aleida defends herself.

"You don't put a child...or _anyone_ in a dark, enclosed space where they don't know if or when they'll get out!" Gloria chides Aleida. "He's your little boy! He could've suffocated! What if someone did that to _you_?"

Aleida sighs while staring upwards. "That makes sense, actually..."

"You learn a little something new each day," Daya says sarcastically.

"Alright, next on our agenda is calling that guy to ask him to build us a bunk bed for our kids, because Christina is getting a bit big for her crib, and Benny has been begging for one. Then, we'll take the children to the park," Gloria announces.

"Yeah, why am I in a crib when Benny has a big kid bed?" Christina asks and then sticks out her lower lip into a pout. "It's not fair, and I'm jealous! I'm not a baby!"

"We know, sweetie, that's why Gloria's gonna hire someone to make a bunk bed for you!" Daya tells her baby sister.

Christina gasps happily and jumps up and down. "Yay!"

"Is it for my birthday, Mama?" Benito asks Gloria.

"It can be, buddy!" Gloria's eyes travel to Aleida. "How old are they?" she asks, gesturing towards the shorter woman's kids, who are holding hands with Daya.

"Christina's four and Emiliano's three. Why?"

"Well, Benny's gonna start kindergarten tomorrow and I'm wondering if Christina has also been enrolled, that is, if she's turning five before December first."

"She is...on October thirteenth! Don't sweat it, Gloria, Daya's got this shit handled."

"Okay, I was just making sure. You _do_ know that you need to drop her off and give her a big hug and kiss before her class, right?"

"Sure, now that my mornings aren't so busy...unless that _Leon_ -"

"You are gonna be there for your daughter's first day of kindergarten! You've already missed Daya's, so you ain't skippin' out on another one!" Gloria snaps. "We'll drop our babies off together, then, we'll take Julio and Emiliano to preschool, and Daya to Martin Van Buren High. _¿Entiendes_?"

Aleida scoffs. "I'm starting to. It's just a lot of changes."

"I'm sure it is, but you'll adjust."

"Where's Daddy now?" Christina asks Daya. "Why can't _he_ get me a big girl bed? He got me Barbies and 'Miliano toy dinosaurs all the time!"

"He got taken away for doing bad things, baby, and he's not your daddy. He isn't a nice man. Remember when I told you guys to hide whenever he got mad at me?"

"Oh yeah...he was scary," Christina says in a quieter voice.

"Did he hurt you?" Benito wonders out loud. "I thought Arturo was nice, but he hit me and was really mean to my mommy and gave her an owie."

"No, he just yelled if we ruined stuff or didn't do what he said...and 'member, we got in the sugar, but Daya said it wasn't sugar..."

"Me wike sugar!" Emiliano pipes up.

"Mmm, yummy!" Julio agrees.

Gloria's heart breaks at them talking about their traumatic experiences in their innocent little voices, even when they had no idea how serious it all was. "Did they take a hit of heroin?" she whispers to Aleida.

"Nah, but they sure did try...I got no idea where Daya was that time, but she's supposed to know that kids are idiots and you gotta watch 'em twenty-four seven!"

"Actually, children can be pretty smart. What were _you_ doin'?"

"Cesar." Aleida grins, not showing an ounce of remorse. "Daya was in deep shit that night!" At this, Gloria rolls her eyes so far back into her head that she feels dizzy.

"Okay, that's how come you put the smack in childproof-locked cabinets and on high shelves...or get rid of it altogether...and if Daya wasn't around, you should've gotten someone else to babysit!"

"Hey, I did good last night. Gimme a break here."

Gloria sighs. "Fine, I'll leave it in the past."

* * *

When Red hears about what Lorna was actually arrested for, she's shocked. "I thought that all she did was mail fraud! How about we make a deal to let her do community service and this whole thing goes away? After all, she doesn't have a previous arrest record."

"Yes," CO Ford agrees.

"Miss Morello is a good girl, but teens don't always make the best decisions, especially when it comes to being rejected by a crush, and community service can help her. Jail won't do squat." Lorna glances at her lawyer and smiles a bit.

The judge nods. "Okay, then. I hereby sentence Lorna Morello to work at a facility of her choosing for one hundred and twenty hours." He bangs the gavel and gives Lorna a piece of paper with a list of places she would work at.

"What?!" Christopher hollers and slams his hand down on the table. "That's it? She needs to be locked up for five years!"

"That's not your decision to make, young man!" the judge says sharply. "I'm going to see how Miss Morello does. Her parole officer, Mr. Charles Ford, will monitor her very closely, and he'll report back to me what he's witnessed. I see no reason for her to be in prison. She's caused you no harm."

"Are you serious? She went into his room and wouldn't listen when he asked her to go!" Angela exclaims.

"You need to stay away from my boyfriend, you slut," Lorna hisses at her.

"Okay, Lorna, that's enough," Red murmurs while giving the girl a strict look.

"That bitch is a criminal!" Christopher's lawyer argues.

"Do not call my client a bitch _or_ a criminal," Juliana fires back. "Miss Morello, do you promise to stop harassing Mr. MacLaren?"

Lorna nods. "Yes. I apologize, I just wanted to surprise him, but I won't anymore."

"Thank you. Are we finished here?" Juliana asks.

"I'm done. They always take the girl's side...whatever." Christopher shakes his head and gives Lorna an angry stare while wagging his finger in her face. "Don't come near me again or I will place a restraining order on your ass." He stands up with Angela and his lawyer and they leave the room.

Red and Lorna walk up to CO Ford and start going to the waiting room. "Don't waste your time chasing after him. It's just not really worth being behind bars," he advises Lorna.

"The way he acted towards you was unacceptable. If someone talked to me like that, I would slap them across the face!" Red puts in.

"Angela Cunt-shit has changed him...my poor Christopher...he don't know what he's doin' or sayin'," Lorna says stubbornly with tears filling her eyes. "He's like a robot now. She controls him! I want her to die a slow and painful death! She _stole_ him from me!"

"People aren't objects. You can't take someone who doesn't want to be stolen," CO Ford tells her.

"Christopher is mine!" Lorna whimpers and chokes on her sobs. Red puts a comforting arm around her.

As soon as they get to the waiting room, a concerned look grows on Nicky's face and the wild-haired girl comes over to Lorna. "Hey, kid," she murmurs while wiping away Lorna's falling tears with her thumbs. "Why are you so sad? How'd it go?"

"I gotta do community service...and then I thought more about what you all said about Christopher being with Angela...I hate her so much!"

"Yeah, sometimes that happens. We can't all have the person we want, so we gotta move on, right?"

"It ain't easy...he knows he's my soulmate, but Angela, she's like...putting ideas into his head, like he's hypnotized. You can see it in his eyes. I just gotta get him without her next time..." Lorna scrunches up her face in determination and makes her hands into claws.

"How are ya, besides that?" Nicky asks.

"I'm okay. The cuts were deep, but they look good. My men are forever embedded in my arms."

"Where would you like to work, honey?" Red asks, trying to distract the upset girl. Besides, Nicky is there and she doesn't think Lorna would want to talk too much more about her crime in front of the blonde. She rubs soothing circles on Lorna's back.

Lorna sniffles. "Umm...I dunno...maybe the hospital? I already got experience from helping to take care of Ma."

"That sounds fine."

"If it's depressing there, though, can someone volunteer with me?"

"Sure," CO Ford allows her.

The judge then calls Nicky in, and Lorna sits where Nicky was previously. Red makes sure Lorna is okay before leaving her alone. She pats Lorna's cheek fondly. "Pretty soon, he will be a distant memory," is the last thing she says before joining Nicky and CO Ford in the courtroom.

Nicky shakes hands with Juliana and then, they take their seats, along with Red, who gives her an encouraging smile. The judge has Nicky swear on the Bible that she'll be honest in her statement. "Miss Nichols, I have already discussed with your lawyer and your parole officer about what actions need to be taken, and I understand that you were in possession of drugs, but not distributing them at the time. Did you or did you not have the intent to sell?"

"Yes, I was going to...but not to the girls I was talking to."

"My client wasn't on heroin at the time, Your Honor," Juliana says. "She wasn't trying to turn anyone into an addict. She does not go to school because her guardian doesn't make her. She has a poor home life, and therefore, may not have had a proper upbringing. You should give her a chance before tossing her in jail. She needs to be kept away from drugs, but since she is not a danger to the public, she doesn't need to be trapped in a cell."

"Very well. Now, the penalty for juvenile drug possession is one hundred and twenty hours of community service, and then her charges will be dropped. I also require Miss Nichols to take drug counseling and enroll in school." The judge bangs the mallet and hands Nicky a list of work sites.

Nicky blows out a huge puff of air and presses her fist to her mouth while looking at it. "I guess I'll pick up trash. Can I do that at Martin Van Buren High?"

"Wherever you want. CO Ford will be with you, making sure you're doing alright." The judge waves them out, so they begin to leave.

"Okay, I'll talk to my foster mom about it. I'll just tell her I'm gonna enroll and go to those meetings, uh..."

"Narcotics Anonymous?" Red supplies.

"Yeah, that."

"You need to stop using, though. Just attending is a waste of your time if you're going to keep being on heroin," CO Ford tells Nicky.

"I know...it's gonna be a challenge, but I will certainly try."

"I'll take you, _milaya_ ," Red lets Nicky know.

Nicky grins. "Awesome, thanks, Red."

"Anytime."

When they meet up with Lorna, CO Ford tells her and Nicky that they'll have to start their work on Monday at four in the afternoon to eight in the evening. As Red drives the girls home, Lorna asks, "You didn't have to sleep with him, did you?"

"What?" Red is surprised at Lorna's question. She fixes her rearview mirror so it shows the girls in the backseat. "No, of course not! Why would I do that?"

"Well, you know, if he promised to let me go free in exchange for sex."

"Ford's not like Mendez, Lorna," Nicky says. "When did you meet Pornstache? I thought Ford took you to jail."

"He did, but I've been arrested...um, before I met you...I got really mad at Vinnie and whacked his car with a baseball bat. Mendez...or are we callin' him Pornstache?"

Nicky lifts her shoulders up and down. "Whatever you want, but Pornstache is really fitting because he's got that creepy mustache that belongs to men who you know have molested little girls."

Lorna shudders. "Ew! Anyway, he caught me..."

"Oh, shit! Did he force you to do stuff to get out of it or somethin'?"

"No, but my sister offered herself to him so she wouldn't have to pay the bail, because she couldn't afford it. Of course, he took the chance...and when he spent the night at our house...he was so gross..." Lorna gulps and her face pales. "He made moves on me and grabbed my boobs! Why did he do that?" The tremor in Lorna's voice and the darkness in Nicky's eyes makes Red want to take this _Pornstache_ imbecile and sever his throat.

"Probably for the same reason he groped my butt," Nicky grumbles. "I don't think I'd ever been grabbed like that before. I couldn't even fight him off, because that would've been resisting an officer."

"He's a fucking disgusting excuse of a human being," Red says bitterly. "He needs to be fired and put in prison!"

"We'll just never commit our crimes again," Lorna decides.

"Yeah, that is, if we don't wanna run into him for the rest of our lives," Nicky concurs.

"Girls, this was _his_ doing-not yours. He is a pervert and a pedophile!"

"We know," Lorna mumbles.

"There's just no way to stop him, especially because he's not doing anything to us now. I get that you wanna protect us, but we _did_ break the law...but that shouldn't matter..."

"I don't think it does, but maybe..."

They sound so confused as they work out their inner conflicts, and it makes Red's heart snap in two. "I'll tell you one thing...that was sexual assault, what he did to both of you. I'll make sure to let CO Ford in on this."

"No, Red, please don't! It'll go to trial, and he'll get away with it because they're all nasty, besides Ford," Nicky insists.

"I'm used to it," Lorna says. "I may not like it...I hate it, in fact, but it's the way things are."

"What does a mama bear do?" Red asks while tightly gripping the steering wheel. She can't believe what she's hearing.

"She protects her cubs," Nicky answers.

"She's really scary about it, too," Lorna continues.

"That's correct. Now, I want you two to understand...I am going to try my hardest at getting that motherfucker to never see the sun again. He touched my girls, and now, he's going to pay," she says in a deadly tone.

* * *

"Hello, Mr. McDonald, I'm Aleida Diaz. You saved me from cracking my skull open last night, so I appreciate that." Aleida twirls her brown hair around her fingers and giggles.

"So, you decided to give me a ring after all! I honestly didn't expect you to," Leon answers.

"Why? Are you a nerd or somethin'?"

Gloria makes a circular hand motion that most likely means _Hurry up_ _!_

Leon chuckles. "No, far from it! It's just that a lot of ladies roll their eyes at pickup lines, and I _definitely_ hit on you. I was sure I'd never hear from you again."

"Did you dream about me last night?" Aleida asks him flirtatiously and Gloria facepalms. "Were we banging?"

"I probably did. There were _a lot_ of beautiful women at that club."

"Well, it just so happens that this isn't a booty call...I'm actually the hot mama type. I'm asking if you can come over to my house and build bunk beds for the kids."

"Oh, sure thing!"

"Thank you." She tells him where she lives and then they say goodbye and hang up. Quickly, she goes into the bathroom to apply more lipstick, fix her eyeliner, and make sure her hair is perfectly curled and her self-made nails aren't chipped. She's determined to get Leon to ask her out on a date and suck him off later.

"There is a man coming to make the bunk beds, but he won't do anything evil. Gloria and I will be with you the whole time," Daya is assuring the children, and they give her silent nods of understanding.

"Cool!" Benito says excitedly.

"Alright, bitches, listen up! He's gonna be here soon, and I want y'all to stay out of his way! He's gotta work and I don't want no one stabbing themselves with tools and shit!" Aleida informs them.

"Uh, would you mind not calling my boys _bitches_?" Gloria asks. "You think maybe there's another nickname for the children you could come up with? _Bitches_ somehow just don't got the same _cariño_ to it," she adds lightheartedly.

"I'm not insulting them, it's just what I say."

"Well, refer to them as _kids_ instead when speaking to the little ones. They don't know why you're calling them bitches. All they get is that you swore at them and it hurts their feelings."

"Okay." Aleida takes a deep breath. "Should I try again?"

"No, for another time, just remember."

"I will."

"Why did she call us a bad word?" Benito asks Gloria.

"Mommy's friend simply has a lot of issues. She didn't say it to be mean!"

"Oh...okay." Benito looks from Gloria to Aleida and smiles. "You're nice to my mommy and you don't give me boo-boos, so yay!"

"Yay!" Christina, Emiliano, and Julio echo, and Gloria and Daya chuckle lightly.

"I got no reason to be a bitch!" Aleida exclaims. The doorbell rings and she rushes to get it. She opens the door quickly and sees Leon standing there with his tool kit. "Hey, come on in! _Whoa_...you're ripped! You work out a lot or somethin'?"

"Thanks," he says with a laugh. "Yeah, all the time. It's also from lifting heavy objects on the job."

Gloria clears her throat behind them and Christina sucks her thumb while hiding behind Daya's legs. "I suppose I gotta show you the room now. This is my friend and all the kids..." she says, pointing to each person.

"Hello," he greets them.

"Hi," everyone except Christina and Emiliano say in unison.

She leads him to Daya's room and gestures to where the cribs are. "There. Sorry about the mess, children can be pigs. I'll make 'em clean up later." She pushes all the toys aside to make room for Leon so he can work.

"That's okay, I get it." He moves the cribs out of his way and she just stares in wonder at how powerful he is.

"Don't you normally do this with a crew?"

"It's just me today."

"Fuck me," Aleida whispers to herself. She watches him take the baseboards off the wall, and then he does a whole bunch of other stuff that she'd never know anything about in a million years. "What are those things you just put on the wall?"

"Cleats, and now I'm going to put in the side rails, headboard, molding, footboard, trundle, mattresses, and finally, the ladder," he explains. "I need to do the same on both sides of the room."

"Huh..." Aleida jumps on Daya's bed and lays down with one leg stretched over her body and her arms open wide above her head. "So...what are your plans for tonight?"

"Wait a sec, I gotta concentrate on getting these all the way into the wall and then get my materials out of my truck. I apologize."

"Go ahead."

When he finishes that step, he moves onto the next, and she hums to herself as she waits. He keeps leaving the room and returning with different things he needs.

"You are the biggest fuckin' hypocrite," Gloria mutters as she comes into Daya's room. "What, you're the only one who can bother him? He's sweaty from working so hard; you should get him a nice glass of cold water if you like him so much," she recommends.

Aleida does just that and hands it to him. "I thought you might be thirsty."

Leon takes a big gulp and sets the glass down on Daya's nightstand. "I was, thank you!"

"No problem."

As soon as he's sliding in the mattresses, he says, "Probably just go to the sports bar like always."

"Well...how about you do somethin' a little different?" She slides one of her dress straps off her shoulder and grins sexily at him.

"You know, I could injure myself if you keep distracting me! This will take me fifty minutes, and then we can talk."

"I apologize." Aleida sighs, plops down, and gazes up at the ceiling. "I just thought you found me interesting."

"I do, but...I'm a little busy at the moment here!"

"Okay, I'll let you finish." Aleida can't stop admiring Leon as he works. He has such careful hands and she keeps having images of him naked and going deep into her soaking, wet folds as she grips his ass and his fingers tangle into her hair. She feels her face flush and her whole body melt every time they make eye contact.

"Ms. Diaz?"

His manly voice lifts her from her reverie and she bites her bottom lip. "Yes?"

"That'll be three hundred and twenty dollars-check, please."

She goes to find the woman who actually has the money to pay for this. "Gloria! He's done, he just needs a check for three hundred and twenty bucks."

"Okay, but when you start working, you gonna pay me back half the cost, right?"

"Yep! Thank you!" Aleida takes the check from Gloria, strides back into the room while swaying her hips, and presses the check into Leon's open palm. He closes his calloused hand over her fingers as he takes it.

"You and your friend have cute kids. I hope they love their new bunk beds."

"Oh, it's guaranteed they will."

She walks him to the door and before he leaves, he asks, "Want me to take you out for dinner later?"

"Yes, pick me up whenever you can, around seven," she responds while squealing internally.

"Fantastic!" He grins at her, showing off a nice set of pearly white teeth. "It's a date."

* * *

"Hey, check out that watch!" Flaca exclaims as Taystee hands her a bag of takeout lunch at Storky's. "Who got it for you?"

"Remember when you knocked my vanilla and chocolate cookie crunch King Cone out of my hands last year _and_ pulled out my weave?" Taystee shakes her head and scoffs. "Girl, that was some stupid shit! Now you actin' like we friends..."

"I can get you another one," Flaca says guiltily. "I was just trying to keep you out of trouble! You can't eat that in class. I'm sorry, I guess I was hoping we could put that behind us...turn over a new leaf. I understand if you don't wanna speak to me, though."

"Miss Claudette bought me a new watch...even though she can be a real hard ass, she somehow noticed that I was troubled and she wanted to help me. Dixon called me a _jigaboo_ , which is a nasty word for African Americans! I mean, I probably deserved it because I talked back-"

"That's no excuse! He still had no right to destroy your property or call you a racist name!" Alex tells her.

"She told me to keep it at home and she told that piece of shit that I wouldn't be wearing expensive watches or any at all to school, just so he can ruin them. I cut class that day, when he stepped on my watch...I ran to the cafeteria. Miss Claudette found me there and make me some of her special coconut cake to cheer me up."

"Aww, that was kind," Maritza comments.

"We feel the same way about those asshole teachers...we hate 'em. We wish we hadn't listened to Piper and instead, helped fix this. I mean, who cares if people misbehaved or acted a bit stuck up...Humps, Dixon, Piscatella, and Stratman went way too far in their punishments! Don't worry, though, we would make reports of really unfair things that were happening. We're close to the lunch ladies," Flaca lets Taystee know.

"The rest of us thank you girls for that."

"Yo, Amanda, let's go out and taste some wine!" Poussey calls out as she comes into the place, and Taystee laughs.

"Sounds fun, McKenzie, and after that, yoga class!" They share some secret handshake.

"How about a double date with Brad and Chad?"

"Ooooh! How did we get so lucky to find a set of twin brothers who were both into us?" Taystee asks, and they snigger.

"Fuckin' white people," Poussey mutters. "No offense, Alex."

"None taken. I know it's your guys' inside joke. Hey, Taystee, where's Tricia? She's always with you, I thought. I know that Nicky's with Lorna."

"I think she's running errands with Vee and RJ."

Flaca's phone buzzes from inside her purse. "I gotta take this," she murmurs. She turns around so the girls won't be able to see what P has just sent her.

 _Wise up, goth freak! Taystee isn't the only one you've pissed off. You can't just apologize and hope people will stop being mad at you. Suffer the consequences of making Piper accept you by being a bitch to others. Kisses, P_

"I feel so bad I did all that to you, Taystee," Flaca says.

"You were under the influence of Piper."

"It don't matter."

* * *

After exchanging numbers with Lorna, Nicky gets a text from her while listening to music in her room. She braces herself for what Lorna has to say, because already, Nicky can see Christopher mentioned a gazillion times.

 _Nicky, I am going to destroy Angela for stealing my boyfriend Christopher! She had no right to do that to me! She's such a bitch and a slut that I wanna chop her up into little tiny pieces or spin her around by her hair like they did in_ Matilda _! hehehe I'm so evil, I know. But here, I have a plan to make him mine! ARE YOU READY, DRUMROLL, PLEASE…okay I know I'm a dork but go along with it. I'm going to first make Christopher a Facebook page and say that I want to break up with Angela and the girl I truly love is Lorna Morello…and then, I'm gonna tell her friends that, like Polly Harper, who is a big gossip, so my plot will totally work. Next, I'm going to write them love letters. Here you go! I've sent this to all the girls I'm friends with, so tell me what u think:_

 _Christopher,_

 _I love you very much, but you are a player. I've found another guy I like, Joey Giordano, and he gives me all the love I need. Also, you're poor, and my parents don't like you. We've only been dating for a few days, but it's felt like an eternity. Please forgive me and I hope we can still be friends._

 _Angela_

 _Angela,_

 _We've been going out for three days now, and I feel guilty for cheating on you. But now, I really am in love with Lorna. You're just not good for me as a girlfriend because you don't put out. I'm sorry, but we can still be friends._

 _Christopher_

 _Haha, I'm such a genius, aren't I?_

Nicky shakes her head. She wonders why Lorna's doing this to herself. The girl with the adorable Brooklyn and New Jersey accent will only wind up hurt and embarrassed because Christopher and Angela can call each other and sort it out later. They'll crucify her for this. So, she types back a response. _I don't think you should do this. It's not worth it, and they might figure it out. Just a warning. But good letters!_

She knows Lorna will probably do it anyway. Nicky just wants something to break Lorna's spell so she can see that Christopher isn't right for her-but it may not happen for a long time, or ever. _She better not kill herself for him, because that would be tragic_ , Nicky thinks worriedly. She'll make sure Lorna never attempts or does that.

* * *

While ambling through the streets, Nicky and Tricia come across a carnival. "Ever been to one of those?" Nicky asks.

"Nah, but it looks fun!"

"It is, dude. I've gone before when I was a kid…and I snuck in during my years of being homeless."

"Awesome!"

They go on all the rides, play games, listen to music, people watch, and have lots of fun. At the end of the day, they both buy dessert. Even though they're enjoying their sister time, Tricia can tell something is bothering Nicky by reading her face and watching her body language. The older girl seems like her mind is on something else as she licks her ice cream.

Tricia waves her hand in front of Nicky's face. "Yo, earth to Nicky, what's goin' on?"

"Nothing, Trish." Nicky shoves her flyaway strands of hair back with her hand and groans exasperatedly. "It's just…Lorna."

"What about her?" Tricia asks after swallowing a bite of her chocolate bar.

"She's trying to break up Angela and Christopher, and I'm afraid she's gonna get stung in the process. They'll humiliate her and she'll be the butt of all jokes. I told her she shouldn't do it and it's not worth it, but she won't listen to anyone!"

"She'll just have to learn the hard way, sis, and then she'll go to you and her other girls. That's what friends are for though, to cheer you up when you're down. She needs to see that he's no good and that he doesn't give a shit about her!"

Nicky winces. "I just don't want to see Lorna damaged, Trish. She's so innocent!"

"I know, but how far could she really go with this?"

"Really far. When she sets her mind to something, no one can stop her. She's extremely stubborn. Jesus, you should've seen her at the hospital-kid wouldn't shut up about him!" Rolling her eyes, Nicky grumbles, "Fuckin' straight people, man."

Tricia gives Nicky a hug and tells her not to worry, because Lorna will be heartbroken, but then handle it by hanging out with friends and she'll eventually get over him.

* * *

Even though Daya can't stand Aleida, she's glad they're here together at visitation because she'd be nervous to be anywhere near a men's prison by herself. They have one thing in common so far, and that's planning to threaten Arturo.

"I hope he shits his pants," Daya tells her mother.

"We'll make sure he does," Aleida says stiffly. "No one hurts Gloria and gets away with it!"

"Fuck yeah!"

Who they don't expect to see, is Cesar, since he's just been bailed out. He's chatting with who Aleida says is Margarita, and then they swap spit. A look of jealousy crosses Aleida's face. "That's my man, you dumb bitch!" A guard gives her a warning look.

"Hey, don't get us kicked out!" Daya hisses.

"You're dating some girl named after a drink... _that_ doesn't scream bimbo!" Aleida says to Cesar in a quieter voice, and Margarita flips her the bird.

" _Perra celosa_ ," he snarls at her.

"I suppose you won't mind that I'm gonna go out with someone tonight, then! We must have an open relationship. If you're allowed to date whoever, then so am I!"

Cesar glares at Aleida. "It's different for us men."

"I'll deal with you later!" she snaps, and then goes up to the front where an officer is standing. "Yeah, we're here to see Arturo..."

Daya ignores Cesar bellowing after her. She and Aleida follow the guard to where the despicable creature is sitting with a slight sneer on his features. They take their seats across from him and glower at him. Daya feels angrier with every second that passes.

"I don't know how the fuck you sleep at night. I hope your ass gets raped in prison!" Aleida growls. "I'll repeat it in Spanish in case you didn't quite get that. No sé cómo diablos duermes por la noche. ¡Espero que tu culo sea violado en prisión!" She sits back with a pleased smirk.

"Wow, linda...estoy recibiendo una mierda por una puta."

 **Wow, nice...I'm getting shit on by a slut.**

"Tell you what, I see you outside again and enjoying the light of day, I'll make sure it gets nice and dark for you-just like how you made Gloria feel!" Daya threatens him. "You know who we are."

"Te digo qué, te veo afuera otra vez y disfrutando de la luz del día, me aseguraré de que se vuelva agradable y oscuro para ti, ¡igual que cómo hiciste sentir a Gloria! Sabes quiénes somos." Aleida restates what Daya's just said. Her eyebrow quirks up. "¿ _Entiendes?_ "

He doesn't answer. All he does is snicker, get up, and walk away.

"I wish you'd stuck up for me like that, Ma," Daya tells Aleida as they leave the prison. "That was fuckin' amazing."

"Yeah, you did good too, but how you gonna follow through? You ain't never killed nobody before. Gloria didn't do nothin' to deserve it. You did shit that made Cesar furious! He was trying to keep you in line!"

Daya notices the rising tension as she grits her teeth while balling her hands up by her sides. Aleida folds her arms across her chest. "There are better ways of handling kids when they misbehave."

"Why don't you make me a list, then, since you're the expert?"

"Someone holding a gun to a person's head, not knowing if their life will be over soon, is fucking scary! There is _nothing_ , absolutely _nothing_ that your child could do to deserve a _death threat_ as a punishment-unless, maybe they literally try to purposely kill you-not in self-defense, but that's highly unlikely! He did that to me in front of my siblings! Also, you don't _ever_ yell at a little kid when they break something _on accident_! I mean, have you seen Christina and Emiliano smile once when they're not with me? No, because they're withdrawn! This is what he did to them...and I've had so many nightmares of Cesar finally putting a bullet through my skull! You got _no_ idea what that's like! You wanna punish me? How about grounding me or taking my phone away for a few days or a week? An informative lecture about why I was wrong would be great, too! Some students in school say they hate their parents because they took them off the internet. Well, my mom's boyfriend endangered my life! _I win_!" Daya can't say anything else since she's sobbing so hard. "I...I mean...do-do you w-want me to die?" She lets out a few squeaky gasps. "Do you?"

"No," Aleida says softly. "That's why I always watched him when the gun cocked. I knew he wouldn't shoot you, because I trust him. He wouldn't do nothin' to my babies. Come on, enough tears. I didn't raise you to be weak."

"You are the most unsympathetic bitch I've ever met! I like Gloria better, I wish she was my mom instead of you!" Daya hollers and then storms away from her.

She's relieved when Gloria appears in the parking lot with Aleida's car, and she races to the passenger door before Aleida can get to it. "Hey, why you cryin'?" Gloria asks her as she lets them both in.

"Aleida's getting on my last nerve!" Daya says in a frail voice.

"Alright...what happened?" Gloria starts driving them to the park.

"I tried to teach her the right way to act when children do the wrong thing, and that Cesar was wicked for his actions, but she wouldn't listen, even when I went on a rant about my experience and how she should've protected me better, and she told me I was a wimp for breaking down!"

"Daya's a whiny complaining brat, she's picking apart everything I do!" Aleida mutters. "Get off me with your dirty hands!" she grumbles at the children.

"All kids have sticky fingers sometimes, but part of being a mama is you gotta deal with it...you should teach them to wash their hands, not complain about the messes they make on themselves!" Gloria reprimands her while pulling over to the side of the road. "I gotta stop so I don't cause an accident because of how frustrated I am!" She turns in her seat so she can face Aleida. Her face is red with fury. "You also need to understand Daya's point of view. She's terrified of that man, and so was I! You shouldn't love him after what he's done. You should've thrown him out the _minute_ shit got illegal and frightening! I don't care if he was never cruel to you-he caused your children to be afraid of him, and if that ain't a turnoff for you, I don't know _what_ is! Defending him makes me lose respect for you as a friend and gets you and your children so distant from each other, it's not even funny. Damn it, Aleida, I wanna do everything in my power to assist you-but if you keep arguing when your daughter tells you something you're doing is bad, when it clearly is, I don't know how to! She's bawlin' like a baby because you ain't showin' her any compassion! You are insensitive to her needs, and Christina's and Emiliano's, too. Now if you can't grasp that information, I will adopt all of your babies and get you behind bars before you can go 'oh, shit!' I like you as a friend, I really do, so it'll be depressing if I gotta do that because you're a lousy motha!" Daya feels warm inside after Gloria's speech.

Aleida's eyes widen and her jaw drops. She appears to be almost ashamed. "I know I am, Gloria..."

"Good. Admitting that is the first step. Now you show your kids you love 'em! Let us all see that you got a heart!"

"Daya don't even like me, _you're_ her favorite!"

"Oh, gee, I wonder why," Gloria says sarcastically. "You need to work on developing a decent relationship with your children and actually attend to their problems. You gotta care, and if you don't, they'll all grow to hate you."

"Okay. I don't want 'em to resent me. I'm sorry, you're right...and so is Daya. I _should_ be more loving. I just...I never really had proper guidance growin' up."

"I don't give a shit," Daya snaps. She doesn't believe Aleida's excuses. Her grandma isn't nasty like Aleida says she is. In fact, Daya thinks Aleida's mother is the best family member she has.

"It's true, I didn't!"

"Well now, you do," Gloria assures Aleida. "Y'all ready to go to the park now?"

"Yeah!" the kids cheer at the same time, and Daya nods while smiling a little.

"It'd be fun to relax!" Aleida says.

Gloria starts up the car again. "Yeah, but we gonna do some jogging or powerwalking. I've heard it relieves stress. I brought water for everyone."

"I don't think I've done that since high school. I don't need to lose weight," Aleida mumbles.

"I know, but exercise is good for you!" Gloria responds.

"Okay..."

Daya then realizes she hasn't looked at her phone yet because of the drama with Aleida and going to put Arturo in his place. She's not sure which alarms her more, the fact that Lorna's about to commit social suicide or the message that says _I told Mendez all about you...he's so excited, in more ways than one ;) xoxo, P_

* * *

Lorna gets five texts back, and they all either say _no_ , _I don't think you should do this_ , or something else along those lines. Still, she's going to do it, no matter what it takes. P is extremely happy with her after she sends the anonymous person her plot, which is what she likes.

 _This is why I like you the best. You have a goal and you just go for it, steamrolling everything in your path. I almost feel bad for exposing your secrets and attempting to tear you away from Alex...but I gotta make it fair and not play favorites. Sorry! At least Alex still likes you, but then again, she forgave Piper for leading her on, so I sort of expected she'd do the same with you. She's sweet like that. Lotsa love, P_

The first thing she'll do is make the Facebook pages and write the letters. She creates Christopher's, and then Angela's. Lorna signs onto Christopher's first and starts talking to Angela-the real girl.

 _Christopher: Hey baby_

 _Angela:_ _Touch my body boy_

 _Christopher: Hell no, you don't put out!_

 _Angela:_ _WTF?_

 _Christopher:_ _Girl, I don't like you, I love Lorna. Don't talk to me ever again. If you speak to me in school or call me, I will put a restraining order on you._

 _Angela has signed off._

"Mission one is complete. Commencing phase two," Lorna whispers to herself while smiling craftily. She signs into Angela's fake page and goes on Christopher's real site. He's on and she types, _hey sweet cheeks!_

 _Christopher: Baby you're forever mine_

 _Angela: Eeewww! We've only been together for three days and you're a playa! I love Joey Giordanoj now._

 _Christopher: Babe, come on!_

 _Angela: Hell no. You're boring. All you do is stare at other girls besides me. Joey loves me for me. Plus, you're poor as shit and my parents hate your guts. Don't talk to me again unless you'd like a restraining order put on you by me._

 _Christopher has signed off._

"Yes! Stupid plot, my ass!" Lorna pumps her fist in the air. She's now broken them up, and she feels like such a genius. She'll be all over Christopher on Monday because he and Angela won't be talking to each other.

She jumps when she hears someone coming, and she quickly signs out of both the accounts. Franny would ground her for life if she ever finds out what Lorna's doing. She can't tell anyone but her best friends about this. She's so eager to see him come Monday.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star in My Universe, HannahMiley1fan, Tiff, and cornedout!**


	13. Tell Each Other Secrets

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: mentions of child abuse and someone gets killed.**

"Gotcha something," Leon says, pulling out a bouquet of gorgeous flowers from behind his back. They're a nice mix of roses, violets, and lilies. Aleida takes them from his hand and smiles widely.

"Thank you, they're so beautiful!" she murmurs, beaming.

"You're very welcome. You look so nice in your dress. Purple's a good color on you," Leon praises her.

"I spent a while getting ready," Aleida confesses while smirking proudly. "I wanted to look sexy."

"Well, you succeeded."

"You're really handsome in your tux!" she says, gesturing to Leon's outfit.

"I appreciate the compliment."

"This is my girl, Gloria Mendoza, my oldest daughter, Dayanara, and the rest of our kids are scattered around the apartment. Let's see, that's Christina, and these are Emiliano, Benito, and Julio," Aleida introduces everyone who has now gathered around the foyer. "You don't have to remember all that."

He waves at them with a grin. "That's okay, I was happy to put names to faces."

"I'll take these and put 'em in a vase," Gloria tells them. "Don't keep her out too late...she has to get up at six tomorrow morning!" At this, Aleida groans. _What is Gloria, her mother?_ "Have fun!"

"Oh, don't worry, I'll bring her back home by ten. I've got an early work day, too." Leon taps his silver watch. "I always wear this so I'm on time."

"We're goin' out for oysters! Toodeloo, kids! Adiós, Mama," Aleida says teasingly to Gloria while pushing Leon out the door. "Oh my god, how can someone your own age be so bossy?"

"It's one of the annoying parts of life!"

"I know...anyway, Upstate Craft Beer and Oyster Bar in New York City we go!"

He opens his passenger door for her. "Your chariot awaits, milady."

"Are you serious?" Aleida rolls her eyes, even though she's swooning inside at his chivalry. "That is _so_ nineteen hundreds!"

"I don't joke around when it comes to a gorgeous woman I like." At his response, she hides her blushing cheeks with her hair and can't help but giggle. He waits until she enters his car, shuts the door, goes to the other side, gets behind the wheel, presses his foot onto the gas pedal, and then begins to drive.

All of her negative thoughts about African Americans had gone out the window when she'd first seen Leon. He'd worn Wrangler jeans when he'd gone to her house, and she wishes he'd taken his shirt off.

* * *

"I'm not a cutter!" Lorna insists as she and the girls sit in a circle on Flaca's bedroom floor. "I just bleed for the men I love! I was gonna write Christopher's whole name on my arm, but it got too painful after the first letter, and then, I realized it wouldn't fit, so that's why I just drew our initials and made a heart around them. On my other arm, I did the same thing, but I put _V. M._ instead of _C.M._!"

"We get that you're heartbroken, Lorna, but there's alternatives without harming yourself," Flaca begins. "Like, I know I'm emo...but I wouldn't resort to cutting."

Before Lorna can get a word in, the girls are all throwing in ideas of what she could do if she's feeling depressed enough to injure herself.

"You could hold or squeeze ice," Nicky adds.

"Splash your face with water," Maritza puts in.

"Get a rubber band and snap it against your skin," Daya suggests. "It could hurt, though it's better than other ways that people usually choose to self-harm."

"Take a hot shower or bath," Alex chimes in.

"Eat somethin' sour like a lemon or sour lollipop . It'll take your mind off the urge," Flaca tells Lorna.

"Massage where you wanna self-harm," Nicky advises.

"Get a red pen or red paint and draw or paint over where you usually self-harm," Daya recommends.

"Remind yourself as to why you shouldn't do it...you'll have scars, it harms organs, leaves memories, and all that," Maritza informs.

"Describe what you're feeling. Is the urge or pain in your chest, fists, legs, arms, head, what?" Alex wonders out loud. "Think about it."

"I'm not down or anything. I'm not hurting myself either, I promise. I'm fine, girls! You don't gotta worry about me! Why don't we tell each other secrets? Me first...I regularly buy expensive clothes and shoes online, claim that I never received them, and then demand a full refund. It saves money _and_ gets me cute stuff to wear!"

"That's mail fraud! You could go to jail!" Nicky exclaims, faking that she has no idea what Lorna did.

"Oh, and what do you call smokin' crack and takin' hits of heroin?" Lorna snaps back. "Don't judge me!"

"Yeah, I mean, that seems cool...it's not like you know the people personally," Flaca agrees. "I'm thinkin' of vandalizing Humps' property!"

"I'mma steal his car," Maritza joins in. "If you wanna smoke somethin', though, Nicky, it's gotta be pot!"

"Don't encourage her!" Lorna hisses. "Anyway...who's next?"

"Uh, well, something I've never told anyone except Piper, is that I was in foster care for a year until the caseworker croaked and the temp got drunk," Daya confesses.

"How'd she squeeze that one outta you?" Lorna inquires.

"Yeah...she snuck into the school late at night to read the school records with everyone's files so she could find out some juicy information about the poor kids she bullied, and she discovered that little fact about me. Of course, she wanted to know what happened and how I was able to return home, so I told her."

"Wow, so nosy of her!" Maritza states.

"She was," Flaca mutters. "She never shared any of her secrets with us, but she knew all of ours."

"That's a bit unfair," Nicky tells them. "Did you ask, but she just refused to spill?"

"Mm-hm," Alex says.

"I had crabs, like two weeks ago, but I was treated for 'em," Flaca joins in, and Nicky wrinkles her nose in disgust.

"Oh, gross," Lorna mutters. "You poor thing!"

"You mean like, the STD?" Maritza asks.

"Yeah, my partner didn't get tested," Flaca answers sourly.

"Ew, that sucks...I hope they're gone!" Daya exclaims.

Flaca leans back on her hands. "Same here."

"My first kiss was with Piper when we were fourteen and reading a book together in the library, but then she told me that she was into guys!" Alex says. "I don't know why she'd do that...I was into her, but she was cold to me the next time I flirted with her. She led me on and told me she was just practicing."

"That was mean," Lorna points out. "She could've used a dummy or her hand, but instead, knowing that you had feelings for her, she chose to lock lips with ya, and it wasn't even real."

"How manipulative of her!" Nicky comments.

"Typical Piper," Daya and Flaca mutter at the same time.

"While I was homeless, I had sex at thirteen with an older girl who was a prostitute...and we did heroin. I wanted to see what the fuss was about...and I needed to have some fun," Nicky informs the girls.

"So that's how it all started," Lorna realizes out loud. "Well, ya know, if she was eighteen or over, that woulda been rape, consensual or not...and how dare she give those icky drugs to a child!"

"I begged for both her pussy and her smack, kid," Nicky assures Lorna. "She kept making sure I was okay with all that. Well, she was a hooker anyway, so she'd get arrested for that...and she was hot, so of course, I wanted her. She never told me her age, but she looked about twenty. She could've been seventeen, though, I dunno...her parents kicked her out for being a lesbian."

"Was it a one night stand, or did you date for a while?" Alex wants to know.

"We fucked a few times, and she helped me move to my next destination, Massachusetts...see, I planned to travel all over the world for the rest of my life. I would never spend longer than maybe a week in the same place. I'd get bored."

"So, you were like a wandering nomad?" Maritza wonders out loud.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"That's really cool, it's like, you get to see and experience everything!" Flaca exclaims, her eyes growing wide.

A huge grin spreads across Nicky's face. "Exactly! I had no one tellin' me what to do...I was my own boss!"

"Didn't it get hard at times?" Daya asks.

"Of course, I mean, you got your awful weather, the occasional fuckwad, not enough money for a train ticket or bus fare, no food for a while, dirty clothes that smelled so bad it made you sick, and dope almost killing you, but overall, it wasn't that horrible. I'd usually find ways to keep myself strong and healthy out there. Yep, runnin' away from home was the best thing I've ever done. My parents were divorced, we lost touch with my dad, and I've got mommy issues like you wouldn't believe. It would take me like, years to explain."

"Why is your name _Nicky Nichols_?" Lorna wants to know.

"Yeah, I've always wondered about that!" Alex adds.

"That makes you sound like a cartoon character," Flaca murmurs, and she and Maritza snicker while hitting each other lightly.

"Don't laugh! Marka, my birth mom, was so lazy in naming me...it's actually _Nicole_ , but I prefer _Nicky_."

"Oh, well, that makes sense. She sounds worse than mine, and that's saying somethin'," Daya responds.

"So, uh...your turn, Sofia Vergara," Nicky says, gesturing to Maritza, and the girls chuckle. "There's a resemblance."

"Thanks...uh, well, I'm bisexual. I've been, I dunno...having feelings about chicks as well as dudes...like I don't just think they're aesthetically pleasing or hot in general...I've had fantasies of girls going down on me...or massaging my breasts. I used to think I was straight, but now...I'm not so sure," Maritza admits shyly.

"I called it!" Nicky shouts. Off the girls' confused stares, she adds, "There was just a vibe I felt at the party...I could tell you weren't one hundred percent hetero!"

"Yeah, she knew I was a lesbian before I even told her!" Alex backs up Nicky's statement.

"That's neat!" Flaca remarks. She turns to Maritza. "You know we'll support you, Mari!"

"I appreciate it."

"Have you come out to your mom yet?" Lorna asks.

"No, I'm worried she'll think I'm confused, and since I'm single, she might say I just don't know what I am. I should wait until I get a boyfriend or girlfriend."

"Your mom isn't judgmental like that, Mari," Flaca murmurs.

"She'll be fine with it, but I'm not gonna tell her until I'm ready. I should say something before my quinceañera, though..."

"You can wait as long as you want. I didn't have a special someone at mine," Daya lets Maritza know.

"That blows!"

"No, it was fine, actually!"

"Okay, we've all kinda gotten off track here...Lorna, please tell me you didn't go through with your plan," Nicky begs while pressing her hands together.

"It's gonna work...and it's too late to stop me now! If this was some kind of intervention, I'm going home! I can't have y'all up in my grill."

"Christopher's a jerk! I got no clue why you adore him so much!" Flaca protests.

"Don't call him that!" Lorna retaliates. "You know, I came here to have fun, but you've just made it dramatic, and I hate drama! I'm going to be prom queen to Christopher's prom king come senior year!"

"He was laughing at the fact that you wiped out on the floor!" Daya retorts. "We all wanted to beat the shit out of him!"

"Yeah, right! Nice story you fabricated for yourselves!" is Lorna's sarcastic remark.

"I can't believe you! We wouldn't make something like this up!" Maritza cries.

"I am hopelessly devoted to him! I'm in _love_ with him!" Lorna stresses while clutching her heart.

"You are strange, Lorna...he's clearly in love with Angela," Alex points out.

Lorna makes a face. "Like I even care. He'll come around, maybe next week. He'll realize that I am the girl for him. None of you know _shit_ about love! Christopher and I are together forever! If you wanna take _her_ side, fine! I don't care what you say, I'm going out with him anyway!" she chants. She shoots the girls a dirty look, jumps to her feet and walks out of Flaca's bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Jesus Christ," Nicky grumbles, wanting to bash her head into a wall because of Lorna's actions. The others look just as annoyed. "She's fuckin' delusional. We were all having a great time until I unleashed her Christopher-obsessed side...I'm sorry, guys...I obviously didn't know she'd react like that..."

"Neither did we. You were just trying to help," Alex murmurs, patting Nicky's arm supportively.

"She doesn't get over dudes that easily," Flaca mutters.

"We should've warned you, but it never got this bad before," Daya adds. "I can't say anything else...that's her story to tell."

"It's her depression," Maritza states sadly. "I don't know what else to do..."

"We can't just go on pretending that she doesn't need help! I wonder if she has a therapist," Nicky muses.

"She's probably gonna talk to Healy at school, but he'll be as useful as a bikini in the snow," Alex replies.

"In the meantime, while her idea unravels, how do we deal with Christopher and Angela's backlash, let 'em know that Lorna's battling depression?" Daya questions them.

"I don't think they'll let her off the hook...they don't seem all that understanding, which is quite ableist!" Maritza answers.

"Yeah...maybe we'll stop pushing her...see if she gets a wake-up call when they're rude to her face or somethin'," Flaca suggests.

"Okay, but some, or one of us, should be with her since I don't want her to get beat up!" Nicky proclaims.

The girls agree on that, and then Alex has to leave for dinner with her mother and Sylvie. Nicky goes to an empty part of Queens with the Latinas to smoke pot because they all really need to get high, even Daya, who apparently had sworn never to even touch a cigarette.

* * *

"How are you liking it here, Sylvie?" Diane asks Alex's girlfriend as she serves the seafood.

"Oh, just awesome, Ms. Vause. It's so nice to finally formally meet the woman who's raised such a wonderful girl!" Sylvie squeezes Alex's hand and smiles.

"Well, it's a pleasure meeting you, too." Diane sits down and they all start eating. "Call me Diane, please. I'm only Ms. Vause to the students at Martin Van Buren High."

"You're a super rockin' mom, how could I forget?" Sylvie claps her hand over her forehead. "Alex says you work at Friendly's, and I've probably seen you around school."

"That's correct. I'm a waitress and I also teach English to freshmen. I assume you're a sophomore, like Alex?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Tell her about wanting to rebel against your conservative parents," Alex mutters to Sylvie as they play footsie under the table.

"Oh, right, uh, well, my mom and dad voted Republican, and I'm a secret Democrat, but I don't wanna mention that to them, or the fact that I'm a lesbian, otherwise, they'd send me to some stupid place where idiots would try to turn me straight. I feel like dyeing my hair or starting or joining a rock band to send them a message! I hate church...I don't feel accepted there, like, at all. I need to get emancipated from my parents, pronto!"

"You should explain that to them," Diane recommends. "If they love you, they will listen and understand."

"What if I get thrown out?" Sylvie asks, concerned.

"You can live with us," Alex says kindly, and Diane nods in agreement.

* * *

"Can you roll down the side windows? It's hot!" Aleida fans herself for effect and shrugs out of her white sweater.

"Yeah, no prob." He does as she asks, and she laughs out loud as the wind whips through her hair. "So, Aleida..." He draws out her name as if he's testing it out, and she thinks it's sexy. "That's a pretty name. Anyone ever call you Lei, like the flower necklaces they wear in Hawaii?" She had expected him to say _because you're an easy lay_ , but to her surprise, he hadn't.

"Thanks...and no, I just like Aleida. Leon means _lion_ in Spanish...it fits you. You're strong and brave like one." She winks at him.

"That's cool, well, I guess our parents called us the right names!"

"Yeah!"

"What do you do for work, by the way?"

She's caught off guard at his question. It had never occurred to her that he'd care to ask, but it probably should've. "I'm gonna start my job at the kitchen cafeteria tomorrow...my life has been quite a mess lately...you don't need to hear it. Let's just enjoy whatever we got goin' for us here."

"I've got all night to listen, that is, if you want to tell me."

She wraps her arms around her middle. "Maybe at the restaurant."

He glances at her in concern. "I'm sorry if I said anything-"

"No, it's just...a lot of shit's gone down." She reaches out to grab his hand and place her fingers through his, letting her silver bracelet clink against his watch. "Let's listen to music."

"Okay," he agrees.

"I didn't mean to ruin the mood," Aleida mumbles bitterly.

"It's not your fault." Leon gives her hand a comforting squeeze.

When they get to the place, he helps her get into her sweater and they link arms while walking there. Then, Leon opens the door to let Aleida in first. She gazes around in wonder. "I don't think I've been here before..."

"I'm a first-timer, too." Leon gets the maitre d's attention and tells him, "Table for two in the back, please."

It's a secluded area with a table decorated with candles and roses. She'd be on one end and he'd take his spot on the other. Leon pulls out Aleida's chair for her and she smiles as she sits down. "Thank you, sir."

"You're very welcome, ma'am," he answers, and they both chuckle. They order their drinks and then when his beer and her red wine arrive, she takes a few sips as he guzzles his beverage. The alcohol isn't doing much to settle her nerves, as she still has butterflies dancing around her belly.

"I used to pack heroin," she blurts out. Her knees jiggle with anticipation at what he'll say about this.

He explodes into booming laughter. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"It's not a joke!" Aleida snaps. "If that turns you off-"

"I apologize...I've never been on the wrong side of the law before, nor have I been with anyone who's committed a crime, so this is kinda new for me," he says silently. "I'm interested to know more." Leon starts to trace invisible patterns on her open palm, and she's so relieved that he isn't running for the hills or even asking if she's an ex-con, although, he may be thinking it.

"I've never had a job because I'm good at shit nothin'."

"That can't be true."

"No, it is." Aleida stares at the table and switches between toying with her bracelet and a strand of her hair. "All my boyfriends have been drug dealers and Dayanara called the police on one of 'em...I guess she was scared of him or somethin'...he threatened Gloria with a gun, but whenever he does that, he never shoots. He don't call me from prison, and when Daya and I visited him, we saw some bitch with him...I wanted to slap her face off! The worst part is, this still would've happened if I got arrested to save his ass!" She balls her hands up into fists and resists the urge to bang the table since she doesn't want to knock their drinks over. Instead, she lets out a muffled whimper through her clenched teeth and wills herself not to cry. She doesn't want to make Leon think he's the rebound guy-because he isn't. He's just a friend with benefits. After all, dating isn't marriage.

"I'm glad you're here instead."

"Where are you going?" she asks as he gets up out of his chair.

"Want a massage?"

"That would be great...thank you." She watches him stride up behind her and she breathes in and out shakily as he kneads her tense shoulder bones with his large hands. She leans into him and sighs deeply in content.

"Maybe it's better that he's not around anymore if he's gonna make your loved ones' lives miserable and cheat on you. I understand how much you wanna blame the other chick, but really, _he's_ the asshole for treating both of you like side whores."

"Cesar's always been a player...it's just the way he is...all men are." She swallows hard, and the lump going down her throat is painful. "I gotta deal with it...he says I got no reason to be a green eyed monster 'cause I'm his woman. Besides that, I'm with you, so who cares if he's fuckin' sluts?"

Once Leon returns to his seat, his body heat disappears, and she longs for him to touch her again. Her need is fulfilled when he skims his thumbs along her fingers, which are splayed out on the table, and Aleida can't stop smiling. "Real men don't make you doubt them or yourself. What he's doing hurts you, I can see that. If you were my steady girlfriend, Aleida, you'd be the only one in my bed. I would never give you a reason not to trust me. I'm not violent, especially towards women and children. I'm not asking you to be mine, because it's way too soon and you have someone, but I want you to be aware that you deserve so much better."

He's gazing into her eyes as he says this. Her heart squeezes and then expands twice its size. There's a tightening in her stomach, but she also feels like she's floating. She giggles, and it's not from the wine, since she's only had a little bit. "Thank you! I am gonna have a few words with that motherfucker...demand he talks to me over the phone and not just when I visit him. As for the other shit, he's not dangerous with a gun...he uses it as a warning, and last time I got upset that he was with yet another cunt, he called me a jealous bitch. They all mean nothing to him anyway."

"Tell him you're just being normal...it's natural to want a loyal boyfriend. See, I don't get that...you got a girl, you're supposed to treasure her, not betray her! That's what my parents always said!"

"It does seem real nice...but he's just not ready for commitment, and that's whatever, I ain't pushing him!" She picks up her glass, lets the wine spill into her mouth, and swallows hard as it burns her throat. It's starting to sink in that Cesar is kind of a douchebag because not only did Gloria, who's traumatized by men, tell her, Leon, a guy, had said the same thing.

"Threatening to shoot someone...I'm sorry, but that sounds like he's got serious problems! You know what, if I'd been there, I'd punch that gun out of his fuckin' hands and kick his ass!"

Aleida had thought before that Daya was making a big deal about it and that Gloria was afraid because she'd been abused before and she had no idea what he was going to do, but maybe Leon is right. Even when she'd told him Cesar wouldn't do anything, Leon still thinks her on-and-off boyfriend is scary. Still, she loves him. "You just don't know him. He doesn't take being challenged well."

He takes a few drinks of his beer and exhales slowly. "You gotta tell me the story behind your scorpion tattoo."

She touches it lightly. "Why does there have to be one?"

Leon shrugs. "I was just curious."

"You got any tattoos?"

"Nope."

"Anything weird happen at your job?" she wonders out loud.

"Well, we did find a hand under a pile of dirt," he says uncomfortably. "It made me gag afterwards."

Aleida scrunches up her face, wishing she hadn't asked. "I'm sure! A hand...a human hand, just by itself? Like, chopped off the..." She drags her fingernail across her wrist.

"I don't need to make you lose your appetite."

"Thanks, that's probably a good idea..."

They both sigh with exhilaration as their food is brought to them. They wolf it down and can hardly wait for the brownie sundae.

"Ooooh! It came with fudge!" she squeals excitedly as the bored waitress sets it down in between them. She grabs her spoon and clinks it against his. "Gobble up before I eat it all!"

"I'll probably be eating more than you. We construction workers need all the muscle we can get!"

"You got plenty of muscle, trust me," she says with a smile playing along her lips.

It turns out they'd eaten the same amount and were both satisfied. They leave the restaurant with a different kind of hunger.

As they hold hands while walking, they bump into each other a few times. She's feeling horny, and she can see that he is, too. Right when they get to the car, Aleida rests against it and pulls his hips to hers. Leon seems surprised at her bold move, so he stumbles toward her and places his hands on either side of her. His eyes travel from her eyes to her mouth.

"Hey there, Mr. Sexy, whatcha thinkin'?"

"I'm starting to like you as more than just a friend," he murmurs huskily.

"Get your face down here so we can kiss!"

"You have a boyfriend..."

Aleida scoffs. "Fuck, I'm so mad at him...we're unofficially broken up as of now!"

He doesn't answer her, but instead, lifts her high in the air so their lips can meet and mold together passionately. It's better than she'd ever imagined. Her eyes flutter closed and a warmth quickly spreads through her entire being. She hooks her arms around his neck and her legs straddle his waist. She's able to tell that his cock is straining beneath his pants as he rocks them back and forth.

"We need to...get to someplace private..." he whispers against her jawline.

"Yes..." she answers breathlessly. "I want you to fuck my brains out...deep dick...please, just do me so good we break the bed or somethin' and walkin' is hard after..."

"I can't wait for a bed," he mutters. "I don't want to really injure you, so let me know if I'm being too rough." He gets the backseat door open while they continue to make out. He crashes onto the seat, and she lands on top of him. He helps her free out of her sweater and dress. They cover the windows with her clothes. She nearly falls apart as he runs his hands up and down her body while kissing every part of her, sucking hard on a few areas, causing her to squeak, and then caressing the distressed skin with his tongue. She gasps softly as he rubs his thumb along the fabric of her panties, hurriedly soaking it. He also masturbates with his free hand, and it's hot.

"Oh my god...mmm..." she moans while arching her back. His hand disappears completely inside her panties and his fingers crawl up into her wet pussy. Her legs clamp together tightly against his large wrist, and she feels like she's soaring out of herself. "Leon...yes, yes...aaaaah! I'm coming!" she shrieks as her juices gush out of her. "Fuck, that was...ohhh..."

"Your screams of pleasure sound like heaven," he says while licking his fingers.

"Please don't ever stop touching me," she begs while nuzzling her cheek into his shoulder.

"I won't. Aleida, you're too beautiful not to be adored."

She melts at his words, but doesn't dare show it. They both take off his shirt and jacket in one swift move, and she instantly starts licking his delicious abs and squeezing his biceps. "Damn, you've got nice muscles...it turns me on how you're so burly!" Aleida mumbles into his chest. Then, she undoes his button and zipper on his pants. He pulls out a condom from his pocket. "I guess I gotta put that on..." She opens it and Leon kneels over her while wiggling down his pants and boxers so his penis is dangling above her. It's so big that it makes Cesar's look like a pencil. She slides the condom over his shaft and after slipping her panties down her legs, he carefully glides himself into her. He starts thrusting, but he protects her head from hitting the side of the door.

Wave after wave of her orgasm crashes over her, and her legs shake with how fast he's going. She trembles with excitement and grips his firm ass cheeks while pleading for more. When she can barely talk through her squeals, he pauses his actions. "Do you want me to stop? I can't make you sore...I care way too much about your well being."

"Pfft, no!"

As they continue to bang, he reaches around her and unclasps her lacy black strapless bra. It slides off her and she tosses it aside.

"You like my tits?" She's always been ashamed of her small breasts. "Should I get enhancements?"

"They're perfect," Leon tells her. "You can get them enlarged if you want, but they're perky and sexy enough." He kneads her nipple on one boob between his index finger and thumb and then massages it with his whole hand while sucking on the other one.

"Yeah, keep going..."

He flips them over so she's riding him this time. "Oh, baby, that feels good...all sweaty on top of me..."

She firmly holds on to his shoulders as she grinds on his rock hard erection. Her breasts jiggle every which way and he tries to catch them in his mouth while grabbing her butt. "Spank me and make hickeys on my boobies!" she commands him enthusiastically. "I've been a very naughty girl!"

"Mm-hm, you're real bad!" He fulfills her desires, and then, she gives him a hand job.

"You want a blowie?"

"God, yes!"

Aleida scoots down his body and starts treating his sausage like a lollipop. He massages the back of her head and lets out sighs of pleasure every once in a while. When she stops because the position she's in is uncomfortable, he brings her up so they can cuddle and kiss. She loves the heat emanating from both of them, she's enjoying him trailing his fingers from her vagina to her ass crack, and she's amazed that his lips haven't left hers once. They're literally attached at the hip, and she doesn't feel at all guilty for cheating on Cesar. In fact, sex and this special moment with Leon have made things a little less hectic for her.

* * *

"Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share!" Gloria instructs the children in a singsong voice as she plays music to make the process more fun. There are toys and books littering the pink carpet in the living room, and she wants it neat before they go to sleep. She turns off the television and gets up from the tan chair with black zig-zag lines. The kids bounce up and down on the yellow and brown couch a few times and land on their feet in front of the low wooden table.

"Can I still be a princess and wear my piggy-tails?" Christina asks.

"Of course, sweetie, but you gotta take off your tiara when your head hits your pillow."

"Then I won't be one," she mumbles sadly.

"You're always a princess, with or without it!" Gloria hands Christina her Barbie doll. "Now pick up the rest of your stuff and put it away, please. It's time for beddy-bye."

"Daya lets us stay up til nine."

"Well, it's a school night, and I'm not your big sissy. We got different rules. I want you to get a full ten hours of shuteye. Let's go, _nena_ , y'all got a big day tomorrow!"

"We wanna play dinosaurs!" Benny shouts, and his brother and Emiliano let out fake roars. "Julio keeps hogging the green one, Mama! Emilio took my orange! I want another turn!"

"You can play with Christina in kindergarten, little man. Right now, though, I'd like it if you could toss one in the box. Two points if you make the shot!"

"Emilio, Julio, she wants us to throw our things in there," Benny says, pointing to a toybox. "Watch me!" He plucks the plastic orange dinosaur out of Julio's tiny hands and hurls it into the toybox. "Yay, I scored!" Gloria smiles while giving her oldest son a hi-five.

"Great job, buddy!"

"Thanks, Mommy." He takes it out and hands it back to Julio. "Now you try!"

The boys toddle over to it and drop the items inside. "All done, Mama's friend!" Christina announces.

Gloria claps for them and beams. "You guys did really good!" She ushers Christina and Benny to their bunk bed and changes the two-year-olds before putting them in their respective cribs and kissing them good night. She tucks the older children into their bottom bunks and makes sure the comforters are snug around them both so they're wrapped up in them like burritos. "Brand new beds with fresh, clean sheets...what do you think?" she asks while sitting on Benny's bed.

"I love it!" Benny exclaims.

"Love it!" Christina echoes.

"Fantastic! ¡Buenas noches _,_ niños!" She pecks Benny's forehead and cheeks while ruffling his hair, and gives him a raspberry kiss on his belly, making him giggle. He presses a light kiss on her cheek. "All set for kindergarten?"

 **Good night, kids!**

"¡Noche, mamá, te amo! Yes, I am!"

 **Night, Mama, I love you!**

"Wonderful! ¡Yo también te quiero, cariño!"

 **I love you too, sweetie!**

She goes over to Christina, perches herself next to her, and plays with her hair a little as she gives her the same affection that Benny got. Christina squeaks adorably when Gloria tickles her belly gently. She'd been careful not to startle the little girl too much. She taps Christina's nose playfully, and Christina imitates her, placing her teeny finger on Gloria's nose. Gloria brushes her knuckles against the side of Christina's face.

"Buenas noches, sweet girl. I'll see you in the morning!"

"Bye-bye," Christina mumbles.

Gloria stands up and tiptoes out of the room while turning off the lamp, leaving only the purple nightlight on to shine in the room and display a pattern of circulating stars and moons on the ceiling. She gets herself ready for bed and is about to go to sleep, when she hears bawling and a short figure appears at her door. Quickly, she flips the switch so it's easier to see. Aleida's youngest daughter has tear-streaked cheeks as she stands there and wails for a few seconds. Gloria kneels down in front of her and places her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Christina...what's wrong, baby?"

"I had a bad dream and went potty in my pants," Christina mutters so quietly that Gloria has to strain her ears.

 _Shit_. She wipes the tears off Christina's cheeks with her fingers. "Alright, you had an accident...it's okay, nothing to be ashamed of. You know nightmares ain't real, right?"

"Yes."

Gloria takes Christina by the hand and leads her back to her room. She opens the dresser drawers and finds another pajama set and underwear. "Go to the bathroom and change, and then I'll cuddle with you until you go back to sleep."

"I tried to give her a hug, but she kept crying," Benny says tiredly as Gloria strips Christina's bed and gives her new light pink sheets and a Barbie comforter.

"That was very nice of you, kiddo. She's real sad, though, but I'll take care of her. Sweet dreams!"

Benny flops down into a sleeping position again, and Gloria walks to the bathroom where Christina has just come out, mutely holding her soiled undies. Gloria puts them in the laundry room and helps Christina wash her hands. The child reaches her arms out and Gloria picks her up and carries her to her own bed.

"I scared..."

"You're nervous to start kindergarten?" Gloria questions her.

"No..." Christina gazes up at Gloria in wonder as she snuggles into her side. "I was afraid of a monster coming in our room."

"They don't exist, honey. You don't gotta worry about that!"

"When are Daya and Mommy gonna be home?"

"Pretty soon!"

"Is the mean guy coming back?"

"No, we're all safe, small one." Gloria sighs deeply while holding Christina close to her chest. "I know what you're going through. A bad man hurt me and Benny, too. I know we'll be okay, though, because those who have tormented us are now far away in prison. They can't do nothin' to us."

"Okay..."

Gloria sniffles as Christina nestles into her, and her heart cracks at the thought of Christina possibly having been sexually or physically abused by Cesar. Suddenly, a vehicle stops near the apartment's driveway, and Christina gasps excitedly.

"Can we see who it is?"

"Sure!" Gloria brings her to the living room window, which faces their curb. They pull apart the lacy white curtains and peek out at Daya slowly exiting a cab. A minute later, the door opens and she walks down the hall. Her eyes are red, as if she's been crying.

Christina runs to her big sister and hugs her, but Daya doesn't seem aware of what's going on. "Oh, hey...I'm gonna get some rest..."

"Are you fuckin' kidding me?" Gloria whispers, forcing Daya to look at her. She's so disappointed and shocked to discover that the teenager is actually high."You smell like you been smokin', and on a school night, too! You're fifteen years old! What the hell were you thinkin'?"

"Yeah, well, a joint won't kill me," Daya hisses, trudging to her room. "Got a lotta shit happenin' right now...I was stressed out to the max."

"Then you talk to me or your friends...or even your motha, but takin' hits of weed...not acceptable! You need to apologize to Christina for ignoring her!"

"Sorry..."

"No, you listen to me, little girl," Gloria says strictly while turning Daya around and keeping her hands wrapped around Daya's forearms. "That ain't sincere, but I know it's because you're stoned...you gotta do that in the morning. Get your fuckin' head on straight. You're already grounded for a week, but try that again, and you'll be in deeper shit, _comprende_? You're supposed to be helping me fix your mama, not turning into her mini-me! Don't you be endin' up like Aleida...I taught you better. You're lucky I didn't whoop your ass!"

Daya groans. "Okay." She crawls into bed and buries herself beneath her comforter and sheets. "Leave me alone...you're not even my mom...can't tell me what to do..." she mumbles when Gloria rubs her back and kisses the top of her head.

Gloria steps back and exits the room with a sleepy Christina in tow. They snuggle under a multicolored blanket on the orange couch in the family room near the foyer.

"Is Daya mad at me?" Christina asks worriedly.

"No, princess, she's not, her head hurts, so she's in a bit of a bad mood."

"Ohh..."

Aleida comes into the house at ten on the nose, and she has a few hickeys on her neck. Her giddy smile turns into a frown when she sees Gloria and Christina together. "You tryin' to snatch my babies away from me or somethin'?"

"'Course not! She needed somebody to hold her after her nightmare, and she pissed herself, so she's understandably upset. Why don't you put her to bed and I'll get into my own?" Gloria kisses Christina's temple. "Nighty-night, Chrissy!"

"Night, Tía Gloria," Christina replies while hugging her.

"Luckily, cloth can be washed, so the damage isn't irreparable." Gloria watches Aleida take Christina to the kids' bedroom, and then, she too, gets into bed. She goes to sleep until Aleida wakes her up. She joins Gloria in the bed and they face each other while propping themselves up on their elbows like a couple of high school girls at a sleepover.

"How was your date?" Gloria asks eagerly.

A loopy grin crosses Aleida's features and she sighs dreamily while giggling. "I had the time of my life! He's smokin' hot and I think I'm fallin' madly in love with him. We fucked, and oh _my_ , was he good! I'm still feeling him...down south and everywhere else..." She trails off as she rolls over onto her back.

Gloria nudges her and smiles. "Wow, I'm so happy for you that it went well! When's your next one?"

"Maybe on Friday or Saturday so we can stay out later...and now I don't know who I really want between Leon and Cesar...I'm unsure of my feelings!"

"I recommend that you pick Leon, but you should wait maybe a few months to see how things go. Careful, though, you gonna have so many kids you won't remember all their names!"

"He had a condom, I guess his friend snuck it in his pocket as a joke, that's what he told me!"

"Oh, well, that's responsible, safe sex!"

"Yeah..."

"Hey...I just wanted to let you know that Daya came home...absolutely baked. I think she was on marijuana."

Aleida growls under her breath and punches her fist into her hand. "Great...I fucked her up!"

"She did it to blow off steam, but still, I had to ground her for a week. We gotta agree on that, though."

"That punishment sounds fine. She'd best not do anything worse, like harder drugs that could get her into serious trouble or kill her stupid ass."

"I know. You'll be able to keep a better eye on her while you're working in the kitchen cafeteria," Gloria assures Aleida.

* * *

"My cousin's real sneaky," Maria assures Maritza. "Alonso pretends he's their gardener during the day, makes friends with 'em, and all it took was one time for him to whip those keys right off the counter! He's not gonna return after tonight, and he's gonna follow us in Yads' car." The Dominican girl rapidly unlocks Humps' car while Yadriel and Alonso keep a lookout. "You gotta stop quivering! Jump in and put your hands on ten and two!" Maria waves at her boyfriend and he gets out. "Go!" She practically pushes Maritza inside. Yadriel rushes to the car and gets into the front seat. "He'll help you if you make a mistake."

"I'm sorry, I've just never done this before and I really don't wanna get caught," Maritza says nervously while they buckle themselves in. "Also, I'm sitting where his gross butt was, and it's so disgusting! Ew, ew, ew!"

"Don't think about that! Just drop this fuckin' brick and move! You wanna drive it into the lake...it ain't far from here." Maria gives her the heavy object and she gulps. Closing her eyes, she throws it onto the gas pedal while letting out a startled yelp.

"Open your eyes, turn left, all the way, then just keep going straight!" Maria instructs her.

The ground is bumpy and Maritza focuses on the path between the row of trees in front of her. Yadriel barely touches the wheel. As she gets closer to her destination, her confidence grows. "I totally got this!"

"I knew you could do it! Okay, now, here's the exact spot. Do kind of a nosedive...keep moving, but slowly, so you don't get injured." Maritza follows Maria's directions and breathes shakily as the car submerges into the water. "We gotta get out before it goes completely in, otherwise we'll drown."

Yadriel grabs the brick, they unlock their doors, and exit the car. They push it the rest of the way, off the dirty ledge, and then it sinks. Maritza gives the vehicle a good whack with a log and then races with the others into Yadriel's car. Alonso resumes driving until they've dropped Maritza off at Flaca's. Their work is now done, and Maritza couldn't be prouder of herself.

Even when doing that, though, she knows that it'll never change what Humps did to her.

* * *

"Excuse me...I need to use the bathroom..." Nicky announces at the dinner table while forcing down yet another gasping hiccup that sounds like a wheeze. They're having a healthy meal-butternut squash soup, salad, and bread with flaxseed. She wants to laugh at how she's being so well fed but extremely physically mistreated.

"Lily, take her!" Vee demands, and the girl rises from her chair. "Remember what to do if she misbehaves." Lily, or Suzanne, gently pushes her towards the restroom and once Nicky gets to the toilet, she starts puking.

"Eew, gross!" Lily exclaims in the background.

" _You_ try being punched in the stomach! I'll probably have bruised ribs or some shit."

"Vee only hurts people when they don't do as she says!"

"It's unreasonable, and if you had even the slightest sense of right versus wrong, you'd see what I'm sayin'!" Nicky pulls herself up to her feet, using the counter. She washes her hands and rinses out her mouth. After finishing her meal, the girls go straight to bed.

As Nicky, Taystee, and Tricia are putting their pajamas on, Vee warns them, "Don't leave your little sister out of our drug business, otherwise I can't take her in."

"Yeah, I mean, I really don't mind!" Tricia adds.

"Okay," Nicky and Taystee agree in unison, and Vee finally goes away.

During their slumber, Nicky can hear Tricia tossing and turning. "No...no...help!" she begs.

"Shut that bitch up!" Cindy yells from another room.

"We're trying to sleep here!" Janae complains.

"If there's another goddamn word comin' from that girl's ugly mouth, I'm disposing of her!"

"I can knock her out if you want, Vee," Lily offers.

"Calm down, Tricia's just havin' a nightmare!" Taystee says, and Nicky goes to Tricia's side immediately. She awakens the younger blonde who won't stop sobbing.

"Hey, kid," she murmurs while smoothing back her damp dreadlocks. "What is it?"

Tricia clings onto Nicky and whimpers. "I had a flashback...he wouldn't get off me...and then a panic attack came on..." she says through snivels.

"You can be here with me, it's okay," Nicky allows and kisses Tricia's forehead. She winds her arms around her little sister and soothes her back to sleep by humming a gentle, made-up tune and combing her fingers through Tricia's cornrows. "I'll protect you, always. Shhh...I don't want anyone getting mad at you..."

"There's gotta be a better mom for us," Tricia mumbles. "That lady who got you outta jail..."

"Yeah...I've hung out with Red a few times. She's always helping me out because get this-she was an aide when I went to preschool! Marka, my dumbass of a bio mom, wouldn't let her be in contact with me after forcing me out of that classroom."

"Wow, that's amazing."

They both drift off to sleep, but around three in the morning, Nicky, Tricia, and Taystee wake up to the sound of two gunshots, one seconds after the other. The girls gasp and bolt right out of their beds. They crowd together and look out the window to see who was hurt. There's police sirens and a body on the ground. Nicky's heart slows down when she sees it.

"Is he...dead?" Tricia asks quietly.

"Yeah," Taystee says gravely. "That's RJ. I guess the Statue of Liberty is out of the future for us..."

"How do you know for sure that's-"

"Nicky, I've lived with him for seven years! I know his shape, alright?" Taystee's voice cracks and she sits on the bed.

"We don't need to live here anymore. Pack your shit, girls!" Nicky starts throwing her clothes and toiletries into a bag. "She isn't grateful, no matter what we do! Our brother just got murdered. I don't know if Vee had anything to do with that, but when is something bad gonna happen to one of us? What's next, she beats me to death for only getting twenty bucks once a day? I'm so done with her! Also, this is an unsafe area to live in! I'm going to turn these poor girls into addicts! I just made friends with them and...this isn't how I want to live! I want to smoke and do heroin, yes, but I want to live in a home where that's not really allowed but I can sneak sometimes! I wanna chill with a clique, not have to worry about getting money from girls my age!"

"Where are we gonna go?" Tricia asks.

"I've got the perfect spot. We just need a cab."

"I have to stay here for R.J.'s funeral. You girls go on ahead without me. I know you were never really close with him."

"You should come with us. We'll find out details about his funeral. He was a nice guy. I'm really sorry for your loss."

"I need to just grieve in peace. Come by the Shake Shack once you've found your place," Taystee says while giving Nicky money for their ride.

"Okay, we will," Tricia says. They hug Taystee and hitch their bags over their shoulders. Nicky glances behind her one last time and sighs as they walk out of their room. They leave the shack and shut the door quietly.

It's just in the pitch black darkness, that tears crawl out of Nicky's eyes and down her cheeks.

"So, you were right."

"About what?"

"I, uh...I took some heroin that you had when you were arguing with Lorna," Tricia admits.

"What!? Dude, you pick pocketed me?"

"I'm a master at stealing. Well...it got me going. I wasn't sick from my period...it was...that."

Nicky runs her hand through her hair. "Jesus, Tricia! You're so lucky I'm focused on finding us a place to stay and stressed about getting caught, because if you told me that at Vee's place, I would've..."

"I'm sorry!"

"What you went through was punishment enough. Man, how can I trust you?"

"I wanted to get you more money!"

"Bullshit!"

"I hope you're not going to Red's house. I don't like being a burden on anyone, even if they offer. I just followed you because I didn't want the cops after me anymore and they'd call my parents."

"I don't know where she lives, but I feel the same way as you...I'm not barging in on anyone's life. You'll see when we get there." She waves her hand in the air. "Taxi!"

A cab stops by them. "Where to, girls?"

"Take us to Martin Van Buren High School, please." They go into the backseat and the driver starts out on the road. Nicky holds up an imaginary cup. "To our next adventure, kid."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMileyfan1, LindaAndrewsfan, Tiff, and A Star In My Universe!**


	14. Full of Ups and Downs

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: transphobic thoughts (Lorna doesn't know any better), sexual assault, rape, sizeist and racist remarks. Note: Nichorello's community service hours are from 4-8pm, not 3-7pm. I realized that starting at 3 wouldn't give Lorna time for cheer practice.**

At least three different alarms are going off at the Diaz apartment, and Daya groans while slapping her clock, trying to hit the snooze button, but instead, she knocks it off her nightstand. She yawns while stretching and rubs her bleary eyes, which can't seem to open, so she decides to sleep for thirty more minutes.

"Oh no, you don't!" Gloria reprimands her and shakes her out of her peaceful slumber. "We got a busy morning! No one can be late!"

"I fuckin' hate Mondays...can't wait for Friday," Daya mumbles.

"Yeah, that's how the rest of us feel, but you know what? We don't make it worse by gettin' stoned the night before! Get up, breakfast is ready in ten! Drink tons of these today because weed makes you dehydrated!" Gloria holds out a bottle of water and Daya takes it.

"It's too early for this, but fine..."

"You gonna be out of it, too," Aleida joins in. "Mm-hm, I know what you did, Gloria told me, and I agree with her. You ain't goin' nowhere except school or places with your family for a whole week. Your phone stays with us, too, so hand it over."

"What?!" Daya shouts, fully alert now. She can't have Gloria and Aleida snooping through her phone and finding the texts from P or John. "You're fuckin' playin' with me! You won't even enforce it!"

"Quit being a snotrag," Aleida scolds her. "This is what you wanted, right? You preached all about appropriate punishments. You in trouble, so I'm givin' you proper discipline. There's no way in hell you're gonna be a fucked up hoodlum like me. Getting high once can lead to an addiction if you ain't careful...and then drugs are all you care about."

"Listen to your motha," Gloria adds. "You gotta learn your lesson. Smoking ain't gonna solve your problems!"

"Don't look at it," Daya snaps while giving her phone to Aleida.

"We won't. It'll just be hidden somewhere and you won't see it til Sunday," Gloria says.

"You're just doing this because you love to be mad at me."

"No, I don't. I'm being a good mom here. I know I wasn't before, but Imma listen to you more. You're a smart girl and I expect a lot from you...so I really should take your advice about parenting to heart like I do with Gloria. I'll make you a healthy lunch, and you can tell me anything else you need."

"Okay, where's Aleida, and what'd you do with her?"

"I get it, you don't trust me...but you gotta hear me when I say I'm starting to figure stuff out. Look, I haven't touched one single drug since Gloria moved in, and I put Christina to bed last night. I ain't doin' mean things. I'm even dating someone new...and his only crime is being too attractive. It's only been a few days, and people can lie, but if I find out he's doing drugs or whatever, I'll leave him...and I really think I deserve another chance. I wanna prove that I'm bein' good. You can't just be a bitch to your daughter and then be mad and jealous when other people are there for her."

"Wow...did you prepare that?"

"I thought about it."

Daya sighs. "Okay, you got a month." She hugs Aleida and Gloria wordlessly and then they get the other kids up and eat breakfast burritos.

The new kindergarteners are very excited for today, and Christina only is because Benito will be with her. She's only shy around strangers, and Daya is happy that her baby sister will have a friend in her class. When they get to Little Stars Three, though, Julio starts crying when the teacher takes him from Gloria's arms, and Emiliano won't let go of Aleida's hand without bawling his head off.

"Don't worry, little guy, Mommy's gonna pick you up at three, and you'll see your big brother, too!" Gloria assures Julio while wiping his tears away and kissing his cheek.

"I need you to be a big boy," Aleida tells Emiliano. "Mommy and your tía gotta go to work. We'll get you after school."

"You're gonna make lots of friends!" Benny adds.

"Bye-bye!" Christina hugs her brother. "Mommy has to take me to school now!"

"Everyone has separation anxiety on their first day," Ms. Basara says as Aleida pulls away from Emiliano and gently pushes him toward the teacher. "Farah, Dina, can Emiliano and Julio play with you? They don't have cooties!" She turns to the boys' mothers. "We encourage that boys and girls are equals, starting at an early age. My granddaughter and her best friend are both one years old. They started the program six months ago."

The two dark-skinned girls she's referring to look up from their toy kitchen, and Daya notices that one of them is in a wheelchair and the other one is fake-feeding her. Apparently, Farah is the one who can walk, but Dina is unable to. Once it looks like Ms. Basara has gotten the boys settled and their wailing has quieted down somewhat, Gloria, Daya, Aleida, Christina, and Benny leave for Highland Elementary School.

Right away, Daya recognizes Miss Stacy as her camp counselor from nine years ago, and she's glad to know that this woman will be Christina and Benny's teacher. Even though she's a bit overly peppy, at least she's nice. "Hi, remember me?"

"Yes, hello, Dayanara!" she says excitedly while giving her a hug. "How have you been?"

"Great!"

"Super. Which one of you is her mother?"

"I am," Aleida says. "So, meet Christina, my other daughter." She tightens the girl's pigtails so they're higher on her head.

"This is my son, Benny," Gloria introduces him with her hands on his shoulders. "You don't wanna separate 'em."

"Welcome! Why don't you two cherubs sit over there with Michael?" Miss Stacy gestures to where a small African American boy is plopped on a chair with two dark-skinned women, looking a bit glum. "We start at eight and end at two, but it's fine if you need to get your children here early before work."

Gloria and Aleida nod in understanding, and they hug the kids goodbye. Daya bounces her sister in her arms a little, pecks her cheek, and sets her down to the floor. "Have fun, angel!"

"Thanks, sissy!"

"Bye, love you!" Gloria says after kneeling down to Benny's level and showering him with lipstick kisses.

"Bye, love you too, Mommy!"

"Don't get attached to Miss Stacy. I'm your mama, nobody else," Aleida reminds Christina, and Daya snickers. She stands back up, along with Gloria and faces the teacher. "Catch you later."

Christina and Benny skip away to Michael's table while holding hands.

"Okay, I advise all the parents to leave the room so the children can get used to being apart from Mommy and Daddy," Miss Stacy announces, and the ladies who were with Michael, join Daya, Aleida, and Gloria, and exit through the door.

It's not until Daya gets to school and sneaks into a supply closet to begrudgingly meet Mendez, that she receives a text.

 _Close your eyes, pretend you're someplace else, and remember, this was your choice so Gloria could stay with you. xx, P_

Like a hawk diving for prey, Mendez launches himself at her, and all she can do is tear up, tune out his grunts, ignore his cold hands and nasty penis, and be thankful that he's using a condom so she won't be stuck with her rapist's baby.

* * *

Upon arriving at the salon she usually goes to when she wants to get extra dolled up, Lorna asks to see Marcus Burset, as he's the best hairstylist in this place. He's not here at the moment, and she wonders if maybe he's at his other job as a firefighter.

"It's not Marcus anymore," the clerk says. "Didn't you hear? He had a sex change this summer... _she_ prefers to be called Sophia. I'll get her for you."

All her life, Lorna had been taught that anyone except straight, white, cisgendered, able-bodied people were gross, but through her years of being friends with the other girls, she'd learned to be more accepting. She still has many questions about transgendered people, since she's never been around them. "I was so used to Marcus, though!" she exclaims as the clerk gets up. "I'd always assumed he was gay since he was a man doin' hair and stuff. Why would God put him...I mean, _her_...in the wrong body? What if they're different from each other?"

"It's just the way things are, honey. Don't worry, I'm still the same person I always was," Sophia assures Lorna as she comes up to her. She looks a bit like her former self, but the facial hair has been replaced by a smooth complexion and bronzer, along with eye makeup and lipstick, and she's wearing a long, curly brown wig. "If you have more questions for me, I would be happy to answer them. Sit down."

Lorna plops into one of the chairs. "Do you still have your..."

"No. I got rid of it right when my wife, Crystal, told me she didn't want any more children."

"Oh...if you're a woman now, does that mean you became a lesbian?"

"I've always identified as a woman, even when I was a man...so to the outside world, I might have looked straight when I was with Crystal before my transition...but I've actually always been into women, whether I was one or not."

"Can I just tell you what I want now?"

"Sure."

"I'll have my hair in smooth waves, smoky eyes, and the reddest lipstick you got."

"Oooh, hot date tonight?"

"How'd you guess?"

"You asked for that shit whenever you went on one!"

"Yeah...so, um, how's Michael doing?" Lorna asks, referring to Sophia and Crystal's son.

"He's great!"

* * *

The echoing sound of heavy boots hitting the empty classroom's floor causes Diane to jump a mile and stop writing the day's lesson plans on the green chalkboard. She turns around quickly and her jaw drops in shock, and then she narrows her eyes with anger when she sees Alex's biological father-eyeliner, piercings, tattoos, tight black leather pants, black tank top, bandana, fingerless gloves, and all-standing in front of her.

"How the fuck did you find me?" she asks, malice filling her tone.

"Piper Chapman is all over the news, and in the obituary, it mentions the friends she left behind, one being our kid. It was easy!"

She circles each desk and doesn't look at her ex. "You have no idea who Alex is. I carried her for nine months and been her mother for fifteen years without you, and we've done just fine, despite living in a trailer park and me working four jobs to support us. The only thing you've done was give me her."

"I'm sorry, Diane. I had so much goin' on with the band back then...you remember how popular Death Maiden was. I couldn't think about babies at that time. I would've been a shit dad anyway, hooked on drugs or always busy. I just couldn't quit...but I swear, I've changed. I'm going to. I want us to reconnect and I'd love to meet the child we created all those years ago. I could even get back to being a drummer for another successful band, anything to make money for our family."

Diane scoffs loudly and lets out a sarcastic laugh while shaking her head. "You're a fuckin' deadbeat!"

"I want to try making things work. I know I was wrong and should not have done that to you, so I apologize, greatly."

"If we're gonna do this, it would be a secret because I don't want her to get hurt when you vanish again."

"I won't!" Lee protests.

"She and I can't have you just dipping in and out of our lives. You need to be in it for the long haul...being her father, at the very least."

"I'd like it if you'd consider being mine again, as well." He stands back and his eyes follow her wherever she goes.

"You're staring at me! Why?"

"Fifteen years have been so good to you."

His compliment is sweet and his cocky grin is sexy, but Diane wants to take baby steps; she barely trusts him after he left her to raise Alex all on her own. "Still the charmer, I see."

"You know you're the hottest chick in this place, though, right?"

"Don't you forget it!" She can't stand the fact that they're flirting, but it seems like she can't stop the words that tumble out of her mouth.

"Come on, bring out that old wild side," he urges her with a wink. "I know you've still got it."

"You can be my date to our upcoming school dance-a-thon this Saturday. Alex will be too busy with her friends to notice who I'm with. We'll take things as slow as molasses."

"Good! Need any help?"

"Nope."

"Alright, well then, I'll get going. Let's exchange phone numbers."

"Okay!"

* * *

"Thanks a lot!" Cindy shouts after the girls as they stroll down the hall.

"The party ended early because of you!" Janae puts in while jabbing a finger into Lorna's shoulder, and her friends get in front of her protectively.

"You don't get to fuckin' touch her!" Alex defends Lorna.

"Yeah, back off, _puta_!" Flaca chimes in. "You've already tripped Daya because of a harmless prank, which we've already apologized for, so you've bothered us _enough_!"

"I really don't have time for this today," Daya mutters.

"Me neither, I got other stuff to do," Lorna mumbles timidly, not wanting to take one glance at how furious Janae is. She always takes things too far.

"What you just call my girl?" Cindy asks roughly while shaking her fist at Flaca.

"I got it, Cindy," Janae says, her face still full of rage. "We could've all just stayed except for you shitheads!"

"Hey, chill!" Poussey interrupts them and pushes her friends back slightly. "There's no need to get violent! Their girl fainted, what are they gonna do, just leave her there to suffer?"

Maritza gestures to the thin African American girl. "Thank you. We were afraid the cops would come along with the ambulance, so we actually prevented that risk! I mean, hello?"

"Oh yeah, we hate the po-po, so whatever, it's cool," Cindy tells them.

"Nah, y'all are the same," Janae disagrees, but she and Cindy just walk away.

"I'm sorry, they're bein' fuckin' weird," Poussey apologizes.

"It's fine, we don't blame you for their behavior," Lorna mumbles, remembering that they're part of Vee's cult. They've always been this way, but living with Vee can make negative, rude people turn about ten times worse than they already are.

"Well, peace out!"

"Bye!"

"You've been fuckin' my girlfriend, huh?" Christopher yells, and Lorna snickers as she and the girls watch him land a clean punch into Joey's face.

"This is such great payback...Christopher, my destiny, standin' up for me after what Joey did," Lorna gushes. "God, I love him!"

"They're not talking about you, let's go," Alex mutters, attempting to lead Lorna away.

"Could you not rain on this beautiful moment? Thanks," Lorna says sarcastically.

"What?! I've never even _spoken_ to Angela!" Joey denies, rubbing his bloody nose. He grabs the front of Christopher's shirt and bashes him into the wall. "You want a battle? We can brawl after school!"

"She told me the two of you were together," Christopher tells him gruffly. "She refuses to go near me. You both deserve each other, lying pieces of shit!" he shouts while walking away.

"I'm so happy Joey didn't hurt Christopher!" Lorna exclaims. "I hope he doesn't this afternoon! Told y'all I was smart!"

"I hate drama more than anything. I'm on your side all the way, but I won't fight Angela," Daya whispers to Lorna.

"Even though I don't like either of those boys, I can't stand violence," Flaca murmurs. "Hey, Mari, want a piggyback ride?"

"Sure, I'd love one!" Flaca kneels to the floor and Maritza jumps on her back and latches onto her tightly. "So, I got an idea...write on the bathroom stalls about what Humps, Piscatella, Dixon, and Ratman did to us, but we wouldn't say who we are!"

"Yeah!" the girls agree and head to the girls' restroom.

"I adore those flatforms on you, Flaca, and your Platform Pradas, Lorna," Daya compliments them.

"Thanks!" they say at the same time while smiling with pride.

"After re-reading _The Bad Beginning_ by Lemony Snicket, I had a nightmare that I was forced to marry Humps at my age, because of the play in the book where Count Olaf made fourteen-year-old Violet do the same thing so he could get her gigantic fortune. That part of the movie coming out in December will be hard to watch!" Maritza says, and Lorna instantly feels sorry for her.

"We don't gotta see it," Flaca responds.

"You like that kinda dark stuff!"

"I know, but I don't want anything to trigger flashbacks for ya."

"It's fine, I'll just let y'all see it without me."

"I'm glad he's not going out with any of our moms or in Lorna's case, Franny! It would be like _Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire_ on the Disney Channel," Alex comments, and the girls make grossed-out faces.

When they go into the bathroom, Flaca sets Maritza down and the five girls slip into the handicapped stall after making sure no one else is in there with them. They get out different colored pens and start scrawling. Lorna takes a deep breath and puts ink to tile.

 _Humps told me his sick fantasy of having a threesome with me and another girl since we're the shortest on the cheerleading squad, and Piscatella pushed me to the ground like a fifth grade bully._

"That's awful," Daya murmurs.

"I'm so glad I'm skipping Bio today," Lorna mumbles.

"Ugh!" Maritza exclaims as she pulls back from what she'd put about Humps.

"No wonder you always want us to hold your hand," Alex realizes out loud after finishing her sentence. _Piscatella gave me a harsh pat-down...it was as if he was trying to break my bones or something._

"Yeah...I'm afraid to even see him, and it calms me. I know y'all ain't legitimately terrified, but I am, even if I _did_ get rid of his car!" Maritza states.

"Oh, how was that, by the way?" Daya wonders out loud.

"Fun, but scary!"

Flaca and Daya had just scribbled that they felt creeped out by these men in general and Dixon would slap their butts before sending them on their way. Lorna adds _anyone else wanna share their story? let it out, girls._

"How about we write about these corrupt teachers in the school newspaper? We could interview all the students who had been harassed before-even the former students-and we'll go on strike until Caputo and Fig hire new and better teachers and fire the bad ones!" Flaca proposes as they leave the stall.

"Great idea!" Lorna says excitedly. She and Flaca coat their mouths with dark red lipstick, and then Flaca touches up her thick black eyeliner. "Oh, we all look good!"

"Hell yeah!" Daya agrees.

They proudly stride down the hall because of a job well done. Lorna and Maritza are between Flaca and Daya, and Alex is on the opposite side of Daya. Maritza tightens her grasp on Lorna and Flaca's hands as Dixon and Humps come up to them and prevent them from going any further.

"Well, well, if it isn't the sasquatch, the runt, and the three wetbacks!" Dixon says rudely. Humps sneers at them and a queasy feeling grows in Lorna's belly. It seems like Maritza's doing worse, though, the way she's hyperventilating and very close to sobbing as she hides herself in Flaca's arms. They scurry away, and Dixon picks up his walkie talkie. "Get someone to catch Gonzales and Ramos, stat-and I need another person because I can't do two at once!" He rips their bags off their arms and Humps ransacks them, carelessly throwing their books, makeup, and phones all over the floor. Dixon grabs Lorna by the back of her shirt and slams her against the wall. She lets out a small shriek of pain when her body hits the plaster, and it takes a second or two to get her breath back. "You're nice and tiny, I like that." As he continues his assault and pinches her nipples hard, she whimpers. "You can be my own personal cheerleader!"

"She doesn't use-" Daya starts to say, but Humps starts patting her down and spending too much time on her breasts and the inside of her pants.

"You got big jugs!" Humps pushes Daya to the side after finding nothing and moves on to Alex.

"Just search me and get it over with," Alex says sharply.

"Of course, Bettie Page," Humps drawls as he sniffs Alex's raven locks. "Oh man, this lustrous hair..."

"Huge knockers on this one, but not much of an ass." Dixon snickers as his hand comes down harshly on Lorna's butt. "No drugs here!"

"I've always had fantasies of sexy librarians," Humps tells Dixon while frisking Alex.

"She's a dyke, maybe you oughta have a threesome!"

"Are you okay?" Daya asks Lorna in a hushed voice as they pick up their things.

"I will be. You?"

"Mm-hm."

When they go away at last, the girls shiver while adjusting their clothing and straightening out their purses and backpack. They huddle together and shakily walk to the kitchen without saying a word.

* * *

"Yo, you sure you think my shirt collar covers up my love bites?" Aleida is asking as Gloria reads the strange note a few times over. "I don't want the boss thinkin' I'm a slut or nothin'!"

 _Dear Ms. Mendoza,_

 _You might be curious as to who could've narced on your ex to the cops. It was Flaca-she followed you to the store and called them. She was just too chicken to admit the truth to you. Her leader was a nosy snitch-so you could see where she gets it from. I'm sorry._

 _You want proof, question her._

 _Sincerely,_

 _P_

"Christ Almighty, that stupid girl!" Gloria cries. " _Ay dios_..."

"Who, Daya?" Aleida tries to look at the letter, but Gloria folds it up and stuffs it into her apron pocket. "What the fuck you hidin' from me?"

"No! Ugh...it's not your concern, Aleida."

"Oh, what, you can be in my business, but I can't?"

"Why don't you let Gloria deal with her personal matter, hmm?" Red suggests, but Aleida just sticks up her middle finger.

"You better take care of this childish drama before breakfast!" Miss Claudette adds.

"Uh, we got somethin' to say."

At the sound of Flaca's voice, Gloria takes the piece of paper out of her pocket and gives it to the tall Mexican girl. She gives a head nod to Aleida as a cue for her to leave them alone and then folds her arms across her chest. "I assume you were in on it, too, Maritza, since you're here?" Flaca stares at the note, dumbfounded.

"We got him arrested because he could do worse than a slap across the face and hit your kid," Maritza confesses.

"Yeah, we was just lookin' out for you!" Flaca puts in.

"Well, guess what, Lucy and Ethel? I had a plan after that happened! I could've gone to jail if those policemen understood Spanish! They raided my house a day later, but luckily...well, you probably know what happened since you were sneakin' around my bodega!" Gloria's voice rises with each sentence and her body tenses up. "I told you to stay out of it! He knows what you look like now, and he _really_ doesn't like tattletales!"

"We ain't gonna visit him or nothin'!" Maritza protests.

"He could break out, or he might have friends...in fact, he does...you are goddamn lucky nobody's come after you or me yet!"

"We couldn't have possibly known about the food stamp fraud since you don't tell us shit about your life! Sorry for only trying to help!" Flaca screams. She and Maritza tear out of the kitchen's backroom, and Gloria fumes while shaking her head.

* * *

The prospective cheerleaders run their fingers down the rosters, checking to see who made the squad. Lorna and Maritza jump up and down while squealing and hugging. Some others sigh in disappointment or happiness. The junior varsity team consists of Lorna, Maritza, Brook, Ella, Caitlin, Tia, Liz, Tiff, Ines, Kay, and Lily.

"Yay!" Flaca, Daya, and Alex cheer in unison.

"I'm captain, just like Piper was!" Lorna exclaims. "Maritza, you can be my co-captain! That's what I was last year!"

Maritza beams. "Thanks, you're so sweet!"

"Wow! Congratulations!" Maria exclaims in passing and gives Lorna and Maritza hi-fives. "I kinda knew you'd win. I just had an inkling!" She disappears around the corner.

Lorna turns to her coach and yoga teacher, Erica Jones. "I promise we won't let ya down, Ms. Jones!"

"Good, I'm glad! I have faith in you girls." She claps her hands twice in order to get the team's attention. "Ladies, listen up! Our first practice is after school today, from three til six, so I'll see you then! You can come in comfortable sweats!"

Everyone agrees to this and then they go in their separate ways, except for Maritza and Alex, who go to Physical Education together, and Flaca and Daya head to their English class, side-by-side.

Lorna watches out for the abhorrent teachers as she walks to History. She pulls her phone out of her pink purse and her eyes scan over her new message.

 _Don't be a sore loser like you were last year! You knew Healy liked Piper the best, even though she rigged the election so you'd win. Maybe you will this time, since Piper isn't here and everyone's scared of Pennsatucky, so she didn't bother to run ;) You'll replace Piper soon enough...you even scored fuckin' team captain! Kisses, P_

* * *

"What'd you think of that sub for Bennett?" Flaca wants to know as she, Daya, and Lorna walk to Yearbook and Journalism in front of Alex and Maritza, to block Humps from seeing the small Latina. Flaca's attempting to keep her mind off her and Maritza's fight with Gloria by talking about other things, because if she doesn't, she'll wind up feeling sad and crying over it. She rolls her eyes at the text from P.

 _Sorry, had to take care of that because you're too much of a baby to admit what you did!_

"She was okay...a bit boring and too cheerful for my tastes, but whatever," Daya answers. "I wonder why he's out. He seemed fine last week, right?"

"Maybe he had jury duty or takin' care of his wife?" Lorna asks.

"Or his husband, he could be gay, for all you know," Alex chimes in.

"He's single...er, well, he doesn't wear a ring, maybe he's just not married," Daya says awkwardly.

"Not everyone is even dating these days, let alone tying the knot!" Maritza pipes up shyly.

"Ain't that the truth! He could have a kid out of wedlock though, they might have gotten sick," Flaca tells them while throwing her arms over her shorter friends' shoulders.

"Come on, this way!" Alex says to Maritza, who appears frightened as they pass the others. "So, what did you think of that new song that just came out? Rockin', huh?"

"Yeah..." They wave at Flaca, Daya, and Lorna as they vanish around the corner to Maritza's Geometry class.

"I hate that she's gotta be with Dixon for a whole forty-six minutes and the rest of us have cool teachers for second period," Lorna grumbles. "I don't even wanna imagine how he'll terrorize her since she played hooky on Friday!"

"I know," Daya and Flaca say angrily in unison. They slip into their Yearbook and Journalism class and offer friendly smiles to Ms. Maxwell. The teacher simply just has the students take their seats in front of the computers, explaining that they have already been given Breathalyzer tests, patted down, and their bags or backpacks were searched, at the beginning of school, so she doesn't need to do it again.

"Anybody got an idea for a class assignment?" Flaca shoots her hand up eagerly while setting down her black bag. "Yes, Miss Gonzales?"

"We could take pictures of those in desolate situations, with their permission, of course, or like, have someone take a picture of different groups of friends dressed kinda raggedy and leaning against a brick wall near an alleyway and looking tough, or just homeless."

"Cool!" Daya comments.

"Yeah, it sounds fun," Lorna agrees, "and if they're blowin' out cigarette smoke or somethin', we'd zoom in on that, for details!"

"Okay, what would be the purpose, to show how bad some have it?"

Flaca nods. "I wanna open up people's eyes."

"I like your thinking."

The next class isn't so pleasant for neither Lorna nor Flaca, as they have Piscatella and Humps for teachers. Daya and Alex link arms as they go to Mrs. McCollough's history lesson. Flaca scowls at Humps as she walks into Biology and when his back is turned, she smirks at what Maritza had done to his car last night. She sits down and slams her textbook on her desk. It's not so much that she's afraid of him-she's more angry at him for making Maritza fear simply going to school.

"I _was_ going to start on human body parts, but they smelled so bad that flies were buzzing around them, so I've decided to have us dissect them instead. I've killed about three-hundred so far, so you each get ten." The students groan and some girls jump out of their seats while screaming.

"Oh, gross!" Larry yells.

"Ew!" Polly complains.

"There ain't nothin' in a fly...just smushed up black sludge," Flaca points out. Her stomach churns with disgust as a cup filled with ten dead flies is placed in front of her.

"Why are you so horrified? You're like Satan's wife...you should be pleased...unless you desire to swallow them, or I could serve you a live baby mouse instead? You'd eat it whole, or I'd choke you with your sexy black tights while munching on your bare legs."

"You're repulsive," Flaca snaps, staring at him coldly.

"Would you rather dissect your little friend instead?"

"Don't you dare!" she growls, and Humps snickers.

"That's what I thought!"

* * *

"I like someone who's unavailable," Maritza says as Lorna walks her to her cooking class, which Lorna had mentioned she'd taken last year. "I know the pain, okay? I'm heartbroken every time I see them together. I wanna smack him into the pavement."

"Who's your crush? I promise I won't tell."

"That's not the point. I'm sayin' that I'll just leave 'em alone. If you really love someone, you want them to be happy, even if they ain't with you."

"Christopher's not with Angela anymore. Anyway, wasn't Diane acting weird?" Lorna asks.

"Yeah, like we had to keep bringin' her back to the lesson. Maybe she's goin' through somethin'..."

"I hope it's nothin' bad!"

"Same!"

They hug before going off into their separate rooms. As Lorna sits down with the girls in their Art class, the only one the four of them have together, they see Maria putting on lipstick while holding up a compact mirror. She closes it while smacking and rubbing her lips together. Daya looks shocked and she gasps. "That's Jungle Red, the same kind that was on my mirror!" she murmurs.

"How do you know?" Flaca asks.

"Aleida's got every kind, and I tried 'em all out."

"Maybe _she's_ P!" Lorna suggests, and Daya appears to be offended. "What? She could be..."

"My mom's not P. She may be a bitch, but she's not sending us anonymous messages. She wouldn't threaten to turn herself _and Cesar_ in for drugs!"

"Oh yeah, you got a point!" Alex says. "It would make sense if it were Maria or Blanca, since they despised Piper!"

"Everyone hated her...she was kind of nasty, if you really think about it," Flaca points out. "It couldn't be Maria...she helped Maritza with pushing Humps' car into the lake!"

"I know," Lorna agrees. "It might just be a coinkydink."

* * *

"Hey...can I steal a kiss?"

"I'm wearing a hairnet, I look awful!" Aleida looks down in embarrassment while brushing her bangs to the side. She is, however, happy to see Leon, after the tedious work of washing thousands of dishes and organizing meals on trays repetitiously for four hours straight.

"You do not!" Leon reaches over the counter, strokes her cheek with his thumb, leans in, and presses his lips to hers.

"Aw, look, it's the jigaboo and the beaner!" an obese, bald white man remarks snidely while taking his food. "Your daughter's got quite a nice rack on her, though. Humps got to grab 'em this morning, and boy, was I envious!"

"Excuse me?" Aleida questions him ferociously, ready to stab him with the nearest knife.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punch you right now," Leon snarls.

"Just let me have my lunch!"

Aleida yanks it out of the asshole's hands. "Oh, _hell_ no! I ain't servin' you, fatty! _Dios mío..._ " She hacks up some saliva, preparing to spit on his beef and noodles, but Gloria shoves it at him and pulls Aleida away from the counter.

"That's Dixon and I warned you, if you blow up at him, Piscatella, Humps, or Stratman, who knows what they could do to you. Keep that firecracker personality of yours inside at school, got it?"

"Fine, I'll be a pussy!"

"You don't gotta do that, just...don't fight back. It's not worth it. You won't win."

"You the one who said I gotta stand up for Daya...and that racist shithead needs to be slaughtered!"

"I know, but he's a co-worker, not just someone you can kick out of your house, so you put your head down and don't say shit that could get you in more danger!" Red cuts in.

"Whatever, I understand," Aleida mutters, tossing her hands up the air. "Hey, Leon, thanks for comin' to see me!"

"You're welcome, Lei."

She grins at her nickname. "Hungry? I made you somethin' special...well, one of the head chefs helped me." She holds up a piece of apple pie.

"Oh, thank you!" He takes it from her, they make out for a second or two and then, they wave goodbye at each other.

* * *

"Mmm, who is that hunk?" Ouija asks, gazing after Leon after he leaves the cafeteria. She walks past Alex's clique and joins Maria and Blanca somewhere else.

"Now, that's a piece of man candy!" Jennifer hollers from another table. "Too bad he's taken by the new brown cook..."

Daya groans with displeasure. "God, this is so weird!"

"He's the dude Aleida's dating?" Flaca asks. "What a fuckin' god, I mean, holy muscles!"

"I suppose, for now, I guess..."

"If your mama don't take him, I will, because he's fine as hell!"

"Can you stop? You have Ian anyways!"

Alex smiles at Daya sympathetically. "If it's any consolation, straight relationships are boring."

Lorna shrugs. "Oh well, at least she's not dating Christopher!"

"Isn't it funny that your moms have the same first letter of their first names as their opposite daughters, like...Alex and Aleida, and Daya and Diane?" Maritza asks, and the girls giggle while nodding their heads yes.

"That is strange," Daya agrees.

Sylvie comes over to their table and wraps a red scarf around Alex's neck. "For when it gets cold," she explains while sitting next to her taller girlfriend.

"Thank you!" Their mouths join together.

"Aww, so cute! So, Al, Sylvie, how was your dinner with Diane?" Flaca interrupts their kiss.

"It was excellent! Her mom is the best!" Sylvie gushes.

"Yeah, we love Diane, so no surprise there!" Lorna says.

Alex hums in agreement, but lately, she senses that her mother has a secret. She wants to ask her about it, but she'll wait until it's really obvious. Diane seems a little forgetful today, like students have to bring her back to the present, as Lorna and Maritza had reported to Alex, but it could be just overall stress from working at a school where animals roam.

"Lorna got me from Earth Science and we practically ran to English class. Before passing _his_ classroom, we made sure he wasn't out there," Maritza informs the girls. Alex wasn't even aware that they'd changed topics.

"I'm happy you didn't have to see him!" Alex replies quickly.

"So, some fool left their suitcase at the airport and it had an iPad inside. Well, it's mine now!" Cindy bellows behind the girls and then guffaws. Sylvie discreetly listens in on this impending, interesting conversation, and Alex is also wanting to know what the drama is about.

"You should give it back to its rightful owner," Allison Abdullah chides Cindy.

"Nah, they so stupid, man!"

"Come on, Puffs, you gonna get your ass thrown in jail!" Poussey insists.

"Donte's in Lexington for armed robbery. I did it with him, but I didn't get caught because I followed your advice to ignore him when he tells me to slow down! I'm not in the slammer, bitches! My goal was to just keep running...but we needed the shit we stole 'cause we poor. Yo mama buys you anything you want, and that iPad belongs to a particular person!" Janae says.

Alex jumps when her phone vibrates. _I see where your eyes are at, stay out of other people's business! What, you're gonna take after Piper and gossip about them now? xo, P_

"We should not be eavesdropping," Alex hisses to Sylvie, so they direct their attention back to their friends.

"Did I ever tell you that my mom got momentarily arrested?" Daya inquires. "It completely freaked me out when he pulled me into his drug ring. I backed out after like, a day, and yelled at Cesar, Aleida's boyfriend, for not bailing her out and getting her into this or encouraging her in the first place. I'm so grateful for Gloria because she's well on her way to setting Aleida straight!"

"That's cool," Sylvie responds. "Where do you all live? I know Alex and I are in Queens."

"I am, too!" Flaca answers.

"The Bronx," Daya says.

"Brooklyn," Lorna tells them.

"Gloria and her sons moved from there!" Daya informs her.

"I'm from New York City," Maritza lets them know.

"Awesome!" Sylvie comments.

"That's all very interesting, but excuse me, I gotta use the little girl's room," Lorna announces, starting to get up. "This song is dedicated to Christopher MacLaren," she declares over the loudspeaker about two minutes later. She takes a deep breath and the girls watch as the whole cafeteria stops what they're doing to hear it. Christopher grits his teeth in fury. Vinnie rolls his eyes. Red and Gloria come out from the kitchen.

"Oh no, we gotta stop her!" Flaca says worriedly.

"Guess mine is not the first heart broken, my eyes are not the first to cry, I'm not the first to know there's just no getting over you..." she croons.

"Shit!" Alex yells as everyone except her girls, the decent teachers, and the kitchen workers start laughing hysterically at Lorna's off-key singing.

"You know I'm just a fool who's willing...to sit around and wait for you...but baby can't you see, there's nothing else for me to do...I'm hopelessly devoted to you..."

"Fuckin' hell, shut up!" Daya shrieks at their fellow students, Humps, Piscatella, Dixon, and Stratman.

"She sounds awful and pathetic!" Joey proclaims. It's true, but Alex hates when people talk rude about her friends.

"We'll take care of this, damn it!" Maritza chimes in. She and the girls race to Fig's office.

"But now there's no way to hide...since you pushed my love aside...I'm outta my head hopelessly devoted to you..hopelessly devoted to you...hopelessly devoted to you..."

Sylvie turns the knob and opens the door. "Okay, your _American_ _Idol_ moment is over!" Alex interrupts Lorna, but the small brunette keeps at it.

"My head is saying fool forget him...my heart is saying don't let go...hold on to the end, that's what I intend to do...I'm hopeless-hey!" Lorna screeches as the girls cut her off by removing her from the room. "Jeez, what crawled up your asses and died?"

"They're all making fun of you!" Daya explodes.

"Why?"

"You're being a desperate piner!" Flaca says harshly. " _Ay dios mío_..."

"Now they'll know about the Facebook thing, if they haven't guessed what you did already," Maritza whispers when they return to the noisy cafeteria.

Lorna scoffs. "Oh, I seriously doubt it!"

* * *

While Flaca is walking Maritza to her Spanish class, Gloria catches up to them with guilt clouding her features. "Girls, I'm so sorry that I overreacted. I understand why you had to butt in. I was just...being mum about it all, so you really had no clue."

"I knew you'd eventually realize that!" Flaca exclaims, her tone filled with satisfaction.

"We forgive you," Maritza goes on.

Gloria squishes them together in a group hug. "See you later!"

"Bye!" they say happily in unison.

"I'm so glad she came to her senses!" Flaca says.

"Me too," Maritza agrees.

* * *

"Can we do West Side Story for a play?" Lorna begs her drama teacher. "Please?" Alex chuckles while shaking her head. "I wanna watch it, too! It's the best movie ever!"

"Those aren't in my future plans, but if anyone else wants to do that, please raise your hands!" Ms. Rogers tells the class. Lorna waves her arm from side to side while Suzanne and Maureen do the same thing. "Okay, we'll act that out someday!"

"Whoohoo!" Lorna cheers while clapping excitedly. The bell rings and then Alex leads Lorna outside of the school as they link arms.

"Good luck, and don't let any of them see you!" Alex says. She wraps her arms around Lorna in a friendly embrace, and then Lorna takes off into a sprint, even though her whole body is shaking with nerves. She lets her feet carry her all the way to Starbucks, forgetting she could've simply taken a bus, and she trudges in, breathing heavily while coughing.

"I need...I need water..." she rasps to her sister.

"Okay, Lorna, you can come on back here." Franny waves her to behind the counter. "I think it's a brave thing y'all are doin'," her big sister lets her know as she hands Lorna a cup of ice water. Lorna downs it in seconds while collapsing to the floor with her arms around her knees, tucking them underneath her chin. "What excuse are you gonna give tomorrow for why you didn't go?"

"Uh...I was sick...cramps, maybe, since I gotta return for cheer practice."

"I hope that works!"

Lorna gulps hard and then refills her cup. She swallows the clear liquid and allows the ice to melt in her mouth. "Mm-hm..."

"Have you spoken to one of the school counselors yet?"

"No..."

"If they're not helpful, I'll research the best therapist in Brooklyn."

"Don't bother me about this anymore!" Lorna slumps into a sleeping position and is thankful that Franny gets the message.

She stays there until three and rides the bus back to school. As soon as she gets inside the gym with all the girls, Brook pounces on her.

"I'm way more peppy than you! I should be cheer captain!" the Asian girl claims, and Lorna flips her off.

"Ya dirty fuckin' hippie, everyone wants me as their captain, and Maritza's my second-in-command. That's what they voted for, _duh_!"

"This is betrayal!" Brook sulks and pouts on the bleachers while the rest of the girls dance to _Get This Party Started_ by Pink. It's the song that they always start out with, even though it came out three years ago.

They only stop moving their bodies to the beat when Humps walks in like he owns the place. "Well, come on, continue what you were doing...perform for me!"

Lorna feels faint and Maritza looks it, the way her face is turning pale, almost a white color. Maritza runs out while clutching at her tummy and Lorna follows her while trembling.

"Why did he come in?" Maritza squeaks. "He was leering at us..."

"I know, I don't feel safe with him around...at all..." Lorna squeezes her eyes shut tightly in order for no tears to come out of them.

"We're supposed to be the leaders...what should we do?"

"We can't let him ruin everything we love."

Maritza sighs heavily. "Man, what a day full of ups and downs!"

"I'll say!" Lorna agrees.

They cling onto each other as they go back inside, and they're relieved to find out that he'd left.

Later, Red drives Lorna to the hospital for her first day of her community service job of being a candy striper nurse. Dr. Brooks hands her a pink and white striped uniform and instructs her to put it on. The lady introduces Lorna to her patients-Rosa Cisneros, who's bald and dying of cancer and Anita DeMarco, who has blue eyeshadow and sleeps with a CPAP because of her respiratory problems. Both women are in their sixties and sassy, but nice. Lorna hugs Red goodbye and the doctor leaves before saying, "This is Lorna Morello, she is a student volunteer in high school, please be friendly to her."

"Hon, can you get me some needles and thread?" the older Italian lady requests. "I want to knit socks for my grandson. You know it gets freezing in upstate New York!"

"I'm not sure if those are allowed..."

The Cuban woman tuts. "I know you don't go by the rules, kid. You got it painted all over you...you're worn down after only being in here for five minutes!"

"No, I've just had a long day. I honestly don't mind working here..."

"Alright, it's your first day, I'll leave you alone," Anita mutters. "Will you let me call my husband, though?"

"Sure, I don't see how that's a problem."

"So tell me, kid...is that Dr. Brooks a fake or what?" Rosa asks. "At least you're smiley enough to pass as warm."

"Yeah, she gave me the wrong diagnosis...depression, which is far from what I got!"

"You know, there's a cute fellow next door named Yusef...you should meet him," Anita says teasingly.

"He has my disease," Rosa tells them.

"I have a boyfriend," Lorna informs the women.

* * *

"I hate this," Nicky complains as she holds a plastic bag with one glove-covered hand and collects trash with the other, like she'd been doing for the past four hours. "Marka would just hire someone to do it for me...and I'd sit back and relax, but then again, she's the reason I'm even in this position!"

"You're almost done, Nichols," CO Ford lets her know with an amused look on his face. "You're doing great."

"Oh, I'm glad you're enjoying this! I know that after today, I'll have only...a hundred and nineteen days left!"

"That's one way to put it."

* * *

"Listen up, you fucker! I walk and feed that dog every day, and what do you do? You laze around and watch sports all day!" Lorna screams into her phone as she places a few notes on his car, full of her dedications of love for him. "Don't let this go to voicemail again! This is the fifth time I've called you!" She peers through her binoculars and looks for where he could be inside his house while littering his lawn with Kleenex and candy wrappers. "Why aren't you answering, damn it?! I love you so much, and this is what I get in return?! Well, screw you, Christopher!" She hangs up and calls his number again when she sees him making out with Angela in his bedroom. "Hey! You're cheating on me! I will choke that cooze to death!"

Someone pulls her back from the house and throws her into their car. "Lipstick and dirt just don't mix, _cariño_!" Gloria scolds Lorna and then pulls away from Christopher's curb. "What the fuck were you just doing? What if the owner busted you instead of me, huh?" she whispers.

"I'll take it off, then!" Lorna scrubs away her lipstick.

"That wasn't literal...I'm sayin' nice girls like you shouldn't be doing ugly things like this."

"Please don't say anything," Lorna begs Gloria. "I'm not allowed to go near his house no more..."

"I won't say a word, but why would you do this?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that I get angry sometimes because my boyfriend can be such an idiot! He lets stupid Angela walk all over him and she said I can't see him!" Lorna sniffles as her nose tickles. She gasps shakily as she starts to cry. Gloria hands her a box of Kleenex.

"Yeah, guys can be like that." Gloria drives them to King Kone. "Here's someplace that always cheers me up, ice cream!"

"Yay!" tiny voices shout from the backseat, and Lorna notices for the first time, that Daya's brother and sister and Gloria's sons were with them all along.

"Hey, guys! Thanks, Gloria," Lorna says after blowing her nose a few times. "I needed that. Where's Daya and Aleida?"

Gloria scowls. "They're visiting that punk, Cesar."

"Well, if she loves him-hold on, why is Daya there? I thought she hates him!"

"I can't leave Aleida alone, especially not at the police station where she could tell on herself...and someone's gotta watch the boys and Christina, you know?"

"Ohh, okay, then. I just gotta let Franny know I'm with you."

"Where did she think you were before?"

"Storky's."

Lorna takes her phone out of her pocket to text Franny. _What you're doing isn't that bad...you're only doing it for love! XOXO, P_

She disregards it for now and messages her sister. _Gloria saw me and the girls at Storky's, so she offered to take us out for ice cream. -Lorna_

"You should put ice on that," Gloria murmurs. "Does it hurt?"

"What?" Lorna's confused until she looks in the rearview mirror and sees that she has a faint black eye. "Oh, no...I guess I fell pretty hard! What about your injury?" She wonders how Gloria got that.

"It happened a while ago, and I already took care of it. They'll have ice there," Gloria assures her. She parks outside King Kone and Lorna helps her unbuckle the children. Gloria picks up Julio and takes Benito's hand, while Lorna leads Christina and Emiliano inside.

Lorna presses the ice to her right eye as they all order what they want. She's so happy to not be home.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMiley1fan, LindaAndrewsfan, cornedout, Celestial-Vapidity, and A Star In My Universe!**

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	15. Friends

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Congratulations on being reviewer 100! It's my birthday today, yay!**

 **Also special birthday shoutout to Tiff (thecharmedwerewolf)!**

 **Note: Arturo's lines are in English; since he's a drug dealer and has English speaking friends, he must know English!**

 **Warning: Abuse, racist and sexist slurs.**

"Thank you so much, Marisol," Carol says while handing Flaca a hundred dollars. "You're a great worker, you got this place spick and span...I have never seen the playroom and our four bedrooms look so neat!"

"Oh, you don't need to pay me..."

"Nonsense. I haven't even given you an extra ten for watching Cal while I took Celeste to her doctor's appointment and making sure he didn't blow up his room." Carol pulls out a bill from her purse and presses it into Flaca's palm. "Here."

"Thanks."

It makes Flaca feel even more awkward. This is her late friend's mother. It's bad enough that she volunteered to be a maid for the Chapmans and they actually took her up on it. She'd only done this to be nice and because she wanted to spend a little time in Piper's room, read her diaries, and try to understand her. Unfortunately, she couldn't find them fast enough and the mansion's front door had opened. If anyone were to know, they'd think differently of her. At least this would help the family. It's not that working is a problem, it's this particular job of working for rich white people who degrade minorities that her mom would disapprove of, and Flaca herself knows she can do better than being a cleaning girl. Although Carol and Celeste are nice most of the time, they sometimes act like they're better than anyone who isn't them and it's clear that Piper had gotten her bad traits from them. Bill is even worse. He'd always say that Piper shouldn't be friends with anyone poor because she isn't at all like them.

"I'll give you a ride home since those buses are filthy."

"I don't really mind-"

"You're a friend of my daughter," Carol says stiffly. "This isn't charity."

Flaca rolls her eyes internally and follows Carol out the door to her Mercedes-Benz. "Oh...you got a new car. Sorry, I haven't...been here in a while."

"What do you think?"

"It's lovely."

Before Flaca touches the handle of the passenger door, Carol yells, "Wait!" The Latina backs away from the vehicle. "Did you wash your hands? I have to keep this neat."

"Yeah, I don't like stickiness either."

"Good."

Flaca takes her hair out of its bun as they coast along the highway. The suburbs slowly turn into an area full of apartments that are close together. Carol stops at the curb outside Flaca's apartment. "Thanks, again."

"You're very welcome, dear." Flaca gets out of the car and starts to close the door. "Hurry, I don't want any messy air in here. Ugh..."

"Sorry, Miss Two-Faced," Flaca grumbles under her breath. She jogs up her small driveway and uses her own set of house keys to open the Gonzales' front door. "¡Mamá, estoy en casa!" she hollers while closing the door behind her.

 **Mom, I'm home!**

"¿Dónde has estado, mija? ¡Es de noche!" Theresa exclaims as Flaca comes into their living room.

 **Where have you been, my girl? It's after dark!**

"Lo sé, lo siento, estaba en casa de Maritza, y mi teléfono murió." she lies.

 **I know, I'm sorry, I was at Maritza's and my phone died.**

Since Flaca doesn't have an ATM, she decides to pay Ian her one-hundred-and-ten dollars in cash and have him give it back to her in tens so she can slip them into her mom's purse, one week at a time.

* * *

"I popped two pigs and defended my family. Now, are you seriously tellin' me that you got a new man?" Cesar demands once Aleida finishes her tale of how her date with Leon was.

"Yeah, just like you were fuckin' your other woman behind my back! At least I'm being honest about Leon! You know, he texts and calls me whenever he can, and he visited me at my job today just to say hi and kiss."

"You got another deal goin' on?"

"Not with drugs, I work at Daya's high school as like, a server and pan scrubber," Aleida explains.

"That sounds boring!"

"It is, but Gloria says I can't pack heroin no more because it's illegal and not good for the kids, so I gotta do somethin' normal, in her words. So, anyway, you gotta dial my number and talk to me! I would do that if our situations were reversed!"

"Sure...and I guess you're cool with our relationship bein' open?"

"Yeah, if you are!"

"Okay, then! Yo, Daya, how you doin'?" Cesar asks.

"Just fine," Daya responds bitterly.

* * *

 _And she takes another step  
Slowly she opens the door  
Check that he is sleeping  
Pick up all the broken glass  
And furniture on the floor  
Been up half the night screaming  
Now it's time to get away  
Pack up the kids in the car  
Another bruise to try and hide  
Another alibi to write  
Another lonely highway  
In the black of night_

The radio starts playing _Two Beds and a Coffee Machine_ by Savage Garden. It hits so close to home and even though Gloria should switch the station, she doesn't want to. "Don't, it's okay," she murmurs when Aleida reaches for the knob.

 _Another ditch in the road  
You keep moving  
Another stop sign  
You keep moving on  
And the years go by so fast  
Wonder how I ever made it through_

"Um, when we visited Cesar, we saw... _him_ ," Aleida lets Gloria know as they drive to the Narcotics Anonymous meeting that Gloria had insisted Aleida sign up for.

"Yeah, I made a good choice in not going."

 _And there are children to think of  
Baby's asleep in the back seat  
Wonder how they'll ever make it  
Through this living nightmare  
But the mind is an amazing thing  
Full of candy dreams and new toys  
And another cheap hotel  
Two beds and a coffee machine  
But there are groceries to buy  
And she knows she'll have to go home_

"We threatened him," Daya admits.

"Why would you do that?" Gloria shrieks, screeching to a stop. "Now, he's gonna retaliate! Oh my god...that was a fuckin' mistake!"

 _Another ditch in the road  
You keep moving  
Another stop sign  
You keep moving on  
And the years go by so fast  
Wonder how I ever made it through_

"Hey, chill! We were protecting you!" Aleida protests.

"I'm grateful, but I'm allowed to panic...don't ever talk to him again, please, once was more than enough!"

 _Another bruise to try and hide  
You keep moving  
Another stop sign  
You keep moving on  
And the years go by so fast  
Silent fortress built to last  
Wonder how I ever made it_

"I promise we won't," Daya tells Gloria.

Even through Daya's reassurance, Gloria is haunted by nightmarish flashbacks of her ex. She sends the children, including Daya, into the meeting with Aleida as she breathes through her panic attack in her car.

 _She's making his favorite, liver with horseradish, and it stinks to high heaven._

 _"Mama, can we help?" Benny asks. Julio tugs on Gloria's hand to get her attention. She looks down at their small faces and smiles._

 _"You can set the table, darlings, set out two plates and I'll set out the silverware."_

 _"Yay!" they shout, jumping up and down. Gloria just has to laugh. Her sons pull her out of her misery all the time._

 _"What are we having?" Benny asks._

 _"Papa wanted liver and horseradish, so I'm making that."_

 _"Yuck!" Julio makes a face._

 _"Why can't we have pasketti_ _?" Benny complains._

 _"Papa will get mad if I don't make him what he wants. I'll make you guys spaghetti for lunch tomorrow. I promise." She ruffles their hair._

 _"Why does Papa yell sometimes? I don't like it," Benny says._

 _"He works very hard and he gets frustrated," Gloria lies._

 _"Can you tell him to stop and calm down?" Benny asks._

 _"I can try," she fibs again. Gloria will never tell him what to do anymore. Last time she had, she was in the hospital for broken ribs where he'd kicked her._

 _She quickly runs to set the meal out on the plates. The boys scramble to get out of their mother's way. They know she's in a big rush._

 _She tries not to gag as she puts the finishing touches on the food. She hears a car door slam from outside and she stands up straight like he always tells her to do._

 _She goes to get the door and lets five men, including her boyfriend, stagger in the house. They wolf-whistle at her and she smiles_ _to fake her disgust. She hates Arturo for forcing her to wear her sluttiest outfit in front of drunken perverts. All they stare at is her huge cleavage._

 _"Hola, chicos, you're right on time for dinner."_

 _"What do you care if I even show up? What would you do to me?"_

 _"Well, it's okay if you do or don't, but it's just…dinner's ready," she says in a small voice._

 _"Why do you walk funny, Papa?" Benny asks. Julio giggles. Gloria's scared he'll hit them, but of course, he doesn't. He walks towards her and she whispers, "Boys, go upstairs right now, to your rooms."_

 _She gives them a look that says she means it and now means now._

 _"Why did you let him talk to me like that?" he growls, pulling her close to the front of him._

 _"I sent them up to their rooms. Actions speak louder than words," she says in barely a whisper._

 _He pushes her to the table and pulls her down by her hair. She lands on the chair with a loud thunk. He grabs the side of her face and jerks it to his lips. "Do not embarrass me tonight, Gloria," he snarls threateningly. Then, he pushes her head away._

 _She walks around the table, pretending to converse with the men_ , _when all she really wants to do is hang out with her kids upstairs._

 _"Here's your drinks," she says breathlessly, setting down two beverages in front of the men's plates._

 _"Nice," one of them says, grinning and staring at her chest. She feels so exposed and vulnerable right now, and she just wants to dig a hole and crawl right into it._

 _"You want a drink?" the other man slurs._

 _"Oh, that's okay, I don't drink." She'd actually love one, but she doesn't want to be intoxicated and have them take advantage of her_ _even more_ _._

 _Those_ _are_ _the wrong words to say, though._

 _Arturo slowly gets up from the table and she stands where she is. He stalks over to her and slams his fist on her hand, almost breaking it. He grabs her by her shirt and walks her backwards_ _very quickly into the stove. He leans towards her as she leans back as far as she can._

 _"Stand up straight, whore." She stands rigid while he strikes her across her chest and scratches her across her breasts. She feels some blood on them. He slides his hands up her shirt and his fingers graze her breasts. She winces when his fingertip touches the wounded area, so he stomps hard on her foot to make her look at him. She puts her other foot on top to shield it. He forces her chin up to look straight into his eyes. She tries to stop her tears, but one slips out. She quickly wipes it away. He claws at her arms and she lets out a choked sob. To make her stop, he slaps her across the face, causing her to have a split lip. She can taste the blood in her mouth. He licks her lips and forces his tongue_ _inside_ _her mouth. He smells of alcohol and she tries not to cough. The men are chortling at her and calling her a slut under their breaths._

 _"You will drink if someone tells you to, bitch, you got that?" he hisses._

 _"Yes," she whimpers._

 _He looks her up and down and notes, "Clumsy, huh?"_

 _Gloria tries hard not to grit her teeth. She just nods and agrees with, "Yeah, that's me."_

 _"Don't be clumsy," he growls. His fist comes in contact with her jaw. He'd broken another tooth. She collapses from the blow, and he pulls at her wrist to get her up._

 _"Let's try it again," he says, pushing her towards the man who had offered her a drink. She almost falls into him. Then the man touches her butt so she flinches._

 _"You sure got a fine lookin' girlfriend there, Arturo," he drawls drunkenly._

 _"She's my little plaything, but you can share her anytime you'd like, buddy," he says, a sick grin stretching across his smug face._

 _Gloria shivers as she realizes what he means. They could gang rape her right here, and she won't be able to tell a soul. She tells herself all the time, she's doing this for her children, she has to be strong for them._

 _Another man pulls her into his lap and puts his hands on her waist. He tries to make her do a lap-dance, but she barely moves. His nails dig into her side and she cries out a little in pain._

 _"Teach her a lesson," Arturo sniggers._

 _She's passed like a gift from man to man until Arturo decides it's time for them to go home and Gloria can finally eat a smidgeon of what he had. Some nights, though, she'd go to sleep hungry._

" _Ay dios mío_..." she whispers, opening her eyes and gasping in and out deeply. "I've escaped him...I'm in my car...that I share with Aleida...I live with my best friend and our kids now...I'm okay. I'll be fine." With shaking hands, she touches everything to make sure it's real-the steering wheel, windows, ceiling, glove compartment, floor, and gas pedal. It's not often that Gloria hates herself, but she has moments of self-loathing when she thinks about how she went off the deep end with Flaca and Maritza in school and Daya and Aleida just a while ago. She realizes that she needs to have a discussion with the other women about what to do if Arturo ever gets bailed out or escapes prison.

She'd cleaned the mess while he was out and then, she'd taken a train from Brooklyn to Queens with her boys sleeping against her, and they rode for forty-six minutes in complete silence, with that one song replaying over and over in her head.

* * *

"I'm very proud of you, _solnyshko_ , and you too, Tricia," Red lets Nicky and Tricia know as they exit the Narcotics Anonymous building, Nicky in between the Russian woman and her little sister.

"What does that word mean, _sol-neesh-ko_?" Nicky tries to sound it out.

"Little sun...my papa would call me that when I was a child."

"Thanks for the compliment. So, where are we going now? Home is the last place I wanna be."

"We can go to my house, if you want."

"Sure!" Tricia says enthusiastically.

Red ends up making the girls a nice dinner-corn and leek quiche with a fried sage garnish. She has them help her, mostly teaching them how not to ruin the food. It's delicious, and they tell her so.

"Glad you love my cooking. Would you two like to spend the night?"

The offer sounds tempting, but they decline. "Actually, we were planning on hanging out at Storky's with Taystee," Nicky lies. She plans to have Red take them there, but then venture towards a bar that she used to sneak into to seek refuge. It's got black leather seats, red walls, bright neon colors from the lights, smoke from people getting high, and young girls either going there to rebel, or they've lost their way and don't want to go home.

"Okay, get your shoes on, and then we'll go."

As they're all about to leave, someone knocks on Red's door. The doorbell rings shortly afterwards. "Who is it?" Red asks.

"Gloria and the rest of us!" a Spanish-accented voice sounds from outside.

Red opens the door and smiles at her friends as they walk in. "Hello, ladies!" They hug her and then politely wave at Nicky and Tricia. Nicky recognizes them from the hospital, but she's sure she's seen Gloria with her drug dealing boyfriend a few other times at Vee's, up until last Thursday. The women had verbally fought because Gloria made a yummy cake for Vee, while the Latina got stale cigarettes in return. Nicky sympathized with Gloria, but never dared to express that to Vee. Red sends Nicky and Tricia upstairs because apparently, Gloria had told her that the ladies need to speak in private.

The girls tiptoe downstairs and decide to overhear the women's conversation just out of curiosity. They press their backs against the wall and don't make one peep.

"...gotta decide what to do if he gets out. He'll hunt me down, that's for sure...and what if he finds the kids first...or hurts one of you or your children, or your sister, Franny?" Gloria asks worriedly.

"Oh, I'd dare him to!" Red declares.

"Yeah, I'd beat him with a poker stick!" Aleida chimes in.

"I'd call the cops," Franny says.

"How can we protect our kids?" Diane asks. "Are you sure they can't know about that asshole?"

"Well, Daya is aware of him, and so are Flaca and Maritza...that's probably enough," Gloria answers. "It's personal...we're the adults here, so we gotta make sure nothin' happens! I doubt he knows who my friends and their children are, anyway. Even if he's stalking me, he wouldn't know any of your names-only your faces. Maybe just tell 'em to watch out for a man who says he's Arturo or that he's lookin' for me since he's a danger to everyone?"

Nicky remembers it clearly now. As Gloria and Arturo were leaving Vee's place, he'd been gripping her wrist tightly and berating her in Vee's defense. At first, Nicky had thought nothing of it since she didn't know either of them, but at this point, she realizes that this Arturo guy is, or was, actually abusive to Gloria, but has been put away. She glances over at Tricia warily and they sneak back upstairs.

"Dude..." Tricia starts.

"I know."

* * *

Red and Diane glare at Arturo as they sit in front of him. "If you by chance see the outside world again, I'll send the Russian mob after you," Red snarls at him threateningly, baring her teeth in fury. "They really loathe animals like you, who take pleasure in making women and children suffer."

The bastard scoffs. "Don't bother trying to scare me. Two other whores visited me with meaningless words, and some old lady said she'd murder me over the phone!"

"We are all very serious, you dumbass fucker!" Diane growls while balling her hands up into fists on the table. "You hurt your girlfriend and her son. If you touch another hair on their heads again, you _will_ be sorry!"

"Oooh, spooky!" he says tauntingly. The monster stands and leaves them there, seething.

Diane then has to go to her nine-o-clock shift at The Sparrow Tavern. Alex is already there, waiting for her. Franny had already let her in and Alex runs into Diane's arms, her long black hair flowing behind her. "I missed you!"

"So did I, baby," Diane murmurs while hugging her daughter close and kissing the top of her head. "Those assholes bother you and your friends again today?"

Alex nods and then trembles in Diane's embrace. "Humps touched my hair and he and Dixon sexually harassed us."

Diane hisses through gritted teeth, feeling angry that she once again, couldn't keep Alex safe. "I'm so sorry, kid. They do that to me, too. I just wish that we could wipe out every motherfucker who wrongs us!"

"I know. Mom, he's into threesomes...Humps...and I don't want him to hurt any of us..."

"I won't let that happen, sweetie. I'll protect you," Diane promises Alex while cupping her face. They sit down on the seat across from the counter.

"You're not always there when they do that shit, though."

"I'm going to walk you girls into school. I'll make sure they leave you alone."

Alex grins. "Thanks, Mom! You're the best!"

"One more thing I wanted to mention...Gloria's ex, Arturo, is violent, so basically, don't trust anyone with that name, okay? She doesn't want him to find us at all. If he asks about her, we have no idea who she is."

"Got it."

* * *

"Hey, Gloria?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought of covering your scars with tattoos or something? I was thinking, for the real serious ones that show, you could do that, like a flying bird to symbolize freedom...maybe on the left side of your neck, where there's like a big burn mark. That'd be cool."

Daya has never heard her mother be this deep before. "Great idea," she comments.

"It would be...but I've suffered too much pain already, so the artist would have to numb me."

"I could go with you, if you want," Aleida offers.

"I will, too," Daya puts in.

"Thank you. I think Tuesday after school works fine," Gloria replies.

"Hey, I need to do a class assignment at the Sparrow Tavern with Lorna and Flaca," Daya announces. "Diane and Franny are working there and they'd be watching us, so it'll be okay. Could I have my phone back, just to send you what we're up to every thirty minutes or so, and text you when I want to get picked up?"

"What you doin' for it?" Aleida wonders out loud.

"We're snapping photos of homeless people who might hang around there, and also, we'll ask someone to take one of us, like leaning against a brick wall, as if _we_ were down on our luck. It's for Yearbook and Journalism."

"That sounds interesting," Gloria comments. "Okay, I'll get it."

"Thank you!"

Gloria takes Daya there. Franny and Diane work at the bar and they'd gotten the girls fake IDs so they can just go to talk and hang out. They only go if Diane or Franny is there, but the women don't listen in on the girls-they just make sure no one will bother them and that the girls don't drink. Once in a while, though, they're allowed to have something if Alex's mom and Lorna's sister are watching them extremely carefully.

"Hey girl, hey!" Flaca greets Daya. "I feel cool just chillin' here and listenin' to some really good music!"

"Same!" The girls hug each other and then their other friends.

"Should we do ourselves first or random people around here?" Lorna asks.

"Maybe us," Daya answers while erasing her messages from P and John.

"I haven't seen you with your phone all day," Alex tells Daya.

"Oh yeah, my mom and Gloria took it from me for getting high last night! How were you and Maritza not busted, Flaca?"

"That sucks! Her mom was away and I slept over there since she doesn't like to be home alone because of the whole Humps thing."

"Aw, lucky! I was actually thinking Gloria would be in bed by the time I got to my apartment and Aleida wouldn't care, but nope! They only returned it tonight so they could keep track of me. The most annoying part is, I can't even be mad at them for grounding me because Gloria's helping us and Aleida has finally done something decent. She's learning."

"Well, good!" Lorna says.

"My mom encouraged Gloria to get a tattoo to conceal her injuries that won't go away," Daya lets them know. "We're going to the parlor tomorrow."

"That's neat!" Flaca gushes. "I can't wait to see it!"

"I've always wanted to get inked, like a rose on my shoulder and a salt shaker on my back, like throwing salt over my shoulder for good luck," Alex murmurs wistfully.

"I'd love a red unfilled heart somewhere," Lorna chimes in.

"Those would be pretty," Daya compliments them.

Alex takes pictures of Daya, Flaca, and Lorna with their arms slung around one another under a bright pink and blue sign and then near a purple LED light so it glows on their faces. Then, they lean against the wall with their arms crossed and they glare at the camera. They sit on the couch, with Flaca in the middle, Daya resting her head on Flaca's shoulder, and Lorna's legs stretched out across her friends' thighs. They go outside and do the same poses, but while sprawled out on pavement and brick.

The girls' phones pinging interrupts their photo shoot. "It's a video from P," Flaca mutters.

"Yeah...of what?" Alex wonders out loud. They each open it and watch Lorna take a seat next to Piper on some bench. The brunette twirls Piper's hair but then yanks a fistful of it and the girls jump when Lorna punches her squarely in the face, knocking her out for a minute. Daya is shocked and she wants to giggle, Flaca's mouth hangs open, and Alex points at Lorna with fire in her eyes, her nostrils flared, and her jaw set. "You...you did that to her?"

"Yeah, I flipped out on her ass," Lorna confesses casually. "Don't be mad or nothin'..."

"Why? She was our best friend!" Alex snaps.

"She hit on Vinnie, and friends don't do that to each other," Lorna explains.

"How did you not get yourself kicked out of our group?" Flaca wants to know.

"I've always wanted to do that," Daya mumbles after getting over her astonishment.

Lorna grins widely and chuckles. "She was too afraid to dump me! You're all pussies, grow a backbone!"

"Yo, I tried, but she shunned me, and I had to grovel at her feet so she'd take me back!" Flaca retorts. "It even took Gloria yelling at her!"

"I wasn't good at defending myself against her," Daya adds.

"Do you know how bad this makes you look?" Alex asks. "P has incriminating evidence of you hurting Piper and you could be interrogated!"

"I didn't kill her, so get _that_ thought out of your head right now! Even if they call me in for questioning and tear my room apart, they won't find shit."

"You lied to us this whole time about Christopher...how do we know that we're not helping you cover up a murder?" Alex inquires.

"Whoa, stop!" Flaca shouts, jumping to her feet. "Lorna would never do that. I wouldn't put it past Blanca or Ouija to end Piper, though."

"Oh my fucking god!" Lorna shrieks. "You think I'm a suspect!"

The screaming causes Diane and Franny to start coming their way.

"No, no, it was just a little squabble," Daya tries to assure them. She gives Alex a look. "Calm down," she hisses at the taller girl.

"What's wrong with you girls?" Franny demands. "Accusin' my baby sister of murder?"

"No!" they say at the same time.

"Okay, well what the fuck's all this arguing about?" Diane puts her hands on her hips. "We usually kick people like this out!"

"Lorna was in a fight with Piper and Alex blew up at her for it. We're doing our best to smooth things over," Daya tells Alex's mother.

"When did this happen, like a year ago? Jesus, all the drama with this girl..." Franny mutters. "You four shouldn't be talking about the bad times you had with her, anyway. Just discuss fond memories or somethin'."

"I know you loved her, Al, but not everyone did and she's gone. You can't go around blamin' every damn person in the world for what happened to her-especially your friends!" Diane scolds Alex gently. "Now you work this out. No more yelling, please!"

"We apologize," Alex responds sheepishly. "You can go back to being bartenders."

Lorna's eyes water and she sniffles. "You gotta believe that I...I never...she wouldn't stop hittin' on my boyfriend, and I told her to quit...she thought I was playin', and I hit her...I didn't mean to make her pass out...I just...sometimes people _really_ make me freak out, and I..." She clenches her teeth and whimpers while shaking her head. "I hate it! I'm so sorry...I really am..."

"Okay, well, you gotta find ways to control your anger." Flaca rubs Lorna's back soothingly.

"Maybe take classes...and you weren't on any antidepressants at that time, so of course your emotions would be haywire," Daya puts in.

"Again with the pills! I don't need them," Lorna says simply. "Where's Maritza, by the way? Just curious!"

"Maria set her up with her cousin, Alonso," Flaca responds. "He helped 'em in destroyin' Humps' car, so yeah. Ignoring your problems won't make 'em go away. Could you let us-"

"It's not your business! We should continue our little project and look for some homeless youth or somethin'." Lorna wipes her eyes. "Come on."

The girls sigh and follow her to where they see Nicky and Tricia, surprisingly. "I thought you were living somewhere!" Alex points out.

"We are, but we wanna relax here and your mom allowed us in," Nicky tells her.

"Okay, well, we're doing a school thing and takin' pics of those without shelter...so would you head outside and be our models...please?" Daya wants to know.

"Sure, sounds cool," Tricia replies.

"We look raggedy enough to pass, I suppose," Nicky says, and Lorna giggles.

They exit the building and point their cameras at the blondes. Nicky hooks her thumbs through the loops on her sweatpants and slouches against the brick wall with her hair hiding part of her face. Tricia curls up next to her and closes her eyes.

"Nice, we'll call this one _waiting for cash while my sister sleeps_!" Lorna announces. "Now switch positions. Lay on the ground, Nichols."

Nicky salutes her with a smirk. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"You did a beautiful job," Gloria praises Aleida while examining her manicure. "Pink French tips and everything...thank you."

"I've been painting my own nails for years. It's not that big of a deal." Aleida blows on Gloria's nails. "You gotta be still for fifteen minutes so you don't mess 'em up. If you got an itch, I'll scratch it for ya."

"You should run a salon!" Gloria encourages her. "Of course, you would need your GED and then beauty school for your cosmetology license, but-"

"I got a job anyway and it pays ten bucks per hour. I don't even know how to write a resume. What the fuck's a GED anyway? Gloria, nah, I'm too stupid!" Aleida dismisses it with a wave of her hand.

"No, you ain't! You have a passion for painting nails, mama. Not only do you love it, you real talented at it, too. I could go to any professional, but why bother when I got you right here? A GED is like tests you take, and when you pass, they count that as completing high school."

"Forget it, I'll fail miserably."

"Don't have that attitude! Have you ever thought about it, owning a nail salon?"

Aleida slumps in her seat. "I never noticed I was that good. You the first to say somethin'."

"That's 'cause you got low self esteem. Have you done anyone else's nails before?"

"My friends and my favorite cousin were selfish drug addicts and my mom was just...such a bitch." Aleida shakes her head, wishing she had Gloria in her life about twenty years ago. "Runnin' my own place _does_ sound great! I'll look up how much professional manicurists make!" She dashes to the family laptop and goes to Google.

"I'll help you study for your GED...and you gotta take classes for that, too."

Aleida groans as she clicks on a link that leads to information on what she could earn if she reaches her goal. Even though she's thankful for Gloria, she despises the thought of re-learning academics. Trigonometry was her worst subject. "I hate you."

"Love you too," Gloria says, beaming.

"Entry level's sixteen thousand, seven hundred yearly, or eight dollars and three cents per hour. An average manicurist's annual salary is nineteen thousand, three hundred and forty, and nine dollars and thirty cents hourly. Since I'm experienced, though, it'd be thirty thousand, three hundred and thirty a year and fourteen dollars, fifty-eight cents an hour!" Aleida informs Gloria excitedly. "Let's see about construction foremen...that's what Leon is." She researches his job and whistles slowly while reading about it. "Okay, half of 'em get a higher income than I'd have...forty six thousand eighty to seventy five thousand, four hundred ninety! Wow!"

"I know! Now, we gotta enroll you into The Bronx Adult Learning Center. I'd drop you off there after our preschoolers and pick you up on my way to my store and we'd work there together!"

"You're just too happy about this!"

"It's perfect, Aleida, you gonna succeed!" Gloria squeals.

"How will I afford dumb school?"

"It's free. When do you wanna start?"

"Well, you ain't gonna stop buggin' me til I do, so tomorrow." Aleida rolls her eyes. "Can't believe I'm doin' this...should I tell Leon? What about Cesar?"

"If you want, yeah. I thought you were endin' it with Cesar?"

"Nah...see, we love each other and all, but we're also dating other people. It's not a commitment."

Gloria raises her eyebrow. "You sure acted like it was when you found out Cesar was cheating on you."

"I did it right back to him! Revenge sure is sweet."

"Does Leon know this? Is he a pawn in your little game?"

"I'll tell him soon. I'm not playin' him...okay I kind of am, but I like him just as much as Cesar, so it ain't like I'm just stringin' along some random dude. He's somethin' to me. I gotta see who I love the most in the next few months or so. I'd be heartbroken if I lost them both."

"It's okay if you can't decide right now since you and Leon have only been dating for a couple of days, while you've gone out with Cesar for what?"

"Three years. He's Emiliano's father."

"That's a long time, but infidelity, heroin abuse, and a child's worst nightmare would make all that go away, for me, at least. Now, it wouldn't be so bad if he hadn't supported your addiction and just did a little drugs on his own or somethin', but the other shit...ain't worth havin' a man like that."

"We gonna fix things."

"How can you undo the kids' trauma? I doubt they wanna see him again."

"They'll hardly remember what he's done ten years from now! Daya might, but she bounces back quickly."

"I do too, but all that doesn't matta. She's still a child!"

An hour later, Gloria picks up Daya from the bar and Aleida takes her phone. They all put the kids to bed and Daya flips through a comic book before drifting off. She has a nightmare around midnight, screaming about being raped. Aleida and Gloria both hold her through her sobs of "Gloria, Mommy, help me..." and quiet sniffling when she starts to relax in their arms.

"Okay, shhh...don't ruin that pretty face with tears..." Aleida murmurs.

"You okay now, _nena_?" Gloria asks while kissing her cheek.

"Yeah..."

"Good, now no one's gonna hurt you, so have sweet dreams from now on," Aleida says gently. Daya snuggles back under the covers and closes her eyes, much to the women's delight.

A banging on the front door startles everyone awake and the children begin crying. Aleida pushes herself out of bed with a sigh. She has no idea who it could be.

"Get the door!" a rough male voice commands.

"Alright, alright, it's fuckin' one in the morning, whaddya want?" She opens the door to reveal an angry Duardo Velasquez, Cesar's cousin. Behind her, Daya is assuring Gloria that it's not Arturo through a yawn. The kids bury themselves in Daya and Gloria's nightgowns.

"Which one of you got him arrested?" he snarls. "I bet it was you!" He points a crooked finger at Gloria, who backs away in fear. The little children look equally terrified, and Daya and Gloria take them back to their bedroom.

" _Dios mío_ , none of us, it was a random drug bust!" Aleida insists. "Don't bother us no more with this bullshit! We gotta get our beauty sleep."

"Why she so scared, then?"

"I would be too, if some stranger was hollerin' at me when I'd continuously been treated as a punching bag by my ex! Now you gotta go."

"If I find out you lyin'..."

"You supposed to trust me."

"Okay then. I'll back off. Good night."

"Bye."

* * *

The girls would sleep over at each other's places if it all got to be too much. Usually, they'd crash at Alex's since she's an only child and Diane is an awesome mom who cares about them. If she's working, they'd go to one of the other girls' houses except Lorna's because it's too crowded. Sometimes, they'd camp out at the restaurant or the bar after hours or at Red's or Gloria's. Tonight, they choose Maritza's expansive guesthouse and invite Nicky and Tricia to their slumber party. They lay out sleeping bags and pillows and then snack on Dunkin' Donuts with Oreos and vanilla ice cream while Maritza's favorite movie _Stepmom_ plays on the plasma screen.

"I wish it was Friday or Saturday night or we could skip school and stay up all night, especially since my mom is away!" Maritza exclaims.

"Let's just do it, then," Flaca says. "I don't see the point of going to school if I'm just gettin' Cs and bein' felt up every mornin'."

"Yeah," Lorna agrees.

"I'd love to as well, but we really shouldn't. My mom said she'd prevent them from touching us," Alex lets her friends know.

"You need to go to school tomorrow! It's my first day!" Nicky announces. "Red made arrangements and she's taking us...me and Tricia, at least."

"If I have to attend Marie Curie Middle, you four should suffer through Martin Van Buren High with Nicky!" Tricia adds.

"Fine, whatever," Flaca grumbles.

"You might finally understand why we don't want to, Nichols," Lorna mumbles.

"Who do you mean by _them_?" Nicky wonders out loud.

"We'll give you a rundown of the school tomorrow. Most of the male teachers are assholes, but the women are all nice and pretty hot except my mom, I wouldn't say that about her," Alex responds, and the girls laugh a bit. "She's really sweet and pretty though, but don't hit on her since it would be awkward! I guess we should set our alarms for six, then..."

"Okay, but we'll go to sleep after the movie," Maritza says.

* * *

"Red got us new clothes for today, and then she's gonna take us shopping after school," Nicky lets her friends know on Tuesday morning. "How do you like my outfit?" She spins around proudly in her tight blue skirt, tall black boots, and white blouse, letting her bushy hair swing over one shoulder. The girls trail after Diane and luckily, had only gotten searched by Ms. Fischer, who Nicky thinks is sexy.

"I love it!" Lorna squeals.

"It's so cute!" Flaca joins in.

"Yeah," the others agree.

"Thanks! I'll read my schedule and teachers, so you tell me which ones you're in!"

"Okay," Alex says.

"Physical Ed, Piscatella."

"Oh, god, he's awful, but you'll see me and Alex there," Maritza answers.

"English, Berlin."

"I'm in it too, and the teacher is super cool!" Alex tells her.

"Geometry, Dixon."

"He really sucks...we have him together for third period," Daya lets Nicky know.

"Woodshop, Luscheck."

"We're in the same class! He's kind of a couch potato alcoholic loser who puts his foot in his mouth, but he doesn't physically hurt anyone," Flaca informs her.

"Art, Fischer."

"You'll see all of us except Maritza," Lorna says. "You'll really like Ms. Fischer!"

"French...and a name I can't pronounce."

"Poussey takes that, but we don't," Flaca states.

"History, Rikerson."

"He's not too bad," Alex murmurs.

"Biology, Humphrey."

"Ugh!" the girls and Diane scream in unison and Maritza adds, "Gag me!"

"Hey, Nichols, you and I gotta be prepared to throw up when we're in his class together," Lorna mumbles. She feels slightly better that Nicky will be there, too.

Nicky scoffs. "These men who you say are like demons...I can handle 'em. I've lived on the streets for three years! This is ridiculous."

"We're all triggered by them," Daya confirms.

"Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps are fuckin' monsters, honey," Diane mutters. "Take everyone's word for it. I'll see you girls later!"

"Fine..." Nicky grumbles.

"Okay, later, Mom!" Alex hugs Diane goodbye and the others follow suit.

"Hey, I got a text," Lorna says, following her friends as they walk in the opposite direction of Diane. They read it with her and gasp.

 _Hey bitch stop talkin shit i know what u said about me don't think I'm done if i see you it's bad_ _-Angela_

"How did she-how did she get my number?" Lorna asks nervously.

"Oh god, she's gonna kill us! She's gonna kill-" Maritza flips out but then Lorna claps a hand over her mouth.

"Calm down! She's not even here, and we can always report this to the principal. I can take that whore!"

* * *

After killing ten minutes at the library, Tricia walks with confidence to her own classroom at promptly eight-fifty, and twists the door handle. She slips inside and sits in one of the empty seats. The whole room goes quiet when they notice her entrance. She looks around nervously.

 _Everyone just seems so much…better off than she is._ She tucks some blonde dreadlocks behind her ears. The boys and girls are still staring at her, and she gives some of them the evil eye.

"This is Tricia Miller," the teacher announces. "I'm Mrs. Valduto. Welcome to our class, Tricia."

Tricia nodded. "Hey."

A brown haired girl turns to her and offers a hand for her to shake. "I'm Mercy Valduto. It's very nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you're just being friendly to me because the teacher's your mom."

"No, I'm being kind because I try to see the good in everyone," Mercy says simply. "I can see that you're a cool girl."

"Hm. Thanks." The girls shake hands.

A girl on Tricia's other side smiles at them. "Hey, I'm Allie. I think we should be the three musketeers or something, hey?"

"Yo, 'sup? Why am I so popular all of a sudden?" Tricia asked.

"You're new. Everyone likes fresh meat," a girl behind them pipes up.

"That's Neri Feldman…the gossip queen," Allie reports to Tricia.

"All right ladies, enough talking," Ms. Valduto gently reprimands them. She passes out a book called _Bridge to Terabithia_ to each of the students. "We're going to read this book aloud."

Tricia's favorite subject is English, so far, since she likes the book and two girls in the class.

* * *

"How'd you get let in here, you filthy dishrag?" Piscatella barks.

"I passed the Breathlyzer test," Nicky replies bravely. She flinches when he steps closer to her.

"Don't be smart with me! You're supposed to be in a cell as rotten as yourself."

Nicky scowls at the fact that Maritza now also knows she'd been arrested. "Red bailed me out."

"I hate that cunt. Take laps around the gym until you can't breathe, and I'll know if you're faking. Then, we're playing dodgeball."

"Yes, s-"

"Now!" Piscatella thunders at her while pushing her away, and Maritza shrieks when he thumps Nicky's head so hard that her ears start ringing.

"Jesus..." She begins to run.

"Thought you were tougher than that," Alex whispers.

"Shut up!" Nicky hisses.

* * *

Angela is actually back today, and boy, is she pissed. Lorna tries to hide in a bathroom stall since she's alone on her way to homeroom, but Angela kicks open the door and hollers, "You wanna get cut, bitch?!"

"What the hell did _I_ do?" she asks innocently.

"Christopher called me and asked why I was with Joey and he said he never thought I didn't put out. We figured it out that it was _you_ who made the fucking Facebook page, and now, _you are gonna pay_!"

Angela's not kidding. She has Lorna by the arms and she's holding her so tight that she's losing blood circulation. Lorna kicks her in her crotch and pushes her away. Then, her fist connects with Angela's stomach and she runs out.

Lorna passes Christopher and says hi with a warm smile, but he just ignores her. She doesn't know what his deal is, but she'll get him next time. She can't believe that they're smarter than she'd thought.

"We told you it wouldn't work, Lorna," Daya mutters, shaking her head after Lorna tells her friend the story.

"It was worth a shot. I punched Angela." Lorna shrugs. They're walking past her locker, when she gasps. " _Holy shit_! What the _hell_ did she _do_?"

Her locker has the word _slut_ written in red graffiti letters. "So that's her revenge. She'll probably be suspended. What an idiot!"

"Lorna! Lorna! Christopher told me-he said-he wasn't-going…to…your…sweet sixteen...party…that you...told him...about..." Flaca says to her breathlessly. _She'd been running at top speed from across campus just to tell her this disappointing news?_

"What?! Why?!" Lorna shouts.

"He's mad at you for doing the stupid Facebook thing. I knew it would backfire!"

"Doesn't he understand 'forgive and forget'? Tell him I'm sorry."

"I did, he won't listen because he's stupid!"

* * *

English is next, and Alex and Nicky crowd around Maritza as they walk her to Geometry. When they get into their own class, Alex introduces Nicky to Ms. Berlin. The older lady has her red hair in a low pony and says that everyone can call her Freida if they want to. She has them read _Macbeth_ and jokes around with Alex and a few other students in the class who love her dry humor, Nicky included.

Geometry's a drag and having Mr. Dixon for a teacher doesn't make things better. He refers to Daya as a _spic_ and comments on the size of the girls' breasts and butts. He's a real dick, but Nicky is unfazed because he seems just like Pornstache, only more racist. He grades them on how attractive they are, rather than their intelligence. Daya gets an A plus while Nicky receives a B.

"I had to dock a few points because of that ugly hair. The rest of you is sexy, though."

Nicky's middle finger prepares to rise up from her fist, but Daya kicks her chair. The look on her face spells out that it's a very bad idea to entice him.

Woodshop is fun. Nicky joins Flaca at her table and Mr. Luscheck instructs them to build a lamp while he finishes off a beer. He and Nicky banter back and forth about doing heroin and whip-its and his laziness. She thinks she's found another favorite instructor in him. She and Flaca head to their art class together.

Art is with most of her friends except Maritza. She's happy to doodle for the whole period while chatting with the girls, including Poussey. Ms. Fischer not only has a heart of gold, but she's also a perfect ten and allows creative art-from drawing to creating clay pots, which means the only instructions for Nicky and her fellow pupils are to do their best and participate. When Nicky hits on her, she says firmly, "Let's have a good start in high school by not flirting with me." She walks away from the girls' table and they snicker.

* * *

When lunchtime finally rolls around, Tricia gets out of her classroom and buys a five dollar lunch for herself from the cafeteria. She grins when she sees a table where Mercy, Allie, Neri, one other girl, and a bunch of boys are sitting. She plops down between Mercy and Allie.

"So, this is Grace Warren, her boyfriend, Brad, Marco and Pedro Gonzales, and saving the best for last, Cal Chapman." Neri introduces the kids to Tricia. "We're accepting of everyone, but as for Mikey Morello, he thinks he can touch girls without their permission!"

"Hey, fellow blondie," Grace says. She waves at Tricia.

The guys give her head-nods. Mikey _does_ appear as though he's full of himself and the Mexican brothers are awfully quiet. Cal is the only one to shake hands with her. At least nobody is gawking at her like a piece of meat. It doesn't mean she wants a boyfriend anytime soon, though.

"It's so lovely to meet you," Mikey says haughtily while reaching for where he thinks her bra strap is, but she smacks his hand away.

Grace cuts up her homemade sandwich perfectly with her nice little manicured nails and the diamond bracelet sparkles on her wrist, and Tricia can't stop herself from feeling just a little bit envious.

"What's up, guys?" She means it as a statement, not a question. She chugs her milk and shoves a piece of pasta in her mouth. It's warm, and she's enjoying her food. Some girls pass them, looking on with disgust, while the others continue eating. Tricia smirks to herself. "Yo, this is good, right?"

"You've got a little..." Mercy hands her a napkin. "Sauce, on your chin."

"Oh," Tricia mutters nonchalantly and wipes her face. "Thanks."

"So, like, I've got a girls' night planned and we're all going in my mom's new sports car," Neri brags.

"Good, save it for someone who cares," Tricia mumbles, and the group chuckles, except Mikey. She whispers in Allie's ear, "Did I just bust up their egos?"

"I think you did, but that's okay. They need that sometimes."

"Dude, I was kidding!" Neri exclaims. "Awesome comeback, though!"

"Hey, you're really sassy," Mercy points out.

"I just speak the truth for those who can't say it themselves."

"Aren't you afraid of getting in trouble?" Grace asks.

"Not really."

"Where did you come from?" Cal wants to know.

"I came from New York City...with my older sister."

"How interesting!" Grace squeals. "I have a big sister, too. What about your parents?"

"My dad died before we were born, and my mom stopped breathing after the final push...you know, giving birth to me," Tricia lies. _They're better off dead, anyway._

"Oh, I see. That's too bad."

"Eh, I didn't really know them, so..."

"You should totally check out all the shops here," Allie recommends.

"Yeah, I think I will..."

"Why'd you come here?" Brad presses.

"I can't say. It's personal...complicated. We just wanted a new start," Tricia says coldly.

Mercy must sense that Tricia's feeling uncomfortable, because she changes the subject. "Hey, I'm not the only one with a mom who works as a teacher...Alex Vause's mom is a high school teacher. She used to go here two years ago."

"Oh, Alex is friends with my sister!" Tricia points out. "Yeah, she's nice."

Her classmates laugh and chatter away. Tricia feels uneasy around the snooty, perverted boy and the straight couple making out, but she finds comfort in talking to the others, so she does.

"Is Cal always this loud?" she asks Neri. To be honest, his voice scares her. He's also towering over everyone and casting a shadow on the table.

"Yeah, he's fun and cool, though."

"I see."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMileyfan1, Celestial-Vapidity, thecharmedwerewolf, A Star In My Universe, and LindaAndrewsfan! Y'all helped me get to a hundred reviews, so I'm happy about that!**


	16. Brighter Spirits

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, rape and some transphobia. Happy 420 lol**

When the girls get themselves settled at the cafeteria table, Nicky between Lorna and Alex on one side and Flaca in the middle of Daya and Maritza on the other, they begin eating. "You should've climbed on top of me when you had the chance last night!" Nicky teases Lorna.

"Shut up!" Lorna groans while she's shoving her ketchup and mustard covered chili cheese dog into her mouth and taking a huge bite of it. "I've already got Christopher...I'm pretendin' this is his dick." Their friends stare at her as if she's grown two heads.

"You are one fucking weird bitch!" Nicky exclaims.

Lorna winks at her. "You bet your ass I am, but at least I'm not a pervert!" The girls cackle at this.

"Hey, knock it off! I'll have you know that I've seduced many a chick, and I give such powerful orgasms that she forgets her name or how to move when I'm done!" Nicky brags. She jumps when she feels someone put their hands on her shoulders. "Jesus, Red!" she shouts in surprise after looking to see who it is. She thought for a second that Vee was standing behind her, ready to strike.

"Sorry for scaring you, honey. Are you two bickering again?" she asks Lorna and Nicky.

"Yeah, you gonna make us wear a get-along T-shirt or somethin'?" Lorna questions the older woman, and Nicky fails to hide her laugh. The others just shake their heads while smiling.

"I might!" Red says jokingly.

"I really thought you were finished with your ongoing witty banter!" Alex points out.

"It never ends!" Nicky responds.

"You started it!" Lorna insists.

"Alright, well, I was just wondering how your first day's going. I know you have three of the worst teachers, but are the rest of them okay?" Red wants to know.

"Uh-huh."

"Let me know if those rotten fiends do anything to you besides their usual comments. Do not take their abuse lightly. They are cruel!"

"It was fine today, except for Piscatella hitting me, like here." Nicky touches the crown of her head.

"How hard?" Red glares at Piscatella from across the cafeteria. "You didn't fall and get a concussion, I hope."

"No, I'm okay. It was just a little slap...kinda like getting smacked with a basketball."

Red feels around Nicky's hair. "No bump...did you put ice where it hurt?"

"I went to the nurse after class. He also kinda shoved me, but I regained my balance. I haven't had Humps yet, and Dixon just insulted my hair and made gross comments about our bodies, and I was about to flip him off, but Daya wouldn't allow me to. Apparently, they can do what they want to us, but we're in huge trouble if we defend ourselves."

"That's correct," Red affirms spitefully.

"Why can't you just call the police on 'em or whatever? Corporal punishment and sexual harassment, especially against minors, are illegal...and I was doing what they said!"

"They don't leave physical injuries, there's no proof, they're friends with the...wait a second...Mendez was arrested by his own co-worker for being corrupt, you may have seen that on the news." Off Red's statement, Daya physically shivers while nodding. "His mother bailed him out and he's awaiting his trial, but he is going to prison."

"Good, I hope they hurry up with it!" Lorna mutters.

"Me, too. I'll talk to that nice officer about the menaces to this school," Red tells them, a pleasant smirk growing on her face. "Enjoy the rest of your lunch, girls."

"Okay, thanks!" Nicky replies eagerly.

"You're very welcome."

"Who would've thought a good cop existed?" Alex inquires.

"My mom could be our lawyer!" Maritza squeals.

Nicky chuckles at the irony, knowing full well that she and Lorna are already Ms. Ramos' clients because _they're_ the ones who had committed crimes. "Awesome."

"Hey, you wanna see what we did yesterday?" Flaca asks Nicky.

"Sure!"

They quickly finish their lunch and begin walking to the girls' bathroom. "So last year, school started in mid-August, but the bad teachers forced everyone to stay 'til June. Everyone did a protest so they'd allow us to begin in September from now on. That way, it would be fair to have it end in June. Piper also worked out a compromise with Fig, who loved her, _and_ she got Fig to make our school public instead of Catholic, and stop teaching about the Bible as a required course. She was a kiss-ass, though...she did that shit for herself and maybe us, but we were never quite sure. She got along quite well with the creepers, but the five of us had a much better idea," Daya explains as she opens the door. "Holy shit!"

Nicky's eyes widen as she glances around the walls, mirrors, stalls, and sinks that are covered in multicolored and black written complaints about Humps, Dixon, Stratman, and Piscatella, ranging from feeling slightly uncomfortable in their presence to having a panic attack by just thinking their names. "You did all that?"

"No, more girls came and added stuff...but we didn't think there'd be _this_ many since it's only been twenty-eight hours..." Lorna trails off in disbelief. "See, everyone hates them!"

"Whoa! It's amazing," Nicky murmurs.

They lead Nicky into the handicapped stall and point out what they'd said. "We started an uproar," Alex says, pleased.

"They can't erase the words...it would take too long!" Maritza continues.

"We'll definitely put this in our article for Yearbook and Journalism class...quiet riot!" Flaca beams.

"Great job!" Nicky compliments them. "I'll squeeze something in." She pulls a blue pen out of her bag and scribbles, _Piscatella's a violent motherfucker, Dixon needs his penis cut off, and I haven't had a Humps encounter yet, but I want to kill him for tormenting my friends! How the fuck dare they make our lives miserable like this?_ She puts it right underneath Lorna's sentence, and the girls give her hi-fives.

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. "Okay, we're gonna take Maritza to her cooking class now and then disperse, and then we'll get her after it's over. I took cooking with Flaca and Daya last year!" Lorna announces. "We always walk to classes together if we can, and hold someone's hand if they're feeling nervous."

"Oh, cool!" Nicky comments.

"My sister is such a worrywart...she's skeptical that Arturo might choose a different name for himself!"

"Yeah, Red mentioned that, too. Well, we should be careful of the strangers we encounter."

"What are we supposed to do, lock ourselves away and not talk to anyone?"

"No, but we should kinda travel as a group when we're out in the world, or at least not alone," Alex replies.

"Yeah," the Hispanic girls agree all together.

Nicky's French and History classes are uneventful, but not boring since she's already found a friend in Poussey and is a whiz in both subjects. She goes to Biology and Daya passes her on her way out of the classroom. There's a horrible stink emanating from it, and Daya appears as if she's about to puke.

"Oh god, what is that?" Nicky wonders out loud while wrinkling her nose.

"I'm not sure I'm interested in finding out."

"Hey, Alex and I just dropped Maritza off in the cafeteria's backroom," Lorna whispers. "She's done for the day, lucky girl!"

Daya coughs. "Cool...sorry, I've gotta run!" She literally zooms down the hall and Nicky holds her nose and breathes out her mouth as she and Lorna go into the dreaded class. Humps is blending something black and Nicky senses that it isn't a food or drink. He pulls handfuls out and smears it across each desk.

"Cockroaches," is all he says as the students file in.

"Fuckin' shit..." Nicky mutters, and she and Lorna take their seats. They back away from the goo as far as they can.

"Where were you yesterday?" he roars at Lorna, and she yelps when he gets way too close to her face.

"I...I had an emergency...at home..." she says shakily.

"Hey, get out of her personal space!" Nicky shouts.

"Shut up," he hisses. "I know I won't be letting you two team up against me, so from now on, you will be divided."

* * *

There's a new girl in class today, with untamed hair, big eyes, and an outfit that Pennsatucky adores. Humps pairs them together, as he's assigning lab partners for the rest of the year. She's surprised that Lorna hasn't noticed her yet, and they've been in the same class for a week now. Everyone is nervous around her, but the teacher is scarier. They should be more cautious of him, rather than Pennsatucky. When Lorna is aware that Pennsatucky and Nicky are going to work with each other, though, shock and dismay cross her face.

"You look like you've been sparked with electricity," Pennsatucky mentions when Nicky plops onto the chair next to her. "Not an insult, just an observation."

Nicky smirks. "That's what people always tell me."

"Really?"

"Nah, I've never heard that one before."

"Has Lorna talked about me yet?"

"No...should she?"

Pennsatucky shrugs. "I was just wonderin'. It's just almost the whole school despises me 'cause of her and her friends, but it was mostly Piper Chapman, who could defend her damn self, by the way. She punched me twenty-three times in a fight...knocked out all my teeth, too. Of course, I lost some from doin' meth, but it cost Boo, my foster mama, a fuckin' fortune to get me a good dentist and new teeth."

"How come her name's Boo? Does she scare people away or somethin'?"

Pennsatucky chortles. "A bit, but she's cool once you get to know her. She's one of them butch dykes."

"Huh...I've heard stories about this _Piper_...not very positive ones. She's dead now, so I guess she's some other being's problem."

"Yeah..." Pennsatucky chuckles. "I didn't kill that bitch like everyone thinks...even though I wish I did, but I did use to tell her she belonged in Hell."

"You had a right mind to wanna murder her. Do you still believe that her soul should be swallowed by flames?"

"I dunno anymore...because that would mean there's a Heaven and God, but I doubt there is, because He woulda never let me get raped in jail for somethin' I never fuckin' did..."

"Mendez? I'm only askin' 'cause he was real rapey when he arrested me for sellin' heroin."

"No, another guard...Coates," Pennsatucky says icily.

"I'm really sorry..."

 _When CO Coates' hands go to the bottom of Pennsatucky's shirt and start to lift it up, she gently pulls them off. "Please, not now." Her voice is already thick with oncoming tears._

 _"Baby, I'll make you feel good. The sight of you has got me all hot and bothered," he slurs_ _, his hands going to the waistline of her skirt and leggings. She snaps out of it and slaps his hands away roughly. "I said no!" she says, trying to sound more forceful._

 _"Come on, I love you," he pleads. "Baby…" he groans as he pulls her into his lap. "I want you," He inches his hands slowly up her back under her shirt to undo her bra. She squirms to get away from him and looks him in the eyes. "Look into my eyes and tell me that you love me."_

 _"I love you, but your makeup is running down your cheeks, so I can't look into your eyes," he says smugly, his eyes flickering from her eyes to her chest. "Now let me have you. I need you, you're like a drug to me." He grins in triumph as his hands find her nipples and starts_ _grunting and kissing the back of her neck and shoulders. He massages her breasts while she tries to get him off her._

 _"But I'm not ready, and if you truly and honestly loved me, then you would wait!" she hollers, pulling her legs out from under her and pushing him away by kicking him in the chest with both her feet. He groans in pain, but keeps at it, licking his lips._

 _"Damn, you're so hot and feisty! Relax, dear one, I won't hurt you!"_

"He was no different than Abe, this guy at the party I went to this weekend...Boo dragged him to an empty alley when I told her what he did, and she beat the shit out of him until he was dead, and then, she burned the body!"

"Wow...she sounds great!"

"She is! You could come to my house after school if you wanna meet her."

"Okay, I will, after I finish community service at eight!"

* * *

"Gloria has their shared car...it's like her casual way of making sure Aleida attends the classes. She's taken over paying for her schooling...all of ours, actually. She takes morning and noon classes on Tuesdays and Fridays at the Bronx Adult Learning Center, and only evening ones for the rest of the week," Daya lets the girls know as they stroll to the kitchen.

"How can Gloria prevent Aleida from taking a bus or somethin' or walkin' somewhere to skip? She could also go to the library to hang out on the computer instead of attending class...or get herself kicked out for bein' crass," Flaca mentions.

"We'll just ask her what she learned about in class."

"Lorna...you've been quiet lately," Nicky points out.

"Oh, yeah...I just got nothin' to say at the moment," Lorna mumbles.

"You were like that in drama class, too, and you always talk in there!" Alex tells her.

"Why the fuck were you speaking to Pennsatucky?" Lorna asks sharply, purposely bumping into Nicky. "If I'd known she was in Bio with us, I would've warned you!"

"What?! Who are you talking about?"

"Her real name's Tiffany, but we all call her Pennsatucky 'cause she's originally from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. I can't believe I didn't realize she was there...I was focusing on Humps and making sure he didn't do anything..."

"Uh, well, we were working together, for one thing, so I had no choice. She says you four think she's a murderer?"

"Yeah, so don't talk to her! I'm only sayin' this for your protection," Flaca advises Nicky.

"She actually seemed pretty nice, and she told me she didn't kill Piper."

"Oh, that's great, I trust her completely now!" Daya's voice is filled with sarcasm.

"She hates gays," Alex chimes in. "You wanna be friends with a homophobe, cool."

"Look, I'm just gonna test her out, okay? If she tries something, I can take her...and I'll tell her I'm into chicks, just to see what she says. Some lesbian named _Boo_ is in charge of her. That doesn't seem like a name for a straight-up asshole who judges people!"

"Maybe it's her meth dealer," Lorna snaps. "You're the one who said I shouldn't talk to people I don't know!"

"She's informed me that she's been through shit in jail...like more than the usual...she was violated by one of the CO's. I don't think you'd attack people after that...or lie about such a thing."

"Alright, you be her pal, then," Flaca says.

"I really hope she's being truthful," Daya puts in.

"Me, too," Lorna agrees.

"Same," Alex adds.

They all go their separate ways-Daya, with Gloria, Alex and Flaca to band practice, and Lorna, Maritza, and Nicky to the football field for cheerleading since the players aren't out there today and they need to do pyramids on the grass in preparation for the big game next Friday, not the one coming up. Nicky's joining the squad, along with a tall chick named Ines. An African American girl is sprinting around the track.

Nicky walks past a short, cute, curly-haired Asian girl. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Brook Soso. Oh-em-gee, you're new? That's so cool...I remember starting here, and-"

"Nicky Nichols." She slaps Brook's ass, attempting to flirt with anyone to make Lorna envious, and the brunette glares at the blonde.

"I saw that!"

Nicky smirks. "Jealous?"

Lorna rolls her eyes. "Of course not. No! It's just inappropriate behavior...sexual harassment."

"She seemed to enjoy it!" Nicky gestures to Brook, who's acting giddy and chattering away about how she's never had a girl interested in her while they were sober.

"Did you even try out?" Lorna asks Nicky.

"Yeah, it's easy."

"Okay, girls, I'm going to split you into two groups of six," Ms. Jones announces. "You can pick who you want to be with, and then we'll choose flyers. It's all about trust!"

Since Lorna's team captain, she's first to gather up Maritza, Nicky, Ella, Tiff, and Tia. "Okay, I'll be on the top since I'm the smallest, and I'll stand on Ella and Maritza's shoulders. The bottom girls are Tia, Tiff, and Nicky. I hope y'all are strong enough to hold us steady! Let's do this!"

Brook is already directing Lily, Kay, and Ines to hoist her and Liz up, and then they help Caitlin to the top. After some giggling, screaming, and toppling over into each other's arms, the team is finally ready to toss Lorna and Caitlin in the air.

Nicky had never thought she'd like cheerleading, but she certainly does now. After practice, she takes Brook to the back of the gym for a quick romp.

"So, when Ethan and I broke up, I tried to hook up with Oren," she says between pants as Nicky rapidly licks her vagina up and down, quickly finding this super boring because Brook's been rambling nonstop for the last three minutes. "It was an unrequited crush, which totally sucked because I was into him, but we're friends. I wish we were a couple, though...but don't worry, I like girls, too, which is why I agreed to have sex with you...ohh, you're good at this!"

"Yeah," Nicky grunts and stands up. "Now do me."

When Brook plants her wet mouth on Nicky's breasts and starts rubbing her fingers along Nicky's core, the blonde finally gets the release she needs-but no one will ever feel as good as she imagines Lorna does.

* * *

"How was school today, what'd you do?" Gloria asks Aleida.

Aleida shrugs. "Nothin', just boring shit..."

Gloria rolls her eyes. "That don't mean jack! I hope you're really goin'!"

"I am!"

A customer comes up to the counter of Gloria's bodega and places a bag of Chips Ahoy and a package of peanut butter M&M's on it. "Can you do your thing?" she whispers.

"I don't do it no more," Gloria insists. "Go someplace else, or just buy it here, full price."

"Yeah you do, with the candles and shit! I need to light one for good luck."

"Okay, one sec." Gloria goes to the backroom where Daya's hanging out. Aleida quickly follows her.

"What's that all about?"

"Food stamps I bought...but then I make the government pay for shit that wasn't ever sold...so, fraud," Gloria explains in a hushed tone, but loud enough so Daya can hear.

"Really?" Daya asks, her eyes widening.

"Oh, you fuckin' hypocrite...also, a dumbass, you could've been taken to the slamma!" Aleida hisses.

"I was gonna use the cash to run away from Arturo!" Gloria fires back.

"Ugh, whatever...you can't do it around literally anyone!" Aleida tells Gloria.

"You don't know who could be watching!" Daya chimes in.

"I know, Red said the same thing. I just sell candles, herbs, and other stuff here, but we _could_ use the extra cash and I wanna make sure hungry kids eat. Did you see somebody?" she asks nervously.

"Some old guy with gray hair...just stick to your..." Aleida responds.

"Santeria?" Gloria supplies.

"Uh-huh, that."

"Thank you."

Someone pounds on the window of the backroom, making Gloria shriek and clutch her heart while spinning around to face Francisco, an unsatisfied customer. Aleida jumps, uttering, "Oh, Jesus!" and Daya drops her sketchpad and pencil in surprise.

"¡Eres un maldito fraude!" he yells, and Gloria angrily shoves open the door.

 **You're a fuckin' fraud!**

"Sólo porque usted era demasiado estúpido y no podía conseguir un trabajo por no darle al empleador su solicitud, no significa que usted puede llamar a mí un fraude! ¡No tienes prueba! Pégame. ¡Te desafío a!" Gloria challenges him.

 **Just because you were too stupid and couldn't get yourself a job by not giving the employer your application, does not mean you get to call me a fraud! You have no proof! Hit me. I dare you to!**

"¡Llamaré a la policía!"

 **I'll call the police!**

"Is there a problem?" a security guard asks while folding his beefy arms and giving Francisco a stern glare.

"He's trying to get me arrested when I didn't do nothin'."

"¡Es un fraude! Ella tiene que pagarme!" Francisco keeps hollering. "Take her to prison!"  
 **She's a fraud! She needs to pay me back!**

"Sir, I need you to calm down-"

"No!" he booms.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave the store."

"I refuse!" He grits his teeth and points at Gloria. "¡No saldrás con esto, perra!"

 **You won't get away with this, bitch!**

He's soon forced out in handcuffs, and Gloria breathes out a sigh of relief. The panic on Aleida and Daya's faces melts away. Gloria returns to the backroom, grabs a candle, and gives it to the waiting girl with a friendly and apologetic smile. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay."

* * *

"So, these are Mercy, Neri, Allie, Grace, Brad, Cal, Marco, and Pedro," Tricia introduces while gesturing to each of her new friends. "Guys, this is Red, my..." She trails off, not sure what to refer the Russian woman as. "She gave me a ride to school and is picking me up."

"Hi!" everyone says in unison.

"It's very nice to meet you, kids," Red greets them.

"You too," Mercy responds.

"Are you the super cool babysitter who prefers a color over her real name?" Neri asks.

"Oh, in a way, yes. I'm actually Galina, but I like Red better."

"Wow!" Allie turns to Tricia. "Can we hang out at your place, Trish, the girls at least, if Red's okay with driving us?"

"That's fine," Red allows.

"Yeah!" Tricia pauses for a second, realizing she doesn't even have a home, unless she counts Nicky's high school, and averts her eyes away from the group in embarrassment while pulling on the hem of her green flannel shirt. "Uh, so here's the deal...my apartment is hard to get around since we just moved in and there's boxes everywhere...so let's just chill at the mall."

"Oh, okay, sure!" Grace says, and the other girls nod excitedly in agreement. They say goodbye to the boys, Grace kisses Brad, Neri and Cal share a long hug, and then Red leads the girls to her vehicle.

"My car can only fit five people, so two will have to squeeze into a seatbelt in the back and one can ride with me in the passenger seat," Red informs them.

Mercy has been on Tricia's mind all day. She doesn't know what it is about her-whether it's her piercing brown eyes, cute smile, and long brunette locks or her sweet and cheerful personality that makes Tricia feel welcome in her company, even when they're not speaking a word to each other. All of Tricia's new female friends are like this, both beautiful and kind, but Mercy is who she can't stop looking at. The others are straight anyway, but she has an inkling that Mercy isn't, really, the way she talks about wanting to get with older chicks. "Yo, Mercy, why don't we share a spot?" Tricia asks.

"Okay!" Mercy agrees, much to Tricia's delight. They get in first, followed by Allie and Neri, and then Grace is next to Red. Tricia's pressed up against Mercy as they drive, and she's loving every second of it.

The five girls giggle as Red turns on the radio and keeps changing the stations until she finds one they enjoy. They sing along, gyrate in their seats, shake their hair all around, and make wild hand gestures to _Drop It Like It's Hot_ by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell.

"I should not be letting you girls listen to this," Red grumbles, "but it's much better than drugs."

* * *

"So, ducks, a pond, and Trudy's Donuts are triggers for ya...anything else?" Nicky asks Pennsatucky as they ride the bus to her house.

"Well, jail, obviously...but not double fudge chocolate ice cream. That's my favorite, and I ain't gonna let no one spoil it for me!" Pennsatucky unlocks her front door with her house key. "Big Boobs, I'm home!" she calls out.

A woman with cropped dark hair, various tattoos on her arms-including stars, spirals and the word _butch_ in all caps- and a green one below her ear, walks into the foyer with a grin. "Hey, son...who's this sweet young thing?" she asks, smirking.

"Nicky Nichols, she's my lab partner and possible friend from school."

"Oh, well, then I won't embarrass you or make you feel uncomfortable."

"You're not my type anyway, Boo...I prefer femmes my own age!"

"Ohhh!" Pennsatucky exclaims in surprise. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Nope..."

"I don't either. I'm competing with Penns-a-fucky here, over who can get someone the fastest. The criteria is to stay with them for at least three days," Boo informs Nicky.

"So far, I'm winning!" Pennsatucky says happily. "Nathan from English seems real interested in me!"

"Oh, hold your horses, kid. There are millions of ladies who'd love to ride the Boo-mobile! You wanna join our game, Nichols?" Boo asks.

"Hell yeah, I'm up for a challenge!"

"Perfect! Well, I'm in the process of making tea. You two want some?" Boo offers.

"It's delicious," Pennsatucky adds.

Nicky beams at their hospitality. "Sure, why not?"

"Awesome! Grab a tea bag of your choice...they're in that jar." Boo points to where Pennsatucky is taking one for herself. "We got mint, chamomile, Earl Grey, green, black...and that's probably it. Then, a shit ton of candy afterwards."

"Okay, thanks, man." Nicky chooses to have mint tea. They drink from white mugs while discussing how terrible their birth mothers were, Pennsatucky beginning her period when she was just ten, being raped once before she was arrested, and having such ugly teeth that she required an oral surgeon to fix them, Boo obsessively gambling and stealing things, but never getting busted, and Nicky's experiences from being homeless.

"I should've done that when I was starting to not be accepted into my own family," Boo mutters regretfully. "I was invisible...so it wouldn't have mattered."

"Why didn't you?"

"I could entertain myself in other ways, I guess. Anyway, I run a tattoo parlor...so swing by if you wanna get one."

"Yeah, she's excellent at her craft. See, I got an owl here," Pennsatucky points to her left shoulder, "rainbow," she shows off her left wrist, "and a unicorn!" She gestures along her forearm.

"Pretty," Nicky murmurs. "I'm definitely gonna get inked!"

* * *

The tasty aroma of cheeseburgers, fries, shakes, and sundaes wafts through the air and hits Alex's nose as she walks into the restaurant where her mother will be working until eleven tonight. She'd just eaten at Sylvie's house, pretending to be Sylvie's new friend, since her girlfriend's straight-laced parents had asked if they could meet her. Alex feels as though she'd made a positive impression on them. She'd even dyed her blue strands black and plans to change the color back to normal later. As she tells Diane all of this, plus the fact that Sylvie's parents suggested she should go to church with their family and seek out Jesus because she accidentally swore out loud when she bit her tongue, Diane just smiles at her sympathetically. "That poor kid! How'd you decline?"

"I just said no thanks, and I told them all my great points, that I help my mom whenever she needs it and I'm a wonderful friend. I also talked a bit about Piper, so they felt bad for me then. At the end of the meal, I offered to assist her mom with dishes. I won their approval!"

"Alright, thatta girl! Up top!" Diane holds up her palm and Alex slaps it with her own. "Down low!" Alex and Diane share a low-five, and then a hip bump when Diane comes out from behind the counter. "You do know, that if someone doesn't accept you, that's tough shit for them, right?"

"Mm-hm, but I don't want her parents to hate me so much that they don't let us hang out. We could sneak, but she might not be up to lying to them, in fear of getting caught."

"I understand."

"Want me to do anything for you?"

"Nah, it's fine, sweetie."

"Okay," Alex murmurs with a giggle while sitting down and taking her phone out of her purse. She gapes at her new message in shock. _Guess where your bestie is right now?_ Under a photo of Pennsatucky on a couch between some large tattooed woman and Nicky, is the caption, _What's she doing with the enemy? Some friend...Kisses, P_

It looks like it had been taken from the outside of Pennsatucky's house, through the window. "Hey, Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever had beef with someone who was also your best friend's pal?"

"Well, sure, but that's life, baby. Even if you don't like them, she or he does, for some reason or another, but you don't need to make a stink about it unless they're horrible...why'd you ask?"

"Nicky's becoming buddy-buddy with Pennsatucky, and you remember how she was so anti-gay when Piper was still alive." Diane nods and frowns in concern. "We all warned her of this, but she went on some spiel about how that rude bitch did a three-sixty over the past year and is now a decent human being...they work together in Bio, and they had a conversation, apparently. I'm worried that something will happen to Nicky because I don't believe that religious freak bigot for a second! Even if she may not have been Piper's killer, she'd make dangerous threats and she snapped my glasses in half! Well, she did that because I made out with her, only to shut her up about Piper. I just really don't know what to do."

"I think Nicky is a very good judge of character. As soon as she senses she's in trouble, she'll bolt. Lorna and Maritza told me she immediately started hating those evil teachers when they showed her their nasty ways. Also, Nicky's street smart. She always has a weapon handy if someone dares to attack her. Maybe being in prison really did shape up Pennsatucky. There are bigger girls there who could've beat her up when she was fuckin' mean, and she figured out that she should be nicer to everyone. We all deserve a second chance, Allie."

"Oh, so Gloria should take back Arturo? Daya can bail out Cesar now?" Alex wonders aloud sharply.

"Not like that, and you're fully aware of what I'm saying! Pennsatucky didn't hurt anyone. She was an immature bully and ignorant, yes, but she was put away behind bars for a crime she hadn't done and blamed for a dangerous prank-gone-wrong that Piper pulled. That can break a person. She was raised by a shitty redneck mother who thought asshole men could do whatever the fuck they wanted with women. Why don't you let Nicky see how she is? I'm curious to find out, as well."

"I don't think we had a problem with her until Piper decided we hated her, and then, we accidentally burned her best friend," Alex mumbles. "That's when their war had gone too far...and we were there..."

"You girls were innocent in this. Possibly since Piper is no longer here, Pennsatucky has another reason to be kind. Piper had always been a pressure point for her, and now, nobody makes her angry. Has she done anything to you or your friends lately?"

"No..."

"There you go, then. Be cautiously optimistic, as Red likes to say."

"Fine, I will."

* * *

As she stares sadly at her vision board, Lorna receives a text. _I have the worst news ever! Christopher and Angela are going to Atlantic City this weekend. They're getting pretty serious...unless you find some way to stop 'em. xo, P_

Lorna kicks her chair into her desk angrily and takes a few shuddering breaths while closing her eyes and clenching her jaw. She stands up quickly and then skips into Franny's bedroom, cackling as she conjures up a plan B. "Hey, sis! Let's go on a road trip Saturday...all the way to New Jersey...Atlantic City, to be exact! I would take a train, but that's a three hour and eighteen minute ride. If you drove us, it would be two hours and twenty-four minutes of songs, laughter, and car games!"

Franny chuckles as she folds the laundry. "Okay, that oughta be fun! I'm glad to see you in brighter spirits, Lorn." Her sister hugs her and then has her help put the freshly washed and dried clothes away. "It's time for bed! Good night!" Franny kisses Lorna's cheek.

Lorna doesn't want anyone's love right now, just Christopher's. She wants him to come back to her so badly it hurts. She hates Angela with a passion.

She moans his name in her sleep and dreams of them together and doing it on a big white bed. She sighs and closes her eyes tighter as she keeps the dream alive. She misses Christopher so much.

"I love you, Christopher MacLaren," Lorna mumbles in her sleep. She continues dreaming of kissing him and having his baby. She wants to stab Angela with a knife, and she dreams of doing that too. If she were dead, Lorna could have Christopher. That's her answer, right there.

She reads her text from Christopher over and over again and it says one word, _hi_. They were just getting to know each other, and Angela had to ruin it.

* * *

"I'm glad our kids are starting to be friends," the taller one of the two dark-skinned women says to Gloria in a deep voice on Wednesday. "My son's goin' through a rough patch...we're tryin' to get him to adjust to me being transgender. I'm Sophia Burset, by the way, and this is my wife, Crystal."

"Nice to meet you," Gloria replies. "My name is Gloria Mendoza."

"Aleida Diaz," Daya's mother introduces herself stiffly.

"Benny, Christina, and Michael, what a nice trio!" Gloria says brightly.

"How would you explain that to a five-year-old?" Aleida wants to know.

"We just said that sometimes, people don't like being girls or boys, so they can change their gender if they want," Crystal answers.

"That's great, keepin' it simple. So, where you from?" Gloria asks.

"Yonkers," Sophia tells her.

"Are you on your way to Queens or anywhere near there, by any chance, for work?"

"Yeah, what are you getting at?" Crystal wonders aloud.

"I was thinkin'...we should do a carpool, if you don't mind. We live in the Bronx, and after this, we're going to Martin Van Buren High, which is in Queens. It would be fun for them and save me time on Tuesdays and Fridays since I have to go to four different places, but I could take Michael, along with Benny and Christina, all the other times."

"Sure, we'd be glad to help. We'll come down from Yonkers and either drop Michael off at your house or pick your kids up," Sophia lets Gloria know.

"Okay, awesome, thank you!" Gloria beams.

When they leave, Aleida hisses, "Did you just agree to have our children ride with a he-she?"

"Ma, don't be fuckin' transphobic!" Daya lectures Aleida. She hates how it's one step forward, but two steps back with Aleida.

"That tranny still has his dick!"

"Who cares? You don't know that, but it's not your business what body parts she has!" Gloria exclaims. "Sophia won't do shit! The correct pronouns are _she_ and _her_!"

"Yeah, 'cause Crystal will be with her...they probably just stayed together for Michael."

"Why don't you keep your thoughts to yourself," Daya suggests harshly.

Aleida sighs as they all get into the car. "Fine."

* * *

"I was listening to this song called _Almost Paradise_ the other day and you came into my mind, Christopher. I don't care how many people try to stop us from being together, but you are mine, for eternity. So, here goes." Lorna takes a deep breath and blows it out. "I thought that dreams belonged to other men...'cuz each time I got close...they'd fall apart again..."

She'd seen him this morning, with Angela, and it only made her sing louder.

"I feared my heart would beat in secrecy...I faced the nights alone...oh, how could I have known...that all my life I only needed you..."

 _Mrs. Lorna MacLaren. Mrs. Lorna MacLaren. That will be her future name, the most wonderful name that she can ever have._

"Almost paradise, we're knocking on heaven's door, almost paradise, how could we ask for more? I swear that I can see forever in your eyes...paradise!" She's close to crying as she pours her heart out to him.

"It seems like perfect love's so hard to find...I'd almost given up...you must have read my mind..."

 _Please God, find a way for us to be together. I love him more than anything else in the world._

"And all these dreams I saved for a rainy day...they're finally comin' true...I'll share them all with you...'cus now we hold the future in your hands..."

 _Damn Angela to hell!_ Lorna thinks as she balls her hands into tight fists.

"Almost para-wait, Nichols, I wasn't done!" she protests as Nicky grabs her away from the loudspeaker and pushes her out of the room.

"You are now! What the fuck, Morello? You're embarrassing yourself!"

Lorna shakes her head in denial. "No, I ain't...what you doin' here this early?"

"Red's gotta be here before everyone else, remember?"

"Oh...yeah, you got a ride to school from her. Uh...do the rest of the girls, Red, or Gloria know? I don't wanna be in trouble for my passion again."

They walk to the cafeteria, Lorna with her arms folded across her chest and angrily clenching her teeth because Nicky had stopped her. "The girls and Gloria aren't here yet, and Red just arrived when I came in. Hey...I understand you wanting revenge on that jerk, Vinnie...heartbreak stinks. Of course you'd desire someone else after that. I know, because I'm kinda screwed up in my own way. I see people for who they are, though. I can see right through you...you're broken, like me."

"No, I'm just _Looney Tunes Lorna._ You've probably heard that around school, and then laughed when people said it. It's really not nice..."

"Well, it's not a joke, so I didn't find it funny. You're just afraid to be alone and imperfect. That doesn't make you _looney tunes_."

"I'm terrified of it," Lorna mumbles, surprised how far Nicky's words had reached into her soul.

"I know how that feels, by the way...thinking I'd never find someone. Red, Gloria, the other girls, and I can see the good in you...not just the outside that everyone else sees...and I really...I care about you, so I'm trying to make you feel better," Nicky tells her gently. The way Nicky's looking at her, is like the blonde has love in her eyes. For the first time, Lorna isn't sickened by it, probably because it's actual affection instead of sexual need.

"Thanks. Can you keep that Angela whore off my back at school?"

"Sure."

 _Nicky Nichols-something about her, Lorna can't quite put her finger on. Something's there, a connection between them. No..._ She shakes that idea out of her head because she cannot be in love with two people at once. Lorna and Nicky are barely friends. She has to believe that Christopher is her man to keep Nicky from entering her mind.

* * *

"I thought it was Maria, Ouija, and Blanca who killed Piper, too, but they said they weren't around at the scene of the crime," Alex whispers to Lorna, Flaca, and Daya while Nicky is busy talking to Ms. Fischer. "One of them could be P, though, since they hated Piper and the only thing on their mind would be revenge, and we didn't stick up for them once when she treated them horribly. Then, I talked to Stephenie Hapukaka in history class, who said Piper was very demanding, and Stephenie was afraid to even get her order wrong on the menu...so she's out. My bets are still on Pennsatucky as the killer and Leanne being P."

"I was paired up with Polly in Bio...and it turns out that she and Piper were best friends, but we didn't know her at all. Apparently, she and Piper's former boyfriend, Larry, are hooking up behind Pete Harper's back. Anyway, we started talking about how we were shocked that Piper never introduced her to us, and she said Piper's murderer was probably Suzanne, if not Pennsatucky, Leanne, or the Spanish girls," Lorna informs her friends.

"Maybe it is...you could ask her in Drama," Flaca murmurs.

"She could've lost her temper, who knows," Daya tells them.

* * *

"Ian drove me to the school late at night on his Vespa. I got revenge on Fig by going through her desk, but then, I found out she's stealin' money from the school! I told Caputo everything, and he fired her ass! He's the principal now...and he was grateful for my help and relieved that I didn't make too much of a mess, but I have detention this week for breaking and entering!" Flaca announces at lunchtime.

"Wow, great job!" Maritza compliments her. "Everything feels so different now 'cause you done that and all the bad teachers are on trial."

"Yeah, I'll never forget the look on Humps' face when they dragged him out!" Lorna squeals.

"He was yelling, demanding to know who the fuck turned him in! Everyone was laughing, it was so hilarious," Nicky chimes in.

"Dixon kept insisting he never did anything wrong," Alex reports. "No one believed him, of course! He also demanded the police get off of him and he called them racist names, but he was ignored!"

"Flaca and I don't have Piscatella for Physical Ed, but we did witness him get arrested! It was fantastic...he tried to tell the cops what to do, but they forced him into handcuffs," Daya adds. "Y'all should've been there!"

"As for Stratman, I haven't seen him lately. People are saying he quit," Maritza says.

The girls giggle and cheer quietly. Flaca's phone buzzes in her pocket, and she takes it out while everyone is distracted from eating and conversing. _He's fuckin' dead, thanks to me. xoxo, P_

"Wouldn't that be cool? Flaca?" Maritza is asking.

"Sorry...what?" Flaca manages to tear her eyes away from the haunting photo of a dead and bloodied Stratman.

"If I stole a car from some rich white guy who was gonna buy it, and drove it across the country when I turned sixteen and got my license!"

"Oh, yeah! That would be an easy way to make quick money!"

"Hey, if you want cash so bad, I'mma have you work at my store! You girls betta not be trying to break the law, 'cause you gonna get caught and sent to juvy, and then moved to a federal prison!" Gloria interrupts them. " _Ay dios_...your mothers would be disappointed in you!"

"Right, I was gonna say that I got my rich mama to bail us both out, but never mind that...I'd be down with helping you out at your bodega, Gloria," Maritza tells her.

"Yeah, me, too," Flaca says quickly. She feels ashamed that Gloria had to hear about their crimes they'd want to commit, even though Gloria herself had almost been busted for food stamp fraud. The difference is that the girls wanted to do illegal things for fun, but Gloria _had_ to, for survival.

"Great, I'm pleased that I smacked some sense into you two! You can come with me after school."

They smile. "Okay, we will!" Maritza lets Gloria know.

"See you then!" Flaca puts in.

"One more thing before I head back...how y'all doin', in general? I bet you're feelin' better now that those motherfuckers ain't here no more. I know I am!"

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Daya exclaims.

"I hope they never come back!" Lorna continues.

"Same," Nicky agrees.

"It's like a weight's been lifted off my chest," Alex says.

" _¡Bueno!_ " Gloria squeezes Flaca and Maritza's shoulders fondly and waves goodbye to the rest of them. She goes into the cafeteria, and the six friends continue eating.

"We've always respected them, even when Piper made fun of their hairnets, so that was embarrassing," Flaca mumbles.

"You girls are close to Red and Gloria...how could you be nice to them when Piper wasn't?" Maritza wonders out loud.

"We kinda had no choice 'cause my mom would always have 'em over and we found out the lunch ladies aren't so bad after all," Alex replies. "Red would bop Piper upside the head if she was really rude to us or other students." At this, Lorna snickers, and Flaca bumps forks with Daya.

"I can see her doing that!" Nicky says. She winks at Alex. "You're looking good today, Vause."

Alex smirks. "If Sylvie and I ever call it quits, you're my girl, Nichols."

"This is random," Lorna states.

"Need I remind you, we have history!" Nicky points out. "Anyway, I hung out with Penns last night. She and Boo seem pretty awesome...they gave me tea, which I know wasn't poisoned, since Boo prepared it in front of me, and they both had some. I'm perfectly fine!" Nicky starts out. "Why don't you listen to her story? I shouldn't tell it, because it's personal, just like I didn't spill your secrets to her. I'm trying to be a peacemaker here, if you couldn't already guess."

"Yeah, but it's gonna be real hard to trust her," Daya mutters.

"Would it be alright if I invited her to eat with us tomorrow?" Nicky wants to know.

"She's always with her lackeys, Leanne and Angie, and they're meth heads, so I'm warning you, don't go near 'em. They're bad news and could get you high, and I don't want that, if I'm gonna be good friends with you," Lorna replies.

Nicky rolls her eyes. "It's called self-control, kid, which I have."

"My mom basically said I have to roll with it and tolerate her since she's friends with you, so sure, whatever," Alex says.

"If she's willing to make amends, we'll be mature, too," Flaca agrees.

Maritza lifts her shoulders up and down. "Okay..."

"Cool, thanks!"

* * *

"I killed her, I killed her, I'm sorry, I did it!" Suzanne freaks out after Lorna and Alex ask her if she'd been around the area where Piper was murdered. "I got super duper mad and thought she was my mommy and started attacking her..."

"You did not, that's impossible!" Cindy bellows as she and Maureen stop Suzanne from hitting herself.

"Poussey and I were at the store where you work at the time Piper vanished, remember, and we saw you?" Brook asks.

"Yeah, I was there, too," Maureen says and then turns to Lorna and Alex. "Lily confesses to things that aren't true...she doesn't know if she's done it or not and she confuses herself. Her name is actually Suzanne, but her parents told me she was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, and Lily is one of her alters when someone turns her down nicely, treats her like a child, or talks down to her. Be careful not to bring out Mara by pissing her or me off, though."

"Oh, well, we weren't thinking she was the culprit...Polly said she may have been, and we just wanna get to the bottom of this, rule people out," Lorna mumbles. "I apologize."

"I shouldn't trust someone who used to call me _Supercunt_ anyway," Alex mutters. "That fuckin' Holly Hobbie..."

"Yeah, she was kinda terrible, bitchy, manipulative, and disloyal, just like my mother," Gina cuts in. "Norma adopted me, though. She gave Polly the scariest look when that girl poked fun at my burn scar."

"Oh, that's nice," Lorna mumbles.

Suzanne appears to be in happier spirits when she announces, "Did you know there's a copycat shower pooper? It's a guy, and he used it for his signature in the evil dragons' mailboxes!"

"Ew!" everyone exclaims and then erupts into giggles.

When Lorna sees Suzanne in the bathroom after class, she asks, "Suzanne, is that you?"

"No, baby, it's Randi! I'm so drunk and you're _really_ pretty!" Suzanne, or Randi, slaps Lorna's butt. "Give Mommy a kiss!"

"What if Maureen comes in here? She's Suzanne's girlfriend and she ain't gonna be too happy to find you makin' moves on another girl!"

Lorna wishes Alex had come in with her, since she's feeling very uncomfortable under Randi's predatory gaze. Thankfully, she reverts another version of herself-the childish one-and pouts. "Sorry, I didn't mean it, don't get mad at me!" Lily starts wailing, and Lorna cautiously hugs her.

"It's okay."

* * *

"Are you Aleida Diaz's professor?" Gloria asks the young man who looks to be in his mid-twenties. It's a few minutes before Aleida's class begins, and she's speaking to him on the sly while Aleida is distracted on her phone.

"Yes, my name is Professor Blake. What do you need?"

"Aleida's my friend, and she's been struggling lately in life...I'm not positive she stays in this room."

"She does, physically, but her mind is in some other place. I can't have her waste our time if she's not going to pay attention."

"Can you do me a favor, please? Will you make sure and encourage that Aleida actually goes to class and is fully engaged in the lessons, because she needs it! I really care about her and want her to get her GED and her nail salon job."

"That's nice what you're doing for your friend, but she's an adult. This is college. I can't force her to do anything."

Gloria's heart sinks as she looks over at Aleida, giggling on the phone after yelling, "Oh, that mothafuckaaaa!"

"She may be thirty, but she acts like a high-schooler, as you can see. It would hurt to see her self-destruct by neglecting her studies and resorting to drugs because she thinks she can't do anything worthwhile. She needs people who believe in her. Her boyfriend, family, and I are at home...we can't help her in here."

"She could fuck me and pass." Gloria narrows her eyes at him. "Sorry, I was kidding! My buddies are idiots and it rubs off on me sometimes. I forget that some people can't take a joke." He gulps. "I'll assist Aleida as much as I can."

"You better...even when she's rude, you teach her good."

"I will."

Gloria's pleased that he seems to be a bit fearful of her. "I suggest you make new friends, ones that won't influence you badly, or get a mind of your own, otherwise, no woman would wanna be with you. That's just my advice. I don't take men's bullshit any longer."

"Okay...I'll leave my frat boy days behind."

"Glad to hear it."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMiley1fan, corned** **out, LindaAndrewsfan, and A Star In My Universe!**


	17. Things Will Be Okay

**Chapter 17: Things Will Be Okay**

 **Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: Molestation**

 **Holyyyy shit...so that hacker lol. I do feel bad for the actors who've worked so hard on season 5, so even if you guys watched the first episode (or even the first ten) be sure to watch it on Netflix as well! I watched all ten on mute because it was overnight and wow it's amazing! I won't be giving spoilers, though, don't worry ;)**

"If you want to have a sleepover sometime, you can host one at my house," Red offers as she drives Tricia from the mall to Pizza Hut, where Taystee is working. "Something tells me that Vee would get you all into trouble. God knows I don't want five eleven-year-olds hooked on heroin."

"Nah, that's alright," Tricia declines, even though it does sound fun. "It'd be weird, yo."

"In what way?"

"Well, I don't live with you for one thing. It'd be like, why are we going to your nanny's house all the time? I'll just go to one of the girls' places or somethin'."

"Tricia, when you move in to even an apartment, people expect the clutter to be gone in a week. That means they'll wonder why you never invite them over if your home is squeaky clean. It's okay if you don't want to tell your friends that your foster mother is a drug addict yet, or ever...but they will suspect something is wrong, get curious, and probably even nosy. That's just how human beings are. However, if you say your parents are working and I'm taking care of you, they'll believe it and leave you alone. Then, when you're ready to spill the truth-"

"Hold up, Red! They bought the story that Nicky and I are orphans and we moved here together. They probably think she's at least eighteen, though..."

"Just explain that she's out with friends."

"Uh, sure...well, catch you on the flip side," Tricia says as Red stops in front of the restaurant.

"Goodbye! What time do you need me to pick you up?"

"Taystee's taking me home, so it's cool!" She leaves the car and walks through the door of Pizza Hut with her purse in hand. "Hey!" she calls out to Taystee, who's reading _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_.

The older girl shakes her head. "You interrupted my readin', that's gonna cost you, girl! This my Harry Potter time!"

"You're not supposed to be doin' that, on account of you got customers comin' in every five minutes or somethin'. It may be empty now, but who knows if it'll fill up soon." Tricia sets her purse down and grins at Taystee. "Also, haven't you read that shit like, ten thousand times already?"

"Don't call it that...this series is not trash!" Taystee waves her book at Tricia. "You know I'm obsessed!" Through her annoyance, Taystee grins. "You have dinner with your pals and gals?"

"Mercy and I split a burrito. It was humungous!" At the thought of Mercy, Tricia's cheeks heat up.

"You're blushin', girl!" Taystee throws Tricia a wink. "You got a boo already? What's his name?"

"Nah, I'm single as a pringle, but that's fine, you know, I'm only in the sixth grade!"

"Oh yeah, sometimes I forget you just a baby."

Tricia scowls. "I am not!" She sighs. "They ask me why I wear these every day," she mumbles, smoothing her hand down her tightly braided hair. "Mikey calls 'em cornhoes," she says, just as Lorna is coming into Pizza Hut with Nicky, Flaca, and Maritza. "I just said my sister did 'em, and I'm not trying to be racist, but he's still being an asshole."

"Don't listen to him or give him a reaction. That's what most bullies want," Taystee advises the blonde. "He's full of bullshit!"

"Oh, my brainless brother! I'm so sorry, Tricia!" Lorna exclaims. "Tell him to fuck off, you'll put your hair in whatever you want!"

"I'll do that! Are you gonna yell at him for it?"

Lorna grins while nodding. "Definitely. He do anything else?"

"If I wore a bra, he would've snapped it. I saw him goin' for it, but I stopped him."

"Good job. I'll make sure to let our big sister Franny know. He's really gonna be in for it! I'll grab him by his ear really hard and shit!"

Tricia sniggers. "Thanks."

"Okay, kid, here's what you need to do tomorrow. Give him a knee jam, none of that ignoring the problem business," Nicky advises Tricia. She rests her elbow on Tricia's shoulder. "No offense, Morello, but Trish is my baby sis, I want her to have awesome school days with nobody buggin' her!"

"I understand."

"Yo, you gotta ask him how he'd like a knuckle sandwich and break his teeth in," Flaca puts in while punching the palm of her hand a few times. "That would hurt for days, while the pain from a kick to the crotch only lasts for a few minutes, maybe even seconds."

"Make him wish he'd never touched you," Maritza continues with a darkness in her eyes. The four high schoolers pull out chairs for themselves rougher than necessary and sit at the table, Nicky and Lorna across from Flaca and Maritza.

"Whoa, no need to get violent, ladies, you'll get her thrown in detention, suspended, or expelled, depending on how badly she injures his skinny white ass!" Taystee interjects. She throws her hands up. "All you gotta do is demand respect. Okay? He's a middle school boy, probably around twelve, not some two hundred pound geezer you can't get to back off."

"They're in their thirties or forties," Flaca mutters.

"That ain't the point!" Taystee turns to Tricia. "I'm sayin' you can control this dude. You're equals."

"Alright." Tricia plops down into a seat.

"Now, what do y'all wanna eat?" Taystee asks.

"One large pepperoni pizza, stuffed crust, chicken alfredo with breadsticks, and meaty marinara with cheese sticks, burnin' hot buffalo wings, and four water bottles," Nicky orders. "We discussed it on our way over here!"

"You sure? Burnin' hot is spicy!"

"That's my fave," Flaca says.

"Yeah, mine too," Maritza agrees.

"I don't mind it," Lorna chimes in.

Nicky shrugs. "It's not like I'm gonna eat it."

"Who's _they_ y'all were referencing?" Tricia wonders out loud as they get their food and pay for it.

"These three douchebag teachers that prowl around school...at least, they used to, before they were arrested," Lorna responds while they return to their table.

"As an alumna from Martin Van Buren High, I'm glad to hear those news!" Taystee says happily.

"Isn't it _alumni_?" Lorna wants to know.

Flaca shakes her head no. "Nah, that's the plural. _Alumna_ is singular when a female is talkin' about herself."

"I'm sure it's _alumni_ ," Lorna insists.

"You were also positive that Mycroft was Microsoft and an olive was the same thing as an olive branch," Nicky mutters.

Lorna pouts while stomping her foot. "I'm _right_!"

Flaca pats Lorna's cheek. "That's why you're still in freshman English, _tonta_." She and Maritza open the pizza box while Lorna flips off the tall Latina. "You gotta get better at your grammar and wording of things, is all. Then you won't be held back."

Tricia bursts out laughing at this exchange and Lorna sticks her tongue out at the group. "Shut up, assholes!" She dives into her pasta, stabs a few noodles with a fork, and points it at her Mexican friends.

"Hey, I didn't do nothin'," Maritza points out innocently. She tears out a slice of steaming hot pizza, blows on it a few times, and takes a bite. "This is real good, by the way!"

"Yeah," Nicky concurs and twirls her fettachini around a fork. "Hey, Gonzales, I don't really speak much Spanish, but I'm sure that _tonta_ is an insult, and you don't fuckin' use the proper tense when speaking, either! Plus, you get C's, so give it a rest!"

"Ha!" Lorna snaps.

"I don't write school papers or talk in front of professionals like that, and besides, I was teasin' her," Flaca informs Nicky. "Lorna, it's okay that you don't know and you grew up learnin' the wrong shit, but when we try to teach you, you should believe us."

"Diane is doing a pretty good job," Lorna mumbles. "I don't like bein' dumb..."

"I know, nobody does," Maritza replies after swallowing a bite of her breadstick that's dripping with marinara sauce.

"Is this revenge for all the racist shit I said about Spanish people before we met Piper?" Lorna asks. "I'm sorry for that, by the way."

"Not really, and if you were able to listen to her back then, you can certainly open your ears to what we have to correct you on," Flaca lets her know. She drinks some water. "I apologize, too. I may have been a little harsh."

"Okay. Thanks."

"No prob."

"Yo, Flaca, do you know a Marco or Pedro?" Tricia wonders out loud.

"Yeah, they're my brothers, why?"

"I go to school with them!"

Flaca chuckles. "They can be a handful, but they're easy to manage."

"I can tell!"

* * *

 _Beauty queen of only eighteen_  
 _She had some trouble with herself_  
 _He was always there to help her_  
 _She always belonged to someone else_

"Oh, I love this song! It's so romantic!" Lorna squeals.

"It sure is," Nicky agrees. Normally, she'd think it's a bit too sappy for her tastes, but it reminds her of her situation with the brunette. Even though Lorna doesn't _belong_ to anyone, she thinks she does, and she's straight, which makes her unavailable to Nicky. As the girls are conversing, Nicky pretends to go on her phone while really listening to the lyrics.

 _I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door_  
 _I've had you so many times but somehow I want more_

She thinks of how cute Lorna is. She could do any kind of dancing and still be adorable, whether it's moving her body sexily to the beat of the music- _g_ _irl, work it, I'm drooling_ , when she does classical dancing-she's an absolute goddess, or if she's tapping her foot and kind of moving a little when she's listening to music with her earbuds.

 _I don't mind spending every day_  
 _Out on your corner in the pouring rain_  
 _Look for the girl with the broken smile_  
 _Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_  
 _And she will be loved_  
 _And she will be loved_

Right now, Lorna's playing with her hair as she talks, looking so pretty. She reaches over the table and twirls Flaca's long hair around her finger and then does a sassy hair flip. Her red lips curl up into a smile, and Nicky knows she has it bad. She's really in love with Lorna, and there's no going back now.

 _Tap on my window, knock on my door_  
 _I want to make you feel beautiful_  
 _I know I tend to get so insecure_  
 _It doesn't matter anymore_

As Lorna concentrates on what Maritza's just said, she makes the most adorable face. Her brows are furrowed and she's leaning into the tiny Latina. She bites her lip as she rests her chin on her fist. "Oh, that's just what _you_ think!" she says, and then sticks out her tongue.

" _Shall We Dance_ looks great...it's coming out in October!" Flaca informs them. "It's so lovey-dovey!"

"Eee, oh my god, I can't wait!" Lorna's voice sounds so elated, and Nicky has no real idea of what they're talking about, some silly rom-com, but it makes Lorna happy.

 _It's not always rainbows and butterflies_  
 _It's compromise that moves us along, yeah_  
 _My heart is full and my door's always open_  
 _You come anytime you want, yeah._

Lorna's ethereal the way she walks like she owns the place and doesn't give a shit. Sometimes, though, she skips, and it's too cute. She's bouncy and full of dreams, and even though it's not always a good thing to be like that, Nicky admires her for her cheerfulness and confidence.

 _I don't mind spending every day_  
 _Out on your corner in the pouring rain_  
 _Look for the girl with the broken smile_  
 _Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_  
 _And she will be loved_  
 _And she will be loved_  
 _And she will be loved_  
 _And she will be loved_

Now, Lorna's talking about her favorite movies-all ones Nicky's never heard of or wouldn't watch, ever, unless Lorna made her for some weird reason- _West Side Story_ , _The Notebook_ , _Notting Hill_ , and _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ , to name a few. Her eyes light up as she chatters away, and she has this huge, brilliant smile. She keeps rambling, her mouth moving a mile a minute as her words come out faster and louder. She waves her hands around and she's so happy to be comparing herself to Audrey Hepburn-whoever that is, she must be beautiful.

 _I know where you hide alone in your car_  
 _Know all of the things that make you who you are_  
 _I know that goodbye means nothing at all_  
 _Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls_

 _Yeah_

 _Tap on my window knock on my door_  
 _I want to make you feel beautiful_

Nicky remembers how Lorna was laying down at Maritza's sleepover, with a blanket tugged up to her chin. She'd been tired and sleeping, looking like the most precious thing on this earth. She was cold out on the streets, and Nicky was glad she was bundled up in the blonde's jacket. She was physically exhausted and needed a break, and even though Nicky wanted to poke fun at her for doing that to herself, Lorna was-and is- still completely valid, wonderful, and strong.

"This is how I wanna look when he sees me...with a real low cut dress and my boobs squished together...my hair swept to one side...and...sorry, Nichols, gotta put my feet up on your lap for a minute to show y'all...see, isn't this sexy?" Lorna asks. She rests her arms on the table as she lays on her side and curls up her right leg to put her right foot on her left knee. "I think Christopher's a bit of a prude..." She's definitely succeeding in seduction, but Nicky doesn't want to say this, or she'll sound flirty and it'll make Lorna stop liking her.

"Yeah," the girls murmur while grinning.

 _I don't mind spending every day_

 _Out on your corner in the pouring rain, oh._  
 _Look for the girl with the broken smile_  
 _Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_  
 _And she will be loved_  
 _And she will be loved_  
 _And she will be loved_  
 _And she will be loved_

So many girls are self conscious about smiling or laughing because society tells them that they're ugly, but society is often wrong, so who cares? Lorna's radiant when she laughs loudly and all her teeth show and she throws her head back, or when she giggles super softly and her mouth just tugs into a tiny smile and her shoulders shake a bit. She's gorgeous when she claps her hands and cries and holds her stomach because whatever she's laughing at is so funny. When she chuckles out of happiness, she looks so free, and her dimples show and her eyes crinkle. Lorna's grin is so pretty and bright that it blinds Nicky.

 _Please don't try so hard to say goodbye_  
 _Please don't try so hard to say goodbye_

 _Yeah, yeah._

 _I don't mind spending every day_  
 _Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

Nicky's seen Lorna cry before, and it was heartbreaking. When she thinks of how Lorna wound up in the hospital, she wants to punch a wall. Lorna is so amazing-she shouldn't focus all her attention on people who don't deserve her. Everyone-even those close to her, sometimes-are weirded out by her, but Nicky's still at her side. Initially, Nicky only thought Lorna was hot, but now, she's really pining over the small Italian, for her personality. She doesn't get why Christopher and Vinnie don't love, or even like her, because Lorna is too damn perfect.

 _Please don't try so hard to say goodbye_

"What are your favorite cookies, Morello?" Nicky asks suddenly, feeling a sudden urge to bake for her and bring her a special treat tomorrow, just because.

"I love Snickerdoodles and peanut butter M&M's."

"Cool, those are delicious!"

"Yeah, they are!"

* * *

Aleida's being annoying again. This time, she's mad at Daya for sexy-dancing with Lorna to make Christopher jealous at Ian's party.

"But she asked me to! She couldn't impress him by herself!"

"I don't care. You will _not_ get into drama again, young lady!"

Daya scoffs. "It's not even drama!"

"Why is Lorna in deep shit with Angela and Christopher? Franny told me she grounded Lorna for that Facebook trick she pulled-"

"How did you even find out about that? Were you lurking on my phone texts?" Daya accuses Aleida.

"I gotta keep you safe from drama, right? Gloria _did_ tell me to be more involved in your life!"

"You took it too far! I never said to snoop on her phone!" Gloria intervenes. "She's not gonna be grounded for that! You can talk to her about it if you want, though."

Daya smiles at Gloria. "Thank you!" She spins around to face Aleida. "You told Franny, didn't you?"

"Dayanara, I had to!"

"You tattled on my friend? Ugh, you gossip way too much about other people!" Daya shouts, stomping into her room. She's so mad at Aleida. She'd gotten her friend in trouble, and Lorna's grounded for this week.

Daya wants to call a friend and vent, but no. Aleida and Gloria had taken away her phone, just as Franny had done with Lorna. It's so unfair.

* * *

After letting the three kids loose in their kindergarten classroom, Gloria notices some other children play-scaring them by fake growling. Michael laughs and blows them a raspberry, but Christina runs away and hides behind Daya. Benny follows her and holds out his hands in front of him to block their classmates from coming any closer. "Don't hurt her! Go 'way!"

"They're just playin', sweetie," Daya attempts soothing her little sister. "It's okay, Benny, they're not bad people."

"I don't like the meanies," Christina says in a tiny voice.

"You gotta make some friends," Aleida murmurs. "They ain't gonna do nothin'."

"Does this happen a lot, Stacy?" Gloria asks. "I'm askin' 'cause this same thing went on in our preschoolers' classroom."

"Yeah, they're a bit shy. We're trying to get them to come out of their shells, but it seems like they want to keep to themselves. Michael is their only pal, which is fine, but I want all my students to get along with each other."

"I said it to the other teacher, and I'm gonna tell you this, too. Benny and Christina are traumatized because our ex-boyfriends didn't treat them, or us, good. They may not do well with people chasing them around, even if it is in fun. They're very sensitive, as you can see. Maybe it's a good idea to keep the more rambunctious kids away from 'em?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry...I didn't realize."

"It's okay. I probably should've told you the first day, but really, if they react differently when y'all do that, just leave 'em alone. Gentle and sweet is the way to go with 'em."

"Okay, got it. Thank you."

* * *

"Being grounded feels like shit," Lorna grumbles, "but being grounded because your friend's mom told on you is the most embarrassing and stupidest way to get grounded!" Aleida Diaz is such a big drama queen that she _had_ to tell Franny that after looking through Daya's phone, she found out about what Lorna had done, or tried to do. "Franny had a huge conversation with me about it, and she said that Christopher would never forget what I did, and blah blah blah. It took the whole damn day, right through all my meals, and then, she took away everything I had to keep contact with my friends. Thank God for school!" She sips on her Fruity Pebbles drink from the Starbucks secret menu. Gloria had seen her at Christopher's house, but thankfully, she's just keeping an eye on her, rather than making it known to the public that Lorna was spying on the boy she's infatuated with and the girl who's ruining her life.

"Aleida even had the guts to tell Gloria, Red, Diane, Theresa, and Juliana," Daya mutters. "Sorry my mom is an embarrassing loser who gossips way too much," she adds, rolling her eyes.

"Great, now, I've made a fool out of myself in front of them, too! Franny hollers at me for it all the time now. Red just tsks and shakes her head in my direction, and Gloria, Diane, Juliana, and Theresa are too polite to say anything. Luckily, they seemed to understand and didn't scold me for it. You've apologized a thousand times," Lorna tells Daya. "It's okay, it's not your fault."

"What's up?" Maritza asks.

"I can't host my sleepover this weekend. Lorna and Daya are fuckin' _grounded_ ," Flaca responds. "I'll have it next weekend."

"Sorry both you guys are grounded now," Maritza says sympathetically.

"You, Flaca, and Alex are so lucky! You guys have the best moms in the world who would understand everything!" Nicky says.

"Even my mom, who is so sweet to all of us, is now checking my Facebook page sometimes!" Alex informs them.

Nicky rests her elbows on Alex and Lorna's shoulders. "She's just worried about you."

"I know, but she doesn't need to."

"I got us all into this mess," Lorna mumbles, with her head down in shame.

"Let's just not talk to Angela, Christopher, or any of those drama queens and kings until things get way settled down here, okay, guys?" Nicky suggests.

"Yeah, good idea. Things will be okay after we're free!" Daya agrees.

"I want to run away to your house!" Lorna cries to Flaca.

"My mom would gladly take you in, and so would Maritza's, but they'd say to go back to Franny before she gets worried sick," Flaca says, and they all giggle.

"Okay, I get this sister bashing, but enough! Be glad you got someone lookin' out for ya," Nicky mutters. "She's only trying to teach you a lesson. Imagine if she didn't care and let you get into shit with people...which ended in your death."

Lorna waves off the comment. "Come on, Nichols, it'll never get that bad. I just don't wanna sit on my ass doin' nothin' all weekend. Being grounded sucks!"

Nicky runs her hands through her hair. "I don't really know what that's like, to be honest...but whatever. So, anyway, I found out what all our names mean. I was bored and I Googled 'em. Lorna's honor or victory, and I'm people of victory, which is awesome! Alex is defender of mankind," she gestures to the girl wearing glasses, "which you are. Daya means compassion, well that's definitely you!"

"That's so amazing!" Lorna gushes.

"My full name is Dayanara, which is husband slayer."

"Wow, I'll tell your future hubby to watch out," Maritza teases her.

"Flaca's skinny in Spanish, which you already knew," Nicky goes on.

"My real name's Marisol, that's Maria of the Sun, lonely Maria, or sunny sea. I ain't sure what my mama was thinkin'."

"Maritza is the deep inner desire to inspire others in a higher cause, and to share their own strongly held views on spiritual matters, or of the sea," Nicky informs her.

"Uh, well, the second one seems more like me!" the petite Latina says.

"Tricia's noble, Gloria is glory, the male version of Galina is calm, and then that was the end of my research."

"Dayanara Diaz, please come to the principal's office," Caputo's voice blares over the loudspeaker.

"Oooh!" the girls murmur jokingly, and Daya does as Caputo instructs.

* * *

The person standing across from Daya with his arms crossed over his chest makes her want to dry heave and her insides become like ice. She feels clammy and shaky as she sits down. He locks the door behind them and turns to her with a creepy smirk.

"I've been texting and calling you for the past few days...why haven't I gotten an answer?" Mendez demands, leering right at her.

"I...I don't have my phone on me." She opens her purse to prove it to him. "Besides that, I hate you! You're a dirtbag!"

"You said you wanted me!" he growls.

"I don't, some bitch forced me to do it with you...it was so disgusting! I'm leaving." She heads for the door, but he traps her and pins her to the wall. "What the fuck...get outta my way!"

"Nope! I love you, Dayanara. Your body is the hottest thing I've ever had in my possession." He forces his dirty lips on hers and she spits at him.

"I don't feel the same!" she shrieks and then wipes her mouth.

"You're gonna pay for that, you little whore!" He claws at her breasts, no matter how much she struggles, and then he smacks her across the face. It stings so much and her cheek feels numb. "I can't fuck you here, because the principal could catch us making sweet love, but I can treat you like the bad girl I know you are!"

"I'm probably bleeding," she whispers. She chokes on her tears and whimpers, "Stop, please..."

She's soon saved by the bell, but she has to collect herself before joining Flaca for their English class. To her amazement, she isn't bleeding, but the area where she's injured, is red. She can just pass that off as being too hot. As she leaves the bathroom, though, she sees that Humps, Dixon, and Piscatella are back, so she escapes the area before they can spot her. She can hardly breathe when she reaches the other girls.

"They returned...we need to find Diane...or go to the kitchen...or both..." she cries before they can ask her what happened.

"Oh my god, no!" Maritza whispers, and everyone's faces grow panicked.

* * *

"Yo, what happened with your connection?" Flaca asks Red angrily as she, her friends, and Diane rush into the cafeteria's backroom, where the ladies are busily making omelets.

"I'm sorry, I was trying to find the right time to tell you, I didn't want to scare anyone. He was thrown off the case because he said, and I quote, ' _you can't let them near that school again, I have a friend there and two parolees who I want to see do well and they may run into trouble with these guys around!'_ Even if he wasn't, those motherfuckers hired excellent lawyers-they've got connections with those wealthy Chapmans," Red explains, much to their dismay. The girls groan sadly.

"The only thing that's cheering me up right now is your cool tattoo!" Lorna compliments Gloria, and the Puerto Rican woman beams with pride. It's given her a lot of confidence lately, and she's decided today is a good time to start showing it off by leaving down the collar of her polo shirt.

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Nicky adds.

"I love it!" Maritza gushes.

"Me, too!" Flaca sounds less furious now-in fact, she's smiling.

"It's perfect for you," Alex says.

Diane peers closer at Gloria's tattoo. "It really is!"

"Aleida had a nice idea," Red agrees.

"Mm-hm, for once," Daya quips, and Aleida shoots her daughter a warning look.

"Well, thank you! I appreciate your compliments," Gloria lets them all know.

"How was it?" Lorna asks.

"I went to the girl who did Aleida's scorpion tattoo. I used a numbing cream, and that seemed to work, but it was still a bit painful. I cried a little and Daya and Aleida had to hold my hands," Gloria admits. "Tell anyone that, though, and I'll use these knives for more than cutting food. No, I'm kidding, but really, I don't want people outside this room to find out. I'm supposed to be strong, ya know?"

Flaca nods. "Got it, we'll keep it a secret."

"Yeah," everyone else says in unison.

"You kids better skedaddle before they find you anywhere but the classrooms y'all are supposed to be in, and same to you, Diane!" Red instructs them after looking at the clock on the wall.

"Right...uh, bye!" Nicky says quickly.

* * *

"So remember, we all skip school on Tuesday the twenty-eighth," Ouija tells Flaca as she finishes scribbling the date on the bathroom wall in black permanent marker.

"Okay, sounds cool!"

Flaca and Daya wave goodbye to her, Blanca, and Maria before going to Yearbook and Journalism. Flaca opens her locker to get her huge camera for class, but she notices a light pink object in between her History textbook and the binder she uses for her artwork. She pulls it out in curiosity and her jaw drops in shock.

"Why do you have Piper's diary?" Daya asks.

"I don't...I don't know...I got no clue! I didn't steal it or nothin'..." She flips through it, and the note attached reads, _Thought you could use this! Kisses, P_

"Of fuckin' course! We should all read it, though, and then we'll give it back, sneakily."

"This is what P wants us to do, give into our nosiness!"

"Well, maybe the joke can be on them...because if we snoop, we could find out more about her...I mean, she didn't tell us shit! This could be P's way of exposing her true thoughts to us. We could also get more clues about her killer, like if she mentioned someone acting threatening toward her. She wouldn't be afraid of them, but maybe she wrote that she'll call the cops on them or whatever."

Flaca smiles. "Ahh...okay, then yeah, I'mma share it with the other girls!" She sends a group text to Alex and Lorna about P giving her Piper's diary as they maneuver through the halls, watching for any sign of the cruel authority figures. Alex responds to her with, _Whoa, really, how did P manage that?_

"This is exciting!"

"I know, right? Alex may not wanna peek through it right away because she might think it's an invasion of privacy, but if we let her know that it's all about being a good detective, maybe she'll eventually be okay with it."

Daya presses her lips together. "Yeah, true."

They walk up to Lorna, just as she's reading her message from Flaca. "Lemme see, lemme see!" their short friend squeals, holding out her hands and bouncing up and down a few times. The Latinas giggle at her eagerness.

Flaca discreetly pulls it out of her bag and slips it to Lorna. "You can read it first...you'll need the entertainment. Hide it from Franny, though."

"Okay, I will! Thank you!"

"Anytime."

* * *

"Yo, about Ratman...somebody killed him!" Flaca reports at lunchtime, and everyone stares at her in shock.

"Whoa, are you serious?" Maritza asks, leaning into her.

Flaca nods. "Yeah, he's dead as a doornail."

"Wow, can they get rid of the other three next?" Daya wants to know as she munches on her cheesy French fries. Lorna takes a few and shoves them in. "Four, actually...Mendez should be gone, too."

"Yup, and Coates," Pennsatucky says behind them. They twist around in their seats and see Nicky standing beside the short wiry brunette.

"I hope so," Flaca murmurs. "Who's that?"

Nicky and Pennsatucky sit down next to Lorna, the blonde in the middle of them. "The fucker who did awful things to me in juvie," Pennsatucky answers bitterly. She shrugs while scooping up a bite of eggs. "It's all Piper's fault, anyway."

The taunts _lurch_ and _sasquatch_ from Pennsatucky's mouth aimed at Alex echo in her head. "You never liked us," Alex snaps. "You hated us, in fact...what changed? They're not supposed to be nice to you in juvie."

Pennsatucky leaps up out of her seat and lunges at Alex, but Nicky holds her back. "Fight me, you speccy bitch!" she screams and tries to wrestle out of Nicky's arms, but the blonde won't allow her to. "I was raped by Officer Coates, alright? I didn't deserve that!"

"I'm sorry," Lorna mumbles awkwardly. The other girls look at their food in shame. "I had issues with Piper, too...so I'll listen to your story."

"Okay, good." Pennsatucky begins to relax and then she returns to the end of the table where she'd been sitting. "Y'all go first."

"Sometimes, she'd call me a fat cow or a huge fuckin' slut when she got mad at me," Daya mutters.

"She was very judgmental on my goth style and said no boy would ever go out with me," Flaca continues.

"She'd always push my buttons, on purpose," Lorna goes on.

Alex sighs, feeling her heart throb as she thinks of how Piper hurt her. "She picked on me about my sexuality tons of times and led me on for a bit until she rubbed it into my face that she had a boyfriend and I shouldn't be hitting on her or trying to kiss her, even though she'd sexy-danced with me before. She told me straight besties do that all the time and it didn't mean she had a crush on me, and she called me a lesbo."

"She teased us all about being poor, or made little comments about her rich and spoiled life, or said stuff like, 'god, this house is tiny and dirty!'" Flaca says.

"Oh, I was so right about her! Y'all probably wanted to kick her ass, secretly!" Pennsatucky tells the girls, grinning.

"Flaca, Daya, and I did. She was an awful and manipulative friend, but there were times when she'd be really sweet and compliment us, give us presents, or try to help us get a boyfriend." Lorna's face darkens when she says that last word.

"She would even sneak us into college parties and babysit my siblings if I was sick," Daya finishes.

"That's what people like her do. She mentally tortured you and others at school with her bullying and ' _I'_ _m better than you!_ " tactics. Her _being nice_ phases only came to fix her own conscience." Pennsatucky taps the side of her head with her finger. "Think about it. She was really the devil, because of _that_ , not the fact that she was into you, Alex, or played around with girls."

"Why'd she have an in with the evil monsters and Fig?" Maritza wonders aloud.

"Her parents, obviously. Bill was good friends with the animals and Carol was Fig's bestie," Flaca replies. "Last year, even after Piper disappeared, we weren't affected by 'em because we didn't have as much interaction with 'em since they didn't teach freshmen."

"Well, I dunno who killed her, but a lot of people were tired of her shit, so it could be _anyone_!" Pennsatucky exclaims.

"How could we not know about Polly?" Lorna asks. "She was Piper's bestie!"

"She had all these secret friends or different groups of people she'd hang out with. Larry was her boyfriend who I was always jealous of," Alex responds. "I don't understand how they could move on without her...together. That's kind of a betrayal." Her phone moves a bit on the table, as well as Lorna and Flaca's, and they pick it up. _Oh please, she went against everyone behind their backs...she deserves a little payback! -xo, P_

"Maybe they're just using each other to cope?" Nicky throws in.

"Possibly."

* * *

As she's changing out of her cheerleading uniform into her regular shirt and jeans, Nicky stares at the vicious purple marks on her belly. Miraculously, she doesn't have broken ribs, but if she pokes at her injuries hard enough, they ache badly.

"You're gonna be late-oh my goodness, Nicky..." The blonde jumps when she hears Lorna's concerned tone. She quickly yanks her shirt on over her head.

"What are those from, sweetheart?" Red asks gently. She's standing behind Lorna.

"Nothin', okay, just don't worry about it. I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You're all bruised up!" Lorna points out. "Who the hell did that to you?"

"Nobody! Come on, we have to go."

"Do they hurt?" Red wants to know.

"Nah, I told you, I'm alright."

"I'll get you some ice, at least," Lorna murmurs.

"They're four days old, too late now. Let's just go to community service." She brushes past them quickly, not wanting to show that she's upset and actually does care about herself.

* * *

There's a rapping on the door of the Diaz apartment, and Daya wonders who it could be. "Sit tight, guys, go into our bedroom," she instructs the kids, and they do so.

She peeks through the tiny hole at Mendez and feels her stomach drop. She backs away, but he keeps knocking. "I know you're home, you little cunt! I see you!" The light tapping turns to loud thuds and the door hinges start shaking, as if he's trying to break the door down. "You're my bitch now!" he roars. The children begin screaming and clinging onto Daya's trembling legs as she runs into the kitchen, prepared to dial nine-one-one. She wants to puke first.

A car screeches to a stop and a few minutes later, the noise has stopped completely. "Why are you here? Hey! Hey, I'm talkin' to you, mothafucka! Moron!" Gloria hollers as a squeal of tires is heard. "Damn it! Estúpido..."

 **Asshole**

Once Gloria lets herself inside the apartment, Daya comes out of the kitchen with the scared and crying kids. "Is he one of Aleida's exes, thinkin' she was around?" Gloria asks as she scoops up her little ones.

"No," Daya murmurs softly while stumbling back a step and hugging herself. "You gotta get a restraining order against him because...he, uh..." She had thought it would be easy to just blurt this out to Gloria, but she can't get the words out.

"He what, honey?"

"Um...let's put the children into their bedroom. I don't want them to hear."

"Okay." Gloria puts Benny and Julio down and sends them off to play with Christina and Emiliano. "Now tell me."

"You saw him on the news, right?"

"Yup, what a sleazebag, but what's that gotta do with you?"

"Not only did he sexually assault those two female prisoners, but he...came to school and, um...made some passes at me? I don't know." Daya doesn't take her eyes off the floor. "He raped me," she whispers.

"What the fuck?!"

"Yeah...the nightmare I had was actually a flashback."

" _Ay dios mío_ ," Gloria hisses and encloses Daya into a hug. "He ain't gonna be near you again if I can help it."

"He made me kiss him this morning at school and he touched my boobs...and when I tried to get away, he hit me. He was attempting to force himself in here and...have his way with me." Daya squeezes her eyes shut and tears leak out of them.

"You're shaking, you must have been so scared, baby," Gloria says quietly and then pecks the top of Daya's head. Moisture glistens in the older woman's eyes.

"I was...I'm really glad you're home."

"I am, too." Still holding Daya and rubbing calming circles on her back, Gloria calls the police.

* * *

Lorna's door flies open, and there stands her sister. "I hate you," Lorna mutters. She doesn't really, but she just can't stand being grounded.

"Since I work a lot and can't really enforce your grounding, I changed my mind-"

"Yes!" Lorna cheers.

"Don't get too excited, you're still punished. What I want you to do instead is stop staring out the window and get started on your essay about why you shouldn't make fake Facebook pages for people and cause drama. You should start now. It's gotta be one page, handwritten."

Lorna sticks her tongue out at Franny. "You're mean!"

"Just write the damn essay and come down for dinner when I call you."

"Fine," she grumbles. She gets out a piece of paper and pencil, looks down, and begins writing.

* * *

"I'm goin' out with Mercy tonight to Friendly's...I asked her, but I'm not sure if she considers it a date, so I didn't call it one. What does one wear on a first date?" Tricia asks Nicky.

"First of all, be cool, it's just two girls hanging out, right?" her big sister asks.

"Yeah, but you know I got feelings for her. I wanna look smokin', but I don't really have tits and everyone's got her period but me. That's humiliating, and Isla was nice enough to point that out," Tricia mutters.

"Wow, well, don't listen to that bitch. She's just being rude. So what if you're not developed yet? You're still a cutie." Nicky pats Tricia's cheek and smiles.

Tricia scowls. "I don't wanna be _adorable_. I'm aiming to be hot, god damn it!"

"Jesus, kid, you're eleven, slow it down a bit. You've got at least a few years for puberty to hit...some get it early, but some are late."

"Mercy likes older women, you catch my drift? I have the appearance of a child. There's no way she's into me, dude. I feel like I got a kid crush on her. She'd laugh if I tried to hit on her."

"You shouldn't change your appearance to get a girlfriend...if she got to know you, she'd love you for the sweet, sassy girl you are."

"Could I at least dress like you? Skirts, boots, tights, makeup, you know?"

"Oh, you love my style, huh? Sure, I'll help you."

"Thanks. How do I make myself not look flat? Mercy's are out to here." Tricia cups her imaginary breasts. "I think she's got A cups."

"Let's go shopping."

Tricia ends up choosing an army green tank top, flowy black skirt, black fishnet tights, and tall black boots with silver studs. She wears clip-on hoops and Nicky does her eye makeup, dabs blush on her cheeks, paints her lips with pink, shimmery gloss, and spritzes her wrists with flowery-smelling perfume, which Tricia rubs on her neck. She's satisfied with her appearance and Nicky takes a picture of her before she goes to meet Mercy.

"You look good, kid."

Tricia bumps fists with Nicky. "Thanks for making me pretty, yo."

"You got natural beauty, but you're welcome."

It makes her feel less shy when she sees that Grace, Brad, Neri, Cal, Allie, and her boyfriend are on a triple date there, too. Mercy greets her at the door of Friendly's and they hug.

"Wow, so this is you, all dolled up."

Tricia nods while grinning. "Uh-huh."

"I love your outfit, and awesome makeover!" Mercy compliments her.

"Thanks!"

The girls wolf-whistle at her playfully and she chuckles while she and Mercy go up to the counter to order what's apparently the usual, according to a waitress with a name tag that reads _Diane_. She says her daughter and her friends always get cheeseburger sliders, mini mozzarella sticks with sauce, and a small sundae.

As the minutes pass, Tricia and Mercy flirt a little. "You girls make a cute couple," Alex teases them.

"Shut up, stretch!" Tricia exclaims, and Alex snickers. "Sorry, that was my sister's friend."

Mercy nods in understanding. "We should get back at her," she whispers.

Tricia smirks. "I'll take any ideas you got."

* * *

"You protectin' that bitch, ain't ya?" Duardo growls through gritted teeth. They're standing in a dark parking lot outside a construction site near her school and she's waiting for Gloria to pick her up. He'd taken her there so he could yell at her in private, rather than the lit-up room she would've rather been sitting on a bench in.

"She didn't say nothin'! Just leave us alone, please!" Aleida despises sounding so desperate, but she doesn't want Gloria to have yet another target on her back for something that she hadn't done.

"Shut up," Duardo snarls. "I've had enough of your bullshit. I paid a visit to my cousin and he told me Gloria called the pigs on him! You know it was her...why are you protecting that cunt?" He gives her a menacing glare and curls his fingers around her forearms.

"Get your hands off me," Aleida snaps, ripping her arms out of his grasp. "Cesar's just as stupid as you. He don't know what happened, _I_ do, okay? It wasn't Gloria. Random drug busts happen all the fuckin' time! You don't scare me!"

"That bitch is mine, and you're a traitor. You knew Cesar and me first, right? We family to you."

"Yeah, but so is she...we're like this." Aleida crosses her fingers. "Family respects each other. You and that mothafucka betta stay away from Gloria, or-"

"Or what, you'll turn me in, too? It won't change anything if she's beaten to death by my whole gang. I pimp a lot of girls out...they could mess her up just as bad."

The mental images of Gloria bloodied and bruised on the pavement of an abandoned alley make Aleida shudder. She won't show that she's frightened of him, though. "Back the fuck off!" she says strongly. " _Mira_ , I'm sorry Cesar got arrested. I can't do nothin' about it...I don't got the money to pay bail. I thought you did..."

 **Look**

"I ain't usin' money for something that should've never happened in the first place!" he roars at her.

"You're a coward. You won't admit that your cousin fucked up...y'all did!"

"Oh, you're blaming it on me now, huh?"

"No. Cesar's dumb for not listening to me when I advised him not to do it in our apartment where the police could come knocking anytime! That's why you do it on the street, you know?"

"Who the fuck do you think you are? Is this a game to you?" He gets into her personal space and pushes her, but she keeps herself steady on her feet. She won't dare let him win. A car's headlights shine on them and the front door opens and closes as Leon walks up to them.

"Hey, you got a problem, asshole?" he asks ferociously while stepping in front of Aleida protectively. "Don't touch her like that again!" He goes to punch Duardo, but Aleida stops him since she assumes the man has a gun.

"I'm fine, Leon, I gotta go home. I don't want Gloria to worry about me."

He sighs. "Okay, come on." He leads her to his car with his arm snugly around her waist. She glances over her shoulder and sees that Duardo is gone. "Hey, I've got you," he assures her while rubbing his calloused thumbs over the scratches Duardo's fingernails had made on the insides of her wrists, and it gives her a surge of pleasure. "Call me if he bothers you again, okay?"

"You don't gotta do that. I can handle him."

"I want you to be safe."

"I am!" she protests, and then rings Gloria to let her know that Leon's bringing her home from school.

* * *

"That guy who rudely woke us up last night...he's got it out for you because both he and Cesar believe that you called the cops on his ass. I'm watchin' his every move," Aleida informs Gloria as Daya's mother figure ices her black eye in the bathroom. Daya listens to their discussion and tries to calm herself down.

"You need to ask Leon to install an alarm system in our house, for safety reasons!" Daya senses real fear in Gloria's voice. "Only women and children live here and we're in a shitty neighborhood."

"Nah, we can defend ourselves!" Aleida insists stubbornly. "I thought you was a tough bitch, or is that just me?" Daya rolls her eyes at Aleida's stupidity.

"We can't do that physically if the opportunity arises...another man's after me, and he could actually kill me! Please, Aleida...don't make me beg here! He's fuckin' dangerous!"

"You don't think I can protect you? Gloria, you gotta have faith in me...you're my best friend! I promise I won't let him do shit!"

"Honest to God, do I gotta do _everything_ around here?" Daya mutters. She goes to the refrigerator, plucks Leon's card out from under the magnet, and dials his number. She takes the cordless phone into the pantry and he picks up after two rings.

"Hello?"

"Hi...this is Daya, Aleida's daughter," she whispers, but loud enough for it to reach his ears. "Ma's not the type to admit she needs help...she ain't afraid of nothin'...but me and Gloria would appreciate it if you could come to the apartment, like, soon, and put in a security system. Don't tell her I asked, just pretend you're doing it out of the goodness of your heart."

"I was going to anyway, but while she was out, as a surprise. You two would have to be home, though."

"Yeah, I know." Daya bites her nails. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

* * *

"Can I make cookies at your house, Red?" Nicky wants to know.

"You've got quite the sweet tooth!" Red gestures to the package of peanut butter M&Ms that Nicky had bought from Gloria's bodega.

"It's not for me..."

"Oh, I should've known...I see the way you gaze longingly at her, as if she hung the moon, sun, and stars." Red pats Nicky's cheek fondly.

"Man, not you too!" Nicky groans. "Gloria already teased me about my thing for Lorna."

"Yes, you can bake, but I'll be monitoring you very closely so you don't burn anything or make too much of a mess!"

"That's fine!"

Nicky's smiling the whole time she does this, and the snickerdoodles come out to perfection, thanks to Red helping a few times. They're fresh and warm, and Nicky takes them in a box to Lorna's house. She knocks on the door and Franny opens it wide enough so Nicky can see how noisy and crowded their apartment is.

"I'm sorry, Nicky, but Lorna can't have visitors right now."

"I know, but I just wanted to give this to her, if it's okay?"

"Alright, I can take 'em."

"Oooh, I smell somethin' delicious!" Lorna shouts gleefully as she runs down the stairs in a pink nightgown and gray shorts, her breasts bouncing up and down under the cloth. Nicky has to keep her face stoic and she hopes she's not blushing and that the heat on her cheeks is from being near a hot oven for an hour. "Gimme that," she tells Franny sharply as she grabs the box and opens it despite the impatient expression on her sister's face.

"I made your favorite," Nicky informs her crush shyly. "There's also...peanut butter M&Ms in the Snickerdoodles."

"Ooooh, I love these! Thank you, Nichols!" Lorna stuffs one in her mouth and starts chewing. "Mmm, yummy!" Lorna mumbles with her mouth full. She gives Nicky a thumbs up and darts back to her room, and Nicky's pleased with herself.

Afterwards, Nicky and Poussey meet up outside of a club in New York City and smoke weed, just like people do in Lorna, Flaca, and Daya's yearbook class. They'd discussed their hangout just before their French lesson began. "You know I can also speak German?" Poussey asks. "Sie rocken. That was _you rock_."

Nicky grins. "Cool, thanks!"

"I learned that when my dad was stationed in Germany and I had a girlfriend there, briefly. Our family moves around, like, all the time."

"Oh, you're a military brat, eh?"

"Yup. What's on your mind?" Poussey asks.

"Ever fallen for a straight girl?"

"Oh, yeah...you know her, _Taystee_...but that was a long time ago. I used to like her...but not anymore, she's just a friend. Brook and I are getting pretty cozy...we're going out tomorrow!"

"Oh, nice..." Nicky sighs wistfully. "I'm not usually one to say this, but I need some advice...lesbian to lesbian. How'd you get over the chick of your dreams?"

"I just reminded myself that she was my heterosexual best friend, and she'd never love me the way I did her. Being pals was good enough...and my crush on her went away eventually."

"It feels like I'll be attracted to Lorna all my life," Nicky mutters and then blows out a puff of smoke. She watches it rise and then puts her pipe back into her mouth.

"You won't be, don't worry. You'll have to move on sometime and accept that you and Lorna will just be friends."

"Thanks, man."

Even with Poussey's tip, Nicky can't stop thinking about Lorna.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMileyfan1,** **cornedout, LindaAndrewsfan, Tiff, and A Star In My Universe!**


	18. Are You Crazy

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star in My Universe! Yay, the trailer looks amazing-I wouldn't expect anything less-I'm soooo excited! Warning-racial slur**

 **cabrona-jerk**

 **monstruos-monsters**

 **puto culo-fuckin' asshole**

 **mi-my**

Once she knows her whole family is down for the night, Lorna turns on her lamp and begins reading the first page of Piper's diary. The entry is dated _June seventh to ninth, '02_.

 _Dear Diary,_

 _My thirteenth birthday weekend...what a blast! The only part that sucked was Mom wouldn't let me invite Sara H. to my bash Friday, but maybe that's okay...it can just be us, the fab five. We snuck into a frat party, took shots of some funny tasting liquor, and dared each other to plant one on random boys. Alex was awkward about it, but she did like this one girl's melons, and I'm thinking they hooked up, judging by her crafty grin. Flaca wanted to be loyal to Ian...she's no fun! Lorna and Daya were all for it, though, but they acted way too eager, Lorna, especially. Then, I went on a double date with Larry, Polly, and Pete on Saturday night-we went to a fancy dinner. I felt so grown up, probably because I've been a teenager for just two days now. Sunday, I celebrated with my family at Pizza Hut. I got so many presents, it was really fun! I had three parties, but I wish I could throw one for MTV's cameras. My parents said not until I'm sixteen...ugh! I always get what I want, so maybe they'll cave...better late than never! I wanted to rub it into the beast's face so bad! I'll just tell it in the fall. Her slut bestie and the religious meth head deserve to know, too. They are the true banes of my existence._

 _Piper_

Lorna scoffs while shaking her head. Piper ended up having her fourth and final thirteenth birthday party filmed, and she made sure to be front and center, even blocking her friends, and when she left for various reasons, probably sneaking off to kiss Larry or talk to Polly, she commanded the people in charge to turn off the cameras. Lorna, Flaca, Daya, and Alex never had a shot of being on television-their faces were barely or ever seen. If they were in the scene, Piper was with them.

* * *

In Benny and Christina's kindergarten class, they're told to draw their family members. The little boy and girl show the pictures they'd made of themselves, their mommies, and Christina's big sister during circle time, and one of her classmates wrinkles her nose and informs her, "Hey! That's not a family! You don't have a daddy!" Christina starts crying and beating the floor with her little fists and legs. It's the first temper tantrum she's had, ever.

Before the teacher can intervene, the child's twin brother laughs at Christina. Benny kicks him in the face and gives him a bloody nose. That seems to shut him up, and therefore, Benny decides to hurt anyone who tries to hurt her. He's now on a rampage, since he's hitting kids who are wearing their costumes on backwards or those who are simply in his way. He doesn't touch Michael, though, because he stays quiet and focuses on something else besides Benny. He feels someone restraining him, so he screams loudly at them to get off him. He can't be consoled by Stacy, so the desperate teacher calls the principal.

* * *

Gloria comes to the school immediately. She's shocked at what Benny has done and refuses to believe there isn't a good reason for his actions. She takes him outside while apologizing to Stacy.

"What happened in there? You've never behaved that way before, honey." Gloria kneels down to Benny's level and holds his hands to calm him.

"They said...they said...we weren't a real family without a daddy!" Benny sniffles and breaks off into sobs again.

"All of them said that?" Gloria's astonished.

"They made fun of me! Nobody told them to say sorry so I made them sorry! Then they were doing bad things like wearing their dresses and pants wrong..."

"Benny, you can't do that to people! There's a better way to express your anger. Wearing a costume the wrong way is never to be taken personally. You can't just hit because you feel like it! Arturo was wrong to do that to me. You need to use your words, not your fists," Gloria scolds him.

"I started crying and that meanie mo made fun of me!"

"What about a nice, loud, 'Stop it!'?"

"He doesn't listen, ever!"

"Then don't let it get to you. Kids who are nasty mean nothing to me. If you pretend you don't care, they'll get bored and bully someone else. They want a reaction, so don't give them that. Now, I don't want to hear about you hurting your classmates again, no matter how mean they are, do you understand me?"

Benny nods and looked at the ground. "Yeah..."

"Let's shake on it. Promise me you'll be a nice boy?"

Benny sighs and shakes Gloria's hand.

"Go on in there."

Gloria watches as the teacher makes the students apologize to Benny. Then, he's instructed to say he's sorry for harming the others who hadn't done anything wrong. The teacher lectures on the different kinds of families and makes a statement that a family is a group of people who love and care for each other.

Those kids hadn't hurt Gloria's feelings, since they're five and don't know anything else than what they'd experienced. They don't know other possibilities and that there can be all kinds of family structures. What she's really worried about is that Benny's bad behavior could escalate and he'd get expelled. She hopes the incident never happens again.

* * *

"Hey, you!" some guy shouts after Alex while she's walking to English with Nicky. She rolls her eyes when she sees that it's Joey.

"What? You don't know my name?"

"No, I do." He smirks and blocks them from going anyplace. "Oh, trust me...I'm well aware of who you are. So, Alex, you free tonight?"

"Huh?" Nicky snickers behind Alex. "Dude, in case you weren't aware, I'm a lesbian, and I have a girlfriend, who you've _probably_ seen me kissing around school and shit...and even if I was hetero _or_ bisexual, I wouldn't go out with you in a million years, on account of the fact that you crushed one of my best friends' hearts into smithereens." Alex is trying so hard not to break his balls with her foot. She grits her teeth and pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Man, I was hoping you'd fuck anything that moved. Oh, well," he shifts his eyes to Nicky, "what about you, sweet thing? You've got me goin' with that baby face."

Alex face palms while Nicky cackles so hard that tears come to her eyes. "Jesus, where the fuck do you get these awful...okay, they're not even pick-up lines, they're words combined into a super corny sentence to make naive straight girls swoon and melt all over the floor into a puddle of nothing! Wow! I'd rather go out with your sister or girlfriend than you, pal! I've probably licked way more pussy than so much as _flirted_ with a boy."

"You mean you're both...dykes?"

"Yeah," they say at the same time.

"That's cool, I'm into it...could you, like, send me a video of you two making out and having rough sex, because _damn_!"

"Fuck off!" Alex snaps.

"We're not here to fulfill your frat boy fantasies, asshole!" Nicky chimes in. They show him the bird on both their hands.

"What a waste, you're so hot!" He turns to Blanca and wolf-whistles at her while resting against the locker beside hers. She seems to be ignoring him as she puts on some lipstick in the mirror that's taped to her locker door. "How are _you_ doin', sexy mama? I'd be flattered if you showed me some of your spicy moves tonight, since we're the most popular kids in school."

"Go to hell, dumbass! I won't fall for another prank as long as I live!" Blanca hollers at him, and a Spanish boy with short, curly, black hair to his chin and a full beard, punches him in the face.

The students around them murmur, "Ooooooh!" at the same time. Nicky and Alex giggle with their hands over their mouths, while Blanca laughs out loud hysterically. She hi-fives her boyfriend and then Maria, Ouija, and another member of their circle, Ramona Contreras, or rather, Pidge.

"They sure showed him," Alex mutters as she and Nicky continue onto their English class.

"Was he like, one of her exes?" Nicky wonders aloud.

"No, she was one of the many girls he's tricked. Sadly for her, though, he asked her out as a cruel joke last year."

"That's a shame, he missed out on a good-lookin' chick."

"Yeah, well..." Alex cuts herself off, not wanting to tell Nicky this whole story, as it's not hers. "She's got a nice boyfriend and her own group she hangs out with, so I'm glad."

"Ah...hold on, was she your best friend who's heart he broke?"

"No, that was Lorna. You can ask her about it later, if you want. I'm not sure if she'd be willing to give you details."

Nicky frowns and shakes her head. "Oh, okay. This is the reason I feel sorry for straight girls, they believe anything attractive guys tell them!"

"I know, right?"

They go into Frieda's classroom and Alex receives a text. _The only reasons you turned him down were that you're a gold star lesbian and because of Lorna, it wasn't to defend Blanca. Don't try to make yourself sound like a hero. xo, P_

* * *

"Someone should chop Joey's dick off and feed it to him! I'm proud of you and Nicky both for turning him down so sassily!" Lorna exclaims after the two girls tell her what happened. They're eating Red's famous Ratatouille in the backroom with their friends. "If Piper were here, though, she'd shit her pants. So...I've been wondering...why the cookies?" she asks Nicky. "I still haven't finished 'em...there's a lot, and I wanna savor the taste!"

"Just a peace offering," Nicky tells her with a smile. She tries not to think about the heroin that Luschek had sneakily given her at the end of Woodshop. There's only nine more hours until she can take it. "I'm happy you love my baking!"

"Me, too!" After a few minutes, Lorna says, "I used to cook with my mother and Franny. You know Ma named me after the athletic store, Lorna Jane? She actually knew the founder...she was very into working out, cheerleading, dance, and she was even a black belt in karate! She kicked ass when she was healthy."

"How'd she get sick?" Nicky wonders out loud.

"I have no idea...maybe smoke and smog in the city-that's why we moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn."

They all give Lorna sympathetic smiles. "Well, life wouldn't be the same without you. I'm sorry she's ill, though."

Nicky has to agree with Gloria's comment, one hundred percent.

"Okay, we're in," the guy who'd clobbered Joey, announces as he walks into the cafeteria with two other guys, Pennsatucky, and two Latinas-one being the girl Joey hit on. "I tried to rob Piscatella, but he chased me outta his big ass mansion."

"Yeah, we'll lead the dudes in the revolution against those sadistic creatures," the lanky light-skinned boy with longish hair, adds, putting his arm around Pennsatucky.

The guy standing beside them doesn't speak, but he nods his head in agreement while holding who Nicky assumes is his girlfriend.

"Thanks, it's always nice to have boys on our side," Flaca tells them.

The three pairs salute them and leave.

"So, two truths and a lie...I'm really good at history because I know all the state capitals, I have broken into some lady named Monica's house, and I made out with some guy while exploring my sexuality, but obviously, it didn't work out," Nicky says randomly. Everyone looks stumped, except Lorna and Red.

"That's hard, any of them could be right," Daya responds.

"The third one's not true," Lorna guesses correctly. "I've heard her rattle off all the capitals with their states before, and a bad girl like her _would_ do breaking and entering."

"Yep! I've never kissed _anyone_ -just sex!"

"Have ya done it with a boy before?" Maritza wonders aloud.

"Once, but he used a condom. I decided I didn't like it...and his cum tasted like sour milk when I blew him."

"Ew, gross!" Flaca exclaims, and they all burst out laughing.

"Plus, I've only had dreams about women."

"I see," Red comments, raising her eyebrows.

* * *

At playtime, Gloria witnesses Benny taking a Ken doll and making the doll hit the Barbie doll, like he and his brother had both seen Arturo hit her. She takes a deep breath and lets it out through gritted teeth. She's failed at protecting her little boy from the domestic violence.

"Why are they fighting?" Michael asks.

"Because he got mad at his wife," Benny responds matter of factly.

"Why?"

"She was out with friends and she came home but her husband was already there and waiting a really long time for her."

"Did she tell him that?"

"Yeah, but I guess he thought she lied. You can't lie to people who love you. It's not nice. At least she said sorry."

Gloria steps in. "No, Benny, it's not nice to lie to your loved one, but is it nice to hit someone you're supposed to love?"

The boys shake their heads. "No!" they say in unison.

"Good job! What should he have done instead?"

"Used his words," Benny mumbles.

"That's the appropriate answer I'm looking for." Stacy thanks Gloria with a smile.

"Just watching over my kid, teachin' him and his friend right from wrong, that's all!"

"It's not his friend who needs that lesson," is all Benny's kindergarten teacher says.

* * *

"It would be better to start a hunger strike!" Brook whines in her, Flaca, and Maritza's History class. "Just forget what Lorna said..."

"Yo, my blood pressure's low, so I can't go long without eating. It ain't gonna happen," Maritza informs her.

"Yeah," Flaca agrees while fanning herself and reading over her notes. "Why you talkin' about shit that's already been finished with? Damn it, you're making my anxiety worse!"

Brook scoffs. "It's just a test, relax!"

"Easy for you to say, Hello Kitty! Asians are like, hella smart!" Maritza defends Flaca.

"I don't even like her! Anyway...if you flunk, I can tutor you."

"I gotta study, shhh!" Flaca puts her finger to her lips. Her nerves get stronger when Ms. McCollough passes around the quizzes on the Civil War. After a few questions she really doesn't know, she starts having a panic attack. She pushes her bangs back from her clammy forehead and breathes in and out shakily. "I need to get the fuck outta here..."

"Shut the fuck up, you dirt taco!" Brandy Epps groans, and Flaca and Maritza flip the white pride member off.

"Excuse me, I will not tolerate racist slurs in my classroom!" the teacher reprimands her. "You've already gotten a detention, Miss Epps. One more comment like that, and you can kiss your test goodbye! In fact, call your parents to take you home-you're suspended for two weeks!" Flaca's relieved that the teacher is only Ms. McCollough and she'd given Brandy a proper punishment. The blonde woman comes over to her. "Miss Gonzales, you're also disrupting the class. Do you want to go to a private room and take it?"

"O-okay...I'm...I'm sorry, it's just hard to concentrate..." Flaca stutters through her panting.

"Alright, try to calm down. I'll send your test to Mr. Caputo. Good luck."

"Thanks."

Flaca warily goes to the principal's office. She checks her notes on her phone one last time, but before she can hand it over to Caputo, a new message appears on the screen. _Someone's a little slow, if you don't want me to tell your girls, you'll have to come clean to your boyfriend at least-about everything! I may not let you finish high school, anyway. kisses, P_

"Answer it later," the man says, and he exchanges her phone for her test.

* * *

"How was school? Did that punk kid Mikey bug you again?" Nicky asks Tricia over the phone.

"Nah, his sisters straightened him up, I guess!"

"Good, now listen, I'm going to this dance-a-thon that's being hosted at my high school...so I'll see you when it's over, at midnight! Then, tomorrow after community service, I'm going to Gloria's son's birthday party...that's where my friends will be! If you wanna come with, you can!"

"It's cool, I'll chill with Mercy and the other girls!"

"Okay, then! Bye!"

"Bye!"

* * *

"It's one thing to be brave, but you're being an idiot!" Daya yells at her mother. "I hope you thanked him!"

"I never wanted him to do this. It makes me look like a wimp! I can take care of my fuckin' self!" Aleida shouts back.

"Okay, but what happens when Duardo kicks in the door and kills us all?" Gloria asks. "Leon was nice to install that alarm system!"

"Yeah, Gloria and I both feel a lot safer, so majority rules!"

"You're bein' real dramatic!" Aleida snaps.

Daya chomps on her gum and blows a bubble until it pops. "Believe what you want, but you'll see how helpful it is...and it could scare away any intruders! We've already had Duardo trying to get in...we don't need more."

"I can deal with him-"

"What if you ain't home, Aleida?" Gloria asks. "I ain't talkin' to him by myself, and I won't have him come near Daya."

"Fine...when I'm here, though, it stays off."

"He could demand to know where Gloria is...you need to put a restraining order out on him," Daya lets Aleida know. "You can't keep repeating that Gloria's innocent."

"Okay, if he shows up at our apartment again, I will," Aleida gives in.

"Thank you," Gloria murmurs.

"Yeah, thanks," Daya echoes.

The school is so messed up that they mixed up the day of the dance-a-thon, which is tonight now instead of Saturday. "At least this gives me more time to prepare for Benny's birthday party," Gloria says as she, Aleida, and Daya go to Martin Van Buren High. They had to move the event to Saturday when they found out, which at first, Benny had been upset by, but he'd calmed down when they'd assured him he'll still have a fun celebration tomorrow. The cheerleaders had apparently stayed after school to help decorate the gym for the dance-a-thon.

Everyone is all dressed up with numbers taped to the backs of their outfits, and they start dancing when the announcer tells them to begin. The six friends groove together as a group, or they split into pairs-Nicky and Lorna; Flaca and Maritza; and Daya and Alex-and sometimes, they switch partners. They don't stop until they're dead tired. Aleida's brought Leon as her date, and Gloria is with Red since neither of them have a partner. Diane is off in the corner with some man Gloria doesn't know while the girls are distracted.

* * *

"I can't believe you brought a flask, Mari," Flaca whispers to her best friend.

"Hey, I don't mind sharing, but we're the only two whose moms aren't here chaperoning, Lorna can't have a hangover when she's gonna go on that road trip with Franny tomorrow, and Red probably has her eye on Nicky, like in the back of her head!"

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe it can just be for us two!" They both giggle while bouncing on their feet and spinning around in their black dresses. "We gotta watch out for those bad guys, though! Luckily, it was only Ms. Fischer checking the bags. She's cool."

"Mm-hm..."

"I may need the whole thing," Flaca admits. "Remember when I went into the separate private room for the test? I'm embarrassed...I don't want nobody to know, so keep it between us, okay?"

"It's nothin' to be ashamed of."

"It's just...I can't get below a C, otherwise, people will think I'm a dunce...and it's easier when I'm workin' on tests, quizzes, and exams, alone."

"Wow, really? You're worried about how well you do in this stupid shit? Freaking out about grades is dumb-you of all people should know that! I gotta tell ya, though, you won't need to know this after graduating college!" Maritza points out.

"Dude, I know, but I'm real bad in school...like, I'm lucky I never got an D or F or nothin'."

"A C is good enough, Flaca," Maritza assures her while twisting her hair around her fist. "You don't gotta go higher, unless you really can."

"Thanks."

"Still want my liquor?"

"Hell yes. Please."

"All yours!"

* * *

"Where's Sylvie?" Nicky asks Alex as she trades Daya for Lorna.

Alex sighs deeply and smooths down the fabric of her dark red dress. "We kinda got into a fight. She's jealous because I wanna switch between dancing with her and you girls...so she went home."

"Oh, well, I hope things work out!"

"Me, too."

"You look like Belle from _Beauty and the Beast_ ," Nicky compliments Lorna. She really does, from her brown hair tied in a half pony with the rest of it tumbling down her back in loose waves, to her sunshine-colored dress and matching heels.

"Huh...I never thought of it that way, since I'm not a big reader and my prince isn't here, but thank you. Hey, there's the dipshit!" she shouts over the loud music, gesturing to Joey. "Quick, pretend we're madly in love!" She jumps on Nicky, wrapping her legs around the blonde girl's waist and placing her hands on Nicky's shoulder, and the slightly taller girl starts carrying Lorna while shaking her hips to the beat. "Oh, baby, I adore you so much!" she cries dramatically, and the girls laugh hysterically.

"You're my number one girl!" Nicky answers, playing along with her. "Should we make out, just to give him a metamorphic kick in the nuts?"

"Nah, he's gone now. You can put me down if you want."

"Good, 'cause I think every single one of us has to have our feet on the floor," Nicky says while letting go of Lorna. "We could grind, though. Look, Flaca and Maritza are doing it."

"Sure!"

"What exactly did he do, if you don't mind me asking?" Nicky adjusts her blue skirt so the hem is at the middle of her thighs. "He seems to be quite a player...like, if I was into boys, I wouldn't waste my time with him, if I knew what kind of person he was."

Lorna's smile disappears. "You think I'm a moron?" she hisses.

"No, no! It's just...like I said earlier, he seemed horny today...making passes at me, Alex, and this poor girl who was the butt of a prank a year ago?" Nicky scoffs. "It was pathetic how he was acting, really."

"Yeah, I guess I didn't realize...I'll tell you everything later, alright? Let's just dance. I don't wanna remember sad stuff at a time like this."

Nicky twirls Lorna around a few times, making her yellow dress fan out. "Okay."

* * *

Alex takes Maritza's flask out of her bag and opens it. "She's gonna be mad that you're stealing her drink," Daya warns her.

"No, she'll understand if I explain the reason." Alex takes a swig and then winces at the taste. "Whoa, this is strong!"

"You're gonna wind up shit drunk."

"Who the fuck cares?" They sneak out of the area and walk around outside. "I can't function when Sylvie and I are at odds with each other."

"Just give her time to cool down."

Alex guzzles the liquid and slams the flask on a bench. "I hate this...Piper's underground while those fuckin' bastards get to make our lives hell in school!" she hollers.

Daya shushes her, relieved that Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps hadn't heard Alex. "I know."

"It all sucks! We have no idea who killed our friend, or who this P asshole is...I feel like it'll be a mystery forever! Both people will get away with tormenting us like this!"

Daya rubs Alex's back soothingly. "No, they won't. We'll solve it, all four of us!"

"How? We're not detectives." Alex picks up the flask again and pours her drink into her mouth.

"Well...we'll figure it out, okay?"

"I'm still unconvinced." Alex looks away from Daya and puts her head in her hands. "I wish she was here...or maybe I don't. She lead me on, fuckin' bitch!"

"You're not glad she's dead, though."

"No...I miss her...but like Mom said, she screwed over a lot of people...including me. It _hurts_ to be aware of that. She made me feel like some kind of...predator slut!"

"None of us think of you that way, Al. I doubt Piper did either."

"You don't know what it's like, Daya! You have no fuckin' clue...how it feels...to be a lesbian...who's into her straight friend."

"Yeah, but I know rejection from a crush. We've all faced it at some point in our lives! Lorna's like, the poster child of it!"

"You look really hot in pink!" Alex is starting to slur her words and stagger, so Daya knows it's time for her to put down Maritza's flask. She holds Alex's arms tightly before Alex can trip over a crack in the pavement, and they both sit down on the bench.

"Hey, what are you two doin' out here?" Maritza asks.

"Sorry, Maritza," Alex mumbles guiltily. "I needed this."

"Oh, man, I was gonna enjoy that," Flaca groans. "Why?"

"She's not feeling the best," Daya tells them. "I mean, like, she wasn't before. She was drinking away the pain of both Piper and Sylvie being gone."

"I'm almost sober!" Alex protests, her eyes widening and rolling back into her head. "I'm going back in...I'm gonna have a few words with those sickos!"

The girls appear to be as horrified at the predicted outcome of this as Daya is. "No you're not, Specs. Where should we take you? I'll get a taxi," Nicky says.

"We should hurry and go now before anyone sees her!" Lorna urges them. "Get your stuff...I'll take Alex's and grab a water from in there."

"Uh...Maritza's, I suppose...I don't want Flaca's brothers to snitch...Theresa might tell my mom. I know she's cool, but she doesn't need to know about this. Can one of you please let her know, from my phone?" Alex asks as the girls gather up their belongings.

"Okay, sure, and I'll go, too, since I want some alcohol...come on." Flaca helps Alex up while Daya takes her other arm.

"I can do this by myself, thank you!" They help her put one feet in front of the other as Nicky flags down a cab. "The world is closing in on me," Alex grumbles. "I don't remember there being a street here...wait, why do vehicles move so fast, but we can't?"

It's a tight squeeze in the back, but since both Lorna and Maritza's butts are small, they can fit into one seatbelt. Nicky sits next to Lorna, with Alex on her other side. Flaca's in the passenger seat. Daya hugs her friends goodbye and waves at them until she can't see them anymore. She returns to where Gloria and Aleida are, at the gym.

* * *

By the end of the night, they're all tired and their feet hurt, but it was still fun. Flaca and Maritza both tuck Alex in bed and then snuggle up next to her after she pukes in the toilet. Normally, they'd stay up all night and gossip, but Alex can't deal with noise at this moment. She's sweating buckets, so Maritza opens her window wide, letting the cool air rush in.

"Hey, you mind if we leave you here and watch reality shows and get buzzed downstairs?" Flaca asks Alex gently while taking off her shoes and her glasses.

"Yeah, I wanna sleep," Alex murmurs. "Have...fun..."

"Don't forget to drink water and use the bowl if you gotta throw up!" Maritza reminds her.

"Okay..." Her eyes drift shut and she grins when they stroke her hair before exiting the room.

* * *

 _Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo)_

 _Here comes the sun, and I say_  
 _It's all right_

 _Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter_  
 _Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here_  
 _Here comes the sun_  
 _Here comes the sun, and I say_  
 _It's all right_

Daya, her mother, and Gloria listen to the Beatles song in the kitchen while working on Benny's funfetti chocolate cake. The kids shake their little butts to it and giggle when the women and Daya twirl them around.

 _Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces_  
 _Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here_  
 _Here comes the sun_  
 _Here comes the sun, and I say_  
 _It's all right_

Gloria hums along to it while she and Aleida sway against each other. "This is what my parents used to dance to before they died in a car accident," she lets them know. "I love it."

"It's a good one!" Daya murmurs.

"Yeah, the Beatles were pretty hot back then," Aleida says.

 _Sun, sun, sun, here it comes_  
 _Sun, sun, sun, here it comes_  
 _Sun, sun, sun, here it comes_  
 _Sun, sun, sun, here it comes_  
 _Sun, sun, sun, here it comes_

"It puts me in a excellent mood!" Gloria tells them as Aleida frosts the cake. Gloria writes, _Happy 5th Birthday, Benny!_ in red icing. "Every time I hear it, I think of how lucky I am to have gotten away from Arturo."

Daya gets out candles for later, when they're ready to put them in. "I can imagine! Well, we're happy, too."

Aleida hugs Gloria around her waist. "Same here!"

 _Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting_  
 _Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear_  
 _Here comes the sun_  
 _Here comes the sun, and I say_  
 _It's all right_

The song fades away, but Gloria's still smiling. "Happy birthday, little man!" she says excitedly as she lifts up Benny and squeezes him tight while kissing his cheek. "Wanna wear your favorite red shirt today?"

"Yeah!"

She sends Benny and Christina to their rooms while she gets dressed and puts Julio in his green plaid shirt and khakis. Aleida puts Emiliano's black shirt on over his head and helps him with his red shorts. Daya throws on her green sparkly shirt, black leather jacket and blue jeans. She slides a matching green studded belt through the loops in her jeans. She puts her hair up into a ponytail and sweeps her bangs to one side. She slips her personalized hoops that read _Dayanara_ in cursive writing through her earlobes and applies her makeup.

* * *

"Where are you goin'?" Franny asks Lorna as she leaves the pool and dries off.

"I need to use the little girl's room." Lorna slides on her sunglasses, adjusts her black bikini straps, and slips her feet into her pink flip flops. She puts on her red lipstick and grabs her bag up off the ground. "I'll be right back."

She saunters off to the room where P had told her Christopher and Angela were in and knocks on the door, but there's no answer. "Christopher? Are you in there? It's me, baby!" She discovers the door is unlocked, thanks to P, and goes inside. It's quite a spectacular place. She wanders around and finds their bed, and she quickly figures out that Angela's side is the one with the small stuffed teddy bear lying on top of the pillow. She stuffs that into her bag and unzips Angela's suitcase. She throws everything out, all over the floor, not caring that something just broke when it had fallen out of its tissue paper. She hurls the suitcase at the window, creating a large dent in the glass, and smirks. "That's gonna cost you, bitch!"

She goes into their bathroom and sees a huge tub. After stripping and filling it with warm water, she steps into it and closes her eyes as she relaxes. She only wakes up when she hears loud voices.

"Who was in here?" Christopher demands.

"We're gonna call security!" Angela hollers. They come into the bathroom. "Get out!" she orders Lorna.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Lorna asks as she's draining the tub. "I just wanted to visit you, Christopher, and take a dip in this nice tub. Are you gonna make me pay for the mess? I won't, by the way, because I didn't make it." She glares daggers at Angela. "You, however, deserve your shit destroyed, slut!"

Angela raises her hand, as if to slap Lorna, but Christopher stops her. "She's willing to leave, so physical violence isn't necessary." He nods at Angela, and she grins in response.

"I'll strangle you, whore!" Lorna threatens Angela while putting her bikini, sunglasses, and flip flops back on. "You ruined mine and Christopher's vacation together!" she hisses through gritted teeth.

"Don't make me laugh!"

"I told you not to come near me again," Christopher growls, and Lorna finds it sexy.

"She's warping your mind or something! _I'm_ your girlfriend, not Angela!" Lorna insists.

"Are you crazy?!" Angela yells. "Leave, now!"

Lorna snatches her bag off the floor and gives Angela a dark stare, with her eyes narrowed into slits, her nose flared, her mouth into a frown, and fury fills every part of her being. Her whole body shakes as her muscles tense up. She storms out of their room and breathes in and out to slow down her rapidly beating heart. She counts to ten like Red does when she's angry, and she doesn't stop trembling until she reaches the end of the hallway. She pulls her phone out of her bag.

 _Follow through on your promise to choke Angela in school, and I'll give you a guide on installing a bomb in her car-you'd only be doing it to scare her off, not kill her. She'll never touch Christopher again. When you get home, you'll see that I've stolen your vision board. You're getting pieces back right now, but not all of them...I'll give them to you when you do what I ask of you. love, P_

"Hey, sorry, I was lost and I met a boy, but we didn't click," Lorna claims. "Let's go home now so we're not too late for Benny's party at Chuck-E-Cheese's!"

Her sister gives her a confused look. "Oh...okay, then."

She ends up arriving to the party all breathless and rushed. "You made it, just in time for greasy pizza!" Gloria exclaims, and Lorna hands her Benny's present.

"How could I miss your son's party, Gloria?" Lorna asks rhetorically. She kneels down to Benny's level and hugs him. "Hey, buddy, happy birthday!"

"Thank you, Lorna!" he says politely, and she ruffles his hair. She then spies her friends, along with Maria, Blanca, and their boyfriends, playing the arcade games, and Aleida and Red watching the rest of the children in the jumping house. She makes her way over to the girls and taps Nicky from behind. The blonde turns around and grins so wide that Lorna can see her dimples.

"Hey, kid, I thought you weren't gonna show!" Nicky throws her arms around Lorna, and Alex, Flaca, Daya, and Maritza do the same. "One more game of Skee Ball, and then we eat!"

"Sounds great!"

* * *

The next day is hot as Leon drives himself to Aleida's apartment. He wipes his sweaty forehead with his arm and is shocked he hasn't even started yet. Hopefully it's worth it in the end. Gloria had put him to work all day and Aleida gives him water every thirty minutes.

Aleida's sexy in short-shorts and a tank top that's exposing her belly and cleavage. She'd let her hair loose in flowing curls down her back. She shades her eyes with her hand and kneels down next to him shoveling dirt to plant some flowers. "How are you doing there, soldier?"

"I might need some water, miss." He winks at her and takes off his shirt. She blushes and looks away as he does so.

"Of course, sir." She rises and runs back inside the house, almost falling over the porch steps. Leon chuckles at her behavior. She's totally falling for him.

Aleida comes back a few seconds later with some water. Leon downs it instantly and hands her back the plastic cup.

 _"You need to stop working because I might just distract you," she says in a seductive voice. He just stares. "Leon, you know you want this, don't you?" She unfastens her shorts and unzips so she's down to her red lacy panties. "One step closer to heaven."_

 _"Oh, god, yes, baby."_

 _"All for you," she murmurs, licking her lips. "You can thank me later."_

 _There she is, spreading her legs and showing all her wetness right in front of him. She puts one finger in her hole and starts panting heavily. He squeezes his straining cock and groans. "Fuck..."_

"Leon! You there?" Aleida snaps her fingers in front of his face.

He blinks a few times. "Yeah, sorry, I spaced out."

"Hm, I'm sure you did. Here's what you wanted."

He takes the water from her and drinks it, enjoying the coolness as it slides down his throat. "Aaah, that hit the spot!"

"I bet. Gloria's making us lunch soon. How do you feel about a nice plate of pasta with ice cream for dessert?"

"I would love it. I planted a few flowers, by the way."

"Thank you. You did so much!"

He'd also carried a few heavy boxes from one side of the yard to the other and cleaned the windows. It was tough, but totally worth it. He got to look at her dancing around her room. That part was fun.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" he asks a few seconds later.

"Yes, very. I love sunny days. I hope the work isn't too bad."

"It's not. I need the green."

"I know."

Leon accidentally streaks some dirt on Aleida's cheek while kissing her. "Ew!" she cries, and flicks it back at him. They start laughing and eventually roll around in the mud until they need to take a shower together.

* * *

The girls occasionally go to Piper's memorial site, and this afternoon, they see Carol sitting by it with a fond expression on her usually stoic face.

"They did a splendid job. That was a wonderful idea you had, Alex," she says as the four of them come closer.

Alex beams proudly. "Thanks, Mrs. Chapman."

"You all were great in honoring my daughter at her funeral. Let's have an impromptu lunch at my house, girls. Would you be okay with that?"

"Sure!" Lorna chirps.

Flaca stands up a bit straighter. "Okay!"

Daya shrugs. "That's fine."

"Yeah," Alex tells Piper's mother.

"Great! I'll have the cook make us pork. I'm betting you want hot sauce, Flaca?"

"Like always!"

When they start eating, Carol hands them each a box with a beautiful dress inside. They're all perplexed, except Lorna, who squeals, "Oooh, pretty! Oh my goodness...but weren't these Piper's?"

"Yes, but I'm throwing a charity fashion show in New York City tonight, and I wanted to ask you four if you could model these dresses. I know it's last minute, and you don't have to do it, but I would be pleased if you did."

* * *

Aleida and Leon go inside when her friend calls them in for lunch. The three of them eat their food silently. Gloria leads them outside with her straw hat on and sunglasses. She grins at Aleida and Aleida gives her a thumbs up.

Leon works diligently for six more hours. By the end of the day, his bones are aching and he can barely drive. Thankfully, Aleida offers him a ride home.

"My muscles are so sore," Leon moans.

"Aw, you poor baby, want me to make you feel all better?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay, lay down on your belly," she instructs, and he does so, on her white couch. Gloria's spying on them before Aleida notices and shoos her away.

"Aaah, that's it. oh yeah," Leon keeps saying as she continuously hits the right spots. She's releasing all the pain and it feels so good. Her soft hands are also doing wonders to his dick. He feels himself harden. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you so much...can I have a hug?"

"Of course," she allows, and he pulls her in close to his chest. He rocks her from side to side a few times and then they part.

* * *

"Why would she ask this of us?" Daya wants to know. "I mean, we never even knew about it! I feel kinda weird doing it if you ask me."

"Yeah, it's fuckin' creepy!" Flaca agrees.

"I wouldn't mind! It does sound fun to stroll down a catwalk in such lovely dresses!" Lorna exclaims.

"Maybe she's just trying to keep Piper's memory alive," Alex tells her friends.

"Girls, this is a nice way to remember her. Just think of it like that," Diane says.

Alex smiles at her mother's suggestion and shrugs and Flaca and Daya still look uncertain, but Lorna squeals excitedly. "Oh, come on! It's not like she'd worn them more than once! She only tried 'em on for us."

"Yeah, and she said I wouldn't fit into any of them," Daya grumbles, staring down at her lap. "What if I don't, even now?"

"We could always fix 'em, like we may have to make some of the skirts shorter for Lorna," Alex consoles her.

Eventually, the Hispanic girls agree to the idea since they respect Diane and also because Lorna and Alex want to do it. "We should invite Maritza and Nicky to come watch us, besides our moms, Gloria, and Red!" Flaca suggests.

"Of course!" Lorna agrees.

* * *

"Who's that guy you were with?" Gloria asks Diane as they, Aleida, Red, Franny, and Theresa are sitting around a circular table, waiting for the fashion show to start.

"Oh...you saw us together at the dance-a-thon, huh?" Diane wonders out loud.

Aleida smirks. "You gotta tell us! I can't believe I never noticed!"

"Yes, because you were busy with your boyfriend," Red tells her. "So, back to you, Diane..."

"He's...Alex's biological father...but it's a secret," Diane confesses.

The ladies' jaws pop open in surprise. "No way! Shit, really?" Franny asks.

"I want to know if it's serious first, otherwise, she'll be so fuckin' disappointed."

"Ain't that like lyin' to her?" Gloria wants to know.

"No...but I do feel bad. I just can't have her meet him, and then he ups and leaves the next day. It's wonderful to reconnect, though. He's been great so far."

"That's good," Theresa says. "So...I think someone found me on eHarmony-"

"Whoohoo!" Aleida cheers and then winks at her. "Get it, _chica_!"

"I just don't know what to wear...it's at the Sparrow Tavern next Saturday at five, I think...I'll have Marisol translate because he said more than just details. Maybe she could even give me some ideas for my outfit."

"I wish you lots of luck!" Diane says, giving Theresa's hand a squeeze. "So, Aleida, where's Leon?"

"I didn't bring him...it's just a ladies' thing, after all!"

"Hey, Red!" Nicky greets her. "We didn't miss anything, right? This girl, Blanca, I think her name is...she told us it was starting right now. She's in charge, apparently."

"Yes, sweetheart...you're just in time. Hello, Tricia, Maritza."

"Hi!" The short Mexican girl and the blonde in dreadlocks wave at Red and they find chairs beside the ladies. "I just know Flaca will love this! I mean, she found it strange at first, but she does like everyone's eyes on her! I don't blame her, so do I!"

"Well, Lorna was ecstatic!" Nicky informs them.

"That sounds like my sis," Franny tells her with a knowing grin.

"Their names should be like, in lights," Maritza says. "At least the spotlight's glowing on them!"

"Yeah!" Nicky and Tricia agree.

The women, Nicky, Tricia, and Maritza clap and cheer as the girls strut down the catwalk in various, colorful, cute, stylish dresses, heels, hats, and headpieces. They look so glamorous, and very grown up. Aleida and Diane both wolf whistle when Alex and Daya travel the stage, wearing white gowns, and smack each other's asses. Lorna and Flaca, adorned in gold-from their headbands to their Platform Pradas-do a little spin in synch, blow a kiss to the audience, and then curtsy when they're done. Red gives each of them a thumbs-up, and Nicky and Maritza wave at them, yelling their names.

"That's the way you do it!" Maritza squeals.

"I love you!" Nicky chimes in. "Whooo!"

"My baby, I'm so proud of you!" Diane gushes and waves at Alex.

"Dayanara!" both Gloria and Aleida shout happily.

"Go, little sister!" Franny calls out to Lorna.

"¡Hola, Marisol!" Theresa hollers.

 **Hi, Marisol**

The girls seem to smile and blush more when attention is directed at them, and it's adorable. All of a sudden though, the event is sabotaged when a photo of Piper, with drawn devil horns and a beard, appears on the overhead projector. It bursts into angry orange flames and evil laughter and a demonic voice bursts out through the loudspeaker, "I'm a selfish cunt...stop wearing my clothes...they're mine, all mine!" The words _bitch_ , _monster_ , and _evil_ flash across the screen, everyone gasps, and the four friends quickly run off the stage.

"What the fuck, man?" Nicky asks sharply as the Chapmans leave the room.

* * *

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Maritza asks Flaca.

"I have no idea...I just wanna go home."

"You girls alright?" Nicky asks in concern.

"Mm-hm," they lie in unison.

"Lorna, I could take you to your apartment, if you'd like. Red's gonna bring Tricia to Storky's."

"Sure, thanks, Nicky. Can you and Maritza tell our moms, my sister, Red, and Gloria, that we're fine?"

"I will!"

"Why would someone ruin this? Poor Mr. and Mrs. Chapman and Cal," Alex mutters, nearly in tears. "Oh, and her grandma, too..."

"We should try to make 'em feel better somehow," Daya says. "They're gone now, so we can't really give 'em hugs."

A message displays on the blank white canvas. _She should never be worshipped, and shame on you for parading around in her shit! -P_

They exit immediately after, and then Nicky walks Lorna home. "Mind telling me about that grand finale?"

"Yes, I do, actually...how'd you like the rest of the show?"

Nicky grins and she and Lorna's hands bump. "Oh, I enjoyed it, thoroughly! You were all amazing!"

Lorna's glad when Nicky drops the subject. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, kid."

* * *

There's a girl sobbing loudly in the bathroom on Monday morning and screaming like she's being tortured, so Nicky immediately opens the door and finds her kicking one of the stall doors in, letting it bang against the wall. She then sinks into a sitting position, hunched over, rocking back and forth, with her shoulders shaking. She looks awfully familiar, with her dark, wavy hair and that temper could belong to none other than the girl Nicky cherishes.

"Lorna?" When she doesn't respond, Nicky kneels down slightly behind her and softly touches her shoulder. "Hey..."

"Try again," she mumbles, turning to face Nicky while dabbing her black eye with a wet paper towel.

"I saw you on Friday and then a couple times this weekend...I'm so sorry, I thought you were Lorna," Nicky mutters awkwardly.

"Yup, except I'm not. Why do people always mistaken me for her? It's fuckin' annoying! I'm Latina, not white, _cabrona_!" The dark-skinned girl glares at Nicky and sniffles.

"It's the hair...I apologize, again. I'm new here, I don't know every student at this school! You should go to the nurse...that's an awful bruise you got there, and just cold water isn't gonna help it. Ice keeps the swelling down. I'm Nicky Nichols, by the way."

"Blanca Flores." She gets up to her feet, as does Nicky. "I guess they never told you, huh?" She puts her purse on over her shoulder.

"What?"

"Those girls I've seen you with-Daya, Lorna, Flaca, and Alex-their bitch friend who died...she was my bully last year. I used to have your type of disheveled hair, but also, a unibrow, so...but anyway, this is a new year, and we're all getting equally attacked by those _monstruos_."

"That's how you got the..."

Blanca nods and wipes a tear away with her sleeve. "You try to go skinny dipping with your boyfriend at night, and _boom_!" Nicky jumps. "All of a sudden, you're knocked out and he's in the hospital with his babymaker fucked up! I hate Piscatella... _puto culo._ "

Nicky's eyes widen in horror and they link arms without realizing it. Even though Blanca is slightly taller than Nicky, she's clinging onto the blonde as they cautiously walk to the nurse's office. "Jesus Christ, man..."

"Yeah, we both tried to drown him, and mi Diablo was protectin' me, sayin' you ain't shit if you hit a girl, and then we had to play dead until that motherfucker left us alone."

"Oh my god! When was this?"

"Like, four this morning."

"Oh my god," Nicky repeats. "We need to tell Red and Gloria."

"What are _they_ gonna do?"

"You guys almost got killed. They tried to have Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps arrested, but it fell through, but now they gotta take further action. A murder attempt requires death as revenge."

"Hey, did you see that blood in the pool? Holy shit!" Alex says as she comes up to them with her mother, Lorna, Flaca, Daya, and Maritza behind her.

"It was horrifying," Lorna murmurs.

"Yeah, at first, I thought someone had her period, but nah!" Flaca chimes in.

"That's what I assumed, too," Maritza agrees. "We were like, someone's gonna have to clean that up!"

"What the hell happened to you, Blanca?" Daya wonders out loud.

"Piscatella," both Nicky and Blanca whisper at the same time.

"That's a mix of mine and Diablo's," Blanca tells them and then gulps. "We're okay, but...well, alive, at least. We just can't have babies, not that I'd ever want 'em, but...he's really dangerous...if we wanna defeat him, we'd have to take him by surprise."

"Oh, no, you poor girl," Diane replies sympathetically.

"How'd you survive?" Lorna asks, the nervousness evident in her trembling voice. The girls clutch tightly onto each other and then Lorna, who's at the end, grabs Nicky's upper arm.

"We pretended not to breathe for like, two minutes," Blanca explains.

They make their way to the backroom of the cafeteria even faster, practically running. They're gasping for air as soon as they arrive.

"She needs ice," Alex informs the kitchen workers before they can say anything.

"What the fuck?!" Aleida bursts out.

"That shithead Piscatella did a number on her and her man," Flaca continues.

"Yeah, he was about to slaughter 'em, but they rescued themselves!" Maritza goes on.

"Quiero ver a Diablo..." Blanca cries as she practically falls into Gloria's arms. "I can't 'til after school, I wanna skip, but I'm afraid to...he's badly hurt..."

 **I wanna see Diablo**

"I know," Gloria murmurs while stroking her hair soothingly. Red opens the freezer, gets a chunk of ice out, and puts it into a plastic bag. She hands it to the injured Latina, who holds it to her eye and then Gloria pulls a pair of sunglasses out of her purse. "You can wear these when you go to class...it's what I would do all the time, if I was going out and Arturo had just abused me."

"Thanks..." she mumbles as the women help her sit down on a chair. Nicky's heart breaks for her, and she sees that the others are just as solemn and empathetic, pressing their hands on the left side of their chests. "I need to tell Maria where I am...we always meet in the courtyard."

"I'll text her for you," Daya offers sweetly. "I have her number."

"Okay, that'd be great. Thank you!" Blanca manages a small smile. As the girls gaze on sadly, Red, Gloria, and Aleida share a devious smirk, probably conjuring up a plan to destroy Piscatella and his men, once and for all. Claudette sharpens a big knife and Norma points at it while grinning. _Take out the top dog, then it's easy to overpower the minions_ , Nicky thinks to herself.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMiley1fan, cornedout, and A Star In My Universe!**


	19. She's Fifteen

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star in My Universe! Warning: flashback contains abuse. Happy birthday, Selenis Leyva!**

"Where's our food? Hurry up!"

They stiffen when they hear Piscatella's demanding voice, and Daya stops texting Maria. "Go, we'll handle this motherfucker," Red whispers shakily to the girls and Diane. Norma and Claudette get in front of Red, Gloria, and Aleida protectively as soon as he appears.

Alex's mother ushers them out of the cafeteria's backroom. "You're supposed to be dead!" Piscatella snarls at Blanca as they're passing him.

"Por lo que son," she hisses, but doesn't spare him a glance. Gloria's eyes widen in fear, it looks like, and Aleida smirks. Flaca and Maritza push Blanca even further ahead of them, away from the monster who had hurt her.  
 **So are you**

"Espero que no te oiga," Flaca whispers.

 **I hope he didn't hear you**

When they're in the clear, Maritza adds, "Yeah, 'cause you don't wanna entice him!"

"I know, that's why I said it under my breath," Blanca tells them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't understand," Alex mutters.

"Well, you know what he said, and she responded with something like, _you too_ ," Daya informs them, and Blanca nods.

"Oh, that makes sense!" Lorna exclaims.

"Ay dios mio, ¿que mierda? Was it that Stanky again?" Maria asks, referring to the time Kasey Sankey and her fellow Nazi sympathizer, Jennifer, threw Blanca down a set of stairs last year as a twisted _seniors get to do whatever they want_ thing. Amazingly, Kasey was still able to graduate and get into a nice college. Actually, it wasn't that surprising, because people could literally get away with murder in this fucked up place. The only positive result that came out of this was Maria starting a trend where all the decent students started calling Kasey 'Stanky'. Maria wraps her arm around Blanca and rubs her shoulder up and down comfortingly. "Don't worry, we gonna take care of that bitch-"

 **Oh my god, what the fuck?**

"No, it was Piscatella," Blanca explains as she puts on her sunglasses with trembling hands. She repeats the same story she told everyone else, and Maria hugs her best friend even tighter than before, her facial expression changing from anger to sadness.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry..."

"I'm okay, we were dumb...I'm just really worried about Diablo..."

"I can understand, I hope he's okay!"

"Yeah, same. _Feliz cumpleaños_ , by the way."

 **Happy birthday**

" _Gracias_. Y'all are invited to my quinceañera this Saturday!" Maria exclaims, gesturing to the girls. "I know it's a bit last minute, but I'd love for you to be there! Of course, Blanca's going!"

"Sure, that would be fun!" Nicky says excitedly. "Uh, so I've never heard of it...what do you wear?"

"It's a tradition for Latinas when they turn fifteen, like a sweet sixteen...formal attire!"

"I love dressing up!" Lorna squeals.

"Us, too!" Flaca and Maritza chime in at the same time.

"Can I bring Sylvie?" Alex wonders out loud.

"Go ahead!" Maria allows.

"Awesome!"

"Make sure your guests don't get so drunk that they fall on the cake and set their clothes on fire!" Daya warns her. "That's what happened to my mom at mine last December."

"Oh, I will!"

"I wore a long red halter dress with my hair down and I had this tall, white cake adorned with pink roses on a white tablecloth with red bows on the side under a silver and red balloon arch. I think it was the only time in my life where Aleida went all out for something besides herself."

"That sounds pretty!"

"Uh...y'all have mini twins standing next to you..." Daya starts feeling nauseous all of a sudden, and she hiccups sharply while grasping at her stomach with one hand and clapping the other over her mouth. She runs to a trash can and throws up violently while latching onto the sides of the bin, as she's afraid to stumble and trip over her own two feet. She senses someone pulling her hair back from her face and two other people holding her by her arms.

"Oh god, I don't know what the fuck just happened to me, but it felt like I got kicked in the guts," she groans. Daya takes off her jacket and ties it around her waist. "That's better." She falls back into Diane's arms and Alex's mother keeps her upright. Lorna and Flaca let go of her arms.

"Is it?" Diane asks with concern written all over her face. She removes Daya's sweaty bangs off her forehead. "I could take you to the restroom to clean up and wash your mouth out. You look like you could also use a cold washcloth. Flaca can come too, since you're both in the same homeroom."

"Yeah, and sure, thanks! I think all this heat is overwhelming...I'm clammy and gross. Ugh!"

"Well, there's a nasty flu that's going around, maybe you caught it?" Blanca wonders out loud. "Germs spread at school."

"That could be it."

Daya spends five minutes bent over the toilet, waiting for more retching she may have to do. When nothing more comes, she gets up and inhales and exhales slowly. She leaves the stall. "How are you feeling, honey?" Diane asks. "You're pale."

"A bit woozy, but I'm sure it'll disappear within a few seconds. I'll take some Advil...I don't have my thing yet, but maybe it's early cramps. I'm fine, I promise."

"Okay, then, I'm glad." Diane walks both Flaca and Daya to the nurse's office, and Daya twists the cap off her water bottle and swallows three pills with the liquid. They go to English class, with Daya between them as they keep her from collapsing. Flaca leads her to her seat and she blinks a few times rapidly as she practically sinks into her chair, relieved to finally rest her legs. She sighs deeply, folds her arms on the desk, and lays the side of her face down on it, enjoying the coolness of the wood.

"Hey, if you don't feel good, you should go home," Maria recommends.

"Yeah, they can't have sick people at school," Blanca puts in.

"I'm just tired," Daya rasps out. "Maybe I ate something bad last night...I dunno."

"You gonna get in trouble if you sleep during class," Flaca tells her. "You'd go straight to Caputo."

"I'm not drifting off or anything, I simply need to rest," Daya insists. "Can y'all just... _shh_ for a second, please?" She puts her index finger to her lips with her eyes still closed. She jumps when her phone buzzes. "What the fuck?" She can faintly see the unread message.

 _Look up. I bet you'll wanna blow this joint now! xo, P_

Daya tosses her phone into her bag and brushes her hair out of her eyes. "John..." she says without thinking, and every one of her fellow students give her questioning glances and some of the girls, including Flaca, Maria, and Blanca, giggle. "Hello, Mr. Bennett," she corrects herself.

"Miss Diaz," he says robotically. "I expect you to be awake. This is sophomore English class, not nap time in kindergarten," he scolds her.

"Sorry...just came down with a bug, like fifteen minutes ago-"

"Let us begin with the next chapter of _To Kill a Mockingbird,_ " he interrupts her.

* * *

After the girls go to their respective classrooms for first period and she's sure that Daya is okay, Diane heads to Caputo's office. Even though she knows the principal is useless, the women need to buy time for their plan in killing this giant facist. She's hoping Piscatella will get fired, or if not, suspended, at the very least. She knocks on the door and he waves at her to come in, so she does. He's just finishing up a call as she sits down.

"Diane, hello."

"Hi, Joe...I need to report a crime that happened early this morning at school. Mr. Piscatella savagely beat up a couple of students who were hanging out in the pool...I know that's not allowed, but you have to admit that he took his punishment too far."

Caputo rolls his eyes up to the ceiling and strokes his beard a few times. "Jesus...how bad?"

"Enough that one had to get taken to the emergency room and the other has to wear sunglasses to cover the black eye. He almost killed them...that was his intention. You should maybe get him arrested so he's no longer a danger around here."

"Remember who you're talking to, Diane. I'm your boss...you don't get to call the shots. I do. I'll decide the appropriate action to take."

"He's fuckin' lethal!" she shouts, but then realizes she could jeopardize her job by swearing and getting angry at Caputo. "Sorry," she mutters.

"Yeah, don't allow that to happen again. I'll get him in here. Thanks for letting me know."

"My daughter and her friends have him for homeroom...is there a chance you could do something now?"

"It just so happens that I have some free time at the moment. I'll ring him up and have a talk with him. Meanwhile, the bell is going to go off soon, so start your English lesson."

"Okay...I appreciate it."

"No problem."

She fakes a grin at him and then leaves.

* * *

"You are suspended for a week without pay. You're lucky this girl is alive! Who the fuck knows how that boy is doing!" Lorna overhears Caputo telling Piscatella in a firm tone as she walks up to CO Ford, who's waiting in another room.

"Hi, uh...Mr. Caputo said you wanted to see me?"

"What happened on Saturday?" he asks Lorna, and her heart skips a beat. She takes a deep breath and thinks of her response. Her mouth feels sticky.

"I...I went to Atlantic City with my sister..."

"Christopher and Angela say that you followed them there, trashed their hotel room, and took a bath in their tub." He gives Lorna a stern look as he hands her a piece of paper. "This is a restraining order from them. If you violate this, you could face up to five years in jail, but three for good behavior. You'd serve time in juvy, and then transfer to an adult minimum security prison when you turn eighteen. Stalking is a felony, Miss Morello. It doesn't seem like you're taking this seriously...but you need to. Do not ruin your future for an unrequited crush!"

She stares at it while frowning and then huffs. "We go to school together...he's in my drama class! He would never do this, CO Ford. It's all _her_! She's the homewrecker, not me!"

"You have been separated from them-they are now going to attend classes in a different area of the school where you will never see them. This way, it'll be easier for you to follow the restraining order and they will feel a lot safer."

"Oh, for Christ's sake!" A lump forms in Lorna's throat and she lets out a sob. "Why would you do this to me? Keeping a person away from their special someone oughta be illegal! You should arrest that bitch instead!"

"Miss Morello, I understand you're upset-" he starts to say while putting his hands up, as if to try calming her down, but she's not in a tame mood at all.

"I really thought you were on my side! Thank you so very much!" she snaps sarcastically, her voice wavering. She stomps out of the room with tears blinding her vision, and shakily walks to History, but once she gets to her locker to retrieve her books, she openly cries while collapsing to the floor. She crumples up the piece of paper in her cold hands and grabs her heart, which is breaking. She can't breathe at the thought of never seeing her true love again, all because of Angela. _That fucking cooze, I really will strangle her!_

Her phone pings and she peers down at the encouraging text. _How does that phrase go? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! Fuck the restraining order, that's right. Beat that bitch into mush! Love you lots like a sister, P_

Lorna grins. She's glad to have someone on her side, even if it _is_ P.

* * *

"Yeah, he's gonna take her somewhere...like he'll tell her they're going out for a picnic under the stars, but really just the woods at night. She'll be in a nice dress, blindfolded and handcuffed, under the guise of surprising her...and I'll text her from your phone, Chris, so she thinks it's you. We're gonna haze her tonight, buddy, like sororities and fraternities do to their pledges!"

Christopher guffaws and bumps Joey's fist with his own. "Like piss and shit all over her?"

"Whatever it takes to humiliate that psycho! She needs to be knocked down a few notches! As you said, jail didn't break her, but this definitely will!"

"Oh man, I can't wait to see her face when she realizes..."

Little do they know, Nicky's standing right behind them while they discuss their evil plans to make some poor girl's life a nightmare, and she hopes it's not who she thinks it is. She doesn't know what Lorna sees in Christopher and why she was ever attracted to either of them. "Who the fuck are you talking about?"

Joey turns around and spots her. "Oh...do you want in? I mean, I know you aren't sexually interested in me, but we could be friends! We're just planning a little revenge on my crazy ex-girlfriend, who's now obsessed with Christopher here. It's disgusting, the way she acts."

There's a violent rage that rises within Nicky that she never knew she had. Sure, she's been angry before, enough to kick walls and scream out loud in frustration, but she's beyond furious. She wants to punch them both out, but she doesn't have her knife or pepper spray to defend herself when they fight back, and they're bigger and stronger than just her alone. She squeezes her eyes shut so tightly that spots appear and clenches her teeth while growling. "Fuck no, I'm not participating in your twisted shit, I'm telling Lorna everything! You just messed with the wrong bitch!" she yells, loud enough for the lunch ladies to hear, but the douchebags laugh it off while striding away from her. Nicky runs ahead of them and blocks their path. "Oh, trust me, if you hurt Lorna...even so much as her feelings, I will _not_ hesitate to smash my fists into your smug faces!" Her fingernails are painfully digging into her palm and her knuckles are turning white as she shakes her fists at them. "I could do a lot worse than that if we weren't at school," she snarls in a low voice. "Lorna is my best friend, so leave her the _fuck_ alone! You got that, assholes?" she hollers, causing Red and Gloria to head over to them.

"What are you boys doing that's making Nicky so pissed off?" Red asks sharply. "How is Lorna involved in this?"

Their eyes widen and Nicky smirks when she can see that they fear the lunch ladies. "N-nothing," Christopher stammers.

"Lorna and Nicky are close, they'd obviously gossip to each other, like chicks do..." Joey trails off when Red's nostrils flare. She and Gloria appear to be livid, just as Nicky is.

Gloria crosses her arms across her chest and quirks up an eyebrow while chuckling humorlessly. "Nah, I've only known this girl for six days, and she's usually happy and smiling. You up to somethin', Red and I can sense bullshit liars a mile away...so tell us the big secret! We love juicy shit."

"These wimps are plotting to torture Lorna tonight, but I'll make sure she doesn't get the message!" Nicky bursts out.

"Thank you for telling us, honey," Red murmurs, while glaring coldly at Christopher and Joey. "I hope you don't have to buy lunch from the cafeteria today. We don't doctor up the food for specific students just because."

"That punishment is better than prison," Gloria adds. "Now, why don't you run off to whatever you got next?" They're gone by the time Gloria finishes her sentence, and Nicky laughs.

"That was awesome, but now they won't eat it and get what they deserve!"

"Oh, but we'll just give them shitty food tomorrow!" Red exclaims with a devilish glint in her eyes. "Why don't you find Lorna, hmm?"

"Yeah, 'cause I wouldn't put it past those mothafuckas to still trick her...just make plans with her!" Gloria suggests.

"That's what I was thinking, too." On her way to Lorna's history class, Nicky sees her curled into herself against her locker, whimpering and breathing rapidly as tears drip down her cheeks. Nicky's heart breaks at the state Lorna is in. She cautiously sits beside her crush.

"Now I know how Blanca feels," Lorna mumbles in a soft, uneven voice. "It's not only that slut keeping us apart...CO Ford is in on it, too...I went to Atlantic City with Christopher this weekend...I met him there early to surprise him and we were gonna ride the sailboat at sunset, but Angela interrupted us, and CO Ford said he'd put me away if I did it again. Why do people of authority gotta wreck kids' lives?" She glances up at Nicky questioningly and sniffles. Her eyes glisten with moisture.

Nicky wipes a falling tear of mascara from the corner of Lorna's eye. "Uh...CO Ford is nothing like Piscatella, kid. Did you break a law or something?"

"No!" Lorna shakes her head. "No, I didn't! He told me I was stalking Christopher, but I'm not!"

"Why would he say that, then?"

"I dunno...I don't see the big deal, really! All I wanted to do was have a nice date with my boyfriend far away! Jeez!"

Nicky sighs heavily and pulls Lorna into her arms. This girl is so delusional and it kills her. She doesn't even bother mentioning to Lorna what Christopher and Joey were going to do to her before Red and Gloria stepped in. It's not like Lorna would believe Nicky anyway. "I'm sorry that happened...but I was thinking we could hang out with the rest of the cheerleaders at Ms. Jones' house tonight...just to practice there, because remember, you said any of those perverted teachers could come and watch us? Maybe it could make you feel better!"

"Oh yeah...sure!"

* * *

"Red, it's time to go!" Lorna calls out into the kitchen's backroom. She doesn't know what's wrong with the Russian woman. Red had been ignoring her at lunch, as well, and she thought maybe Red was just busy, until she spoke to everyone but Lorna.

Red continues to retouch her lipstick in her makeup mirror. "I'm not taking you anywhere. You're getting a ride from your parole officer."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Didn't Nicky tell you? I'm done with this bullshit you're pulling, what with the getting yourself a restraining order put against you! Get the fuck out of here."

Lorna's heart drops because of how Red is acting. "I'm sorry...I didn't ask for that! Please, you gotta forgive me!"

"Apologizing doesn't mean shit. I don't have to do anything. You caused it to happen. Just go!" Red shoos Lorna away.

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" she asks, but Red doesn't answer her. "You can't just give me the cold shoulder...that's immature!" After a minute of Red not saying a word, Lorna shouts, "You stupid bitch baby!" and storms out of the room, on the verge of tears.

* * *

"You're gonna be okay, Diablo," Blanca whispers softly to her boyfriend while nestling into his side, but not so close that she hurts him. "Te amo, mi amor."

 **I love you, my love**

"Novia, te amo tambien."

 **Sweetheart, I love you, too.**

Blanca strokes Diablo's cut cheek with the back of her hand and gently joins her lips with his. He catches her face in his calloused hands and tenderly kisses the bruising around her eye.

"Tres días serán demasiado largos sin ti, pero lo visitaré cuando pueda. ¡Piscatella se suspendió, eso es lo mejor que pueden hacer...pero Red y Gloria y sus compañeros de trabajo lo van a terminar para siempre!

 **Three days will be too long without you, but I'll visit whenever I can. Piscatella got suspended, that's the best they can do...but Red and Gloria and their co-workers are gonna terminate him for good!**

He smiles up at her and caresses her hair lovingly. "Sólo me importa que no te haya hecho más daño. Siempre te protegeré, mi hermosa chica."

 **I just care that he didn't get to do more damage to you. I'll always protect you, my beautiful girl.**

She grins at his touch. "Sí, pero no te quiero muerto."

 **Yeah, but I don't want you dead.**

 _Blanca and Diablo are canoodling in the water under the dimly lit sky, their naked bodies locked together in a romantic embrace. They move through the water, Diablo holding Blanca against him as he fucks her hard. She tries so hard to keep her orgasm from making her scream too loud, and instead, lets out silent, heavy pants. She gasps when she reaches her climax, and he pulls out of her when she calms down from her high._

 _"Ohh, dios,_ _que fue tan bueno...mmm..."_ _she murmurs, and then giggles underneath her palm. Blanca leans down and nuzzles her face into his neck while nibbling on it. Diablo rubs his hands up and down her back._

 _ **God, that was so good...**_

 _"_ _Eres tan linda cuando vienes...todo el tiempo, en realidad."_

 _ **You're so pretty when you come...all the time, actually.**_

 _Blanca chuckles against his hairy chest lightly and trails her fingertips along the rough stubble on his cheeks. "Irónico que digas eso, porque yo estaba fea hasta el año pasado...María dijo que me parecía Frida Kahlo con mi unibrow, pero ella sólo estaba siendo agradable...cera que cada vez que los pelos pequeños comienzan a crecer, y justo después de nuestro pequeño baño, voy a ducharme, secar y enderezar, así que no parece que haya un arbusto en mi cabeza. No voy a ser intimidada más...no después de Joey me engañó a ir a esa casa con los maestros espeluznantes y casi toda la escuela estaba allí...así que incluso si usted y nuestro equipo están bien con mi belleza natural llamada, no soy. Nunca me permitiré ser apodado Blanca la Bestia-nunca más." she says firmly, not willing to allow herself to show weakness because of her lousy past._

 _ **Ironic that you say that, because I was ugly up until last year...Maria said I looked like Frida Kahlo with my unibrow, but she was just being nice...I wax it every time the little hairs start to grow out, and right after our little swim, I'm gonna shower, blow dry, and straighten so it doesn't look like there's a bush on my head. I won't get bullied anymore...not after Joey fooled me into going to that cottage with the creepy teachers and almost the whole school was there...so even if you and our crew are fine with my natural so-called beauty, I'm not. I will never allow myself to be nicknamed Blanca the Beast-ever again.**_

 _"¡Te amaría de cualquier manera! Puedes hacer lo que tu corazón desee, pero si alguien te llama así o hace lo que hizo ese pinchazo, los golpearé, lo sabes, querida."_

 _ **I would love you either way! You can do whatever your heart desires, but if someone calls you that or does what that prick did, I'll punch 'em out, you know that, dear.**_

 _"Sí, pero también tuve mujeres matones, como te dije, Piper Chapman fue la peor."_

 _ **Yeah, but I had female bullies, too...like I told you, Piper Chapman was the worst.**_

 _"Si yo te conociera en ese entonces, yo les habría robado a los ciegos mientras estaban armados y te defendían verbalmente."_

 ** _If I knew you back then, I would've just robbed them blind while armed and stood up for you verbally._**

 _Blanca swoons inside and rests her head on his shoulder as she kisses it. "¡Eres un verdadero hombre para eso!"_

 ** _You're a true man for that!_**

 _She gives him a hand job until he gets as rigid as stone, and then, he circles his thumb around her core, making her feel amazing. It brings her back to their first time, when he'd pleasured her to the point of not being able to think about anything except for how good he was at this. Everything around them fades, and the only thing she can see is Diablo's smoldering chocolate brown eyes, full of lust and love for her-and only her. If someone had told Blanca after the Joey incident, that a handsome guy would sweep her off her feet like Prince Charming and melt her frozen heart, just in time for her quinceñera on November thirteenth, she would've laughed in their face and flipped them off._

 _"Mierda, por favor sigue,"_ _she begs him. "Aaah..."_

 _ **Fuck, please keep going...**_

 _Diablo kisses her strongly, biting her lower lip and chewing on it as he pumps his fingers in and out of her lower region, and it's even better. Blanca moans while tipping her head back into the water, only to her hairline and grips onto his shoulders. He's keeping her upright into a floating position. He moves his other hand to her cheek and tilts her chin to the side. He bends down and sucks on her neck, successfully giving her a hickey and a beard burn, all at once. He then hoists her further up his body and starts licking her breasts rapidly, as fast as he's finger-banging her._

 _"Sabes tan bien..."_

 _ **You taste so good...**_

 _"_ _Sí, te gusta mis tetas,"_ _she teases him_.

 ** _Yeah, you just like my tits._**

 _"Lo amo cada parte de tu cuerpo."_

 ** _I love every part of your body._**

 _"Lo sé."_

 ** _I know._**

 _They gaze into each other's eyes fondly and Blanca smirks when she thinks about what they'll do next, which is oral sex at the pool side, but desire, warmth, adoration, and playfulness suddenly turns into darkness, cold, hate, and fear as a large shadow looms over them. She feels Diablo tense up and shield her with his body as Piscatella raises a hockey stick and strikes her boyfriend with it, quickly causing a laceration to form on his face. Blanca is soon covered in goosebumps and shivering as she tries to get them both out of the water, but it's impossible to run from this ogre of a man._

 _"I'll kill you two!" Piscatella roars. He tosses his weapon to the side, gets into the pool, the last thing Blanca sees is his fist aimed at her. The world turns black for a few seconds._

 _The next thing she knows, Piscatella is dragging Diablo out by his hair and kicking him over and over as he keeps repeating, "¡_ _No toque a mi chica otra vez, monstruo!" She assumes that Diablo had tried to defend her honor by fighting that asshole, but of course, Piscatella is tougher than him._

 ** _Don't touch my girl again, you monster!_**

 _Blanca struggles to leave the pool and plans to use the hockey stick to get Piscatella off her boyfriend. She can barely see and she's lightheaded because she'd been hit so hard, and she doesn't have a good grip on the ledge, as her hands are shaking so badly. Diablo groans, holding his bloody penis in pain, and Blanca shrieks when she sees it in such a weird angle. "Stop, you're hurting him! ¡Déjalo en paz!_ _¡Alguien, ayúdenos, por favor!" She scrambles out, not caring that she's hurt and most likely bleeding after scraping her knee and left side on the pavement. "Someone help us, please!" she repeats in English._

 ** _Leave him alone!_**

 _Piscatella tosses them back into the pool and pushes them down, his large hands wrapped around their necks, choking them. "No luches," she rasps to Diablo._ _A person can't stay alive for more than four minutes underwater, so Blanca plans to hold her breath until Piscatella believes they're officially dead._

 ** _Don't struggle._**

 _One hundred and twenty seconds later, they hear him go away, and they come up for air, wheezing and gasping raggedly while grasping onto each other. "Ay dios m_ _ío," she breathes out, sobbing. The water is turning red, and it's really scaring her._ _They swim to the stairs, stumble out of the pool, and Blanca races to grab their clothes as fast as possible. Diablo is so weak that he's just laying there, groaning in agony, and Blanca is also faint, but she can still get her legs to move. She helps him into his boxers, jeans, and sweatshirt, puts her bra and underwear on, and then dials nine-one-one._

 _While they wait for the ambulance, Blanca throws on her pants, blue shirt, and black sweater. He lays his head in her lap, and when the paramedics come, he's lifted onto a stretcher and she rides in the back, sitting by his side and holding an ice pack against her eye. He kisses her hand and squeezes it, and she beams. "_ _No tenías que quedarte conmigo."_

 ** _You didn't have to stay with me._**

 _"Quería."_

 ** _I wanted to._**

 _"Tienes que volver allí y decirle a alguien para que podemos obtener justicia por lo que nos pasó."_

 _ **You have to get back there and tell someone so we can get justice for what happened to us.**_

 _"Lo sé, lo haré, pero no puedo dejarte cuando no sé si morirás conmigo."_

 ** _I know, I will, but I can't just leave you when I don't know if you'll die on me._**

 _Blanca stays with Diablo long enough to get her various injuries wrapped in bandages and she finds out that he's now infertile, but nothing worse than that. It still makes her shudder, to know that Piscatella almost ended both of their lives. She hails a cab back to the school and limps along to the girls' locker room to take a shower. When she's finished washing herself, she blows her hair dry and straightens it while staring sadly into the mirror. She doesn't bother putting on eye makeup, as it'll be too irksome, but she applies lipstick and dabs blush on the apples of her cheeks. Her movements are slow, and she doesn't recognize her reflection. She's been alone at school before, but not so far this year. She wants to join Maria at their usual meeting spot, but her feet can't get her past the next girls' bathroom, before she breaks down. She backs away from the door with trembling breaths, yanks a paper towel out of the dispenser, runs it under cool water, and pats her aching eye. When she gets another glance at herself, she sees a lone tear run down her cheek. She delves even further into her panic attack and takes her frustration out on the stall doors._

A quiet sniffling sounds behind them, and Blanca turns around to see Lorna blinking back tears. She hands Diablo some painkillers and water, and Blanca helps him sit up to take them. "Why are _you_ crying?" Blanca asks the volunteer nurse.

"Sorry, I've got empathy up the ying-yang. You two are just really cute together! It's so beautiful!" Lorna gushes while clasping her hands together. She wipes a Kleenex underneath her eyes and blows her nose. "You've got a real man, Blanca. He hurt himself, protecting you!" Lorna squeaks and spins around, grinning merrily. "That means it's meant to be. Christopher beat up Joey for me, you know. It's all over school." She gasps. "Maybe we could double-date!"

Blanca raises her eyebrow in disbelief. "I heard they were arguing over Angela."

"Pfft, that's what _she_ thinks, but he was defending my honor. Anyway, how did you guys meet?"

"I took care of this old lady and he was her hot gardener," Blanca replies, while still staring at Diablo with pure love. "It was mutual attraction at first sight. He gave me this head nod through the window while he was mowing the lawn, and I just couldn't look away. We smiled at each other, and when I went outside to help Millie into her car, we talked while he put her wheelchair into the trunk, despite her demanding for me to drive her to wherever she needed to go. He was about to kiss me, I think...but we got interrupted."

"Aww!" Lorna squeals behind her, pressing her hand over her heart. She fans herself and gets a dreamy expression on her face. "That is so heart-meltingly cute, up until the cockblock, obviously! Oh my goodness! Then what?"

Blanca grins craftily. "We both lost our jobs over it, but whatever. She was crabby, anyway. She blamed him for distracting me, and then we made sweet love in front of her in the middle of the night. We made sure to wake that bitch up."

Lorna cackles. "Oh, well, maybe Christopher and I should do that next time, just to show Angela that we mean business!"

"Are you sure he wants to? I don't really see you guys together-"

"We're dating!" Lorna interrupts her. "We are, but Angela put some sort of spell on him, like a hex! I have no idea why! She didn't have a meet-cute with him, I know _that_ for sure!"

"Uh-huh, okay, you're perfect together!" Blanca pretends to agree with Lorna. "The only problem is, witches don't exist...it's not like she can perform magic."

"Well, no, silly, but it's like this. She's holding him hostage in her basement and is forcing him to be her boyfriend. It's sad!"

"Yep..." Lorna's now going off the deep end, and Blanca doesn't have much more to say to her. It's just too many lies with this girl.

Lorna must be seeing Blanca through new eyes without Piper around. She has no idea how Lorna doesn't feel at all awkward around her. She was the first of Piper's friends to actually be kind to her, but Blanca thinks maybe that's just Lorna's bubbly personality and the fact that she also had been fooled by Joey.

 _Blanca crouches in the corner of the Pizza Hut bathroom and allows herself to cry while she waits for Maria's mom to pick them up. She picks leaves and sticks out of her hair and wipes dirt off of her clothes. She wails in anguish, stands up, and punches her image in the the mirror so hard that a sharp pain shoots through her now trembling hand. It could be broken, but she doesn't care. She hates herself._

 _She returns to sitting on the floor and shrieks again, but it's stuck in her throat when she notices Lorna come in. The short brunette makes her way over to Blanca and squats down next to her._ _"I just wanted to say...I'm so sorry for how Joey treated you."_

 _"I'm the one who stupidly believed him," Blanca mumbles. "Popular boys and hideous girls...they don't match." She hugs her knees to her chest tightly and sobs, wanting to shoot herself for showing any emotion in front of a member of Piper's clique. Lorna could easily report this back to Piper, and Blanca would be the subject of more taunts. "Just go...please..." She flinches when Lorna scoots closer to her._

 _Lorna brushes a tear off Blanca's cheek and smoothes down her scraggly hair. "O_ _h hon, don't cry over that douchebag...he's just not worth the tears...I thought he liked me, too!"_

 _It hurts so much, in ways Lorna would never understand. Blanca feels as though her heart is cracked and unable to be mended. There's no chance in hell anyone would want to go out with her now, but Lorna can always find someone else. Blanca can't._ " _Well you're pretty, of course he liked you!"_

 _"No matter what we look like, he should not have done that to us!" Lorna insists, rubbing Blanca's shoulder comfortingly._

 _Blanca hiccups and wipes her runny nose with some toilet paper. "I-I just wanna be beautiful..."_

 _"All you need for that is a hair straightener and Biore wax strips. I'd be happy to give you a makeover! I live for those!" Lorna smiles sadly at her, but Blanca isn't sure if it's genuine._

 _"Why are you doing this?"_

 _"To quote my favorite actress, Audrey Hepburn, '_ _I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it._ ' _Helping people in distress is my specialty. I'm real compassionate. Piper could use someone who's the polar opposite of her."_

 _"I hope you've gotten your rabies shots!" Piper cuts in. Lorna jumps, and Blanca quickly gets to her feet, dashes out of the room, and leaves the fast food place without looking at a soul._

Lorna may be slightly mentally unstable, but she's still a nice girl. Blanca just won't talk to her about Christopher anymore. "We should let him sleep," she says, gesturing to her boyfriend. "I'll stay here, if that's okay?"

"Yeah, sure!" Lorna permits.

"Can we have some privacy, though?"

"Alright, that's fine. Feel better, you guys!" Lorna grins at them warmly as she exits the room.

* * *

"I just don't understand your issue with her!" Alex tells Sylvie when they're at her trailer park and Diane isn't home. "Piper's six feet under. It's stupid to be jealous of a dead girl!" Sylvie gives her an icy glare. "I'm sorry, but it is! What, are you afraid her ghost is gonna haunt you?"

"No...but she's still alive in your heart. You have memorabilia of her everywhere like she's a goddamn celebrity-"

"Hey, her other friends do too! Piper and I were best friends, okay? Why is that so fucking awful? I know she wasn't the sweetest person at times, but she had her good points."

Sylvie laughs bitterly. "She bullied me so much in soccer that I had to kick her in the back and sucker punch her! She made me want to commit suicide, but when my parents caught me trying to do it, they had me switch schools. When I heard that bitch died for real, I moved back here. She used to call me a she-male, just because I'm built like a dude."

"Oh yeah, she showed us her bruise from that..." Alex remembers. "I didn't know...I apologize. That's awful, what she did to you."

"Well, it's all over now," Sylvie mutters. "I don't feel like being the other girl..."

"You're not!"

"I have to go home, alright? I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Okay, then..."

A new message pops up on Alex's phone. _Wanna make up with Sylvie? Then get rid of everything to do with Piper-birthday cards, pictures, her memorial site, and other bullshit you can think of...otherwise, you'll risk joining her. xo, P_

She's never wanted her mom to be home this badly.

* * *

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ian tells Flaca after she's just shakily let him know about what Fernando did to her.

"Yeah...I...I got PTSD and shit." Flaca sniffles and brushes the tears off her cheeks and out of her eyes so she can see Ian better. "I need you to sleep with me tonight."

"Oh man, that really sucks...but what were you wearing?" he asks, and she can actually feel the pain as her heart cracks.

"You know what?" she yells, standing up from her curled up position on the floor. "Now I can see your true fuckin' colors. Get out of my house, you asshole!" She pushes him out her bedroom door, but he just stands there, not letting her close it on him.

"It's a question! What's the big deal?"

"I'm breaking in front of you and you don't even care! You're blaming me that I got raped by my dumbass uncle! You're so stupid!"

"I'm just saying...men and boys want to fuck hot girls who are in something sexy, okay? You're not as tempting if you're dressed in jeans and a shirt, no makeup or jewelry, and with your hair up. That's a fact."

"How dare you?!" she hollers. "I'm not your girlfriend anymore, so your opinion no longer matters. Goodbye!"

"This is ridiculous! You're being dramatic."

"Shut the fuck up and leave before I call the police," she threatens him coldly. "It's a crime to stay in someone's house if they've asked you to go."

"Dumb bitch," he grumbles and slams the door behind him. The whole apartment shakes, and she jumps at the second noise when he exits through the front door.

While still crying, Flaca scrolls through her contacts so she can delete his number off her phone. The incoming text infuriates her. _Well, he's right...it is your fault...you are a slut for letting it happen! kisses, P_

She thinks of calling up Maritza, but decides not to at this moment, as she's busy with the cheerleaders. She'll do it some other time.

* * *

"It's probably a good idea that I tell you about Joey now, in case he decides to ask Maritza out or somethin'," Lorna says to Nicky. She sighs as she watches it all play out in her head. It's one of her worst memories.

 _She's walking to her locker when Joey strides up to her and leans back on the locker next to hers._ _"Hey," he starts, making her look up in surprise._

 _"Oh, hi."_

 _"I haven't seen you around before."_

 _"I'm a freshman, that's why. Do you know my friend Piper?"_

 _"Yeah, I know everybody and everything about this school. I'm the football quarterback…I'm so glad it's my senior year. I had to repeat it, because I failed English last year."_

 _"Oh, I'm not too good at the subject myself."_

 _Lorna looks at him for a few seconds._ Wow _._ He's sexy, nice, and strong with muscles, he's a second year senior, and a football player. He seems very nice. _He runs a hand through his dark blonde hair. "Well, that makes two of us. We should date because you're really pretty._ _Actually, you're smoking hot. I got a thing for short girls with brunette locks and deep brown eyes."_

 _"Wow…I'm flattered." Her heart leaps. "I'd like that...you and me together," s_ _he says, looking up at him from under her eyelashes. She had read in a magazine that it makes guys fall for girls instantly. It seems to work with him. She wouldn't ever want to make him feel uncomfortable. This guy is already her boyfriend and very outgoing, so it could work. "But you'd have to come to my house. My big sister is a little…" She gives him a small shrug and shakes her head._

 _"Overprotective? Overbearing?"_

 _"Exactly, it's like…but I know she loves me, and that's why she's very protective of me. She doesn't let me go anywhere alone with guys. Maybe you shouldn't meet her yet. It's so soon."_

 _"I'm extremely glad I met you, Lorraine."_

 _"Oh, it's Lorna," she lets out a small laugh, "and I'm also glad I met you, Joey."_

 _"Lorna…sorry. I just had a bad breakup with my girlfriend…my mind wanders sometimes," he apologizes._

 _"Oh, that's all right."_

 _"Hey, make sure to come to my nineteeth birthday party next month."_

 _"I-I'll be there," she promises._

 _"Yeah, everyone will be there. Well, I'll see you around…Lorna. Cute smile, by the way." He picks up her hand and kisses it. "Mind if I escort you to your next class after lunch?"_

 _"I don't mind," she says, her voice barely a whisper._

 _"Good." Then, he turns and walks away. She starts doing a little dance in front of her locker and squealing._

 _The next four hours pass by slowly and then it's finally time for lunch. She eats with Joey and tells the girls she'll eat with them another time._

 _When lunch ends, Joey holds her hand and with his other hand, he carries her books, as they walk to her class. "I can't get enough of your cute little fingers," Joey says, kissing each of them and making Lorna blush. Everyone backs up against lockers and starts whispering to each other and giggling._

 _"What a surprise…his new girl is a dorky looking freshman."_

 _"What's her name?"_

 _"They look so good together."_

 _"God, she's tiny!"_

 _"I can't believe he didn't choose me!"_

 _"He's such a dick."_

 _"She's so cute."_

 _"He's hot!"_

 _"Don't worry about them, baby, it's just about you and me," Joey says, rubbing circles on her arm as they stop at Lorna's class. "Love you." He pecks her on the cheek before walking away. She puts her hand to her cheek. It's still warm, and so is her hand. The feeling down there will not go away._

 _She considers herself a very lucky girl. Having found a chance at love at only fourteen, she just can't believe it. Joey is the star football player and wrestling champ. He's a senior and the lord of the kingdom called Martin Van Buren High. He's also Lorna's boyfriend whom she adores to the ends of the earth._

 _They're in his basement for their first date, and it's dark. The only light is from the moon out the window, and she can barely see him. It sets the romantic mood, which excites her. Their lips meet over and over again, and Joey starts to reach his hands up her pink skirt, but Lorna jerks away from him. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?"_

 _"I'm about to fuck you, obviously. I didn't think you needed a warning." He massages her legs and starts to inch his fingers up her thighs, but she stops his hands from going any further._

 _"Yeah...I don't wanna rush it, ya know?"_

 _"I love you, though." He kisses her while running his hands under her shirt and tracing the bottom of her bra with his fingers. She squirms, hating herself because it feels so good. She knows she really shouldn't score with him._

 _"I know you do, Joey. It's just that I'm nervous."_

 _"There's nothing to be scared of. Don't you love me?" he asks as he sucks on her neck while taking down her bra straps._

 _"Yes..." Her eyes flutter closed as he removes her bra and fondles her breasts._

 _"These are the biggest tits I've seen on a high school freshman, you know that? It's mouthwatering," he whispers, licking his lips, and a shiver crawls down her spine. "I'm ravenous...and horny." Lorna wants to get up, away from the temptation. She doesn't like being this dirty, and she doesn't want to get knocked up. She's not on the pill since her parents don't believe in sex before marriage, so therefore, they refuse to give her and Franny lessons in safe sex._

 _"Condom," she breathes out. "You...you gotta put one on. I don't have...protection..."_

 _"I'm already prepared._ _I thought you were a fast girl...got into guys right away?"_

 _"Well, yes, but, I've never had sex before..." Lorna trails off when he starts stroking her center. She's getting wetter by the minute, and now, she doesn't want him to stop, ever. "Ohh...ohhh, yes! Mmm..."_

 _"Don't worry about that. Being a virgin at fourteen is normal. You're not expected to be experienced in everything."_

 _They'd been drinking and the effects of the alcohol were already making Lorna's body and brain numb. "Is your head buzzing? Mine is, and I'm getting real hot..."_

 _"I feel as fine as you look."_

 _"Oh my goodness," Lorna giggles, and then moans loudly. She shrieks as she rides out her orgasm. "Fuck, you're amazing..."_

 _He pushes himself into her roughly while yanking on her hair, and she's soon over the edge again. It's quite painful and there's a bit of blood, but that's how everyone's first time is, according to her friends. "Yeah, you bet I am."_

 _She goes to sleep in peaceful bliss, but the next morning, she wakes up cold and alone on the hard floor. "Joey?" she calls out, rubbing her eyes free of sleep. She gathers up her scattered clothes and puts them on. She walks up the stairs and goes into the dining room where he and his family are eating breakfast. They look shocked to see her, and he waves. Her cheeks heat up and she instantly covers the hickeys he'd made._

 _"Morning, you can join us if you want. You might want to fix your tangled bed hair and smudged makeup first, though."_

 _Lorna chuckles awkwardly, staring down at her bare feet. "I...I'm sorry, I don't want to intrude...I'll catch you later at school, Joey!"_

 _"Okay, bye!"_

 _Later that week, after she'd told everyone that Joey had gotten her pregnant, she spots him exchanging money with one of his buddies while sniggering. "Told you she's easy!" Joey says. "That pipsqueak Lorna Morello...any amount of flirting makes her fall for you instantly!"_

"He talked me into having sex with him, even though I was anxious," Lorna tells the girls. She forces down a sob, but tears spill out of her eyes. "It was all for a bet...and he bragged about getting the tiniest piece of meat who was only big where it counted." She hugs herself and shudders. "I wanted to kill him for doing that to me."

"I could pop him one if you'd like," Nicky states angrily while enveloping Lorna in her arms, and the brunette just stares at the black night sky out the window. "I hate him for this, kid."

"So do I!"

"Wow, what a sleaze, playing games with girls like he did!" Maritza comments.

Lorna sniffles and takes a few shaky breaths in and out. "Yeah, see, what he'd do, is if you accepted his invitation to go out with him, he'd make you swoon, call you the wrong name, and give you a sad story about how he wasn't thinking straight because he was dumped. He pretended to mistakenly refer to me as Lorraine. I should've known something was up with him when he asked out Blanca and called her Briana, leading her on for a week, only for it to turn out to be a prank of his...but I thought he would never do that to me because I was in the popular crowd."

"He's a fuckin' idiot!" Nicky says, raking her fingers through Lorna's hair. "Don't blame yourself. It's _him_!"

"I didn't know what was wrong with me," Lorna mumbles.

"Nothing, you're incredibly sweet and so beautiful," Nicky assures her. "That _creep_ is the problem."

"Yeah, I mean, he's so desperate for a girlfriend...it's stupid," Maritza agrees.

"The stars look like diamonds," Lorna points out, not wanting to discuss Joey anymore.

"You're right, they do," Nicky responds, and Maritza nods while smiling.

* * *

Leon's hands roam down Aleida's sides and cup her ass as he pulls her into him gently. They share a passionate kiss just before he opens her apartment door for her. "After you, baby."

"Thanks! So...I just thought I should let you know this since we've been dating for a week now...I started school for my GED last Tuesday. I never finished high school," Aleida confesses, uncharacteristically shy. She laughs off her embarrassment. Cesar hadn't taken her seriously when she told him, and when she swore it was true, he'd told her she's changing too much and too fast. With Leon, she's afraid he'll think she's stupid for not graduating, but she's willing to take the risk. Honesty is vital in any relationship, and she can't keep lying about where she is every night, especially when he works so close to her college.

He hugs her close to his side and pecks the top of her head. "Oh, that's great! What's your major?"

Aleida shrugs. "Nothing much, just cosmetology. Apparently, I'm real good. Sorry, I'm dumb."

"No, you aren't. I'm proud of you for working towards a goal." They sit on her living room couch and he gathers her in his arms. "You'll do wonderful, my girl, I'm sure of it. I'll be there for anything you need."

The words coming from his mouth don't seem real to her, but she beams at them nonetheless. "Yeah, well, Dayanara already smoked weed, so that's my fault. She's also out late, and she betta call and tell us when she's gonna be home!"

Aleida closes her eyes when Leon strokes her hair soothingly. "Babe, relax. Teenagers wanna try that shit, and parents are there to teach them that it's dangerous."

"I wasn't...I've missed so much of her life, it's just...terrible. I'm so bad at parenting..."

"Drugs do that to people, but let me tell you something. You're doing so good. You care about her, which is an important step in reconnecting with her and your other kids."

"Yeah."

"She's fifteen...she's gonna have nights out, and if she doesn't contact you or Gloria by a certain time, give her a ring or text her. She'll have to answer."

"You're right...and at least she ain't pregnant..."

 **Thank you for beta'ing, HannahMileyfan1, cornedout, A Star In My Universe, and thecharmedwerewolf!**


	20. Severe Consequences

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star in My Universe! Orange is the New Black season 5 is out today, woohoo! Warning, transphobic slur**

 **Espera aquí-wait here**

When she's sick of listening to sad music and sobbing until she can't breathe and her eyes are raw, Flaca takes her headphones off and gets out of her bed. Not even _The Smiths_ sound good to her right now. She wants human contact, but her brothers will think she's just being emo like always, and Theresa is at Friendly's with Diane. She's hoping her mother will be home soon-she should be, since it's been a while. It's too late to hop on a bus and go there, or to see her friends. Now that she doesn't have Ian to assist her with her large sums of money she gets every week, she'll have to split a hundred dollars into ten dollar bills at a store. She doesn't want to tell anyone about this job because they'll disapprove of her being a maid.

"Yeah, sometimes, I'd like to have someone to curl up with while watching television. My bed feels so empty...and I feel like my time is running out. While I love my kids and my sewing business, I'd like a romantic night out," Flaca overhears her mom telling someone, and then, the lock clicks. "I really think I'll take this opportunity."

"I always tell Alex, 'We have each other, baby, that's what's important!', so that's probably why she's never tried to set me up with anyone," Diane responds. They notice Flaca coming into the foyer. "Oh, hi, sweetie."

"Hey," Flaca says with a wave.

"¡Hola mi niña!" Theresa greets Flaca.

 **Hello my girl**

"¡Hola,mamá!" Flaca runs up to her mother and gives her a big hug. Theresa seems surprised at the sudden burst of affection, but she wraps her arms around Flaca.

 **Hi, Mom!**

"Thanks for the ride," she tells Diane.

"It was really no problem. ¡Adiós amigas!"

 **Bye friends**

"¡Adiós! _"_

Diane closes the door behind her as she leaves.

"Mamá..." Flaca blubbers into her mother's shirt. She feels bad that she'd almost forgotten that Theresa has a life, too. Someone must have asked her out, and Flaca wants to know all about this. She also needs something to distract her from what a loser Ian is.

"¿Qué pasa, cariño?"

 **What's wrong, sweetheart?**

"¡Lo siento mucho!"

 **I'm so sorry**

"¿Por qué?" Theresa asks while stroking Flaca's hair and cupping her chin.

 **Why?**

Flaca leads Theresa into her room and they sit on her bed together while leaning on Flaca's white, lacy pillows. "Nunca te pregunto lo que pasa en tu vida...y nunca me importa cuando me dices...pero a partir de ahora, voy a ser una mejor hija. Lo prometo. Entonces, ¿cuál es la última?"

 **I never ask you what goes on in your life...and I never seem to care when you tell me...but from now on, I'm gonna be a better daughter. I promise. So, what's the latest?**

"Gracias, cariño, pero no importa cuántas veces actúes como una mocosa, sigues siendo mi niña y te amo. ¿De verdad quieres saberlo?"

 **Thank you honey, but no matter how many times you act like a brat, you're still my baby girl and I love you. You really wanna know?**

"¡Sí!" Flaca replies while smiling.

 **Yes!**

"Bien, bueno, ¿recuerdas cuando me hiciste ese perfil de citas online?"

 **Alright, well, you remember when you made me that online dating profile?**

"Uh-huh...espera, ¿me estás diciendo que alguien te preguntó por eHarmony?" Off Theresa's nod, Flaca squeals happily. "¡Ay dios mío, esto es tan emocionante!"

 **Uh-huh...wait, are you telling me that someone asked you out on eHarmony?** **Oh my god, this is so exciting!**

Theresa gives Flaca's cheek a light tap. "Te voy a mostrar el mensaje, solo quiero asegurarme de que no me falte nada y tengo algunos trajes elegidos para mostrarte, ¡quizá tengamos que ir de compras, porque odio todo en mi armario!"

 **I'll show you the message. I just wanna make sure I'm not missing anything and I have a few outfits picked out to show you. We may have to go shopping, because I hate everything in my closet!**

"Eso no es problema para mí!"

 **That's no problem for me!**

"Estoy un poco sorprendido de que alguien estuviera realmente interesado, no soy joven, sabes, este tipo tiene mi edad."

 **I'm just kinda surprised someone was actually interested. I'm not young, you know. This guy's my age.**

"Mamá, eres super guapa y hermosa, por supuesto que él pensaría que eres atractivo!"

 **Mom, you're super cool and beautiful, of course he would think you're attractive!**

"No he salido desde el año de mil novecientos ochenta y ocho."

 **I haven't dated since nineteen-eighty-eight.**

"¿Y qué? Ay mami, it's been way too long since you let loose and had some fun!"

 **So what?**

Theresa holds up a finger while getting off Flaca's bed. " _Espera aquí_." She comes back with the family laptop, opens it, goes onto eHarmony, and clicks on a message from an African American man named Charles Ford. He's pretty good-looking, and Theresa's cheeks turn pink when Flaca wolf-whistles.

"¡Ooh la la, _muy guapo_!" she exclaims. "Él dice, hola, si estás interesado, ¿podríamos encontrarnos en Sparrow Tavern el sábado vigésimo quinto a las cinco de la tarde?"

 **Very handsome! He says, Hi, if you're interested, could we meet at Sparrow Tavern on Saturday the twenty-fifth at five in the evening?**

Theresa grins and thinks for a second. She types an answer, which is, _okay, see you then._ She's about to send it, but Flaca stops her. "¡Quieres sonar un poco más entusiasta sobre esto...reemplazar ese período con un signo de exclamación!" Theresa does so, and then hits send. Flaca beams and squeezes Theresa's hands in anticipation.

 **You wanna sound a little more enthusiastic about this...replace that period with an exclamation point!**

"Bueno, esto es lo que tengo..." Theresa says while sifting through the dresses, blouses, and skirts in her closet. "You see? _¡_ _Nada!_

 **Okay, here's what I have...Nothing!**

"Why don't you make your own outfit and tell him you did it yourself?" Flaca suggests. "He'd think it's impressive!"

"Now, there's an idea!"

* * *

"Those damn deer are eating my crops again!" Ms. Jones complains. "That's it..." She grabs a gun from a drawer, cocks it, and staggers outside to shoot the deer, but through the darkness, Lorna sees that there's only a young boy out there. He doesn't even notice Ms. Jones.

"Stop, it's your little neighbor!" Lorna screams, gripping Nicky's hand in fright, and the coach pauses in her step. Ms. Jones slowly puts the weapon down, locks it, and puts it away. The other girls look stunned and the blonde woman keeps her arms stiffly to her sides and sits down on a couch as if it's fragile. Her eyes are wide and panicked. She picks up her glass and pours herself some wine.

"Shit," Janae grumbles. She and Brook plop themselves down on either side of Ms. Jones and attempt to stop her from drinking, but she pushes them away. "Yo, coach, we just wanna help..."

"I didn't think she'd get _this_ trashed," Brook mutters. "Come on, Ms. Jones...let's put you to bed." She tries to take the older lady by the arm, but is instantly shrugged off.

"Ms. Jones?" Tiff asks her gently.

"Hmm?"

"I think we should stop with the alcohol," Caitlin suggests, giving the bottle to Ella.

"Yeah, it's obviously messing with your head," Tia chimes in.

"I'll just stay here...I almost killed a child...thank you for having such excellent vision, Lorna. You saved that kid's life."

"I know," Lorna whispers, still shocked that she has a very good eye.

"My vision is so blurry..." Ms. Jones slurs, holding her head in her hands.

"We'll assist you in laying down on the couch," Ella lets her know. She waves Nicky, Lorna, and Maritza over.

"I'll get the puke bowl," Janae says. "I know where everything is in this house since I always crash here when I've had enough of my angry father and passive mother."

Brook props a pillow behind Ms. Jones' head. "She's my only supporter for the hunger strike, so I'm taking care of her, too."

"We're all doing it," Maritza points out. "We also gotta realize that she'll have to live with this horrifying thought of what could have happened...so we should help her through the emotional effects, too."

"Yeah," Nicky murmurs.

* * *

"Ian's not coming," Flaca informs Maria the next day at lunch time. "We broke up."

"Really, again?" Maritza asks in a bored voice.

"Oh, that's too bad, how come?" Lorna wants to know.

"I dumped him!"

"Yeah, but _why_?" Maria wonders out loud.

"You two are always splitting up and getting back together," Alex points out with a roll of her eyes.

"Mm-hm, just take a break every time you have a fight...don't end the relationship, just to start it up again five days later or somethin'," Daya suggests. "That gets annoying!"

"What's it to ya?" Flaca asks the girls angrily.

"I kinda always knew he was a piece of shit anyway," Maritza says. "What happened _now_?"

"I don't even have a clue of who the fuck this guy is," Nicky mutters.

"Neither do I," Pennsatucky adds on.

"He was Flaca's boyfriend, who hosted the party that Lorna passed out at," Blanca informs her.

"He's my ex," Flaca corrects her in a dark tone. "I hate him."

"Now, don't say that...I've felt the same about Vinnie, but not anymore. I was just mad!" Lorna exclaims.

"Nah, it's over this time...like, I'm officially done with him!"

Alex scoffs. "You always tell us this!"

"Yeah, but I'm bein' for real now!"

"I swear, some big-time producer should make a telenovela about you and Ian!" Daya tells Flaca, and the girls snicker.

"Y'all gonna take back what you said!" Tears gather in Flaca's eyes. "My uncle sexually assaulted me, and Ian...he said it was my fault when I told him, so there ya go. Why would I reconcile with him...like, ever?"

"Oh my god," Maritza whispers. "She's being honest, shut up!"

"Thank you!" Flaca murmurs and then sniffles. She slings her arm around Maritza, and the others stop sniggering at her immediately.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, hon," Lorna says gently while squeezing Flaca's knee in support.

"Those fuckin' assholes," Nicky puts in. "Who needs 'em, right? You got your girls."

"Mm-hm, you don't deserve either of 'em anyway," Daya agrees.

"That's right," Blanca adds.

"Let's take you out for a girls' night, if that's okay?" Maritza asks.

Flaca blows her nose and takes a few deep breaths. "Of course, it would be fun!"

"We could do karaoke! I heard that Poussey and Chatty Kathy Brook went to the Sparrow Tavern with Brook's older sister this past weekend and rocked the house!" Maria reports. "Diane and Franny would let us all do that, right?"

"Yeah!" Alex and Lorna say in unison.

Lorna groans. "Only problem is, I _suck_ at singing!"

"That's fine, we don't _all_ have to...it could be teams of two, and Lorna could watch and dance...like, Flaca and Maritza; me and Nicky; Blanca and Maria; and Alex and Daya," Pennsatucky tells her. "I mean, judging by the groups of best friends I see here."

A look of envy crosses Lorna's face. " _I'm_ Nicky's bestie."

"I know, but so am I...Nicky has lots of friends."

Nicky chuckles awkwardly. "Hey, no need to fight over me, huh? I know I'm popular, but I love all my friends equally!"

" _Sure_ you do," Alex says and winks at the blonde.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you know..."

"Fine, be mysterious!"

"I'm your favorite," Alex tells Nicky flirtatiously, and Lorna's eyes flash with jealousy. The petite brunette stands abruptly and walks away, not looking back.

"Okay...the fuck was _that_ all about?" Flaca wants to know.

Nicky smirks. "I'll go talk to her."

As soon as Nicky exits the cafeteria, Blanca leans into the group while smiling. "Nicky's into Lorna. I can tell, because Nicky gazes at Lorna like Diablo looks at me...like she wants to fuck her."

"Yeah, Blanca's right, yo," Maria agrees. "It's the true love stare. I get it from Yadriel all the time."

"Holy shit!" Daya exclaims, and they all giggle.

"How's about we make a bet?" Maritza asks. "They'll bang in the near future."

"No way, Lorna's straight," Flaca disagrees.

Pennsatucky takes a swig of her Mountain Dew. "I'm with you on that."

"Hey, you two never know, anything's possible-look at my mom, last year, she was a heroin packer who thought children were gross, but now, she's working in the cafeteria and has a real shot of getting her GED with all that studying she's doing. She's even acting more loving with me and my brother and sister. Lorna could be bi or pans, but she just hasn't come out," Daya tells them.

Alex smirks. "Yeah, when they bickered in front of me and Nicky kinda flirted with her, Lorna went tomato red...and she really seemed to enjoy it...I've got my hate sex senses tingling. It could turn into something more than that, though. I mean, did you see how they were at the dance? God, I was getting hot from the heat they were emanating."

"Okay, well, they might just have that friendship where everyone questions their sexuality," Blanca points out. "Gloria and Aleida are kinda like that, too." Off everyone's confused looks, she adds, "What? I've seen it in the cafeteria. So are Flaca and Maritza."

"No!" Maritza and Flaca exclaim together, giggling.

"It's true...you girls act like a couple, but everyone knows you're not," Maria says. "The same could be the case for Nicky and Lorna. The feelings might be true for Nicky, but I doubt Lorna's actually in love with her. That girl is boy-crazy! She'd never fall for a chick! Personality's got nothin' to do with who you wanna fuck."

"Alright, so that's three against four...and to make it even, my foster mom, Boo, thinks they'll end up gettin' it on." Pennsatucky rolls her eyes. "Ten bucks says they won't, 'cause Boo can be a nosy pervert and she just wants everyone to have sex, no matter what!"

"You, Flaca, Blanca, and Maria are _so_ on," Daya says, grinning.

"Losers buy the winners pizza?" Maritza wonders out loud.

"That's a deal!" Flaca responds and shakes her hand.

"Oh, good, I love pizza!" Blanca exclaims, rubbing her hands together.

"Me, too!" Maria chimes in happily.

"You think you'll be victorious, huh?" Alex wants to know. "Not so fast, girls!"

The two opposing sides stare each other down until Nicky and Lorna return to the table, with Nicky's arm around Lorna's shoulders. "What happened?" Alex asks, almost too quickly.

"It's all good. Nicky reassured me that I am, in fact, the best girl she's ever known, in her words exactly, so _ha_!" Lorna points at Alex. "I don't gotta be the green-eyed monster no more. She likes me better!"

Alex gasps dramatically and presses her hand to her heart while pouting. "I'm wounded, Nichols!"

"I wonder why you care about that," Daya murmurs while shooting a pointed glance in Pennsatucky's direction.

"Well, I never had a bestie before Nicky. Last year, it was Piper and Alex; and Flaca and Daya. I felt like I was on the outside at times, that's what I told her," Lorna explains while nudging the blonde as they take their seats beside Flaca and Maritza.

"You never mentioned that to us," Flaca says.

"That's 'cause I didn't wanna appear pathetic."

"I'm sorry we made you think that way," Daya apologizes sincerely. "We never would've judged you differently."

"I kinda deserved it...I was racist and all." Lorna shrugs and stuffs a huge bite of spaghetti noodles into her mouth so her cheeks puff out and marinara sauce drips down her chin. Nicky wipes it off with a napkin while snickering. Lorna groans and pushes her away.

"Stanky was way worse," Alex reassures Lorna.

"I can see her now." Maria gives a head nod to Nicky. "Why would you get Snow White mixed up with that _disgusting_ dirt taco?" she asks, perfectly imitating Kasey's rough, rude voice. "You know, when you found Blanca in the bathroom and thought she was Lorna. Fuckin' cunt that Sanka was..."

"Yeah, at least you learned," Maritza continues.

"I never properly thanked you for what you did for me," Blanca tells Lorna while patting the small Italian girl's hand fondly. "So, uh... _muchas_ _gracias_."

 **Thank you so much**

Lorna smiles at Blanca and swallows her food. " _De nada_. I was gonna give you a hug before you took off, right in front of her."

 **You're welcome**

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Hey, there's Joey," Nicky whispers and lightly kicks Alex under the table. "He's behind you, headed towards Daya." When Alex starts to turn around, Nicky throws a Saltine cracker at her. "Jesus, dude, subtle much?" she hisses. "What's up, Anna?" the blonde asks in a louder voice.

"It's Alex," she answers in a falsetto voice while batting her eyes. "Did you forget?"

"What are you doing?" Joey interrupts them.

"Yeah, I thought you weren't into each other like that," Lorna mumbles.

"Wait for it." Nicky ignores Joey and continues her game. "I suppose I did...my last girlfriend _completely_ crushed me! So...I'm trying to make a pass at you here...'sup?"

Alex catches on fast. "Nothin', much, Natalie..."

"I thought I said my name was Nicky!"

"Huh, that's weird, I've been awfully _distracted_ lately. Remembering hot, random chicks' names is so _hard_!"

Nicky bites her lip and scoots further into the edge of the table. She places her hand on Alex's cheek and then tucks a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. "Oh, that's okay...you can chew my meat anytime, baby."

"Isn't that my line?" Alex hollers over the girls cracking up.

"Oh, this is revenge!" Lorna realizes out loud.

"What were you gonna call me if I went for you?" Daya asks a befuddled Joey. "I like Diana...not Diane, though, because that's Alex's mom's name and it would be totally weird." She chomps on her gum and blows a huge bubble until it pops. "I'm just curious."

"Oh, I'm available now, by the way, so would I be Michelle or Fabiola? I go by either one," Flaca informs him casually while playing with the pink stripe in her hair.

"Ever dated an ex-con?" Pennsatucky asks while resting her chin in her hands and looking up at him with a fake eager expression. "You can call me Tina or Penny...whatever's easier for you to remember."

"Jig's up, Jack," Blanca puts in, and then cackles like a hyena while grabbing a snickering Maria.

"Which one of you told them?" Joey demands.

"When you hit on every girl in the school, people are gonna know, dumbass," Maritza replies. "I'm shocked you haven't gotten to me yet. It's an insult, really." She blinks her eyes rapidly, sniffles, and then whimpers while fanning herself, as if she's about to cry. "I know I'm only a freshman, but I thought you liked the youngins! Our blood is the newest. We don't know what a wild animal you are yet! It's _totally_ sexy and mysterious. Please, Jim, don't leave me!"

"Whatever," he snaps and then walks away.

"Holy shit, that was awesome!" Ouija compliments them. Ramona stands next to her, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Blanca, Maria, I thought you didn't roll with this crowd?"

"We do now," Maria states.

"Yeah, I got homies here, there, and everywhere," Blanca chimes in. "You can join us if you want."

"Excuse us, Tucky, these are the wrong people to be hangin' around," Leanne says snidely with Angie at her side. "Did jail make you stupid or is it Butchy influencing you? Did she tell your lesbo lab partner to try licking Angie's soggy box, or is the bitch just that sick?"

Nicky laughs dryly. "Nice, very original. I got the message and didn't proceed further, thank you."

"You know what, fuck off! Nicky and I are buds," Pennsatucky answers with just as much bite. "She's helping us all get along."

"Oh, I get it now...you got a thing for dykes," Angie states while wrinkling her nose. "Well, good luck. You'll need it."

"I see the disease is already starting to settle in," Leanne adds.

"I ain't no lesbian, but I ain't no homophobe either!" Pennsatucky says sharply.

"Go back to your Nazi meeting!" Lorna growls. "You don't insult Nicky without getting through me first...or the rest of us, because we all love her!"

"Later, losers!" Angie hollers at them sluggishly as Leanne pulls her away.

"Bitches, back down!" Daya says, and Flaca and Maritza share a hi-five.

"Ugh, what's with this food?" Joey shouts from across the cafeteria while Christopher chokes on whatever he'd just swallowed. "What the fuck did you bitches put in it?"

The cafeteria ladies smirk mysteriously and the girls burst out laughing. "Oh, poor Christopher, though...I should go and see if he's okay," Lorna says.

"He'll be fine, he'll just drink water." Alex insists.

"Why would they tamper with his food?"

"He's a fuckboy and he did something to piss 'em off," Nicky explains. "Don't worry about him!"

"I love him, obviously, I'm gonna be concerned for his well being!" She begins to leave the table, but Nicky pulls her back. "What?"

"He's got Angela, see?"

Lorna scoffs. "She's always there!"

"I know they're scared of the bad teachers, but have the kitchen workers ever made them ill with their food?" Maritza wonders out loud.

"There would be severe consequences, so no," Blanca answers.

"They starved out Piper once, but got a warning that time. Many people laughed when she discovered there was actual period blood on her English muffin, and it was so funny and totally worth it!" Maria exclaims.

"Gross, dude, not when we're eating," Flaca complains.

"Yeah, we already have seen it and don't need to remember what it looked like, thanks," Daya chimes in.

"At least it wasn't blood from any other parts of the body," Alex points out.

"Mm-hm," Lorna agrees.

"Maria, I forgot to ask yesterday, but is it okay if my sisters come to your party, too?" Nicky asks.

"I don't mind," Maria responds. "Anyone's welcome...we've stopped counting guests, there's so many."

"What would you want as a present?"

"You don't gotta get me anything, but if you really wanna, I could use some new music, like heavy metal, Kanye, or Salt and Pepa, which inspired me to name my baby girl Pepa. Blanca already got me the single, _Push It_ , and a full-sized poster of Kanye, like head to toe, but if you can find a shirtless one of him, that'd be great! Thanks."

"Got it."

* * *

"P is telling the truth...I really _am_ a slut," Flaca tells Daya, Lorna, and Alex in the club while the rest of their friends sway to the music.

"No, you're not!" Lorna reassures her. "P and Ian are assholes!"

"Stop thinking about those motherfuckers. Just get up and dance with us!" Daya encourages Flaca while tugging on her arm.

"Come on, you know you wanna get down and funky with all your girls!" Alex chimes in.

Flaca rolls her eyes while shaking her head and smiling. She lets the girls lead her into the throng of people having a great time and then Maritza pulls her up on stage. "Let's do karaoke!"

"Oh, you wanna do it now? I'm not really that prepared..."

"It's just singing to the lyrics on screen! All of us are gonna do it...even Lorna!" Maritza squeals. "We'll take turns. You go first!"

The introduction to _Girl-Girlfriend_ from _The_ _Babysitter's Club_ movie soundtrack starts playing, and Flaca closes her eyes as she holds the microphone up to her mouth. "Listen people everywhere, ho-na-na-na-hey...get together if you care, hey-na-na-na-ho...we got somethin', somethin' good, ho-na-na-na-hey , and we call it sisterhood, hey-na-na-na-ho..." She's now beaming at Maritza, since this song reminds her of their strong friendship. "You can tell me everything, anything you're wondering, ooohhhh, we're in tight, so get it right, girl, girlfriend..."

Maritza takes a deep breath and grabs Flaca's hand. "We don't care what people say, ho-na-na-na-hey...what's the difference anyway, hey-na-na-na-ho...if your back's against the wall, ho-na-na-na-hey, I'll be there to catch your fall, hey-na-na-na-ho...if I put my trust in you, I know you'll pull me through, ooooh, oh, we're in tight girl, girlfriend..."

"My best friend is my friend it's no wonder, she's even better than ice cream in summer, and when we're together, all we ever do is smile, and when we're apart, I'm always sad for a while, she's always there for me, I never have to worry, and when I'm sad, she makes me better in a hurry, we sing our favorite song, together we have fun, we have more flavor than a pack of bubble gum, but I'm there for her too and I never act fake...I listen to her thoughts and I try to relate, I'll never break her trust, stick with her to the end, we'll always have each other 'cause she's my best friend," Maria and Blanca rap in unison and punch each other's shoulders playfully.

"If I put my trust in you, I know you'll pull me through, ooooh, we're in tight, girl...girlfriend," Lorna croons softly, and Nicky links arms with her and Pennsatucky. She's not as off-key at the moment, and they gesture for her to keep going. "When you really need a friend, ho-na-na-na-hey, open up and let me in, hey-na-na-na-ho..."

Nicky rests her elbows on Lorna and Pennsatucky's shoulders. "When your world is upside down, ho-na-na-na-hey...I will turn it back around, hey-na-na-na-ho..."

"What you say is what you do, that's why I'm in time with you, ohhh, to the end, girl... girlfriend..." Pennsatucky finishes.

There's a spoken conversation that occurs at the end with vocals in the background, so they just talk along to it.

"What do you wanna do now?" Lorna asks.

"I don't know, what do you wanna do?" Nicky responds.

"I don't know, what do you wanna do?" Alex echoes.

"Girl..." Flaca sings.

"I don't know either!" Daya says.

"Girlfriend..." Maritza croons.

"Well, if you don't know, I don't know," Blanca mutters.

"Are you hungry?" Maria asks.

"Yeah..." Pennsatucky replies.

"Yeah..." Lorna repeats.

"Well, what do you wanna eat?" Nicky asks.

"I don't know," Flaca answers.

"Girl..." Maria sings.

"I don't know either," Maritza adds.

"Girlfriend..." Blanca croons.

"Where do you wanna go?" Daya asks.

"I don't know," Lorna tells her.

"Well, I don't know either!" Nicky says with attitude.

Blanca gestures to Maria. "Well, what about you?"

"I don't know..." Maria responds.

Pennsatucky throws her hands up in the air. "You guys are useless, I'm going home!"

"Girl...girlfriend...ohhh, girl," Daya croons.

"Girl...girlfriend..." Alex ends the song, and then they do various poses across the stage as the melody fades away. Everyone claps and cheers, even when they're back in the crowd.

About three minutes later, a man comes up to Flaca. "Hi there, miss, I just wanted to say that you're extremely talented...I've never heard a teenage girl with a voice like yours. Would you mind singing another song when you get a chance?"

"Um...sure, thank you," Flaca replies, grinning proudly.

"You could be a professional."

"Ohh, like famous?"

"Yeah, you got real potential!" He gives her his business card, which says he's a music producer named Jimmy. "Call me." He studies the girls again, looking at their clique from side to side. "You, you, and you," he says, pointing to Nicky, Maria, and Pennsatucky, "are also super good, so share my info with her. Uh...you might wanna be less shy when you're up there, sweetheart," he tells Lorna. "I was straining my ears to hear you. You sure are cute, though, with that little accent and your stature, of course." He licks his lips and smirks at her like a ten-year-old boy who's just discovered porn.

Blanca wrinkles her nose."¡Bruto! ¿Qué eres, cincuenta?"

 **Gross! What are you, fifty?**

Lorna glances down at her shoes as an uncomfortable feeling settles in the pit of Flaca's belly. "I'm sorry, I just get nervous, and when I sing too loud, it sounds real bad."

"You don't need to apologize, kid," Nicky mutters while wrapping her arm securely around the tiny girl's waist. She glares at Jimmy. "Leave us alone, huh?"

"Secretary glasses, you don't have to do anything but be there. You're a sight for sore eyes, just something to lust after." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively in Alex's direction, and she heads toward where Diane is serving drinks. "Now the rest of you Spanish babes...you oughta be exotic dancers. See, when you spoke in your language to me, it was hot," he says, about to rest his dirty fingers on Blanca's shoulder, but Maria gets in his way. "Feisty singers, I like that."

"Hello, excuse me...these girls are minors, you shouldn't be this close to them," Diane intervenes, with Alex right behind her.

"Alright, I hope to listen to you chicks later. I gotta catch up with Lonnie."

When he finally goes away, Diane's eyes travel over them in worry. "Should I stay with you girls? I'm sorry, it's so packed tonight...so I couldn't watch you as well as I normally would be able to."

"We can deal with perverts," Maria determines strongly. "My cousin Frankie's like that, but his cheekbone suffered, thanks to my mom. I'll punch the next one in the face...or where they're most wimpy."

"Okay, well you know where to find me."

"What a fuckin' creep, but you guys _are_ awesome!" Maritza exclaims after Diane returns to bartending. "Maybe you _can_ make it big, just not with slimeballs like him!"

"Exactly," Daya agrees.

"Hey, I kinda had this idea...I mean, I know that jerk was a sleaze, but damn, some of us _are_ fantastic singers...so maybe we could have band tryouts, with Taystee, Poussey, and sorry to say this, Lorna, but Brook, as the judges, seeing how they're pros with their voices. Maria, you're good at drums, Alex and I have seen you play in practice," Flaca compliments her. "It would be awesome and a total honor to sing at your quinceañera."

"Of course, yeah, thank you!" Maria says excitedly.

"Okay, but I ain't gonna bother, I'll just listen to you girls," Lorna tells them.

"Sure!" Nicky exclaims. They all look intrigued. "I'll arrange it with Poussey in our French class. What would you wanna belt out?"

"I like _Bitch_ by Meredith Brooks," Pennsatucky replies. "Brook sang it, like two years ago, but it's still a hit."

"I love it, too!" Maritza exclaims happily.

"Yeah, same here, but we can't exactly use that particular song for Maria's bash since there's gonna be kids and all," Blanca reminds them.

"Oh, shit, you're right...maybe just for the tryouts, then?" Daya wonders out loud.

"That's cool with me!" Nicky answers and the others nod their heads yes in agreement. "My sisters are beyond excited, by the way. Tricia's never worn a fancy dress in her entire life...but those are so expensive in the stores. I told her a cheap one would pass as beautiful, but she wants to be glamorous."

"Is she gonna bring her girlfriend?" Alex wonders out loud.

"Who?" Flaca wants to know.

"She was with this brunette at Friendly's, and they were flirting," Alex informs her.

Nicky scoffs. "I doubt they're actually together yet...they're just kids, Al...but yeah, she'll most likely take Mercy."

"Eleven isn't too young for romance," Lorna insists. "You're her big sister and protective of her and all, but never deny the possibility of Tricia having someone to call her own. You'll just be disappointed when you walk into her room and they're kissin' or somethin', because you didn't prepare yourself for it happenin'. I got experience with this...Franny was shocked to hear about my first time because she always covered her ears and walked away whenever I'd tell her about my crushes at that age."

"Oh, Jesus," Nicky groans, holding her head in her hands.

All of the girls end up singing a bunch more songs that night, and to their satisfaction, they don't see Jimmy again.

* * *

"Boo!" Michael shouts at Christina playfully. He growls at her, making her run away from him while shrieking. He raises his voice as he teasingly warns her, "I'm gonna get you!" She gets so scared that she starts crying while backing away from him.

Benny hits Michael over and over again in her defense. "Don't you dare do that! You're a dumbshit! Fuck you!" He continuously uses the F word, even though he knows it's bad. He kicks who he and Christina thought was their friend, to the ground, and doesn't quit, even when Michael gets a bloody nose. Miss Stacy jerks Benny off of Michael immediately and the aide takes care of the injured boy.

"Hey, no more of that, we don't hurt our classmates!" Miss Stacy reprimands Benny in a kind but firm tone. "I'll have to call your mommy."

"No, I was mad!"

"That's no excuse. You need to speak to those you have problems with. Now apologize to your buddy. Using swear words is wrong."

Benny pouts. "I don't wanna! He was being mean to Chrissy!"

Miss Stacy folds her arms across her chest. "He didn't do it to be nasty. If you can't behave yourself and apologize to Michael and find a better way to tell him not to frighten Christina, I'll have you sit in the corner and face the wall for a half hour. Maybe you'll calm down that way."

"I'm not doing that fucking boring shit!"

"Benito Mendoza, I'm asking you to stop!" Miss Stacy lectures him. "When you hurt Michael, that made Christina even more upset. Didn't you see her finding a place to hide behind the bookshelves? I think you should focus your energy on making her feel better, rather than getting so angry at your friend for something he didn't do on purpose."

"I want us to go home. I want Mama!"

The teacher sighs heavily. "Oh, I'm definitely calling her."

* * *

"I don't want your thug son around mine," Sophia tells Gloria bitterly, while picking Michael up and kissing the top of his head. "You let him get away with too much."

"Excuse me?" Gloria demands while placing her hands on her hips. "Don't you _dare_ talk about Benny like that! He learned from my abusive ex, that when you're mad at someone, you hit them. That's not his fault."

"It's up to you to teach him. I'll see what Crystal says about this."

"Oh, and I'll ask Aleida if she thinks it's a good idea for your _innocent_ child to traumatize her daughter, who, for four years, had been around a yelling heroin addict who pulled guns on kids when he was angry at 'em, so she's gotta cower when she's afraid! Your stupid punk kid didn't notice that Christina was terrified, now that ain't my problem or Aleida's."

"Yeah, my child is an evil monster, huh?" Sophia puts her hand in front of Gloria's face. "Don't ask me to drive your children here, ever again." She turns around and leaves.

"Mommy!" Benny cries and runs up to Gloria while pulling Christina along with him. "Miss Stacy's a meanie-mo witch!"

Christina hugs Gloria's legs. "Boys are scary..."

Gloria kneels down to their levels. "You kids wanna tell me what happened? I already heard Miss Stacy's version, and it wasn't pretty."

"Okay...but he wouldn't quit!" Benny insists. "They don't listen if you tell them nicely."

"Most people will."

"Not Arturo...or Cesar."

"Yes, but Michael is a child...he obviously didn't do this to spook you, Christina. I know you're triggered by that kinda stuff and may be shy to say that to people, but Benny...could you _please_ practice using your words, and no adult language? Michael wouldn't have a clue of what you both have experienced unless we tell him..."

"He's not my friend no more."

Christina puts her thumb in her mouth while shaking her head in agreement.

Gloria tosses her hands up in the air and rolls her eyes. "Great, I gotta sit down with Sophia and possibly Aleida...meanwhile, I'm taking you home."

* * *

"You sick again? You're all white..." Aleida trails off.

Daya massages her lower back and lays down on the couch in only a bra and undies, because she's sweating. She puts an ice pack on her forehead and sighs. "Yeah...I haven't felt the best, like all week...at first, I thought it was Piscatella about to commit murder on one of my fellow students, but that was Monday morning. It's Wednesday night and I still feel like I got cramps, but there's no period...just light spotting. I'm so tired all the time...even though I get a good eight hours of sleep. I'm always havin' to piss...and my boobs hurt like a bitch. I'm hardly eating since everything tastes wrong, and I keep puking my guts out. I thought it was over today, but nah...I just had a lucky streak at school from English class on Monday to Physical Ed this afternoon. Come to think of it, I did wanna take a break...Mr. Donaldson made me do some exercises, and weirdly enough, it helped with my breathing. My tummy's bloated and I feel constricted in my own body, and I don't know why."

"I can't believe I didn't see it before, especially since your nipples are showing through your bra," Aleida snaps as she sits on the floor next to Daya. "That fuckin' tranny's causing problems with me and Gloria because she never taught her son how to treat his friends who have been in bad situations. I been busy with that...but then, I thought about how weird you been actin'. Gloria would check up on you, but I wanted to show her I could do it, so I told her to take our little children out for dinner at Storky's. I'm your mother, after all...and you gonna be one, too, come June of next year."

"Huh?" Daya blinks in confusion.

"You got all the symptoms I had to suffer through when I was carrying you, Christina, and Emiliano. You fuckin' fifteen and pregnant! I would slap you, Dayanara, but you too weak right now. In fact, you shouldn't be goin' through anything stressful for the next nine months. You've got a precious life in there now."

Daya gasps, stunned. "I haven't even taken a test! Ma, you're talkin' stupid!"

"Oh, am I?" Aleida quirks up an eyebrow while crossing her arms over her chest. "Everything you just told me...it screams bun in the oven," she hisses and stares up at the ceiling, shaking her head.

"We used a condom!"

"It must have been broken. Wait...was the father Cesar or your teacher? I hope not Cesar, 'cause that'd be all kinds of fucked up."

"Mr. Bennett," Daya mumbles and sighs in defeat. "Don't say nothin', not to him or Gloria or your boyfriends...it's between him and I."

"Did you get back with him yet?"

"No, but tomorrow, I'll tell him. I'll probably abort it-"

"You ain't killin' my grandbaby, over mine and Gloria's dead bodies!" Aleida bursts out sternly. "Next time, get the fuckin' morning after pill!" She storms off and slams her bedroom door shut behind her.

"It's my body! I can do what I want!"

"Like hell you will! That costs a fortune, which we don't have! It's gonna teach you a good lesson, and Gloria would agree with me."

"Whatever..."

* * *

"I'm pregnant," Daya starts out as she enters her English classroom early. Mr. Bennett is just setting up, and he stops writing on the board.

"You're _what_?!"

"You heard me. We fucked, and now, I'm-"

"Don't say that word. I did not get my student-"

Daya punches his chest and he groans. "Yeah, except you did! Was that condom torn or somethin'?"

"Ow! I don't remember..."

"Why didn't you check? Look, it doesn't matter...accidents happen. I just need your support for this whole thing."

"I'd love to help you, but can't you just get rid of it?"

"No...my mom won't let me, and I kinda see where she's comin' from. She's getting better...if you had an ounce of feelings left over for me, you'd respect my decision and then be responsible for my well being and the baby's."

"You're right, I'm sorry," he says, much to her shock. "I do love you."

"Then how could you act so cold to me the other day...and end our relationship..."

"There were complications that I thought I couldn't deal with, but now I'm willing and able to. Also, I can't just let you get away with sleeping in class...how would that look? We have to fake that we're not together, but outside of school, we'd be a serious couple."

Daya smiles and her heart warms, but then she's interrupted when Maria and Blanca walk into the room, and she steps back from John so they're not standing so close to each other.

"Oh, don't let us stop your convo," Blanca says while the two girls set their books on their desks. "We just wanted to get some reading done and ask him questions if need be."

"Excellent job on the homework, Miss Diaz."

"Thanks."

* * *

"No wonder she's called Flaca," Zirconia says to Ramona and Ouija when Flaca walks past them. "Fuckin' puta tiene liposucción..."

 **bitch got liposuction**

"¡Qué mierda, no! Blanca, Maria, instruct your girls to chill!"

 **What the fuck, no!**

"We were supposed to meet in the backroom for lunch, but you bailed on me!" Blanca tells Flaca sourly.

"I apologize...I assumed you knew I couldn't make it...I sent you a text."

"I thought we were really starting to be close friends because of us being partners and both having best friends, like me with Maria and you've got Maritza...but someone named P messaged me about you blackmailing Piper into letting you stay with her and the other girls, by getting liposuction," Blanca hisses. "I guess maybe Lorna _was_ the only one with balls to stand up to that cunt." She chuckles bitterly and shakes her head. "Who would've thought it'd be a tiny white girl..."

"I don't know them, and that's a total lie!" Flaca protests, regretting the time she spent in the media room with Lorna, Daya, and Alex, watching a video of Piper speaking rudely about her friends, calling them immature, and flirting with Baxter Bailey, who was filming her. "I'm real sorry I didn't come and help..."

Blanca gives Flaca the hand. "Just stop, you suck-up!"

"I'm taking you off the list for Saturday," Maria snaps while she, Blanca, Ouija, Ramona, and Zirconia brush past Flaca, purposely bumping into her.

"Whoa, what was _that_ all about?" Lorna asks. "Are you okay?"

"Maria, Blanca, and their group just dissed me because I failed to show up to work in the cafeteria with Blanca, to help out the lunch ladies. They were gonna talk to us about getting jobs...but then, we got that stupid USB..."

Daya rolls her eyes. "You didn't have to watch it with us!"

"Yeah, she did, actually," Alex disagrees. "You're not tight with Blanca, so you shouldn't feel guilty. We're trying to solve the mystery of who killed Piper. You don't need to explain that to Blanca, but she oughta understand that you have lots of friends besides her."

"I can't go to Maria's fiesta no more, 'cause some asshole spread a false rumor that I got liposuction to win Piper's approval," Flaca mutters. "I tried to tell 'em it wasn't true, but they didn't believe me. I can't blame 'em..."

"I'm positive that this'll blow over," Maritza assures Flaca gently while rubbing her back in a circular motion. "You want me to try talkin' to 'em?"

"I doubt they're in a forgiving mood right now."

"Yeah, but maybe later."

"Okay...thanks, Mari."

"Lemme give it to ya straight, Gonzales," Nicky begins. "You flaked out on a girl who had been picked on all of last year-"

"It was since seventh grade, until halfway through September, and then she got homeschooled or somethin'," Flaca interrupts her.

"Alright, well, you see what I'm gettin' at? You girls were best pals with her bully and she's testing you, one by one, to see how you are without Piper fuckin' Chapman. Lorna, you saw her in the hospital?"

"Yeah...with Diablo."

"How was that?"

"It was nice, she and I had a fun convo...did you know that she and Diablo hit it off just by staring at each other, exactly like me and Christopher?"

"Okay, well, you passed. Uhhh, Vause, Diaz, you been alone with Blanca yet?" Nicky wonders out loud, and they shake their heads. "I suppose the chance hasn't come up. Flaca...think about how she must feel...you chose to watch Piper being trashy on camera and being mean about you four over spending time with Blanca. Maria's her best friend...of course she'd also hate someone who did that."

Flaca nods in understanding. "Shit, when you put it that way...yo, that's deep."

"You'll need to really patch things up with 'em, but I would be surprised if they gave you a third chance. I got experience with being rejected too many times to count, so trust me on this. I mean, you guys could've done that after school or whatever. Also...you're not detectives. You got your cop friend to help you."

"We think it may have been Baxter who did it, since he was taping her and they were messin' around, but then, he attacked her, but it's confusing because he doesn't really have a motive, and he's just a punk-"

"Then it wasn't him," Nicky interrupts Alex. "It's gotta be someone who was badly hurt by what Piper did to them. So, who were Piper's victims?"

"Like, almost everyone, even us, sometimes," Daya responds. "It's difficult to narrow it down."

"Jesus...was there anyone who she made fun of, enough for them to want revenge, and take it a bit too far?"

"Blanca, Maria, Leanne, and she wasn't exactly terrible to Janae, but Piper was frightened of her, so there's that," Lorna supplies. "You see how hard it is?"

"Oh, and I suspected her servant, Stephanie Hapukaka, but we never really knew her well enough...she did give a weird answer like she knew something, but refused to tell me what it was," Alex lets Nicky know.

"What did she say?"

"Just that her last words to Piper were that she'd made her bed, and now she's gotta lie in it."

"Okay, and how did Piper torment each of those girls? There's no way it's Janae...Piper didn't do anything to her _or_ her friends."

"She taunted Blanca all the time, nicknaming her _Blanca the Beast_ because she had big hair and a unibrow, and I think she'd cut herself a few times or attempted suicide...at least, that's what I heard from Maria when she yelled at everyone the reason why Blanca no longer attended school. Piper ratted Maria out to every authority figure you can think of, for selling drugs, causing her to be in detention every weekend and for six hours after school Monday through Friday, and she called her a slut because Maria was gonna be a teen mom. Piper told Stephanie what to do, when and where to do it, how she wanted things done, and basically treated her like _the help_ ," Flaca replies.

"She by mistake set Leanne on fire, trying to play a dumb joke on Pennsatucky...and we were all there, begging her not to do it, but she went through with it anyway," Lorna admits, her glance cast on the floor. "It wouldn't make sense if Leanne only got rid of Piper, though...we were in on it, as well."

"You didn't want to, Piper was just being a forceful bitch," Nicky soothes Lorna.

"Yeah, but Leanne didn't know that," Daya tells her.

After a beat, Nicky murmurs, "It was all of them except Leanne...very planned out, too. Stephanie was aware that Piper was in danger, but she said nothing, of course. Blanca and Maria, partners in crime, took care of her, along with the remainder of their clique. Oh, and have you considered one of those asshole teachers double-crossing her?"

"There's no proof," Alex declares.

"Common sense, that's all it takes."

"It can't be them!" Flaca exclaims, really hoping that it isn't, but she would understand Blanca's reasoning. The girl _was_ treated awfully.

"You should investigate...get the truth out of Stephanie," Maritza suggests. "Nicky and I will interrogate Blanca, Maria, Ouija, Ramona, and Zirconia 'til they're blue in the face."

"No!" Lorna and Flaca yell in unison.

"The other way around," Daya says. "Four against five is better than two versus five, and Stephanie is harmless, except for when she knocked Ouija down that one time...but only because they were rivals in the panty selling contest."

"Okay," Nicky agrees.

After Lorna, Nicky, and Maritza leave for cheer practice, Flaca, Alex, and Daya receive P texts at the same time. Lorna has to have gotten it as well.

 _No need to find her murderer-just meet me, and I'll lead you to them. Go to the cottage tonight when the sun goes down-it'll be empty. You know the one-where Blanca landed on her ass. Or one of you dies mysteriously-just like Blondie. xo, P_

"The middle of the woods after dark, awesome," Alex mutters sarcastically.

* * *

Lorna gulps while reading her message and then she throws her phone back into her purse. "How come you look so scared?" Nicky asks worriedly.

"What you said made a lot of sense. You should be a cop!"

"Yeah, totally!" Maritza agrees.

"No, fuck that! I would never even consider it. You're talking to a chick who's broken so many laws it ain't funny."

"Okay, well...I'd support you in that. You're just real helpful, is all," Lorna murmurs.

Nicky beams. "I'm happy to be of assistance!"

* * *

Flaca sees a car approaching through her binoculars in the pitch black forest, while Lorna, Alex, and Daya search for P around the lake and the horrible teachers' home. She thinks it's P at first, but after squinting, she recognizes Mr. Bennett. Her eyes go wide as she realizes he's kissing Daya. It doesn't make sense, because she's supposed to be with the two light-skinned girls, and she doesn't even have a boyfriend. Flaca gasps because this is so wrong. She wonders how long it's been going on, and why their friend never told them. "Dios mío..."

Then, she spots someone in a black hoodie writing on Mr. Bennett's car window. Quickly, she shoots her girls a text after P has vanished. _Let's meet up by the water...I just found out P's identity!_

Flaca jumps and her heart starts pounding rapidly when a twig snaps. It's suddenly so dark and creepy out here.

She hears her friends screaming her name, and then they're warning her to run away. Suddenly, a pair of headlights are blinding her, and the wind is knocked right out of her as a car plows into her body, flipping her high over it, and she plops on the ground like a rag doll. The girls are shrieking and sobbing for help, but their voices grow softer as the seconds pass. The last words that go into her ears are, "She caught me, so she had to be killed. P."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, thecharmedwerewolf,** **cornedout, LindaAndrewsfan, HannahMiley1fan!**


	21. No More Of This

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! My bad, they all skip school on the 28th which is a Tuesday!**

"We're at the hospital, Mom," Alex is tearfully letting Diane know as the girls are sitting on the waiting room's couch. "No, we're fine...but Flaca isn't. She's not dead, but she's not conscious, either."

"We were at the bus stop for the movies, but then a car ran under her in the parking lot," Daya shakily tells either Gloria or Aleida, but possibly both. "She rolled right over the top of it...one of the scariest things I've ever witnessed. Yeah, I'm glad we were with her, too."

"It just came out of nowhere, Nicky!" Lorna sobs. "I dunno who would be so cruel as to commit a hit-and-run on our bestie!"

"What the fuck?! Jesus, kid, I'm so sorry. I really hope she'll pull through! Okay, Maritza and I are on our way since Theresa's picking us up. Are you staying overnight there?"

"We'll find out."

"This has got Pisca-fuckin-tella written all over it."

"Nah, he don't need a car for that shit. He can break bones with his bare hands!"

"True that, homie. See ya soon."

"Bye!"

The girls hang up their phones. "This is gonna sound out of this world, but I think it was Baxter Bayley. I saw him in a black hoodie when we were leaving," Daya informs them. "When Flaca wakes up, she can confirm it."

"I doubt it was him...he's stupid, not dangerous. Lots of people wear black sweatshirts with hoods," Alex replies.

"Yeah," Lorna agrees, "but it doesn't hurt to check. We gotta fill the police in on this now. This P...they're serious. They killed Piper and now, Flaca's life is being threatened."

"You remember what happened with the last cop that tried to help us?" Alex reminds her. "There's none left."

"Right...we're fucked," Daya grumbles. She rubs her tummy and curls up on the couch, with her head on the armrest. "Can someone give me a back massage, please? I'm hella stressed."

"Sure," Lorna murmurs kindly, and she and Alex start doing what Daya has requested.

"I came as soon as I heard!" Theresa says, coming in with Nicky and Maritza, who look just as flustered as Flaca's mother. "The doctors...they said Flaca only has a broken leg and ankle and her ribs are bruised...she'll have to be in a wheelchair. She's still out, but they think she can have visitors outside of family tomorrow."

"I wanna be with her, though," Maritza cries as tears stream down her cheeks. "Can I just sit there and hold her hand?"

"Only I am allowed in there for tonight. I'm sorry, nena." Theresa apologizes.

Nicky wraps her arms around each of the girls comfortingly and she kisses the top of Lorna's head while rocking her from side to side. "At least we know she's alright."

After Gloria and Diane have picked up the girls, with the exception of Maritza, and then dropped them off at home, while Red took Nicky to Shake Shack to meet her sisters, Lorna wanders into her dark house and sadly puts her purse down on the table. Franny is just getting home. She flips on the light when she walks through the front door.

"Late night, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"What'd you do?"

Lorna's breath hitches. "Nothin' bad, if that's what you're thinkin'...I just need a hug."

Franny embraces her and strokes her hair as Lorna wails into her big sister's chest. "Oh, sweetie...what's gotten you so upset?"

"Flaca was hit by a car," Lorna blubbers. "I got no idea who the driver was...but I think they were tryin' to kill her, 'cause they didn't even slam on the brakes and see the damage..."

"That's terrifying...is she gonna be okay?"

Lorna nods. "Mm-hm, but she's really injured."

"God..."

"Franny, can you sleep with me tonight? I don't wanna get bad nightmares."

"Of course I will, little sis."

Lorna ends up with her sister holding her, but the tears don't stop trickling down her cheeks. Not even sucking her thumb helps her settle down, and that's her normal coping mechanism. "Franny, I...I almost lost another friend tonight...I keep seein' her...I can't close my eyes without thinkin' about it, let alone get some shuteye." She breathes in and out heavily. "Can you...can you, um...sing me somethin' to help me fall asleep? Suzanne told me that's what her dad would do for her and Cindy does the same for her baby sister."

Franny sighs while stroking Lorna's hair and kissing the top of her head. "We Morellos have terrible voices. I'd just keep you up and you'd laugh at how awful I sound!"

"Please, I need it," Lorna begs her. "Any song will keep me calm. You can whisper it so the melody's not too off-key."

"Okay, sure," Franny gives in.

"Thanks..."

"Somewhere over the rainbow...way up high...and the dreams that you dreamed of...once in a lullaby..." Franny croons while rubbing Lorna's back in soothing circles.

"I love it," Lorna murmurs while attempting to smile. Her eyes flutter closed and she just listens to her sister.

"Somewhere over the rainbow...blue birds fly...and the dreams that you dreamed of...dreams really do come true ooh oh...someday I'll wish upon a star...wake up where the clouds are far behind me...where trouble melts like lemon drops...high above the chimney top...that's where you'll find me...oh, somewhere over the rainbow..."

Franny's no Judy Garland, but she is successful in getting Lorna to yawn a few times and eventually feel tired enough to rest her mind and body and drift off.

* * *

"Yo, how come my leg hurts so much? My whole body does, actually...¿y por qué es tan jodidamente brillante aquí? ¡Sáquenme! ¡Quiero estar en casa!" Flaca shouts angrily at the nurse who had just silently handed her painkillers. "Why ain't you tellin' me shit?"

 **and why is it so fuckin' bright in here? Get me out! I wanna be at home!**

"Marisol...te has atropellado por un coche," Theresa explains gently with tears in her eyes. She makes her way towards Flaca and bends down to run her hands through her hair and kiss her cheek. "Whoever did this, they're gonna pay."

 **You got run under by a car**

"Ugh..." Flaca groans weakly and then whimpers when she tries to get comfortable. "I can't move without this intense pain. Like, I wanna bend my leg so bad...but it's impossible."

"I know, baby," Theresa says quietly while squeezing her hand. "I was here all night, holding you...but when you woke up, they made me leave, so I got some chilaqueles for us. I figured you might be hungry."

"Gracias, Mama. Uh...were all five of the girls here, too?"

"Yes, you have such good and caring friends. I can cancel my date-"

"Don't you even, I'll be fine! I'll, uh, stay over at Maritza's house or somethin."

"Okay, if you're positive."

"I totally am!"

"Flaca! Oh my god!" Maritza exclaims as she rushes into the room with a cup of yogurt. She sets it down and snuggles into Flaca's good side. "I stayed over, laying on about three waiting room chairs, but I couldn't sleep a wink. I really thought I lost you, like, for good!"

"Nah, I'm okay...I'm just not gonna be able to wear heels for a while...it sucks, but it's better than being dead." Flaca wraps her arm around Maritza as best as she can. "Hey...I could give you rides in my wheelchair! You're light enough."

"Yeah, that would be fun!"

Theresa makes the three of them breakfast and she and Maritza help Flaca sit up to eat with them. Flaca pushes her blanket off her casted leg and Maritza signs it above Theresa's message.

 _We're together forever. Feel better soon, I love you! Lotsa hugs and kisses, Mari_

Flaca beams at her best friend. "You're the sweetest!"

"No, you totally are! I feel like I'm better around you."

"That's how I am, too."

"When you get tired of wheeling yourself around, I'll push you."

"Thank you."

"Anytime! I got your back, girl." Maritza gasps excitedly. "Oh my god, we should do something when you get out!"

"Yeah, like what?"

"We could post videos of ourselves giving makeup tips and post 'em to YouTube and give people makeovers for cash!"

"That's a brilliant idea! It ain't illegal or nothin', and it would be super fun and we'd be real famous! Team Flaritza, takin' the world by storm."

"Flaritza?"

"Yeah, I combined our names, you like?" Flaca asks.

"What about Maraca?"

"Nah, that sounds like musical instruments!"

"Oh, you're right," Maritza realizes. "Flaritza it is!"

"Don't let it get to your heads, girls," Theresa advises them before leaving the room.

"Okay, so I wonder how Nicky's do would look straightened and in a bun with a fringe with strands on either side of her face, like that white girl in _Breakfast at Tiffany's_...and her eyeliner on the top instead of just the bottom...it would make her look so hot. I'm aware that she was homeless, so she didn't know better...and I love Alex, but we should cut her hair, like to her shoulders."

"I agree with you about Nicky, but a short bob wouldn't suit Alex. I think she looks fine the way she is. We should just like, see what they want."

"Yeah..."

"Hey, speaking of makeovers...you look really pale. I'm gonna give you some lipstick and eyeliner. Luckily, I always carry some with me. A girl can't go unprepared, you know?"

Flaca smiles as Maritza spreads the liquid liner across her eyelids and applies a new coat of pink on her mouth. "You're the best."

"Anything for you!"

* * *

"You don't have to be ashamed, Lorna, I slept with my mom and cried in her arms, too," Alex is telling the short girl as the three friends walk into Flaca's room.

"Mm-hm, and my mom and Gloria both sang _A La Nanita Nana_ to me...I couldn't understand the lyrics, but it sounded beautiful and it stopped me from trembling so much," Daya adds.

"Aw, that's sweet!" Lorna replies.

"Yo, I thought about it more...and I really believe that Baxter is P," Flaca lets the girls know as they take their spots on her bed.

Alex scoffs. "The guy gave cute girls free ice cream at King Kone until he got fired, and he and his friends egg people's houses and one time, a women's prison when they were working in the yard. He was drinking with Dillon and Fish on a water tower and they were acting like a bunch of dumbasses. He can't be the evil bastard who tried to kill you!"

"I saw him! He was scrawling somethin' on a car..."

Daya bites her lip nervously, afraid Flaca might have seen her and John locking lips. He had interrogated her about the message earlier this morning, and she insisted she knew nothing about it until he finally moved on. "It _was_ Baxter," Daya confirms. "Watching your asses? That's what he wrote."

"How could you possibly know this?" Lorna asks.

"I was there, as a passenger," Daya responds, keeping her eyes on the floor. She crosses her arms over her chest. This time, she can't lie, because Flaca had seen everything.

"Who was the driver?" Alex wants to know.

"John Bennett," Daya admits softly, continuing not to look up at her friends for more than a second.

Shock washes over both Lorna and Alex's faces. "What?!" they ask at the same time.

"Yours and Flaca's English teacher?" Lorna asks while wrinkling her nose.

Daya nods. "That's him, yes."

"It's true," Flaca informs them.

"Was last night your first date?" Alex wonders out loud.

"Nah, we've been going out...secretly...since I met him on the bus...the day after Labor Day."

"Did he push you into this?" Lorna questions Daya, and she quickly shakes her head no.

"Mm-mm...I know I'm way younger, but age means nothing in the name of love."

"Well, this relationship...it's illegal, Daya. Not only that, but it's gross, and I can't stand behind it," Alex mutters, shaking her head.

"Don't tell your mom," Daya says quickly.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't!" Alex retorts.

"Come on, I can't have him arrested. He'd be so angry with me and I'd be devastated!"

"It was his choice to get involved with a minor!"

"Alex, don't you dare snitch! I adore him too, you know! It would break my heart if he were ripped away from me! Besides, he got me pregnant, so he needs to be here to support me!"

"Whoa!" Lorna and Flaca holler in unison.

"That's even worse!" Alex hisses.

"Nah, it's totally cool, we can ask him for favors and stuff now!" Flaca squeals. "How come you didn't tell us earlier? Damn, girl..."

"John didn't want me to say nothin', so I didn't. Please...not a word to him!" Daya begs them.

"I'll keep my lips sealed, I promise!" Lorna pretends to zip her mouth shut.

"Yeah, me too," Flaca chimes in.

Alex rolls her eyes and tosses her hands up in the air. "This is ridiculous, but fine...you have my word as well."

"Thanks, girls. Oh...and you can tell Nicky and Maritza if you want."

"Okay! Why don't y'all sign my cast?" Flaca pulls her blanket off her broken leg that's wrapped in white plaster.

"Of course!" Lorna squeals. Daya pulls out some pink, blue, and purple permanent markers and hands one to each of the girls, including herself. Alex writes in blue, _Get well soon, punk rock sister!_ , Daya scrawls, _You can survive_ anything _!_ and draws a heart besides the message in purple, and Lorna fiddles with her pink marker until scribbling, _I'm so glad you're okay, girl! Xoxo_

It's not until they pull back from their handiwork, when Daya notices a strange block of black text near Flaca's knee. _You gave me a scare, I really didn't mean to hit you that hard. Mwah! -P_

"Did you see who put this here?"

Flaca shrugs. "No...I don't even know what the hell you're goin' on about. These meds keep knockin' me out."

"Oh, fuck!" Alex mutters.

"Huh?" Flaca stares at the girls in confusion. "Could someone explain?"

Lorna taps her finger on the spot where the P note is. "You had an unpleasant visitor, it looks like."

Flaca glances down where Lorna is pointing and her face turns ashen as she begins to freak out. "Shit! Black it out or somethin'!" she shrieks while panting and gasping. The girls scramble around until they find a yellow star-patterned sticker to cover it up with.

* * *

After a disturbing flashback of what she'd just experienced, Flaca startles herself awake. Someone had brought her a hair doll with beady eyes and it creeps her out so much that she whacks it into the garbage can with an empty glass. She jumps when the door begins opening and someone's waving around a porno. She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees it's just Blanca.

"Hey...sorry, I wasn't expecting to see you."

"I apologize for givin' you the heebie-jeebies." Blanca hands her the dirty movie. "Don't let your mom see this. I thought you'd like it."

"I do...thank you. So...does this mean we've made up?"

"Yeah, I overreacted...and I won't let other people get into my head again. I feel so awful."

"You don't gotta...I should've-"

"No, I...I completely get it. You were friends with Piper for three years, and no matter how horrible she was, you girls deserve to know what happened to her. Maria understands that too, and you're still invited to her fiesta."

"Thanks..."

Blanca holds out her hand. "Truce?"

Flaca shakes it. "Sure, yeah."

* * *

"I'm guessing that you _did not_ aim to send me a nude photo of yourself, Daya," Gloria starts out with her arms crossed over her chest. "Who is this for?"

Daya panics internally, wanting to kick herself for accidentally sending Gloria that dirty text that was meant for John. Since their names are next to each other in her contacts, she'd screwed up. "I'm sorry, my boyfriend asked for one..." she lies. It was her choice to do it-she wanted to get him thinking about her.

"I should tell your mother, because this isn't appropriate."

"Please don't, Gloria, she's even worse than I am!"

"She'd still be ashamed of you!" Gloria scoffs. "How the fuck old do you think you are? You don't send nudes to _anybody_...especially since you're underage!"

"We were just messin' around, is all. Sorry you had to see my goods."

"You be relieved I got 'em by mistake and not some fuckin' pervert! You gotta use your eyes. Now I'm gonna be lookin' for your beloved, and if I see him, I'll lecture him about requesting naked pictures from girls."

"Oh, god, no!"

"Yeah, 'cause I'm watchin' out for ya. If you don't be careful, I'll let Aleida in on this, too."

Daya buries her face in her hands and groans.

* * *

"I want bigger boobs and I wish I had my period like you girls," Tricia mumbles to Mercy, Grace, Neri, and Allie when they're at Grace's house. "I'd get a new bra, but I only have little buds for breasts...and last time I changed in the locker room, Isla and three other girls were kinda bullying me, even after you told 'em to fuck off, Grace."

"Ugh, I can't see why I was ever friends with her...her mother, Melanie, is racist! She didn't like Suzanne, my sister, because she's African American. That should've been the first sign..."

"You were six, honey," Pat Warren tells Grace while walking into her daughter's room with a plate of cookies. "Do you girls want a snack?"

"Oh, yes, please!" Neri squeals while grabbing a bunch, and the others do the same. When Grace's mother leaves, the girls go back to chatting.

"Trish, have you told anyone, like the principal?" Allie wonders out loud.

"Nah, they're just bitches..."

"I think you should report it," Mercy recommends. "You've been telling us this kinda stuff for a week now."

"You could prank call them," Neri advises Tricia. "Leave a bag of shit at their porches and light 'em on fire. Cal taught Pipes how to do that. It's funny." She guffaws and sprays crumbs on everyone, and they groan. "Dude, it's the best joke, like, ever...and they'll get the message not to fuck with you."

Tricia points at Neri with a grin. "Now there's an idea! I knew I wouldn't regret being your friend. So...you guys remember Alex at Friendly's, right? She's the waitress' daughter. She got super drunk at Nicky's school dance-a-thon! We should make fun of her for it!"

"Won't she get pissed at Nicky for telling you, though?" Grace asks.

"Yeah, but that isn't my problem..."

"Hey, Grace! Mommy bought us Blockbuster videos tonight! You know what that means?" Lily announces, running into her room. Tricia's heart almost stops when she notices that Vee's most dangerous and mentally ill girl is standing right in front of them. She's hoping Lily won't recognize her without her cornrows.

"Pat and Dennis are getting lucky again?" Allie guesses.

"Yeah!" Her eyes widen and then she blinks them rapidly while pointing at Tricia. "Hello...I know you...Tricia, is it?"

 _Fuck_. "No, you got the wrong person. Um, Grace, I gotta go, okay? I-I shouldn't be home too late." She rushes out of Grace's room, down the stairs, and out the door. Someone's running after her, but she doesn't want to see who it is.

"Tricia, hold up!" Mercy calls out. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"I'm just...late...Lily's mentor is my foster mom, and I don't want her to tattle."

"Yeah, she's already freaking out...our friends and her mom are trying to calm her down."

"I have to call Nicky...see where she is...or I could go to Storky's...that's where my other sister, Taystee, works. Wanna hop on the bus with me?"

"Sure, I'll just let Grace know."

"Thanks."

"Your heart's beating really fast."

Tricia's breath comes out in shuddering gasps. "I know."

"You're crying."

"I am?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry." Tricia wipes her tears away with her flannel sleeve.

"It's okay. You can tell me why, but you don't need to." They sit on the bench and Tricia rests her head on Mercy's shoulder.

"I lied...about so much."

"Everyone does that."

"Yeah, but...Nicky isn't my biological sister...she-she found me...homeless. She basically rescued me from getting locked up for shoplifting. I used to live in the park and in shelters. She brought me home...to the place where Vee had adopted her...and Vee said I could stay there, too." Tricia takes a deep breath. "Our parents didn't die...our moms were neglectful and my stepfather was a child molester until I got away from him. So, um...we're really close, and...Taystee isn't related to us, either...she's one of Vee's foster kids. I just miss my sisters, is all. If it's overwhelming, I get it..."

"Whoa...hey, no, you're my best friend...I would never judge you for being a foster child. You don't have to be embarrassed about it."

"I _wish_ Nicky and I started out as sisters. We both had such crappy lives up until now, I suppose."

Mercy hugs Tricia. "I'm happy you opened up to me."

"Me, too."

* * *

It has to be a hallucination. Piper is standing directly in front of Flaca, wearing a candy striper nurse's uniform and bright red lipstick. Her blonde hair is perfectly curled and she doesn't even look close to being dead. Flaca blinks a few times, but she still sees Piper. "What the everlovin' fuck..."

"I know you're confused right now. I'm supposed to be a corpse...but who said I had to be ugly?"

"Who killed you?"

"Oh, darling, you four were all there when it happened. I don't know why you can't remember," Piper says cryptically.

"We were inside Lorna's apartment and you'd mysteriously disappeared," Flaca mumbles, throughly confused.

"That's your assumption. Maybe you should try to think about what you were doing that night, and encourage the other girls to as well. Anyway...it's a good thing you're alive. I oughta destroy that fucking P!" Piper declares just before she leaves the room.

Flaca rolls over and sees a lipstick stain on a plastic Styrofoam cup. It's not just any color, though, it's the exact shade that Piper had on.

* * *

"I did the dumbest thing ever at school today," Daya informs the girls when they're all at Flaca's get well party that Maritza's hosting. "I sent John a nude, to surprise him...but it never went to him. It ended up in Gloria's inbox instead."

"What?! ¡Dios mío!" Flaca cries.

"Why would you do that?" Lorna clucks her tongue and wags her finger at Daya. "That's what you get for bein' a slut..."

Daya flips Lorna off. "I didn't mean to! It was a blunder!"

"I hope you learned a lesson from this!" Alex exclaims.

"I did, and Gloria doesn't think it's to John, thankfully, but every time I would talk to a boy, she'd pop up and ask me if I was dating him...not out loud, but she mouthed the question." Daya scowls when the girls snicker. "Hey, shut up!"

"I'm sorry, it's just too funny how clueless Gloria can be sometimes," Flaca says.

"Not only Gloria, but Franny is, too...she doesn't even know that I went to Atlantic City to meet up with Christopher! She fell for it, she thought it was simply a sister outing! Well, it was at first..."

"Jesus Christ, Lorna, really?" Alex wonders aloud in astonishment.

"Yeah, is there a problem?"

"How did you even..." Daya starts to ask, but she decides she doesn't want to find out. "You know what, never mind. So, I take back my suspicion that Baxter's P...he was just trying to play a dumb prank on us...but then he saw me go into John's car and assumed that I was being forced to do it," she reports. "I dunno who it could be!"

"I wish I did it," Suzanne snaps while walking out of Maritza's mansion slowly, and Lorna realizes that she doesn't sound like herself. It may be her evil alter ego, Mara. "I trashed the memorial site because of how that white blonde bitch treated Suzanne. You know how messed up she was? Piper doesn't deserve any more attention!"

"I've been wondering what happened to it," Alex mutters.

"It's okay...we'll just build another one," Lorna states calmly, even though she's upset inside. She considers Suzanne a friend, and to see her as this violent monster, is heartbreaking.

"You don't get it!" Mara rants. "I will tear every one of them apart because that _cunt_ should rot in hell for all eternity! Nothing should be dedicated to her!" She begins slapping the side of her head rapidly and when Lorna and Daya try to stop her, she roughly pushes them away.

"Suzanne, don't hurt yourself, come on...I know she was a bitch, but we were friends with her!" Daya attempts talking her down, but this only makes her angrier.

"No, my name is not Suzanne! Don't call me that! Suzanne is a wimp! I am strong and I will fight you! That weed deserved to go! She was mean to Suzanne and you didn't do shit to stop her! How dare you?" Mara shakes her fists at the girls, and that's when Lorna knows she's too far gone. "No...Suzanne, we do not hit our friends!" she scolds herself while stomping down the stairs.

Flaca tosses her hands up in the air. "Okay, I dunno what to do. Maritza and Nicky are probably wondering where we are."

"I'll take you back inside," Alex whispers. She begins to wheel Flaca into the mansion and Lorna and Daya follow her. "Now what?"

"We call her parents," Lorna decides out loud. "She's got mental issues, she needs help!"

* * *

As soon as Flaca's party is over, Alex and Lorna go to Friendly's. They expect to see Diane working behind the counter, but instead, she comes out of the bathroom, all dressed up, with her hair curled and face made up. "Hi, Mom...where are you going?" Alex wonders out loud.

"Oh!" Diane seems surprised. "Hey, girls. I just wanna look nice, get the fuck outta these drab clothes...how's Flaca doing, by the way?"

"She's better," Lorna replies.

"Great! Um, well, I gotta grab dinner with a co-worker...she wasn't here tonight, but we made special plans."

"Isn't it kinda late?" Alex questions her mother.

"Yeah, but you know, my belly's growling, I've been making food, but not getting to eat it...I'm fuckin' hungry! I'll give you two a ride back to our house, is that okay?"

"No, we'll find our own way home," Alex declines, and Lorna stares at her in confusion.

"Okay, well, be safe!" Diane smiles at them, hugs Alex, waves in Lorna's direction, and leaves.

"What the hell..." Lorna begins.

"We're so going after her. I'm sick and tired of her being mysterious!" Alex declares.

"Hm, and they call _me_ the stalker!" Lorna mutters to herself.

"I'm just extremely curious...my mom doesn't usually keep secrets from me."

"Maybe she's hooking up with someone."

They watch Diane get into her car and start the engine, and then, they flag down a taxi. "Can you follow that vehicle, please?" Alex asks the driver. "We're trying to find a place and they know where it is, but we don't, obviously."

The woman gives them a skeptic look. "Can't you just ask where this person's headed or go with them? I can't be doing anything illegal here."

"You're not! It's just...that's my mom, and she wouldn't tell me her destination, and I'm kinda worried about her! I'll pay you extra cash!"

"Yeah, so will I!" Lorna says quickly.

"Alrighty, then."

* * *

"Okay, stop here," Alex says as they come up to Martin Van Buren High where Diane is walking through the front doors.

"You sure, miss?"

"Absolutely, thank you." The girls each give the cabbie a twenty dollar bill and enter their school the same way Diane did. It's dark with dim lighting, making it a creepy atmosphere.

"Maybe she forgot something?" Alex wonders out loud. "Let's try to hurry up in our spying, this school is spooky at night."

"You're supposed to live for this shit, you're like Elvira and Morticia combined," Lorna teases Alex. "I think it's kinda cool." She grins, but then they both jump when their footsteps start echoing down the hallway. "We should tiptoe."

"Mm-hm..."

Lorna and Alex round a corner right after Diane and see her go up to a man in the library and hug him. They make out and then he says something that makes her giggle and kiss his cheek. Alex gasps and her eyes widen. Lorna appears to be shocked as well, but also happy. The girls hide behind the door as the couple exits the area, holding hands.

"Aw, your mom has a boyfriend!" Lorna squeals under her breath.

"Who the fuck is that?" Alex hisses while cleaning her glasses on her shirt and putting them back on. "Why'd she never tell me?"

Lorna pats Alex's hand soothingly. "Aw, hon, maybe they ain't serious enough yet. It looks like the honeymoon stage. Franny says you don't introduce your man to the family until you know he's the one."

"Well, I'm not sure about Sylvie...I haven't even been able to reach her, in fact, and she's met my mom."

"Maybe that jinxed things between you two...I got no clue. You wanna confront her about it, like now?"

"No, it's too awkward...I'll interrogate her tomorrow. We share things with each other...she should know she can't keep shit from me. I feel kinda betrayed."

"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

"Let's just go home," Alex grumbles. She begins to leave, but then she notices Lorna isn't following her. She finds her smaller friend opening a vent and pulling out a black beanie that was apparently poking out.

"Wait...we're not alone." Lorna's tone switches from sounding comforting to panicked. "I think P lives here." She stuffs a wad of cash into her pocket. "I'm giving that to Flaca since she was almost killed. They've got, like, two phones, a bunch of clothes, and a huge bag."

"Instead of rummaging through their shit, we should take off, like, now," Alex urges Lorna. A few books fall off a shelf all of a sudden and the lights go out. There's a shadow just standing in front of them and they yelp in surprise. Alex grabs Lorna's hand and they race out of the room together while screaming. They knock over a janitor's bucket and mop to slow the figure down, but it still chases them through the school. They come to a dead end where the door is jammed, and then, Lorna spritzes their attacker with her perfume.

"Oh, fuck!" a recognizable voice yells. "Asshole..."

"Nicky?" Lorna asks incredulously. "Hold on, don't rub your eye...it needs lotsa water."

"Fuck you! Owww, Jesus Christ, this hurts..."

"Well, you could've said something!" Lorna retorts. "We were scared to death. I apologize, truly. I hope you'll be okay."

"What were you even doing here?" Nicky wants to know while squeezing her eyes shut every time she tips her water into them. The three girls lean back against the wall, breathing heavily at what they'd just gone through.

"That's what we should be questioning _you_ about," Alex tells her.

"I asked you first."

Lorna groans. "It's not really important...we were just being detectives, findin' out what's up with Diane...turns out she's seein' somebody."

"I really have nowhere else to stay," Nicky admits. "My sister and I just use Caputo's empty office as a place to sleep. Tricia's getting something from the vending machine at this moment. What if you'd sprayed her rather than me, huh?"

"I already said I was sorry," Lorna responds. "I feel bad, okay? I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm a nurse...I can take care of ya. Now...you're homeless again?"

"Not technically...I live _here_. We have another sister, Taystee...but she stayed with Vee. We couldn't be there anymore."

"Why'd you move out of Vee's? I know it wasn't the best living situation, but neither is this, really. Piscatella and co could bust you...remember what happened to Blanca and Diablo?" Lorna reminds her. "This time, those monsters could have all the evidence they need, what with the vending machines that were broken into."

"It's just safer. At least Piscatella doesn't roam around at three in the morning."

"He hasn't yet, but he could," Alex points out.

"We can't go back to Vee, alright? She's...not good to be around. So, what's the status on Flaca?"

"She hates being in a wheelchair, but other than that, not too bad. She says she's glad to get out of gym for a while," Lorna informs the blonde. "Nicky, did Vee abuse you? Like, physically? 'Cause I saw those-"

Nicky gets up to her feet. "I'm a bit better now...I should join Tricia for our midnight snack, and then we're gonna sleep. I'll see ya tomorrow...Pizza Hut for the singing thing, kay? Don't be so concerned about me."

"Sure." Lorna hands Nicky back her roll of money.

* * *

"Who is he, Mom?" Alex demands to know. "Whatever you did last night has got you in some kind of a weirdo dreamlike trance where you don't tell me shit! So, spit it out."

Diane snaps out of her daze. "I haven't even had my fuckin' coffee yet, kiddo."

Alex takes a deep breath and lets it out. "You weren't with a woman...when you came home, you smelled like cologne...and it's not right to hide stuff from me. I'm your daughter!"

"Your father is back after fifteen years...and we're...seeing how things go," Diane confesses. Alex looks stunned. Her eyes just about bug out of their sockets and her mouth gapes open.

"What?!"

"I didn't want to say anything until I was sure he was in it for the long haul. I was thinking of the right time to have the two of you meet..."

"Oh my god! You suck for not telling me! You say he's no good, but then you jump into his arms again?"

"I know, Al, that was a mistake on my part, but you also have to understand...he could leave at any moment. I wanted to protect you from that pain."

"I don't even...why are you wasting your time if you're just counting on him to walk away the second he gets bored?"

"I needed him...the passion, fun...when I'm with him, I kinda get...lost," Diane says guiltily. "I was that one fan he didn't find annoying, and it made me feel so honored and it raised my shitty self esteem. I wouldn't mind if you got acquainted with him. It's just...don't get your hopes up. I'll tell him to meet you at Pizza Hut, if you'd like, with all your friends?"

"Okay, that'd be cool. Thanks for finally being honest with me."

"You're welcome."

* * *

"Yeah, I know, man, I got it," Maria is saying as Lorna, Daya, and Alex stroll into Pizza Hut. "I've played the drums before."

"I'm a professional," the man in front of her states. "You wanna be a real rock star, learn from me. Ever heard of Death Maiden?"

"That's my dad," Alex mumbles. "He and my mom are...doing it."

"I don't think that band exists anymore, but it's my birthday...I only got time to play one song in here, then we're all gonna get ready for my party tonight," Maria tells Lee.

"Really?" Lorna asks.

"Yup..."

"Whoa," Daya murmurs.

Flaca and Maritza are practicing vocals together. "Come little children, I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment..." they croon into the microphone.

"That sounds both magical and terrifying," Nicky lets them know.

"Thaaaank yooooou..." they reply in unison.

"Alright, everyone's here," Pennsatucky announces, "are we ready to start?"

"Yeah!" the girls cheer. Maria takes her spot behind the drum set while Nicky, Pennsatucky, and Maritza stand around her with microphones in their hands, and Flaca positions her wheelchair next to Maritza. Their audience consists of Lorna, Alex, Daya, Blanca, Taystee, Poussey, and Brook, who sit at the tables in front of them. Lee is in the background. After Maria plays the fifteen second intro, Flaca starts to sing the first verse, and the listeners nod their heads, tap their feet, and dance in their seats to the beat of Maria's drums.

"I hate the world today...you're so good to me...I know but I can't change...tried to tell you...but you look at me like maybe...I'm an angel underneath...innocent and sweet..."

She points to Maritza, who belts out the next part. "Yesterday I cried...must have been relieved to see...the softer side...I can understand how you'd be so confused...I don't envy you...I'm a little bit of everything...all rolled into one..."

Maria does the chorus. "I'm a bitch, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm a mother...I'm a sinner, I'm a saint...I do not feel ashamed...I'm your hell, I'm your dream...I'm nothing in between...you know you wouldn't want it any other way...Pennsatucky, take it away!"

"So take me as I am...this may mean...you'll have to be a stronger man...rest assured that...when I start to make you nervous...and I'm going to extremes...tomorrow I will change...and today won't mean a thing...your turn, Nicky!"

"I'm a bitch, I'm a lover...I'm a child, I'm a mother...I'm a sinner, I'm a saint...I do not feel ashamed...I'm your hell, I'm your dream...I'm nothing in between...you know you wouldn't want it any other way..."

Taystee, Poussey, and Brook appear to be extremely impressed. "They've got beautiful voices, wow, I'm blown away!" Lorna whispers to the girls.

"Right?" Blanca agrees.

"Damn, I wish I was that good," Daya mumbles.

"Me, too," Alex says.

"Just when you think, you got me figured out...the season's already changing...I think it's cool, you do what you do...and don't try to save me," Flaca croons.

"I'm a bitch, I'm a lover...I'm a child, I'm a mother...I'm a sinner, I'm a saint...I do not feel ashamed...I'm your hell, I'm your dream...I'm nothing in between...you know you wouldn't want it any other way..." Maritza sings.

"I'm a bitch, I'm a tease...I'm a goddess on my knees...when you hurt, when you suffer...I'm your angel undercover...I've been numb, I'm revived...can't say I'm not alive...you know I wouldn't want it any other way..." Maria ends the song and then plays a one minute drum solo with the girls doing vocals every two seconds and shaking their hair all around. She finishes after banging the drums and cymbals one last time and dropping the sticks on the floor, and then the room breaks out into applause and cheers.

"Have you thought of a name for your band?" Lee asks them. "You know you need to come up with your own tunes for a real concert, right?"

"Oh, we're not an actual-" Nicky begins, but Maritza cuts her off.

"Are you kidding? I wanna be famous!"

"Yeah, same," Flaca chimes in.

"It'd be nice, but I got a baby...when I live in my own apartment with her and Yads, we'll be too busy for me to be in a band."

"I'm with Maria," Pennsatucky tells them. "Some things are just meant to stay in high school memories. This can be one of 'em."

"Well, see you on the other side, girls. We're gonna be Flaritza," Flaca announces. "It can be _Flaritza and the Crew_ if you change your minds."

"That's lame, dude," Nicky mutters.

"We're the leaders," Maritza protests. "You got a better idea, I'm all ears, and so is Flaca!"

"You can be more clever than that," Blanca says.

Lee slides up to Alex. "You're my daughter, right? Diane said you have black hair and glasses."

"Yeah, that's me. Hi!" Alex exclaims and shakes his hand. "It's great to finally meet you."

"You, too, Alex. These are your friends?" He glances around at the group.

"Mm-hm."

They introduce themselves, and then he says, "Come to think of it, fuck the band, right? You could join my drug cartel...and even if you don't want to right now, you will in about ten years from now." It makes them all chuckle, and he smirks. "Now, seriously, what if I was high and I plowed my dick right into my own offspring, before I even knew about her?" Alex can't look at anyone in the room right now. She's so embarrassed and hurt, and she wants a giant hole to swallow her up. He winks at her and licks his lips. "She's got a nice rack, am I right? Jimmy and Lonnie, my band members, would get a chuckle outta this, why are you being so silent? If she wasn't my blood, I'd-"

"Get the hell away from us, you fuckin' piece of shit!" Nicky shouts.

"What, you can't take a joke?"

"You don't hit on my bestie and get away with it," Lorna growls.

"I suggest you go with your tail between your legs," Daya recommends.

"I'm still her father...I'd like to spend time with her."

Flaca glares at Lee. "I don't care who you are. I should slit your throat for wanting to rape your little girl."

"I had no idea she was-"

"You like minors, is that it, then? This my restaurant and you gotta leave, asshole!" Taystee instructs him while pointing towards the exit. She crosses her arms over her chest.

"Right the fuck now!" Poussey adds.

Lee scoffs. "Are you kidding me? I can be where I want. Bunch a teenage girls telling a grown man what to do...you just work here. I need a few words with your manager."

"She can kick you out for inappropriateness," Brook says.

Maria and Blanca pick up the drumsticks and hold them up to either side of his neck, backing him into a corner, literally. "Do you want to go by choice, or should they make you disappear for good?" Maritza asks him with venom seeping into her tone. A wicked glint forms in both their eyes.

"What the...I've got a hundred pounds on you cunts!" He attempts moving, but the two Latinas keeping him there only press their weapons further into his pulse point, and he starts to choke.

"You should wanna listen to 'em," Pennsatucky lets him know.

"Fuck this!" Lorna pinches his ear and Daya punches him in his stupid, smug face. Flaca wheels after him as he bolts while holding his nose, and he just about gets mowed down. Alex whimpers and begins to cry while resting her head on Daya's lap.

"I'm so sorry, Alex," Lorna murmurs while she and Daya take turns stroking Alex's hair.

"Don't sweat it...my mom tried to warn me. I didn't think he was _that_ much of a creep...a player, maybe, but not..." She takes in a sharp gasp of air and shudders. "Oh god, I need to tell her. I wish I never knew him...I can't break down in front of you..."

"I'll go with you," Daya says sweetly.

"Yeah, me too," Flaca puts in.

"Me three," Lorna tells Alex.

"I should as well," Nicky decides.

* * *

"Those Mexican bitches tried to kill me!" Lee yells as Diane lets him in the trailer park. "Murdered by drumsticks...oh, the irony!"

" _What_? Who?"

"I didn't get their names, but...they were all attacking me...Alex's friends," he explains.

"Okay...they're not violent, so I have trouble believing you."

"They're nuts! Four of 'em physically injured me!"

"Sit on the couch," Diane says. "I'd like to hear the story from my daughter." There has to have been a reason for them to have done this to him. Alex, Lorna, Nicky, and Daya come through the door breathlessly a few minutes later and it looks as if all three of them had wheeled Flaca here. Alex must've just been crying, as her eyes are red and watery. She wraps her arms around Diane and sobs into her shoulder.

"I hate him so much, Mommy...get rid of him already!"

Diane's heart cracks for her child. "What happened, baby?" They sit on her bed and the girls follow suit, except Flaca, who fumes in her wheelchair. "If he hurt you, I swear to fuckin' God, I'll slaughter him."

"He's...he's an awful douchebag, no...not even that...he made a rude comment directed at me in front of my friends...we were having such a great time, some of the girls played music and sang, but that scumbag ruined it. We tried to get him to go, but he refused, so..."

"You kicked his ass."

"Well, not me, but Lorna, Daya, Blanca, and Maria did."

"Good job. Hold up...what'd he do?"

"First, he basically said we should all get involved in drugs with him, and we didn't think he was serious, but then...then he went on about how if he'd never known that I was his kid, he'd...he'd, um...have sex with me because apparently, I have a _nice rack_." Alex sniffles and breathes out snot bubbles which drip down her chin. Lorna hands her Kleenex and she blows her nose. "What the fuck did you even see in him? He's a shit!"

Diane stiffens and anger bubbles up within her, but she manages to compose herself enough to cup Alex's face in her hands and kiss her forehead. "Love is blind, my girl. I apologize, greatly."

" _He's_ the fucker, Diane, not you," Nicky says.

"Yeah!" Alex, Lorna, Daya, and Flaca agree unanimously.

"I know, but I brought him back." Diane gets to her feet quickly and walks into the living room. She slaps Lee so harshly across the face that her hand stings. "I'm kicking you out, you goddamn loser! I don't wanna see you again, _ever_!"

He groans while rubbing the spot where she'd left a red mark. "Babe, what-"

"No, no more of this bullshit! Where do you get off telling our daughter and her friends that they should become...drug addicts...and you'd seriously have your way with Alex? You make me sick!"

"I was just saying...what if I accidentally fucked my own kid? What's the harm in that? It's hypothetical. I wouldn't really do that, it's incest."

"Not only that, but you're implying you'd engage in sexual activity with a minor!" Alex hollers at him. "That's illegal, dumbass! Never mind about me...how could you do that to my mom? You just...you left her! You don't get to come back, pretend you're all fixed up, and then screw us both over...again! I don't know you. You are a complete _fucking_ stranger to me! I'm sure you were famous at one time, Lee. My mom got backstage passes to one of your concerts out of sheer luck...but then, you got her pregnant, abandoned her, and her life flipped upside down! She's never dated anyone since you...and you broke her! She actually expected you to walk out this time. Why don't you just go back to wherever the hell you came from, you bastard? You're such a useless son of a bitch, it's scary! My mom and I are a family. We don't need you, so be gone. You can go fuck yourself right up the ass." Alex ends her rant while showing him the middle finger on both her hands. Her friends look on in amazement and Diane couldn't be prouder of Alex. Lee shakes his head while staggering out the front door, and Diane slams it in his face.

"Mom, are you alright?" Alex wonders out loud while squeezing Diane's hands.

Diane bites her lip and forces the tears away. It was going to happen eventually, so she's not going to allow herself to be upset. She's only heartbroken for Alex. _The romance between her and Lee had fizzled out a long time ago_ , she realizes sadly. "Yeah...I'm okay. You?"

"A bit disappointed that I don't have a decent father, but whatever. I've got the best mom in the entire world, and I wouldn't wish for anything else. I just don't like seeing you so upset. You're the strongest woman I've ever known. I didn't mean it when I said that he made you weak. I'm sorry."

"Honey, I may be a badass, but my bad luck with love _does_ bring me down a bit."

"I know, but...men, who needs 'em?"

Diane wipes a lone tear from Alex's eye and pats her cheek. "Not us, that's for sure."

"Yo, that's right," Flaca says.

"Ten points for empowering yourself!" Nicky continues.

"There's other fishies in the sea, though," Lorna cuts in. "You just haven't found him yet, Diane."

"Mm-hm," Daya agrees. "If it makes you feel any better, none of us have a dad we can look up to."

"It does, actually. Thanks."

"Welcome."

* * *

"Why is Mr. Bennett here?" Gloria asks Daya. "How come you told Aleida and I to sit down? This a fuckin' parent teacher conference? If so, I don't need to be around."

"Gloria, just listen to what we gotta say!" Daya tells her. "You're my mom as much as Aleida, so you should be aware of this, too."

"What are you talking about?"

Mr. Bennett gulps. He's visibly nervous. Aleida's lips curl up into a slight smirk. She quirks up an eyebrow. "We're waiting, so out with it!"

"Um...Ms. Diaz, I believe you sort of worked this out already, so it shouldn't come as too much of a shock...I am with your daughter...romantically."

Gloria's heart slows down and she gasps. Daya goes up to Mr. Bennett and grabs his hand. "Yeah...he's right," Daya confirms. "I'm...I'm also pregnant...with his baby."

Gloria feels sick to her stomach. She wants to slap Aleida for never warning her about this, punch Daya's teacher in his stupid face, and lock Daya in her room until she's thirty, but she keeps her cool because she knows she has to. Aleida looks satisfied with their confession. "Have you taken a test?"

Daya blows out a huge gust of air. "Yeah."

"How you gonna take care of her?" Aleida wonders out loud. "It ain't like you livin' together and shit."

"I'll help her out as much as I can."

"No!" Gloria explodes while rising to her feet. "No, this is not happening! You two...get the fuck away from each other or help me God!" They immediately separate. "Dios mío..."

"Nah, he's gotta support her," Aleida insists. "You can't just separate 'em!"

" _We_ can do that."

"Gloria, could you stop? We got together before we even knew he was my teacher. It's not a big deal!"

"It sure as shit is! Dayanara, this is illegal! He's a grown man! I'll call the police! Aleida, why ain't you sayin' nothin'?"

Benny and Christina run into the room with Julio and Emiliano toddling after them. The oldest of the four little wide-eyed children starts stomping on Mr. Bennett's feet. "Stop making my mommy mad! Go away!"

Daya tries to pull Benny away from her teacher-Gloria refuses to think of him as her boyfriend-but it doesn't work, so Gloria wrestles him off of Mr. Bennett gently and yanks him to her side. "Now look what you've done, you've made my son upset!" Gloria screams at Mr. Bennett. "Daya, get the kids back into your room, please!"

"I think this is my cue to leave," Mr. Bennett mutters. Daya stares after him wistfully as he goes.

"I'm trying to figure out what to do, alright?" Aleida murmurs. "I don't wanna involve no cops."

"Thank you," Daya mumbles.

"Go to your room, young lady, and take the children with you," Gloria snaps, and Daya obeys her.

She turns to Aleida. "Why not? He's a statutory rapist!" she fumes.

"Look, they're all fucked up. You know that. You also too angry to think straight. I've had time..."

"Why'd you never discuss it with me?"

"I'm her mother, you aren't! It ain't your concern. I dunno why she told you."

"She obviously cares about my opinion." Gloria sighs. "Well, she's fuckin' grounded, starting after the quinceañera."

"He's the one who stuck it in her..."

"That's why I'm lettin' her go tonight, but we're havin' a serious talk with her afterwards."

"Okay."

Gloria sighs exasperatedly. "I need a drink...a huge one."

"Yeah, me too, sista."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, cornedout, HannahMiley1fan, LindaAndrewsfan, DayaAndJohn4ever, and A Star In My Universe!**


	22. Thanks for Comin'

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, racial slurs.**

When they're done throwing plates at a wall and smashing breakables with a baseball bat inside a New York City anger room to relieve their stress, Alex and Diane walk out of the place, linking arms and giggling. Diane's co-worker, Cheryl, had recommended they go here, and it was a great suggestion. They had fun. As soon as they get back into their trailer park, they have some ice cream while watching reruns of _Gilmore Girls_ , until there's a knock at the door. Diane gets up to answer it. She peers through the window first before opening it.

"Fahri...hi, long time, no see. Come in!" The man of Arabian descent steps inside and he and Diane exchange a hug. "Alex, do you remember Fahri Basara? He babysat you until you started sleeping over at friends' houses when I worked late at night."

"Barely...I was twelve, so...hey." Alex waves at him with a shy grin.

"You've gotten taller!" Fahri notices aloud. "You and your mom share a resemblance."

"Since then, yeah, I know."

"I regret that we drifted apart...I just wanted to apologize on Lee's behalf. Uh, I tracked him down and encouraged him to reconnect with you two. He couldn't even remember your last name, or your first, Diane. I had to remind him...and then I pointed you out in the paper, Alex. I found him on purpose to help you, thinking he was a good guy, the way your mother spoke of him, but he is a real jerk. I was unsuccessful in getting the family back together, and for that, I'm sorry."

"Thank you for trying, though," Diane tells him. "Don't put that on you. It's the disgusting snake's fault."

"He's got problems...I'm not making excuses for him, but I got him to admit that he's unable to take care of either of you. He asked me to do it instead. At the time, I was Lee's dealer...now, I'm not into hard drugs or anything, just a bump or two every few weeks...and I was only focusing on the business aspect of it, so I didn't really dive into his personal life too much. I heard about a one night stand, but I had no idea at the time that it was you, and I just didn't connect the dots about him right away. If I was aware that he was a fucked-up moron, I would've never let him get close to either of you in the first place."

"I know."

"I have an apartment nearby, if you ever wanna visit."

"Sure!" Alex says excitedly. "Mom, can we hang out with him there?"

"Of course, baby."

 _It's late at night and Diane notices some idiots harassing this poor teenager outside the strip club she's working at as soon as she's finished. She senses a fight, so she walks right up to them, and immediately gets in the middle of it. She may be twenty-four and one month pregnant, but she still has the spunk and the guts to get these douchebags to quit picking on this drunk kid. She can tell the guy's had too much booze by the way he's tripping over himself when the losers push him around. After suffering a blow to the head from their violent fists, he crashes to the ground with a shout, and then, they take turns kicking him._

 _"What a dork!"_

 _"Where's all your American hostages?"_

 _"Come on, tell us, diaper head!"_

 _"Hey, you motherfuckin' shitheads, stop that!" she yells, and they freeze in their tracks. "Jesus fuckin' Christ, what's wrong with you? Leave him alone. What's he done to you?" She shoves them away from him._

 _"Whoa, check out those Juicy sweats, those words go perfectly across your ass!" one of them says and then wolf-whistles. The rest, except for the injured high-schooler, do the same. "We're just playing around with him, sweet cheeks! He doesn't even belong here...he can build truck bombs with his mommy and daddy in Iran!"_

 _She gets up in their faces._ _"Go home before I call the cops, you racist assholes!"_

 _"He's the one who oughta go home. You're a white lady, you should understand this!"_

 _"I'm not prejudiced. Now move it!"_

 _"You're a traitor!" Once Diane feels a hand tighten around her wrist and another try to tear down her bottoms, she spritzes her can of mace into their eyes. "Oh, you bitch!"_

 _While they're squirming on the ground in agony, she helps up the wounded boy. "Hey...I'll take you home, or at least to a hospital, because you're bleeding badly."_

 _"Who...who are you?" he mumbles while blinking rapidly. "You gotta be a Victoria's Secret angel or somethin'. Some hot girl just saved my life, I'm so grateful...my name's Fahri."_

 _"I'm Diane, I'm a stripper at this joint...come on, we need to hurry," she says urgently. She supports him as he limps along to her car. "Do you need to throw up before we go?"_

 _"Yeah...thanks..."  
_

 _She holds him steady as he pukes on the cement and then he wipes his mouth with his sleeve before she has a chance to get him Kleenex. She opens her passenger door and he stumbles into his seat. Diane phones the police and then speeds to the emergency room._

 _When Fahri's patched up, he starts drinking water. "How can I ever repay you?" he asks Diane._

 _"You don't have to, seriously."_

 _"You're such a kind woman...I owe you. I could be of assistance at your job...like make sure perverts don't touch you when you don't want 'em to or whatever."_

 _"I would really appreciate it, but I'm sorry, bud, you gotta be eighteen...you look younger than that."_

 _"Fifteen," he admits sheepishly. "Oh well, you probably got a boyfriend for that anyway..."_

 _Her heart throbs in pain. "I'm single, so...I don't want you to think it's my only career...I'm also a maid and a Friendly's waitress. I can't remember if you've come into the restaurant before."_

 _"I dunno...I wish I could make it up to you. Uh...do you have any kids I could babysit? I have experience..."_

 _Diane smiles. "I'm actually with my first child at this moment."_

 _"Alright, congratulations! I'll watch him or her for you so you don't have to struggle so much. I'll be there when you're home at first, to prove myself trustworthy."_

 _"You are the first responsible and mature fifteen-year-old I've come across. I'm amazed, really." She wishes there had been guys like him when she'd gone to school. Maybe then, she wouldn't have had to settle for unattainable men like Lee._

 _He beams. "You won't regret having me around to watch your little one. I promise."_

 _"Thank you so much."_

 _Over the years as Alex is growing up, she and Fahri develop a close bond, like brother and sister and sometimes, he's a father figure for her. He loses touch with her and Diane when she doesn't need a babysitter anymore, as she now has her own clique to spend time with when her mom is busy making money for their family. Still, though, Diane doesn't think there would've been anyone better to take care of Alex._

* * *

Sometimes, Alex has to help her mom out at Friendly's by taking people's orders, wiping down sticky tables, and scrubbing toilets. She wouldn't mind doing those things if the customers weren't so dumb, slow, or messy, but the plus side of it is that Diane gives her a free meal after her work is complete. "Did you ask fuckin' Brenda to stay home today so I could do her job?"

"No, she's always lazy!"

"Okay, you know I love you, but I've gotta get ready for the party! I cannot smell like shit!"

"Chill out, kid, I'm only asking for one hour of your time, and on my break, I'll take you girls, how does that sound to you?"

Alex sighs and rolls her eyes. "Fine."

"I just want you up and moving around instead of moping around the house. I'm not the only one going through this."

"Alright...I get it."

The first fifteen minutes aren't too bad, but then she hears a girl say, "Told ya she still worked here! Hey, diner girl!" Alex's head snaps up and then she recognizes the blonde smug bitch who bullied her when they were ten. Her clique trails after her and sits in a booth.

"Yeah? What do you want?"

"Oh...you're actually hip. Sorry. I _adore_ your outfit and those blue streaks are to _die for_!" Jessica Wedge squeals, and Alex cringes at her annoying, chipper voice. "So, we all want crispy chicken wraps with fries and ketchup on the side."

 _"My grandfather went to a bachelor party and he and the other men took turns fucking your mom!" Jessica taunts Alex and her friends snicker. "Wow, she's a slut!"_

 _Alex doesn't let herself cry, even if she wants to. "It's not like she wanted to! She does what she has to do to keep us from being homeless."_

 _"I bet you already live on the streets, but you're too embarrassed to tell anyone. That's okay, I'd be humiliated as well. Make sure you don't get STDs from having a prostitute for a mom. When she's hugging and kissing you, she's passing on pervert germs! You're both gross!"  
_

 _"Ew!" Jessica's posse shout in unison._

 _"My dad's a rock star," Alex tries to defend herself._

 _Jessica scoffs. "Yeah, probably in some smelly basement! You're a pigsty!"_

 _After that experience, Alex had begged Diane to quit those self-degrading jobs, not just for herself, but because Jessica and the others torment her so much and she can't handle it anymore. She encouraged Diane to be a teacher-it would make her a lot more money, and it's a nobler profession. It_ _gets her as much money as two prostitute jobs and Diane can do so much better than selling her body._ _The girls would then take her and Diane seriously and respect them. She switched schools and Diane finally got a career in education at Martin Van Buren High when Alex was in freshman year. She only kept her position at Friendly's, and Alex was satisfied._

"I'm surprised you wanna dine here," Alex mutters.

Jessica shrugs. "It's grimy, but it's got good food when you wanna grab a quick bite."

"All American burgers and fries comin' right up!"

"Wait, that wasn't-"

"Pickles and onions, right?"

"Hey, are you deaf? I didn't order that! I said-"

"The ketchup would be drizzled all over the fries, so I hope that's not too much of a _pigsty_ for you." Alex is enjoying every bit of this, and out of the corner of her eye, she can see that Diane's smiling.

"Why are you doing this? I could sue you!"

"I can't believe you don't remember me, _Jessica Wedge_."

Her eyes widen. "You're not-"

Alex smirks. "The one and only."

"That was years ago! You're still holding a grudge, how pathetic!"

"Oh, honey, if I was, you'd be getting creepy anonymous messages and having your life threatened every fucking day!"

"Come on, girls, let's go!" Jessica instructs her group, and they leave quickly.

"That was awesome!" Diane exclaims, lightly punching Alex's shoulder playfully.

"Thanks!"

Later, Alex takes an African American man's order. She thinks she may have seen him before, but she can't put her finger on exactly where or when it was. "Hey, uh, could I have some cheeseburger sliders?" he asks.

"Yeah, but I advise you to get it with mozzarella sticks, sauce, and a small sundae," Alex responds with a polite grin. "For here, or to go?"

"I'll eat here," he tells her while giving her cash.

"Okay."

"I'm going to make it right now," Diane says and goes to the back. The guy sits at a table and a crowd of teenagers, a woman with a little boy and girl, and an elderly couple stand in line. They'd mostly like ice cream or fries. Some are just coming in to use the bathroom. Diane returns with his meal and sets it in front of him. "Sir, it's ready," she announces while looking at the man.

"Thank you...Diane." He salutes her.

Alex is as confused as Diane seems to be, until she glances down at her name tag that's attached to her navy blue polo shirt. "Oh...you're welcome. You're not as creepy as I thought."

He chuckles. "To make things fair, I'm Charles...Charlie, for short. Now we both know each other's names."

"Hi, Charles."

Business is slow at the moment, so Alex gets her phone out while her mother is distracted. She answers a few texts from her friends who are checking up on her.

"Is that your daughter?"

"Yeah."

"She takes orders like a pro."

Diane laughs while folding down the collar of her outfit. "She _did_. She was doing a pretty good job..."

"Hey, there's almost nobody here!" Alex protests. "Aren't you supposed to be cooking burgers or something? Cheryl had to take over."

"Let her!"

"You look hungry," Charles notes. He pulls a slider out of the bag and holds it out to Diane. "You can have it."

"Thank you for the offer, you're so kind." Diane tucks a flyaway curl behind her ear and takes the mini cheeseburger.

"No problem!"

The eye contact they're sharing is so intense that Alex has to face the opposite direction, and instead, busy herself by going around, asking patrons what they want to eat or drink. As they flirt back and forth, Alex isn't sure whether to eavesdrop or feel awkward and try to block them out with rock songs she's made up in her head. If she listens in, she'll chuckle, because the shit they're saying is so cheesy that it sounds like Lorna's favorite movies. He causes her to giggle, and then she makes him laugh out loud.

"How long is your shift?" he asks.

"Nine hours...but I get a break at six."

"Wow...you end at midnight, that's late."

"Yeah, it's...whatever."

"I get off at four, which is perfect because I've got a date at five."

"Oh? Have fun!"

He checks his watch. "Thanks. Well, I've gotta go back to work because my break is over," he informs Diane. "It was nice meeting you," he says while touching her arm gently.

"You, too. Bye!" She smiles and waves at him.

"He's trying way too hard to impress you, Mom!" Alex points out after he's left.

"He is not! He has plans with someone else, so there!"

"If you say so..."

* * *

"First, we gotta pick your outfit! What do you think of a black V-neck dress? It would totally show off your bod," Maritza says while holding up the garment.

"I dunno..." Nicky examines it. "It doesn't look bad."

"You can totally rock that!" Lorna assures Nicky.

"Oh, and for the hairstyle, I'm thinkin' a bun atop your head and bangs right across your forehead," Flaca continues, "like the chick Lorna idolizes. You can even wear a pearl necklace and have your hair straightened like me and Maritza did."

"Audrey Hepburn! Yes, please!" Lorna squeals. "Oh my gosh, you're gonna be so pretty, Nicky! I can just see your makeover now...you're not ugly or nothin', but you'd look different, in a nice way."

"Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves here. You can't tame a head of hair that's weathered through the snow, rain, and general outside air for three years...this shit isn't even neat after a shower."

"Well, did you wash it real good before you came?" Maritza asks as she puts in her silver hoops.

"Yeah..."

"Perfect! Now, what you wanna do with frizzy hair, is to brush it, getting all the tangles out, and then twist it around your finger a lotta times while it's still wet, that is, if you don't want it straightened. That way, it's curly and glam when it dries," Flaca advises Nicky. "It's too late for that now, but just remember for next time!"

"Alright...have at it." Nicky gestures to her hair.

Lorna and Flaca sit back and watch Maritza work on Nicky's hair and give her some more eye makeup, blush, and a brighter shade of pink lipstick. "Normally, I'd take part in this, but I can't really reach her in my wheelchair," Flaca gripes.

After a few minutes, Maritza turns Nicky around to face the wall mirror and the rest of the girls. Lorna shrieks at the job well done. "You look perfect!" Flaca smiles widely while clapping, and she gives Maritza a thumbs up.

Nicky just gawks at herself. "Holy shit. Amazing. I won't stop checking myself out, you know that, right?" Lorna couldn't agree with her more-she can't quit staring at the blonde.

"Yeah," everyone says at the same time.

They each get into their respective dresses, or skirts, in Flaca's case, and then get a ride with Alex to the party. "Whoa, Nichols, what did they do to you? Jesus, girl, you're smokin'!" Alex murmurs as she walks them to her mother's car.

Nicky winks at her. "I'm more in love with myself now. Why, you down to fuck later?" she whispers.

Alex smirks while throwing her arm around Nicky. She's about to open her mouth, but Lorna wedges herself between them before Alex can say anything. "It's called a makeover, and I know she's hot. Move on," Lorna mutters stiffly. She doesn't know why she's so envious of Alex and Nicky flirting, but she is. "Audrey Hepburn is classy, not trashy, remember that, _Nichols_."

"Someone's jealous," Maritza teases her and Nicky chuckles while shaking her head.

"Shut it!" Lorna hisses.

Since Lorna and Maritza's butts are tiny, they can both fit into one seat in the back. Flaca props her broken leg up across the girls' laps. She looks disappointed as she smooths down the purple stripe in her hair. "What's wrong?" Maritza asks.

"I can't dance tonight..."

"Yeah, but you still look rockin'! You could groove in your seat to the music...that's what Diablo would do, I bet."

"I know...it just sucks."

"Hey, our nails look great together." Maritza slides her fingers through Flaca's. "See, I painted mine red and yours are black, like your favorite plaid dress, and we got winged eyeliner. Love the lacy black top you got on!"

"You're right, we're so stylish! That periwinkle blue dress looks great on you! The rest of y'all are fabulous, too, thanks to contour, highlight, the MAC Pro Palette, and a number nineteen fan brush, courtesy of Maritza."

Maritza puts her hand on her heart and blows the girls kisses. "Y'all are so welcome!" she exclaims dramatically.

"I did my own nails, see?" Alex wiggles her fingers in Flaca's direction. "Black, my fave color."

"Nice, and your makeup is so on point!" Flaca compliments her. "So's that blue dress."

"Thanks!"

"Are you sure my pearls don't clash with my St. Joseph medallion?" Nicky wonders out loud while toying with the black bangles around her wrists.

"I'm positive," Lorna replies. "You like this color pink on my nails?"

"Definitely! Anything's nice on you."

"I appreciate you saying that." Lorna smiles while squeezing Nicky's hand. "Do you think Christopher will be there?"

Nicky shrugs. "I have no idea, kid, I don't follow his life."

"Well...I hope so. If he's not, can you be my dance partner?"

"Sure."

"You can all be part of our YouTube makeup videos when we invite special guests," Maritza announces. "Daya, Maria, and Blanca, too, and we'll tell 'em at the party."

"That sounds fantastic!" Lorna exclaims.

* * *

After dropping Flaca off at Maritza's and promising her daughter that she'll check up on her once every hour, Theresa drives to the Sparrow Tavern, parks her car, and walks inside. She wants to check her reflection again, even though Flaca had already said she looked fantastic. A hair could be out of place, or she may need to retouch her lipstick, but it's too late to think about that now, since Charles could be here any second now. She feels a bit awkward just standing here alone while everyone else around her is chattering away, eating, drinking, and dancing. Theresa hops up onto the bar stool and sets her purse on her lap. When she glances up, she notices an Arabian bartender staring at her.

"Um-" she starts, and he looks away, realizing he'd been caught. "Que..." He lets out a string of words she can't understand, since she's never heard his voice before and she can only speak fluent English with people she knows extremely well. "I...no entiendo mucho ingles..."

 **What...don't understand much English.**

"Lo siento, uh...¿hablas español?"

 **Sorry, do you speak Spanish?**

"¡Si!"

 **Yes!**

"Soy muy fluido en el idioma. Hablaré en español de ahora en adelante si con eso es lo que usted se siente cómoda."

 **I'm very fluent in the language. I will speak in Spanish from now on if that's what you're comfortable with.  
**  
"¡Oh, gracias!" Theresa beams at how respectful he is.

 **Oh, thank you!**

"Sí, aprendí mucho cuando estudiaba en el extranjero en México durante toda la universidad, hasta conseguí una novia que traje conmigo después de la graduación, pero luego fue deportada, así que nunca la volví a ver."

 **Yeah, I learned a lot when I studied abroad in Mexico all through college. I even got myself a girlfriend who I brought back with me after graduation, but then, she was deported, so I never saw her again.**

She frowns in sympathy. "Ohh...lo siento."

 **I'm sorry**

"Gracias. Te mucho a ella, y maldita sea, era hermosa. ¿Qué haces para divertirte?"

 **Thank you. You look a lot like her, and damn, was she beautiful. What do you do for fun?**

Theresa's cheeks heat up at the compliment he'd just given her. "Salir con mis amigos o mis hijos, en su mayoría...pero yo trabajo como costurera. ¿Has oído hablar de Theresa Gonzales, diseñadora de vestuario?" She's surprised when he nods while grinning. "¡Ese soy yo! Realmente hice este vestido yo mismo."

 **"Hanging out with my friends or my kids, mostly...but I work as a seamstress. Have you heard of Theresa Gonzales, dress designer? That's me!** **I actually made this dress myself.** **"**

"Wow! Estoy muy impresionado con su trabajo. Soy Kubra Balik, y definitivamente no tengo un trabajo tan genial como tú." They shake hands, and then he looks over his shoulder. "One for the young lady!" He turns back to her and tosses her a wink. "Te estoy comprando una copa."

 **I'm highly impressed with your work. I'm Kubra Balik, and I definitely don't have as cool of a job as you. I'm buying you a drink.**

"Oh, lo siento, en realidad, estoy esperando una cita...um, Diane y Franny no están trabajando aquí pronto, ¿verdad?"

 **Oh, sorry, actually, I'm waiting for a date...um, Diane and Franny aren't working here soon, are they?**

"Esta bien. Todavía puedes beberlo cuando entre. Está en la casa. No, por eso estoy sirviendo bebidas esta noche. De hecho, soy el dueño de este bar."

 **That's okay. You can still drink it when he comes in. It's on the house. No, which is why I'm serving drinks tonight. I actually own this bar.**

"Bueno, eso es un alivio, porque están relacionados con las amigas de mi hija y sabes cómo los chismes atraviesan la vid. Oh, genial, de verdad?"

 **Well, that's a relief, because they're related to my daughter's friends and you know how gossip goes through the grapevine. Oh, cool, really?**

"Sí..." He holds up a finger and someone in the back hands him a glass of red wine, which he gives to Theresa.

 **Yeah...**

"Gracias," she murmurs and then takes a sip while smiling at him. "¡Muy bien!"

 **Thanks, very good!**

"Theresa?"

She swivels around and sees Charles. "Oh...hi." After setting her drink down, they exchange a handshake. It's nice and firm, just like Kubra's had been, and both men are extremely handsome. She'll have to see how she likes Charles.

"Sorry to keep you. It's just the combination of work, traffic, and the whole preparing for the date."

"Hey...can you, uh, slow down? I don't...understand. I apologize."

"No, no, I'm the one who's in the wrong here. I'll enunciate my words a bit more, okay?"

"Mm-hm."

"Tenía trabajo, estaba en el tráfico, y tuvo que prepararse para esta noche especial," Kubra translates.

 **He had work, was in traffic, and had to prepare for this special night.**

"Gracias." Theresa turns to Charles. "You want a drink too?"

"Yeah. Maybe we can go over there, though," he says, gesturing to an empty booth.

"Oh, privacy, yes."

Charles is attractive and kind, but he's a bit hard to converse with, so far. When he gets his beer, they take their beverages to the quieter location of the place.

* * *

"Yo, I should break my leg more often," Flaca murmurs as Diane parks in the handicapped spot.

"Flaca, don't make jokes, we were so worried!" Maritza scolds her lightly.

"Okay, too early, I guess...you'd normally get a chuckle outta this, but..."

"When you get hurt, it's bad for me, too."

"I know, sorry..."

They all get out of the car except Flaca. The girls assist Diane in taking her wheelchair out of the trunk and opening it. They bring it behind Flaca, help her into it, and after Alex hugs Diane goodbye and the five friends thank her, they wheel Flaca into the building.

"I'm rollin' in, literally!" Flaca comments, and they giggle as they put their presents for Maria down on a table full of gifts. "Oooh, they got hot cheetos and takis for appetizers, totally cool!"

"Yummy! Hey, there's the birthday girl!" Maritza says as Maria and Blanca come up to them, both with their hair down and curly. "¡Feliz cumpleaños, Maria!" she squeals while wrapping her arms around the slightly taller girl, who's wearing a puffy red dress. Blanca has on a pink evening gown. "Awesome music and snacks, by the way."

"Gracias!"

"Hola, Blanca!"

"Hey..."

"Where are your boyfriends?" Flaca asks.

"They're chatting over there and playing with my baby girl," Maria tells her.

"Hey!" Daya greets them. "Maria, you got lotsa Drake, right?"

"Yeah, I know how big of a fan you are of him."

"Thank you so much! His voice makes me wet. Plus, he's hella fine. What I would give to get my hands on his ass...sorry, I'm horny right now for some reason."

The girls, except Nicky and Alex, chuckle. "It's too bad you'll never meet him," Alex says.

Daya scowls. "Girl, don't ruin the mood!"

Nicky shoves Daya to the side lightly. "Does it really bother you that much? He's a famous person, it's rare to meet one..."

"No, it's nothin', don't worry about it." Daya stuffs a handful of Hot Cheetos into her mouth. "These are delicious!"

"Really, what's got your panties in a twist?" Lorna wonders aloud.

"Yeah, you can't just act weird and not explain yourself." Blanca puts in while chomping on Takis.

"Gloria's here, watching my every move. She may be drinking champagne with my mom and Red and the adults in Maria's family, but her eyes are on me."

"Why?" Maritza asks.

"I dunno, she wanted to come...I hope that's okay with you, Maria."

"Yeah, she told me that she, Aleida, and Red would help out with the chilaqueles."

"Oh, good, then she won't humiliate me tonight if she's occupied enough."

Flaca licks her fingers free of red Hot Cheeto dust and wipes the rest of it off with a napkin. "I thought you were cool with her."

"Okay, fine, but I don't want more people to know...they'll see it eventually. I'm pregnant with John's baby, and we told her and Aleida tonight...she blew up!"

"Who's John?" Blanca wants to know.

"Mr. Bennett."

"Oh my god!" Maria shouts and Blanca gasps while clapping her hands over her mouth.

Daya puts her finger to her lips. "Shh! Not so loud!"

"Well, I can help you with your pregnancy..."

"Thanks."

"I dunno why Gloria's being so anal about this...last year, I fucked my real sexy art teacher to get back at Ian when we were in a fight." Flaca lifts her shoulders up and down. "It happens."

"Whoa, you never told me that before," Maritza states, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, you didn't ever share that with us, either," Lorna chimes in.

"Did your mom or Ian find out?" Daya wonders aloud.

"Nah, it was like a one time thing. It wasn't worth mentioning...but he couldn't face me after, so he quit and left the state. Piper caught us together, so...and I pleaded with her to keep it a secret, and she called me a tramp. I had to threaten her not to open her mouth about it or else I'd let the world know about her little prank that damaged Leanne's skin. The next day, Piper was gone."

"By the way, how old was she when she pulled that shit on fire stunt, twelve?" Nicky wants to know. "My sister and her friends wanna do that to this little snot rag who's been pickin' on her!"

"Well, advise them not to!" Alex replies. "We had to learn the hard way."

"I will, after the bash. Hey, y'all gotta try Pennsatucky's yellow drink...it's delicious!"

"Sure," Blanca says, and the others nod in agreement. "Let's take pictures before Maria has to show herself!"

* * *

After the toast, Maria stands in front of the microphone and announces, "Hola, everyone, thanks for comin'...we gonna do a song for y'all, so enjoy! This is for people who have been through hard times, but rose from the ashes...and a five, six, seven, eight!" She throws the microphone to Flaca.

The lights shine on Boo playing a twenty-four second tune on a clarinet, which is the introduction to the song _Survivor_ , by Destiny's Child. Then, they switch to the rest of the performers. Flaca begins to sing while clutching her heart, and Maria plays the drums softly behind her. "Now that you're out of my life, I'm so much better...you thought that I'd be weak without you, but I'm stronger...you thought that I'd be broke without you, but I'm richer...you thought that I'd be sad without you, I laugh harder...thought I wouldn't grow without you, now I'm wiser...thought that I'd be helpless without you, but I'm smarter...you thought that I'd be stressed without you, but I'm chillin'...you thought I wouldn't sell without you, sold nine million..."

Gloria finds herself mouthing the lyrics as Flaca belts them out, and she starts to murmur them. This really speaks to her, so much that she tears up.

Flaca holds up the microphone and Maritza takes it. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I'm a survivor, what? I'm not gon' give up, what? I'm not gon' stop, what? I'm gon' work harder, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm not gon' give up, what? I'm not gon' stop, what? I'm gon' work harder, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm gonna make it, what? I will survive, what? Keep on survivin', what?" Maritza passes the microphone to Nicky.

"Girl's got it down," Aleida comments as many of the women in the huge room start waving their arms from side to side and singing along.

"I know, I love this." Gloria sniffles and wipes her eyes, careful not to smear her makeup. "Fuckin' powerful."

"Oh, there's Nicky!" Red exclaims as she and Aleida scoot closer to Gloria and take each of her hands. "I can't say it enough how proud I am of her."

"Thought I couldn't breathe without you, I'm inhaling...you thought I couldn't see without you, perfect vision...you thought I couldn't last without you, but I'm lastin'...you thought that I would die without you, but I'm livin'...thought that I would fail without you, but I'm on top...thought it would be over by now, but it won't stop...thought that I would self destruct, but I'm still here...even in my years to come, I'm still gon be here," Nicky belts out.

"That's my girl," Red tells them.

"I'm a survivor, what? I'm not gon' give up, what? I'm not gon' stop, what? I'm gon' work harder, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm not gon' give up, what? I'm not gon' stop, what? I'm gon' work harder, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm gonna make it, what? I will survive, what? Keep on survivin', what?" Maria croons.

"I'm wishin' you the best, pray that you are blessed, bring much success, no stress, and lots of happiness, I'm better than that...I'm not gon blast you on the radio, I'm better than that...I'm not gon lie on you and your family, I'm better than that...I'm not gon hate on you in the magazines, I'm better than that...I'm not gon compromise my Christianity, I'm better than that, you know I'm not gon diss you on the internet... 'cause my mama taught me better than that," Pennsatucky sings. She nods to Flaca, signifying that it's her turn.

"I'm a survivor, what? I'm not gon' give up, what? I'm not gon' stop, what? I'm gon' work harder, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm not gon' give up, what? I'm not gon' stop, what? I'm gon' work harder, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm gonna make it, what? I will survive, what? Keep on survivin', what?"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh..." they belt out all together.

"After of all of the darkness and sadness...soon comes happiness...if I surround myself with positive things...I'll gain prosperity..." Maritza croons.

"I'm a survivor, what? I'm not gon' give up, what? I'm not gon' stop, what? I'm gon' work harder, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm not gon' give up, what? I'm not gon' stop, what? I'm gon' work harder, what? I'm a survivor, what? I'm gonna make it, what? I will survive, what? Keep on survivin', what?" Nicky finishes, and then drops her microphone on the floor.

The audience breaks out into loud cheers, whistles and screams of "We love you!" Boo takes a bow while the girls curtsy around her. It was a wonderful performance, hands down.

"Where did you get such an enchanting talent?" Red asks Nicky as the blonde girl comes to their table. She cups the teenager's dimpled cheeks in her hands and kisses her temple.

"I dunno, Red. You really thought I have a good voice?"

"Your singing is amazing, honey."

Nicky's eyes light up and she grins shyly. "Thanks."

When dinner ends, it's party time, and of course, Maria and Yadriel are on the floor first, doing the waltz. They make such a lovely couple. The rest of the guests join them a few minutes later, and Diablo just wheels himself around with Blanca on his lap while they make out, and Maritza grinds on Flaca. Nicky and Lorna spin each other around happily and keep giggling. Leon twirls Aleida and then brings her back to his chest for a long, slow, and heated kiss. Daya looks so pure, swaying with Alex in her dark purple dress and black heels, and Gloria wishes she could freeze this moment in time. Daya isn't showing yet, so Gloria can pretend she isn't pregnant.

* * *

"Alright, that's enough of my police adventures. I feel bad for rattling on like that."

"That's okay. I think it's good work you do, keeping criminals off the streets." Charles' cop talk is, in fact, boring Theresa. She needs someone who isn't so basic-and her mind keeps going back to Kubra. She's drawn to him, and plus, he can speak her first language.

"What about you?" Charles asks her.

"I make clothes for fancy occasions, like weddings, proms, quinceañeras, you know," she responds awkwardly. "The dress I'm wearing right now is my own creation."

"Cool! You did a great job."

"Thanks."

After a while of weird silence, they stand up at the same time. "I'm sorry-" Theresa begins as Charles starts out with, "I don't-"

"Okay, you go first."

"You're the lady."

"Alright...this isn't working out. I just wanna...explore."

"So do I."

"We can be friends, if you want. There's no issue with you, it's just...no compatibility."

"Sure."

As Charles leaves, Theresa goes up to the bar. "La cita falló , ¿eh?" Kubra wonders out loud.

 **The date failed, huh?**

Theresa nods. "Él era agradable, pero no había mucho de un partido entre nosotros."

 **He was nice, but there wasn't much of a match between us.**

"Dile ya...¿por qué no te quedas hasta después de la medianoche?"

 **Tell ya what...why don't you stay until after midnight?**

"Me encantaría."

 **I would love to.**

* * *

"I cannot believe he bailed! My Christopher loves a good party," Lorna tells Nicky as they're dancing together.

"Maria probably didn't invite him."

"I wish he could see me in my white dress, but...it'll be on Facebook."

"Yeah, that's right. Man...I'm exhausted! You've kept me going all night, baby, but I'm ready to crash!"

"Come on, Nicky, one more dance!" Lorna begs her.

"My feet hurt," Nicky complains, "and you keep talkin' about fuckin' Christopher."

"I've only mentioned him a few times! He's my boyfriend...I'm allowed to miss him."

Nicky rolls her eyes. "Yes, of course you are, but he's...okay, I'm not doing this." She starts to pull away, but Lorna keeps a tighter hold on her hands.

"What?"

"Tonight's been magical. I'm having a fun time, I feel and look great, and I'm confident in my singing ability...but do you know how much it hurts...when you're with me and...you're not?" Lorna's heart breaks when Nicky's voice cracks. Her eyes start to glisten. "Focus on the people who _are_ here, alright? I've had enough of being ignored. That's the exact reason I bolted. My mom chose Paolo over me, my nanny had her own kids to love, and you're all gung ho for this piece of fuck instead of chillin' with your best friend."

"I'm sorry, hon...I care about you both equally."

"He's more important to you."

"Why don't you and Tricia stay with me?" Lorna asks suddenly. "I'm sure Franny would say it's fine, my mom is sick so she probably won't notice, and my dad and my brother wouldn't give a damn who I bring home."

"What? I can't just do that..."

"Yeah, you can."

"No, I...we still have our shit at the school. Your house is full enough...you can't feed two more mouths."

"Franny and I would cook a little more, that's all...and we'd share her bed while you and Tricia share mine. I really don't mind. I love your company. It'll just be until you can get back on your feet."

"Lorna-"

"It's either me or Red. I can go tell her right fuckin' now that you two are risking your lives-"

"Hey, don't threaten me! I'm not asking her for anything."

"It's your choice, really. You can try it out tonight...sleep over. I'll go with you to get your things."

Nicky sighs. "Fine, if you're not just doing this 'cause you feel bad for me."

"No, I wanna help. I like you a real lot...you're important. I can't let you and your sister be in huge trouble...I couldn't live with myself if you got murdered, or even slightly hurt."

"Thanks, kid," Nicky murmurs while smiling. "Hey, time for cake!"

"Yay! Oh my goodness, I'm starving!"

"You just ate!"

"That doesn't matter...I _love_ cake!"

* * *

"You came here again," Diane notices aloud when Charles arrives around nine.

"Dinner and dessert...my eating schedule's been off today."

"Ah! What'll it be?" She hands him a menu and he takes a seat.

He stares upwards, supposedly in thought. "All-American burger and fries, please, Coca Cola, and a fudge brownie sundae. Thank you." He grins at her, which makes her smile in return.

"You're so welcome."

"Why did he return, of all the places he could've gone, including his own house?" Cheryl asks Diane as they work on his order. "I think he's got a crush on you."

Diane scoffs and shakes her head no. "I smell like garbage and my hair is a mess...so he doesn't. Besides...it's too early to get back into dating again after Lee." She spreads mayonnaise on the Brioche roll, puts slices of tomato and onion, a lettuce leaf, and the burger on the bottom and then covers it with the top. "I am so not having him to my fuckin' trailer park."

"I didn't say you had to have a fully committed relationship with the guy, but if he likes you and you're interested in him, at least a little, you should just...try him out," the older woman recommends as Diane plops a handful of fries beside the hamburger on the tray. She brings it out to Charles, who's standing at the counter with a wad of cash.

"Keep the change," he tells her.

"Okay, then. Enjoy!"

More customers stroll in and mill around before ordering their late night snacks and then Charles gets his treat. Even when he finishes, he doesn't leave. "This place is neat, Diane. If there were tips, I'd give you a big one. You do your job well."

Diane stops drying the dishes and comes out from behind the counter. "Do you hit on all women, or is it just waitresses? What happened with your date?"

"We didn't connect. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you think I always do this. I'm not that big of a flirt, to be honest."

Diane raises an eyebrow at him while taking a seat across from him. "So...you're truly interested in me?"

"I am, but it's fine if you're not-it's just your eyes, they're mesmerizing, I dunno, they just kinda drew me in."

She blushes and hurriedly covers her cheeks with her hands while resting her elbows on the table. "No...thank you, really...it's just that I'm not used to polite compliments or men liking me for something besides my body. You should see these two assholes at Martin Van Buren High, where I work as a freshman English teacher. They're always trying to get into ladies' and girls'...yes, _girls's_ pants...and the others, well, they're either uptight or unavailable. Don't even get me started on my bastard of an ex."

"Well, I won't treat you like shit. We can be friends, if you're more comfortable with that."

"Sure."

All of a sudden, a customer barges in. "What the fuck are you doing sitting down? You need to serve people, not chitchat with 'em!" Diane jumps at his loud voice. "We're all in the car, waiting! They sent me. Get your ass ready to make us chicken wraps! I want it in three minutes."

"Alright, you don't have to yell at me! Jesus Christ!"

"That's no way to speak to a human being!" Charles moves in front of him so he can't go near Diane. "You need to apologize to her."

"Buzz off, fucker!"

"I'm sorry, there was no one here for a while," Diane apologizes as she hurriedly goes to retrieve the plates from the sink. "How many?"

"Ten."

"Okay..." She's going so fast that she doesn't notice she's holding too many, and after they go crashing to the floor, she sees her mistake. "Oh, shit! Um...I need to clean this up..."

"Thanks a lot, you cunt! We'll just go someplace else!"

Diane would normally go to the backroom to get a broom and a dustpan, but she has no energy to get up. She lets out a shriek of frustration and then gasps heavily as tears run down her cheeks and drip off her chin and onto the ground. "It's only been a day..."

"Hey, you want me to take care of this?" Charles wants to know. "You can relax."

Wordlessly, she opens the short door to let him in and then, she scoots away from the mess. "It's okay, I'll do it later." She continues sobbing while hugging her knees to her chest.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" he asks while kneeling down beside her, and she shakes her head no. "You can talk to me if you'd like to."

Diane hiccups and chokes on her saliva. "No. I'm having a meltdown...god, I'm so fuckin' stressed out!" She tries to breathe, but it's difficult. "It's nothing you should concern yourself with..."

"Could I at least give you a back rub?"

Her breath hitches and she makes a squeaky sound in her throat. "Yeah..."

He kneads his palms against her tense muscles in a soothing, circular pattern and she focuses on inhaling and exhaling slowly. "Am I making it better?"

"Mm-hm..."

"He was just one jerk...do people continuously bother you like that?"

"No...I'm just having a bad day. Can we sit here and not talk for like, ten or fifteen minutes?" Diane sniffles a few times, and Charles hands her some Kleenex. She honks her nose into it.

"Okay."

After a while, she calms down. She lets him give her a warm hug and help her up. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

As soon as they sweep up the shattered dishes and vacuum the tiny shards, they spend the next two and a half hours chattering away and laughing about their childhoods, favorite things to do when they're not occupied, and books they enjoy. "Alex is a bigger reader than I am, though. When she first got her glasses, she was so happy to sit in the library, flipping through book after book. I couldn't understand how anyone could have that much pleasure in it...I wasn't the best student, so that obviously didn't rub off on her. However, I wouldn't be surprised if she got herself a tat or rode a motorcycle in the near future. She takes after her father in that way. Strangely enough, the only thing we have in common is watching television together, but we're each other's best friend. I can tell she's not that interested in yoga, but she does it to spend time with me, and I would do anything for her."

"Well, I can already tell that kid has a bright future ahead of her with you as her mother."

"Thank you, but sometimes, I completely fuck up."

"That's the way it rolls with everyone, right? Nobody's perfect. You're doing the best you can."

"I suppose I am." Diane starts to clean the place, and Charles helps her. "Dude, I still can't believe you like to knit like somebody's grandma."

"Hey, that's my hobby!"

"It's better than drugs, is what I always say." She looks up when Alex slips in through the door. "Hi, sweetie, how was it?"

"Best night ever!" Alex gives Diane two thumbs up while sitting down. "Oh...hello, sir."

"Just Charles, please."

"Sorry, Charlie." Diane lightly swats Alex with a rag and tries not to laugh. "I just had to do that because I'm hilarious. I really do apologize."

Charles grins at her. "It's alright. You're clever."

"Yep, Mom totally loves my random puns, even if she pretends she doesn't."

Diane rolls her eyes. "See what I gotta live with?" she asks jokingly, and Alex smirks. "Horrible child."

"You don't mean that," Alex says while playfully sticking out her tongue at Diane.

"You're right, I guess I love you after all." She bends down to kiss the top of her daughter's head and then looks over at Charles. "I'm about to close, so..."

"I could take you both to your car," he offers. "It's dark and I want to make sure you get home okay."

"Of course, thank you," Diane allows. She's tired of constantly feeling unsafe while being alone and running to her car with Alex every night.

"Yeah, thanks," Alex murmurs.

After Diane turns off the lights, she, Alex, and Charles step outside. He guides them to their vehicle with a careful hand behind her back. She's less shaky with him there. Alex still clings to her, but not as tightly. This time, Diane isn't afraid she'll drop the keys since she isn't in such a rush as she unlocks the car. He opens her door and she gets behind the wheel, and then he walks with Alex around the front of the car and lets her into the passenger seat. They shut their doors at the same time and Diane smiles gratefully at him through the window. He motions for her to roll it down.

"I forgot to ask...would you like to hang out sometime soon, as pals? We could watch my old boss's band, Sideboob, play on Tuesday night. His singing isn't that good, but we'll have fun, and after, dinner at the Williamsburg Waterfront."

"Okay. That sounds cool! Let's meet there."

"Awesome, see you then! Here's my number...I wrote it on my receipt." Charles hands Diane the piece of paper.

"I'll call you so you can have mine, but if I forget, you're welcome to come to the school or the restaurant and get it. Bye!" She steps on the gas pedal, blares her music, and drives off. Alex is quiet next to her, but she seems pleased as she's sniggering under her breath while staring out the window.

"I fuckin' told you so, Mom!" Alex pipes up a few seconds later.

"You did."

* * *

"You look so weird without eyeliner," Lorna tells Nicky when they're done washing their faces in her bathroom.

"So do you, with no lipstick!" Nicky shoots back.

"Touché! When we don't have makeup on, we appear to be very sad."

"Yeah, I dunno why that is. Hey, what if we both wanna stay up, but our sisters would prefer to hit the hay? Where would we go? Your dad and brother hog the couch, so it's not like watching television downstairs is an option."

"Franny's often out at the bar until five in the morning, so my room until we get tired, or yours when Tricia's at a friend's house. I'm so glad this worked out well!"

"Me, too." They peer into what is now Nicky and Tricia's room to see the younger girl reading _Charlotte's Web_. "Ah...I was supposed to do that for her. We do a chapter per night, just to keep ourselves sane. It got really fuckin' lonely at that place, the school, I mean."

"I can understand. Well, that's sweet of you."

"I found it laying on the curb one day and picked it up. Paloma, my childhood nanny, would read that book to me, so it brought back fond memories. That's legit the only reason I stayed at home back then."

"I'm sorry she left."

"Eh, I'm over it." Nicky lowers her voice and goes into her sister's room, with Lorna following her. "I'm kind of a pothead, so this kind of shit doesn't matter when I'm high."

"About that, I'm real worried about you getting caught. Also, smoking and heroin causes so many health issues. I remember when you got arrested...you were in so much pain and grabbing at your chest."

"I've got heart problems from a dirty needle, I'm assuming, but I don't give a shit."

"I do!" Lorna grabs Nicky's hands. "You need to stop damaging yourself like this, please!"

"Come on, you're not concerned about Alex! She did drugs for a while there."

"Well, she never used a dirty needle, nor does she have a bad heart! Also, it was once. You're an addict!"

"Stop, okay? I'm beat...time for bed."

Lorna crosses her arms across her chest. "I don't want a junkie in my house, nor do I want you dead."

The old Nicky would've stood up, yanked Tricia off Lorna's bed, and left the house without a word, but the new version of herself actually wants to make Lorna respect her. "Fine. You win. I'll quit cold turkey...it won't be easy, but I'll certainly try."

"Thank you."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, BonnieSveenFan, LindaAndrewsfan, HannahMiley1fan, thecharmedwerewolf, and A Star in My Universe!**


	23. Emotions

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: some violence and mentions of torture**

 **carajo-fuck**

"¡No te puedo creer que estés en otra cita!" Flaca exclaims. "¿Qué estás haciendo, citas rápidas?"

 **I cannot believe you're on another date! What are you doing, speed dating?**

"No, mira, el chico del sitio web...él y yo no hicimos clic, pero luego conocí a otro hombre...y es mucho más interesante! Además, habla español muy bien. No tengo que trabajar duro para entender su inglés."

 **No, see, the guy from the website...he and I didn't click, but then I met another man...and he's just a lot more interesting! Plus, he speaks Spanish very well. I don't have to work hard to understand his English.**

"Oh, wow! ¡Que te diviertas! ¿Cuándo crees que vas a volver a casa?"

 **Have fun! When do you think you're coming home?**

"Estaré en el bar hasta que cierra, alrededor de las cuatro de la mañana. ¿Estás de acuerdo con eso, o debo ir a casa de Maritza y recogerlo?" Theresa asks.

 **I'll be at the bar until it closes, around four in the morning. Are you okay with that, or should I come to Maritza's and pick you up?**

"No, no quiero arruinarte ni interrumpir tu tiempo..."

 **No, I don't wanna ruin or interrupt your time...**

"¿Como te sientes?"

 **How are you feeling?**

"Estoy bien, tomé analgésicos para poder disfrutar esta noche y tener un sueño reparador después."

 **I'm fine, I took pain relievers so I could enjoy tonight and have a restful sleep afterward**

"Bien, bueno, adiós, ¡te amo!"

 **Okay, well, bye, I love you!**

¡Yo también te amo!

 **I love you too!**

Flaca places the phone face down on her nightstand and rolls over as best she can to face Maritza, who's giggling at what she'd just listened in on. She pulls the pale green covers up and over them both and turns off Flaca's bedside lamp. "Well, the online match wasn't a success, that sucks."

"I know, dude, but she still managed to get kinda wild..." Flaca and Maritza grin at each other. "I'mma ask her all kinds of questions tomorrow about how it all went!"

"Ohh, good plan!"

* * *

Having Nicky crash at the Morellos' apartment proves to be not only enjoyable for Lorna, but helpful, too. So far, she'd taken out the bug infestation with some kind of spray, assisted Lorna and Franny with dragging their father out of his bed and into his wheelchair, washed their mother's soiled bedsheets while they cooked breakfast, she's had the perfect comebacks to Mikey's weird humor, and fixed their broken dryer and leaky showerhead with Mr. Morello's old tools, and it's not even noon yet. The sisters got two extra hours of sleep. They'd never seen the house look so neat before and their previously wrecked appliances now are working as good as new.

"See? It's easy!" Nicky proclaims as she replaces the light bulb in Lorna's room. "Righty tighty, lefty loosey."

"Franny normally does that, but she's just been very busy!"

"Well, now you know how to do it yourself. You got anything else that needs fixing?"

"Yeah, actually...the shower clogs. You should be an electrician when you grow up!"

"Eh, maybe!"

"Seriously, you're the woman version of everything I'd want in a man!"

The blonde girl kneels down next to the tub of the shower and starts working on clearing the drain. Lorna watches her as she sits on the counter, swinging her legs from side to side. She can't figure out how Nicky's doing this job, but she starts giggling as Nicky's jeans start to slide down, along with her royal blue underpants.

"What?"

"Nice, you got a plumber's butt crack!" Lorna teases her.

"Aw, shit," Nicky grumbles, hooking a few of her fingers through the belt loops and pulling her pants up. She turns around and smirks at Lorna. "Were you turned on?"

"Ew, no! That is not attractive, I was joking! I can get you a belt, if you'd like."

"Okay, thanks!"

By the time Lorna returns with it, Nicky is pulling out the drain with a bunch of wet brown hair attached to it. "Here's the culprit, kid."

"Oh, gross! Fuck...do we have cancer, me and Franny?" Lorna asks worriedly. "That's what happened with our mother after the leukemia, so she had to get a wig, and I'm also lookin' after this lady in the hospital who lost all her hair due to the same thing."

Nicky takes the white belt from Lorna and puts it on. "I'm sure you're both fine...hair falls out in the shower, even if you're perfectly healthy." She yanks the hair off the drain, throws it away, and washes her hands.

"How do you know that?"

"Surfing the web and reading up on home maintenance really helps. Also, I've had experience!"

"Lorna, Nicky, Tricia, five minutes til your waffles are ready!" Franny calls from downstairs.

"Oh, I gotta get her up," Nicky tells Lorna, and they both go into what's now her room. Nicky strokes the conked out younger girl's hair and gently kisses her cheek. Lorna smiles at how sweet Nicky is with Tricia. "Wake up, little sis! Franny made us all waffles and Lorna helped her a bit."

"Uhhh..." is Tricia's sleepy response. "I'm tired...fuck off!"

"You've had ten hours of rest!"

"Bitch, you woke me when you got outta bed!"

"Hey, don't be rude to our hosts! You're so lazy!"

"You shouldn't talk to your sister like that, it's disrespectful," Lorna adds.

"It's okay, Lorna, I got it from here." Nicky places her fists on her hips while turning to the other blonde. "Tricia Miller, you are not laying there all day like a lump on a log! It's bad for you. Do you want me to throw a cup of cold water in your face?"

"Sorry...I'm up," Tricia says, rubbing her eyes open and stretching while yawning. "I just can't believe I'm about to have some real food made by good people!"

"Yeah, me neither, kid."

* * *

"You are both very dear friends of mine, so it's hard to see you two fighting," Sister Jane starts out when the service ends. Gloria and Sophia are sitting on either side of the nun in a pew.

"Well, then tell _her_ to keep her child under control," Sophia mutters.

"Shut the f-" Gloria begins, but then stops herself from swearing since they're inside a church and in the presence of a nun. "You're wrong!"

"This is the problem, she's got a mouth full of curse words...her son has _really_ learned from the best!" Sophia huffs and folds her arms across her chest.

"Your kid scared Aleida's...not on purpose, but he oughta know better and quit the moment she lets out that first wail. Maybe he's deaf, but come on, did he not see the tears comin' down her cheeks, or is he blind, too? My Benny was being protective of her. He went about it wrong, yes, but he had recently discovered his mother's boyfriend, who he'd been living with, was an abuser who wouldn't take no for an answer," Gloria snaps. "He didn't realize that not all guys are like that!"

"Okay, now that you've discussed your problems, please allow me to step in. As mothers, you need to teach your children right from wrong. Growing up under the influence of your boyfriend from Hell is no excuse for such behavior, Gloria-you're a positive role model for your son. Educate him that we do not hit our peers-we use our words. As for you, Sophia, Michael does need to realize that we must treat our friends kindly, and part of that is not continuing an action that is upsetting them to the point of tears. Whether or not you or him or Crystal knew of this little girl's PTSD, if someone is crying, ask them what's wrong and immediately stop. It is not okay to go ahead and do whatever you want. What you four should do is bring the kids all together, sit them down for a talk, and try to explain in simple terms why violence is not a solution and that awareness of people's emotions is important."

"Okay, but Christina didn't do nothin'," Gloria says.

"Michael could ask her why she didn't like that game, and he'd apologize when she gives her answer. She doesn't need to explain it in full detail, but children need to be given a reason. Even 'I'm afraid of people chasing me and yelling' is a good one."

Gloria nods in understanding. "Alright, so where should we do this? I don't want our other kids to listen in."

"How about mine and Crystal's house since Michael is an only child?" Sophia asks.

"That's fine."

* * *

"The girls took so many pictures of us last night! Aren't we adorable?" Lorna asks while showing Nicky the photos and flipping through them.

"Oh yeah, hey, check it out, in this one, we look like a couple!" Nicky says while tapping her finger against an image of her holding a smiling Lorna around her waist and kissing her cheek.

"Whoops, was I supposed to look surprised, or should you have posed for the camera like I was doing?"

"I forgot, but this sure is cute!"

"I know...we better not put that on Facebook, though...Christopher would get the wrong idea and be all jealous!"

Nicky rolls her eyes internally. "Maybe we should, to let him see what he missed out on."

"No, I feel bad now. I cheated by letting you do that."

"Come on, it's not like it turned into anything! Besides, get real...he won't give a shit! If anything, he'll be relieved that you moved on with someone else."

"I didn't, though! He would be furious...we promised each other that no one would stand in the way of our relationship."

Nicky groans while rubbing her temples. "How come you hate me so much?"

"Why would I hate you if I let you in my house? I did you a fucking favor!"

"I didn't ask you to! Damn it, Lorna you confuse me so much!" The brunette appears to be perplexed. "You act loyal to this guy who doesn't deserve a second of your time, by the way. If you love each other so much, then why do you care who I sleep with?" Lorna crosses her arms and scoffs while looking down at the floor. "I see the way you get upset when I talk to other girls...like last night, when Alex was flirting with me, _jokingly,_ may I add _,_ and giving me compliments _,_ you seemed jealous, almost." Nicky scoffs while shaking her head. "What is it? Are you secretly in love with me but pretending _he_ is your boyfriend because you're afraid to come out?"

"I ain't a lesbian, Nicky. I was raised Catholic."

Nicky lets a small, disbelieving chuckle escape from her mouth. "Sure, okay."

"Christopher _is_ my boyfriend!" Lorna insists. "Alex has a girlfriend...she shouldn't have eye-fucked you and said that shit!" She jabs a finger into Nicky's chest and pouts. " _That's_ why I got a little pissy."

Nicky raises her eyebrow while folding her arms across her chest. "Is that so?" She walks toward Lorna until her knees bump the shorter girl's thighs, and Lorna backs up to the end of her bed. She sits on it, but Nicky stays standing. "They're not really getting along these days. If you're really not into me, though, that's fine, I'll, uh...have some fun with Stella or Brook...or maybe a threesome."

Lorna's eyes flash with anger and she grits her teeth while balling up her fists. "I thought Brook was with Poussey, and who the _fuck_ is this Stella bitch, huh?" Nicky makes an attempt not to snort with laughter, but it doesn't work. "How many cunts do ya do in a day, ya goddamn hooker?!"

"I banged her for drugs, but lately, none." Nicky tosses her hands in the air. "Why do you even give a shit?"

"Have you been tested? You were on the streets for years!"

"Yeah, duh, I don't want me or other girls to get STDs! I learned that in seventh grade...so I made sure to always carry around condoms. I don't need 'em anymore now that I don't do dick or prostitutes. I just keep it within the school."

Lorna shudders. "That's still disgusting."

"Who are you to call _me_ a slut when _you're_ the one who's always having sex with her boyfriends before marriage? Doesn't that go against your faith?" Nicky chortles when Lorna glares at her. "Not such a good girl _now_ , are ya?" she asks while placing her hands on either side of Lorna's hips. "You want me all to yourself, just admit it."

" _Fuck you_!" Lorna growls while speedily scooting to her pillow.

"I'd love to. Your hole is my goal."

"What the-I never thought I'd say this to a girl, but you are the cockiest chick I've ever met!"

"Yeah? Well, you're an arrogant snob!" Nicky fires back.

"I am not! How could you say that?! I allowed you to live in my home."

"You're acting like I belong to you or something! I don't. We're not even girlfriends," Nicky says bitterly. "Straight girls don't get envious when their female friends fuck other people or make passes at them!" She grabs the phone with the picture of herself and Lorna and shows it to her. "Straight girls don't look like _this_ when they're with their best pal of the same gender unless they're drunk!" She slams it down on the nightstand. "Why the fuck are you doing this? Either you like-like me, or you have no romantic or sexual feelings for me at all and are just using me as some kind of sex toy!"

"I don't gotta tell you shit!"

"Why does it bother you? I'm not remotely in love with those girls. I care about Alex only as a friend, but Brook's too chatty and Stella is gross!" Nicky pauses to inhale and exhale. "If you're up for dating me or whatever, that's cool. You can test me out, see how you like pussy and boobs."

Lorna bites her bottom lip while her eyes travel up and down Nicky's face. "It's not just anyone's that I'd be interested in...I ain't some whore!"

"You're getting warmer," Nicky whispers huskily into Lorna's ear, and the smaller girl sighs heavily while closing her eyes. "Who's do you want to try?" Nicky places her flat palm into Lorna's hair and makes a tight fist, and the Italian rolls over to lean her blushing cheek into Nicky's hand.

"Harder!" Lorna mumbles, so Nicky pulls on her hair with a bit more force than before without hurting her, causing her to moan softly.

"Hold on..." Nicky undoes Lorna's jeans. She goes back to tugging at Lorna's curls, not enough to pull strands out, but just lightly yanking on them until she squeals, while sliding her hand down Lorna's underwear. She spreads her labia and starts rubbing along her g-spot. Lorna starts panting as the friction of Nicky's fingers makes her vagina wet. Nicky thrusts her hand into Lorna's center over and over again while peppering her inner thighs with rough, hickey-inducing kisses.

"Oh, god...yes..." Lorna breathes out. "Fuck, you're so good..."

"Come, baby...you gotta come!"

"Faster, please!" Lorna begs Nicky while clenching her whole body up so much that her legs begin to shake and open even wider. "Ohhh...ohhh... _ohhh!_ " she's shrieking, and she sounds incredibly sexy while doing so. "Aaaah..." Lorna arches her back and curls up her toes, but then she relaxes when the wave of her orgasm crashes over her and her wetness spills onto Nicky's fingers. "Aaaah...oh, god..." She's so beautiful, and not just because she gave into sex. "I feel like I'm in a slutty romance novel," Lorna murmurs.

Nicky licks her fingers free of Lorna's cum. "Delicious." She gazes down at the girl she's passionately in love with.

Lorna grabs the front of Nicky's shirt roughly. "Taste me again."

"Gladly." Nicky tears off Lorna's undies and pants and grips her thighs. She shoves her face into Lorna's soaking folds and places her top lip above the tiny girl's clitoral head and her tongue rests on Lorna's vaginal entrance. She begins licking up and down her pussy in a rapid motion.

"Mmmm...oh, fuck, don't stop! Oh, yeah...yes! Yes! Yes! Aaah..." Lorna squeezes Nicky's head between her legs while bouncing up and down with her screams of pleasure, and Nicky grabs her jiggly breasts beneath her shirt. She gives Lorna's huge tits a nice massage and pinches the other girl's nipples with her thumbs and index fingers. Down below, after Nicky's tongue laps up Lorna's sweet juices and her lips kiss and suck every part of skin there, Lorna's walls clench and then she explodes, filling Nicky's mouth with her release.

"Who ever thought you'd screw a no-good slob pervert, huh?" she asks while Lorna's still coming off her high.

"How was it fucking a bitchy housewife?"

This makes Nicky laugh. "Your insides are like jello, just like you told me!"

Lorna pushes her off the bed. "Knock it off!"

"No can do..."

"Someone's coming up the stairs! Hide behind my clothes!"

Nicky stands up fast. "What?! Your family knows we're friends and I live with you guys!"

"Get in!" Lorna instructs Nicky as she opens her closet door quickly and slams it shut just as fast. There's a knock on the door. "I'm kinda busy right now!"

"It'll just be a second!"

"Okay, fine, but I'm bare under this towel!"

"Lorna, why are you naked?" Alex is asking, and Nicky stifles a giggle under her palm.

"I don't have any clothes!"

Alex opens the closet and peers inside. "You have plenty of clothes! You've got shirts, blazers, skirts, hi, Nicky, pants, socks..." Behind Alex, Lorna is facepalming. "Oh, shit, did you-"

"Alex, you can come back another time!" Lorna tries to push the taller girl out of the room. "I need my fuckin' privacy!"

"Wow!" Alex just sighs and walks away without saying another word. Lorna slams her bedroom door shut.

Nicky guffaws loudly and Lorna hurriedly gets dressed. "Stop it!" she hisses, but Nicky thinks the whole thing is a riot.

"At least it wasn't your parents or siblings!"

"Yeah, we're so lucky it was only Alex!"

Nicky can't help but throw Lorna a wink. "We were lucky already, babe. Hey, you're still blushing like a schoolgirl!" she teases her favorite girl. "I am too, it was amazing! I'm gonna start calling you _shortstack_ from now on."

"Why? You're not much taller than me."

"God, short and stacked is definitely my type...and that's what you are."

Lorna tosses a pillow at her, and Nicky can tell she's unsuccessfully fighting back a laugh. "Zip it!"

"Okay, shortstack."

* * *

"They really fucked?" Maritza asks Alex incredulously.

"Oh, yeah, Lorna had her birthday suit on and Nicky was in the closet. Daya did a few fist pumps when I informed her of this news."

Maritza starts giggling. "Flaca! You lost, along with Blanca, Maria, and Pennsatucky! Nicky and Lorna had sex! Alex just reported it!"

"Dios mío, no way!" Flaca hits Maritza playfully. "Alex, you for real?"

"Hell, yeah!" Alex does a victory dance. "We won!"

"Yes!" Maritza squeals happily and starts clapping. "Sucker!" she says jokingly to Flaca while pointing at her.

"Ugh, you don't gotta rub it in," Flaca grumbles. "I'm happy for 'em, though."

"Same, but you know what this means, right?" Alex snickers while grabbing Maritza and giving her a noogie. "We get free pizza!"

"Dude..."

"Nah, don't back out!" Maritza instructs Flaca. "You girls gotta buy us pizza. You can get your own if you want, too."

"I know, that was the deal."

"Daya's grounded, so you can just bring her a few slices, but the rest of us are going out for lunch on you four!" Alex exclaims. "I love cheese, pepperoni, and sausage!"

"Oh my gosh, me too!" Maritza says excitedly.

Pennsatucky's foster mom is estactic, as Alex, Daya, and Maritza had been, but Blanca, Maria, and Pennsatucky are so shocked that they don't speak for a while until the winners crack jokes.

* * *

"I've been in your boat, you know," Piscatella says to Nicky and Alex after gym class, "having a crush on a straight person. Just pop 'em one."

"We're nothing like you!" Nicky snaps. _Evil motherfucker_ , she mentally adds.

" _Carajo_ , he's back _,"_ Blanca mumbles while leaving the locker room in her physical education uniform.

"I'd like to see the three of you in my office, now!" Piscatella demands. "That means you need to leave, Ramos," he orders Maritza.

"Nah, see, I don't go anywhere without my friends." Maritza keeps a tight grasp on the other girls' hands.

"I just told you to do something, and you're challenging me?" He forces their joined hands apart, throws her over his shoulder, and walks down the hallway in a brisk manner, tripping Blanca in the process.

"Put her down!" Nicky and Alex scream in unison, but he ignores them. Maritza wiggles to get free, but she can't go anyplace until he rips her off of him and onto the floor with a thud. They hear her whimper and gasp in agony, and then, she runs away.

The monster returns to where the other girls are reluctantly sitting opposite his desk and he locks his office door. The cruel stare he gives them makes Nicky's skin crawl and she shivers instinctively. Alex and Blanca take hold of her hands, one on each side. Before she can even breathe, he strikes her hard across the face and she yelps in both shock and pain. Blanca instantly claps her hand over her mouth while her eyes pop wide open just as Alex yells, "What the fucking fuck?!" She jumps to her feet, but Blanca yanks her back into her seat.

"Now is not the time to be a hero!" she mumbles.

The slap stings immensely and Nicky's cheek feels like it's on fire. The wind is literally knocked out of her for a few seconds. She lets go of Blanca's hand and holds the side of her face where it hurts so badly while groaning and trying not to cry. If his plan is to weaken a strong girl like herself, she won't allow that to work.

"Want me to break your arm next, you filthy cunt?" he asks nastily.

Alex puts her hands up. "I'm good, thanks."

"You're all in huge trouble. Two Fridays ago, Joey Giordiano reported to me that you spoke to him condescendingly."

"¿Qué?" Blanca asks.

 **What?**

"You turned him down, quite rudely, may I add. Furthermore, you and your little gang started making fun of him for his ways of flirting."

"He was being a dick!" Nicky informs him.

"Yeah, we had a right to!" Alex continues. "He's a serial player, a total jerk, and he destroys straight girls' hearts."

"That isn't against the law, but verbal abuse is. Bullying is forbidden at this school."

Nicky rolls her eyes. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?" she mutters.

Blanca scoffs. "Ain't nobody did shit when that happened to me, and I had it a lot worse."

"Yeah, so did I, in fifth grade, and I had to go to a different school," Alex chimes in.

"I'm not here to listen to your sad little stories. Ugly girls get picked on, that's how it works. Real men like Joey don't deserve it. You're getting two months of detention!" He clenches his large hands into fists. "Now get out of my office before I punch one of you in the mouth so hard that it makes blood spatter, and trust me, I'd love to do that," he threatens them in an eerie tone that causes Nicky's blood to run cold. She and Alex scamper away to Frieda's classroom and Blanca goes to the gym begrudgingly.

"Sorry we're late," Nicky apologizes to their teacher. "Piscatella was being a fucked-up asshole!"

"What'd that prick do?"

"He berated us for rejecting this idiot who breaks chick's hearts on the regular," Alex explains.

"Maybe he's sweet on the kid, but that's no excuse for being an abuser." Frieda gestures for the girls to sit down and faces the rest of their classmates. "The bear is back, and when the time is right, I'm gonna shoot a poison-injected dart into his tree trunk of a neck!"

"Why not just do it now?" Gina wonders out loud.

"Yeah!" everyone agrees.

"Patience is key, my children."

* * *

"Diane, would you stop walking away from me?" Lee shouts as he practically chases her down the school hallway.

"No! Leave me alone!" She doesn't even spare him a glance and moves faster.

"You're acting childish! I'm trying to have a relationship with you and our daughter. This time, without Fahri's interference, in fact, he recommended for me not to do this-"

"Then you should've taken his advice!" Diane cuts Lee off abruptly. "I will never take you back, _ever_! I won't have you as a friend, even, she doesn't want you near her, and you disgust me so much that I wanna throw up whenever I think your name, let alone see you!"

"She needs her father in her life!"

"Alex fucking hates you, now don't bother me again!"

"She didn't tell me that," he argues. He attempts grabbing her wrist, but she twists away from him.

"Get off me, you asshole! This is all your fault!"

"I'm making an effort!"

"Choke on your earrings and stab yourself with your guyliner instead! Let go of me!" She tries to tear his hand off her forearm, but his grip is too strong. "Oh my god, I gotta go teach!"

"Nice try, your boss told me it's lunch time."

Diane gives Lee a hard stare. She refuses to look frail in front of him. "We're in a crowded area and people are looking. I suggest you cut it out now before I kick you where it _really_ hurts."

"Hey, she just said to knock it off!" Charles demands as he makes his way over to them. "You want me to have your ass arrested?"

"Who's this, your new boyfriend?" Lee asks while finally backing off. Diane answers by giving him the finger. "Whatever. You and your spawn aren't even worth it. I've got tons of hot skirts lining up at my door."

"Thank you, Charles," Diane murmurs gratefully while hugging herself and strolls to her classroom with him close by her side. "I'm okay."

"You're welcome, I'm glad I came just in time!"

"Same here."

"Heya, CO Ford, you got yourself a girlfriend?" Nicky asks him teasingly while she and her posse walk by them.

"We're just friends," Charles tells her. He turns to Diane. "I apologize, I must never have told you...I'm a correctional officer at a girls' juvenile delinquent center."

"Oh, it's okay," Diane says, feeling awkward now. She can't tell him details of her sordid past, not until she talks to Alex first. The minor stunts she'd pulled as a kid, such as shoplifting, graffiti, and underage drug and alcohol use, are bad enough.

"That's where I recognize you from, you came to the school to try putting the beasts behind bars! I _thought_ I knew you from somewhere!" Alex realizes aloud.

"Yeah, I'm sorry it didn't work out..."

" _You're_ Red's connection?" Daya asks, and Charles nods.

"Holy crapoli! You're the dude that went out with my mom, Theresa?" Flaca wants to know. He nods again. "Huh, what a small world!"

Diane can't believe it, and she giggles because it's so funny. "It certainly is!"

"Hello, Ms. Vause, how are ya?" Lorna pipes up.

"I'm great, thanks. You girls have a nice lunch!"

"We will, bye!"

Diane and Charles wave at them as they leave.

* * *

"How are you dealing with the morning sickness?" Lorna asks Daya quietly while they're in line for lunch.

"I've been sniffing lemons, drinking ginger and peppermint tea, and eating crackers, pretzels, Jell-O, and flavored popsicles. Gloria and Aleida are giving me lots of tips!"

"Oh, that's good!"

They spot Mr. Bennett asking Aleida if there are still eggs left over from breakfast. "I think you've had more than enough eggs," she answers him curtly. Gloria bursts out cackling, Aleida sniggers at her own lame joke, the girls keep their faces stoic, and Daya's cheeks burn with mortification.

"What's so funny?" Red wants to know.

"Nothin', they're bein' stupid," Daya mutters and grabs her tray. Luckily, Red forgets about it when Nicky passes her, looking extra terrible, probably because of detox. She keeps sniffing and insists she doesn't have a runny nose. Daya has a feeling it could be from cocaine. The effects had just started.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah."

Alex goes after the blonde, and Red whispers something indistinct to her. She nods in understanding.

As soon as the girls sit down, Alex says, "Red told me that we have to let her know if something's seriously wrong with you, Nicky." This time at lunch, Maria and Blanca are eating with Ouija and Ramona. They tend to switch between groups.

"Well, nothing is, so..."

"Okay, good! We need to find her if you're in trouble, that's what she also said."

"Why did she name herself Red, by the way?"

"Her lips, nails, and hair are bright red! That's the only explanation I can think of!" Lorna replies.

"Yo, that's so weird that Charles is friends with Diane, Theresa, _and_ Red! There really aren't that many decent men in any of the boroughs!" Maritza comments.

"It's just sad," Lorna murmurs.

"I know. Anyway, isn't it strange that Piper's family is keeping all her stuff and neatening up her room as if she's still around?" Daya asks.

Nicky and Pennsatucky make disgusted faces. "Yes," they mutter in unison.

Alex lifts her shoulders up and down. "A little, but I guess people grieve in different ways."

"I don't find it all that odd," Lorna admits. "I'd do the same."

"Are they waiting for her ghost?" Maritza asks.

"I dunno." Flaca props her chin up on her fist. "Yo hey, my mom gave me my allowance, but it's real big and I don't wanna buy fuckin' candy with a one hundred dollar bill, ya know? So maybe one of you could help me out? I'll pay you back the hundred. I feel bad asking because none of us are loaded except Maritza, and I can't be a moocher..."

"Sure, how?" Maritza wants to know. "Don't worry, I can lend you cash anytime."

"Well, like, give me ten tens or five twenties...or even twenty fives."

Maritza nods her head yes. "Of course."

Flaca smiles with glee. "Thank you!"

"Hey, I'm learning how to draw manga...how'd I do?" Daya asks while showing her friends the picture of herself.

"Excellent!" Alex praises her.

"Wow, you're good!" Lorna puts in.

"You should totally do a mural outside school!" Maritza recommends.

"Oh, that'd be so cool!" Flaca agrees.

"I did street art, too...we could work on it together, perhaps?" Nicky asks.

"Definitely!"

"As long as it ain't graffiti," Lorna says. "That shit freaks me out."

"It's kinda the same thing," Alex lets her know.

"Oh...well, since Nicky and Daya are doing it, I'll love it! They're not scary!"

Daya beams at their compliments.

* * *

"I need to use the bathroom," Nicky tells them weakly while blinking rapidly. Her speech is slurred and she starts to sway on her feet when she gets up. She holds onto the edge of the table for balance. "Whoa..."

"We'll go with you," Lorna says. The girls all put their hands on the blonde's back for support and they head to the restroom. Nicky starts to go the wrong way, appearing to be very confused, but they steer her in the right direction.

Once Nicky enters the bathroom with the girls, her body turns limp, her knees give out, and she drops to the floor, but Lorna and Alex catch her before she can fall on her head. Her skin feels clammy and it's covered in a fresh sheen of sweat. She's completely white and tremoring like she's having a seizure, and it frightens Lorna. The others look alarmed as well. "I'm so dizzy," Nicky whimpers, writhing around in Lorna's arms. She sniffles and jerks violently a few times. Her brown eyes pool with tears. "Help me...I wanna die so bad..." Lorna can feel Nicky's heart pounding against her lap.

She does her best to keep Nicky calm by combing her fingers through her golden, silky hair, but Nicky continues quivering. "You're not gonna...I'm here...we all are. You'll stay on this Earth forever, you hear me?"

"You need to get her to a toilet or the sink," Pennsatucky instructs Lorna. "She has to get all the poison out of her system, or she'll choke on on her own puke. She's obviously been speed-balling, taking cocaine and heroin all at once so she could be alert for the high." This is unfamiliar to Lorna; she'd just assumed that Nicky wasn't feeling well last night, and the illness came back just now.

"I'm not strong enough...one of you, go get Red!" Lorna orders her friends tearfully, and Maritza leaves quickly. "Red is coming, you'll be alright..." she coos to Nicky. Alex, Flaca, and Daya assist Lorna in carrying Nicky over to a stall. They sit with her and Lorna holds her hair back from her face as she vomits into the toilet bowl and sobs loudly. The girls look as distressed as Lorna feels. The brunette's stomach twists into knots and her heart rips into shreds at Nicky's anguished cries.

Red bursts in with Maritza behind her. "Let me have her, I'll give her some ice water." The older woman helps Nicky to her feet when she seems ready to stand, but Nicky collapses into Red's embrace, clinging onto her tightly. Red pats Nicky's ashen face with a wet rag. "Is this cold enough for you, honey?" Nicky coughs while nodding. Red leads her to the sink and instructs her to rinse out her mouth, and she does so.

"It's like having your period, only ten times worse," Nicky says between wails. "Oh god, I hate this..."

"Good, you remember this feeling. One drug is dangerous enough, Nicky, but two at the same time..." Red cups her face in her hands and wipes away her tears. "If I ever catch you doing this shit again, I will make life hell for you, little girl. Am I clear?"

"Mm-hm..." Nicky sniffles and mumbles, "I dunno if I can handle this," while hugging Red.

"It's a blessing you girls were there." Red wraps her arms around Nicky. "It's gonna be okay, I promise. You're not alone this time," she assures her soothingly. "We'll all help you through your withdrawal. I will rip Vee a new one, this almost killed you!"

"Mr. Luscheck gave it to me...I thought I could sleep it off, but obviously, I didn't. Can I just drink water now?"

"Of course."

Red leads Nicky out of the restroom and she looks back at the rest of the group. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"You're welcome, and we're glad you're okay!" Lorna calls out. She's on the verge of breaking apart at the thought of Nicky being gone for eternity, all because of her addiction. She sinks to the floor, weeping, and her friends cuddle with her.

* * *

"Is that better?" Red asks Nicky as the young girl gulps down her glass of ice water with shaky hands. There's this look in Nicky's eyes that melts Red's heart.

"Yeah," Nicky responds after swallowing hard. "Hey, are you sure your hair's red? It looks more purple," she teases Red, which earns her a flick of water in her face.

"Don't be rude about my dye job," Red chides Nicky. "That was Danita's fault, I'll never go to her again! Sophia is much better, but she wasn't in the day I needed it done."

"I suppose I shouldn't mention you texting with one finger, either."

Red sighs. "My boys are always saying that we have two opposable thumbs for a reason...well, if you're making fun of me now, does that mean you're back to yourself?"

"I guess so."

"I'm happy about that!"

"Uhh...you know your thing with the mafia, Red?"

"Hm?"

"I advise you not to be involved with them because it could get nerve-wracking. Someone could find your freezer with all the corpses or whatever...and if you go to prison...I don't even wanna think about it." Nicky's voice breaks a little. "You remind me of the mom I wish I had."

" _Malyshka_ , listen to me." Red tilts Nicky's chin up so they can face each other. "I'm not going to get in trouble. As soon as it starts looking bleak, I will divorce my husband and leave all of it behind. I'll change my name and my appearance if I have to. My kids always come first, and yes, you and Tricia are very much like my daughters, so you're just as important as Vasily, Yuri, and Maxsim. I cannot wait for you girls to meet them when they come home for Thanksgiving! It will be one big, happy family, with or without Dmitri."

Nicky's eyes light up and she smiles adorably. "That's a relief! You know, that means a lot...and if you do decide to get divorced, we'll have a little something in common. My parents also had one. Did your mom drink while she was pregnant with you?"

"No."

"Mine did." Nicky rolls her eyes. "That's probably what made me a junkie. I doubt she wanted to be a mother."

"She didn't deserve a kid as lovely and kind-hearted as yourself."

"Righty-o."

Blanca comes through the doors suddenly. "Hey, I got us the vitamins!"

"Thank you," Red answers and takes them from the Latina.

"Wait, this is speed!" Nicky lets them know, just as they're swallowing it. "Jesus Christ...throw that bottle away!"

"What's gonna happen to us?" Red asks worriedly while tossing it into the trash can.

"No appetite for a while, dry mouth, lots of energy for six to twelve hours, and paranoia like you wouldn't believe. Take vitamins...real ones...and orange juice. Just don't take that fake crap again!"

"All we wanted to do was come up with a plan to kill the abominable snow-fuck and his sadistic friends...like build some _Home Alone_ booby trap with beads and oil!" Blanca exclaims. "We needed our minds to be sharp!"

"Okay, but the fact that you would be high while doing this is as scary as it sounds. You can't think straight! You're gonna have to not do anything until you're back to sobriety," Nicky advises them.

"We didn't know it was speed...the label was marked wrong!" Red says, annoyed with herself that she had a moment of irresponsibility.

"That's why you have to actually _look_ at the shit inside!" Nicky stresses. "I mean, imagine you pissing in a water bottle and I took a swig!"

"Hey, there's an idea!" Blanca points out. "When we come down, we'll do exactly that to 'em too!"

"Where the fuck did you even get those?" Nicky demands.

"The health office, but never mind that! The most important thing is-" Red begins, but the girls' other friends, Gloria, and Aleida join them.

"Sorry to interrupt, we're just seeing how Nicky's doing," Lorna says.

"I'm okay," Nicky lets her know with a toothy grin.

"Awesome! Carry on with what you were saying, please," Maritza tells Red.

"See, we did research on those pieces of shit, and it turns out that Piscatella and Dixon have both murdered people and Humps has a sister named Dana on Facebook and he used to be called the _toad boy_ because he'd always bring frogs to school. This is what we'll bring them down with!" Red explains while squeezing Nicky's upper arms.

Nicky's eyes nearly bug out of their sockets and some of the others gasp loudly while Aleida hisses, "Those motherfuckers!"

"Caputo hired killers?!" Nicky asks, her eyes still as wide as saucers.

"That would have to be Fig; she was the principal before she stole money from the school. We'll have to tell him!" Daya says excitedly.

"It just sucks that Humps was a only a loser and now he's a creepy load of garbage, so he can't go to jail..." Pennsatucky mutters.

Blanca grins devilishly and hands them each copies of the disgusting creeps' files. "We'd simply have to humiliate him and tell Dana everything he's done! He'll never wanna come back after that!"

"Good idea, but back to the actual deceased victims of Dixon and Piscatella...who were they? Like, what went down?" Flaca wants to know, and Nicky snuggles closer to Red. The haunting image of Piscatella wielding a box cutter to Red's throat flashes into her head, and she shudders. She can't let that animal or his buddies torture anyone else.

"Piscatella burned an inmate to death in a men's max security prison, which is why he was fired from there, and Dixon got bored in the war and harmed civilians from Iraq and Afghanistan, children, especially, until they were no more," Red says sadly as she holds a shaking Nicky tightly. "Precious young lives, lost, due to grenades or rape or extremely hot showers..."

"Those sickos!" Gloria cries.

"I know, which is why we have to make them gone for good!" Blanca states.

"You know, Piscatella gave us a cruel and unusual punishment this morning...me, Nicky, and Blanca, after homeroom was over. Detention, because fuckin' Joey was butthurt when we didn't accept a date with him and he went to Piscatella about it. He hit Nicky out of the blue and asked me if I'd like my arm broken when I tried to defend her. God, I hate men," Alex grumbles, "except my former babysitter and the guy who's being nice to my mom. They both seem cool."

"Then Piscatella is the first to go," Red declares, both her motherly instinct to protect and her Russian accent stronger than ever.

After school, Red lectures Luscheck about the situation he put Nicky in and threatens him not to give her drugs again, and then, she calls the police station to check if that awful Mendez is in jail yet. Apparently, his trial is still going on, but his sentence is set to be one to two years, since that's the absolute minimum sentence for sexual assault, according to New York laws. Red doesn't think this is long enough-she'd rather literally kill him with her own bare hands for laying a finger on Nicky and Lorna. She drives Tricia and her friends to Storky's for burgers and milkshakes, and then goes to her other job at the Russian Market. Luckily, she doesn't get caught for being on speed since she's very aware of what she's doing.

"Galina!" Dimitri shouts as she enters through the doors.

"Hello, Dimi..." Red peers around the tiny place where the mafia men and their bitchy wives are sitting at all the tables. She puts on her apron, tidies her hair by putting it into a low ponytail, and clears her throat to get everyone's attention. "Nam nuzhno izbavit'sya ot kogo-to...on negodnyy politseyskiy. On nashchupal...domogalsya...etikh dvukh molodykh devushek, kotoryye ochen' blizki moyemu serdtsu, i nikakoye vremya v tyur'me ne sdelayet eto pravil'no. On tol'ko ostavlyayet ikh v etot moment, potomu chto on libo uvolen, libo zanyat svoim ispytaniyem."

 **We need to get rid of someone...he's an inappropriate policeman. He groped...molested...these two young girls that are very close to my heart, and no amount of time in prison will make this right. He's only leaving them be at this moment because he's either put away or busy with his trial.**

"Net," the mob boss refuses, and she grows angry at his cold response and lack of care.

 **No**

"Kakiye?! Ganya, ty dolzhen ponyat'-" Red begins to protest.

 **What?! Ganya, you have to understand-**

"Vy uzhe oboshlis' nam v shest'desyat tysyach dollarov za to, chto vy prekratili rabotu s krasivoy sis'koy Mariny, i my mozhem popast' v tyur'mu, yesli my ub'yem ofitsera zakona, dazhe yesli on korrumpirovan." His spouse and the other snooty bitches snigger away.

 **You've already cost us sixty thousand dollars for busting Marina's beautiful boob job, and we could get into prison if we kill an officer of the law, even if he is corrupt.**

"Izbav'sya ot etogo otmorozka, ili ya budu!"

 **Get rid of this scumbag or I will!**

"Galya, tishe..." Dmitri hisses at her, and she pushes him away. She's now going to take matters into her own hands. She doesn't need anyone's help.

 **Galya, hush...**

"Vot i vse, ya podayu na razvod i ostavlyayu mafiyu! Eto moy restoran, i ya khochu, chtoby vse vy byli svin'i! YA ne derzhu der'mo, chto on govorit v etom okne! Eto moye!"

 **That's it, I'm filing for a divorce and leaving the mafia! This is my restaurant, and I want all of you pig-fuckers out! I don't give a shit what it says on that window! It's mine!**

A horde of customers come into the restaurant, so the mobsters, their wives, and Dmitri hustle out. She begins to cook and everyone is satisfied with their meals. After work, she goes home to find Dmitri and the mafia there. She really doesn't want to deal with them right now-she just needs ice water and rest. She sits on the couch and tries to breathe normally.

"Galina, my dolzhny govorit' ob etom ratsional'no. Vy ne mozhete ostavit' mafiyu, potomu chto vy slishkom mnogo znayete. My dolzhny byli by ubit' tebya," Ganya says firmly.

 **We need to talk about this rationally. you cannot leave the mafia because you know too much. We would have to kill you.**

"Pozhaluysta, ya dolzhen vyyti..." Red begs, starting to panic. She puts her hands together and whimpers, hoping they'll take pity on her. "Eto plokho dlya menya i moikh detey. YA nikogda ne budu govorit' o biznese nikomu, klyanus'! YA sdelayu vse! O, bozhe, day mne byt' svobodnym, kak ptitsa!" Sobs soon overcome her and she can hardly gasp for air. She buries her face in her hands and shakes her head. "Mne ochen' zhal', ya ne mogu eto sdelat' bol'she!"Red peeks out between her fingers to see their reactions.

 **Please, I need to get out...it's bad for me and my children. I'll never talk about the business to anyone, I swear! I'll do anything! Oh my god, let me be free as a bird! I'm so sorry, I can't do this anymore!**

Ganya exchanges a look with all of his men and takes Red's hands off her face and places them on her thighs. She glances up at them nervously and fiddles with her dark green apron. "Perestan'te bryzgat'. YA sdelayu vam sdelku. Vy budete nosit' chip vnutri kusochka vashikh dragotsennostey, i yesli vy ne skazali nichego v sleduyushchem, skazhem, tri ili chetyre goda, my osvobodim vas, uvidev, chto vy bol'she ne yavlyayetes' ugrozoy. Tem ne meneye, my budem skuchat' po tebe."

 **Stop blubbering. I'll make you a deal. You will wear a chip inside a piece of your jewelry, and if you haven't said anything in the next, say, three or four years, we will release you, seeing as you are no longer a threat. We will miss you dearly, though.**

Red sighs in relief. She has no other choice but to agree with this, even if she doesn't like it. She's not so stubborn that she'd be willing to die over having these men listen on in on everything she's saying. If she really doesn't want to talk about something out loud, she would just have to write it down, like Norma. She kisses Ganya on the cheek quickly. "O, spasibo! Vy ne predstavlyayete, naskol'ko eto dlya menya znachit! YA beskonechno blagodaren. Konechno, eto ochen' khoroshaya sdelka! YA poluchu chto-to pryamo seychas!" She giggles through her now happy tears, takes off her favorite necklace, the silver one with the oval pendant, and hands it to her boss. "I always wear this for good luck!"

 **Oh, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me! I am eternally grateful. Of course, that is a very good deal! I'll get something right now!**

Dmitri later asks her if she really wants to separate, and she says she does. Red wants to be independent and not have to play mother to a man-child. She decides to move out and stay over at Maria and Yadriel's place tonight, since that's where Blanca is getting off her high and they can discuss their idea. Also, Maria would take care of them. She'll buy an apartment for herself in the next few days, but she knows she can't be alone until all of the drug is out of her body.

She hunts down Mendez first, aiming to slice his throat upon sight, but he's nowhere to be found. He probably knows she's after him and is running away from her like the coward he is. She checks her phone and sees that she has many missed calls from Nicky, worrying about her, so she calls the girl back and recommends she concentrate on herself.

"I'm recovered! I'm with my girls, so no smack here!"

"Splendid! I'll be fine shortly."

"I know you will!"

She knows she'll survive since she isn't a junkie.

* * *

"I just wanted to ask you something...I went to your Open House and walked into your physical ed class, but had to chicken out because I recognized the giant subhuman that is Piscatella. Has that sick women-hating fuck done anything to you?" Boo asks while she and Pennsatucky are in the tattoo parlor and nobody else is there. Pennsatucky sees vulnerability in her foster mother's eyes and grows concerned. She shakes her head no quickly.

"Nah, he don't do nothin'. Some of the other girls are bothered by him, though, but not me, 'cause he's a homosexual and he really hates rapists, so he's never vandalized me. I still feel sorry for my clique, but not Leanne and Angie, because they're idiots. Why? I keep hearin' about the violence he commits on other students. Nobody does shit."

"It's victimize," Boo corrects her, "but it could be vandalize, too. Well, keep this a deep, dark secret...there was actually a time I worked at Martin Van Buren High, but I had to quit because one day, he kidnapped Red, Norma, and I...tied us up, put duct tape over our mouths. We had to watch him beat up Red. He hates ladies who fight back." Boo sighs as Pennsatucky hugs her lovingly. "Anyway, son, that's in the past. We survived, thanks to Claudette. All I give a damn about is if he's caused you any suffering. I'll make him regret it if so!"

"I'm fine, really."

Boo ruffles her hair. "Good!"

The door opens and closes as Nicky, Lorna, and Alex stroll in. "What a fuckin' long day!" Nicky groans. The three girls plop into chairs and go through the book of tattoos they could get.

"I know, it's been stressful...but can we talk fun things now?" Alex wonders aloud.

"We sure can. What exactly was this little rendezvous you kids had goin' on?" Boo asks casually, patting Nicky and Lorna's backs.

"It's none of your business!" Lorna practically hollers as she goes red.

"Come on, tell me, who started it? I bet it was you, Nichols!"

"I might have eased my shortstack into it," Nicky answers Boo proudly, and Lorna thumps the back of her hand against Nicky's shoulder. Rolling her eyes, Pennsatucky slips the older woman a ten dollar bill.

Alex raises an eyebrow. "Shortstack?"

"Don't ask, Alex!" Lorna snaps. "Shut _up_ , Nicky!"

"Did you enjoy it, Morello?"

"Yeah, it don't count if it was rape," Pennsatucky adds to Boo's question.

Lorna blushes again. "Nicky doesn't injure people on purpose, of course I must have liked it on some level if I lived to tell the tale. I don't wanna talk about it!"

Nicky smirks. "She was _screaming_. What can I say, my fingers and tongue are like magic."

"I bet she loved it...Nicky _does_ have that effect on girls," Alex murmurs. "So dirty!"

"Yep, I showed her a good time!" Nicky brags.

"That's plenty of information!" Lorna shouts. "Could we get tattoos, please?"

"Boo, enough with the interrogation," Pennsatucky adds. "It's getting a little too graphic for me."

"Okay, normally, I'm only allowed to ink people ages eighteen and up, but I'll make an exception for you guys. You have to make sure it doesn't get infected. This shit's permanent, so be positive that you really love it. You'll be extremely sore and it's going to hurt, so I suggest squeezing something...if you hold hands with someone, try not to break their bones. You might cry. I'm not exaggerating," Boo warns them. Lorna appears to be timid at this knowledge, and Nicky pats her knee in comfort. "Do your best not to think about the pain, and just breathe. Relax afterwards...it's a good thing that you're all playing hooky tomorrow! Who's first?"

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, thecharmedwerewolf, A Star In My Universe, a guest, LindaAndrewsfan, cornedout, and HannahMiley1fan!**


	24. Sounds Wonderful

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: talks of childhood sexual abuse and neglect.**

 **Wow, it's been a whole year since I started this! I had the idea when I was on vacation after watching season 4 of OITNB and thinking of all the comparisons between the show and the other show, Pretty Little Liars...and when going home in a cab late one night, I knew what Nicky's first scene would be. Then I got home and wrote a bit of the first chapter. Over the next few days, I tweaked it and this fic was born on July 25th, 2016. I'm so blessed that y'all love this story-it's been really fun to write and I can't wait for the next years to come! It'll probably be finished when the show is done.**

After thinking for a moment, Alex raises her hand. "I'd like a salt shaker on my left back shoulder, three red roses with green stems here," she points to her right upper arm, "a shooting star on my waistline, Betty Boop above a rose on my left upper thigh with three orange diamonds outlined in black all around the whole thing, and this one on both my wrists." She taps the tribal-looking design. "Also, the words 'love is pain' on my left forearm in black cursive, capitalize the L only, and orange flames on either side of the phrase."

Nicky whistles slowly. "You're brave."

"Oh my, that's a lot!" Lorna points out. "Why that last one, though?"

"It's true. Love hurts. I thought Piper really liked me more than a friend, but nope...she manipulated me, and she's not around anymore...now Sylvie, my first real girlfriend...she broke up with me over text...it didn't even sound like her...not friendly at all...and she and her parents moved away...so there ya have it, folks."

Nicky frowns and Lorna hugs her in sympathy. "I'm sorry..." the blonde girl says.

"Yeah, same, that's too bad!" Lorna agrees.

"Listen son, since you're a minor, I can't do that many...so pick one or two you like the best, and I'll do the rest when you turn eighteen."

"Okay, fine, then just do the arm designs, please."

"You got it."

Alex is muttering curses under her breath while gripping the arms of her chair and the girls rub her back and upper arms in soothing circles. When she's finished, Boo tells Alex to apply ointment on the sore spot for three to four days and then use lotion. "Keep away from the sun and watch out for infection, and the rest of you need to remember that as well."

"I will. Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Alright, next!"

It's now Nicky's turn. She gets a small black star above her right elbow. She doesn't seem to be too uncomfortable, probably because she's used to heroin injections, which require sharp needles.

"I'm just getting a red, unfilled heart with a small black dot at the top right under my left arm...kinda near my boob!"

As Boo touches Lorna's skin with a long black object, she jumps. "It's just my marker, hold still, I don't wanna fuck up the drawing!"

"Okay, sorry," Lorna apologizes and takes a deep breath.

"Do you like where it is?" Boo asks.

"Yeah." Lorna clutches Nicky and Alex's hands, preparing for the needle to pierce her flesh about a hundred times.

"Ow, not so tight, kid!" Nicky exclaims.

"That hurts!" Alex chimes in.

"I'm sorry, again! I really shouldn't be so nervous!" She'd used a knife to carve whole names into her arms, so this shouldn't be worse.

"Don't move until I'm done!"

She braces herself and grits her teeth when the pain begins. It takes a half hour and then, Boo gingerly cleans the area and tapes a piece of gauze over Lorna's tattoo. Her session ends around midnight, and Boo drives them to their respective homes after they pay her.

* * *

Leaves crunch under Alex's shoes as she walks to her trailer park with her keys in hand. She keeps wincing, but she knows it'll be fine later, and in six months from now, the tender spots will completely heal. Boo doesn't drive away until Alex lets herself inside and locks the door behind her quietly in case Diane is sleeping. She tiptoes into the bathroom and gets ready for bed.

"Allie, is that you?" her mother's tired voice rings out.

"Yeah, I just got home." Alex flushes the toilet and after brushing her teeth, flossing, and removing her makeup, she walks into her bedroom, takes off her glasses, and carefully changes into her pajamas and robe. She slides her glasses back onto her face and goes to kiss Diane good night. Not only is her mom awake, but she's also sitting up in bed with a bright lamp on. "Oh...what are you doing?"

"I was waiting up for you, kiddo. Thanks for your text!"

"You're welcome. Hey, Mom, check it out!" Alex takes the robe off her and displays her tattoo beneath the Saran Wrap. "Pretty artwork, huh?"

Diane sighs. "At least it's not drugs and you were honest about it," she comments. "Wow, those are cool! Who was the artist?"

"Pennsatucky's foster mom, Boo. She's awesome!"

"I can see that! I'm happy you're getting along with Pennsatucky now."

"Me too, life's better without drama!"

"Alex..." Diane pats the section of the bed next to her. "Sit here with me, sweetie."

"Okay..." Alex plops herself down next to her mother. "What's up, Mom?"

"You never mentioned that Charles works as a prison guard! How come? I could've prepared myself a little better!"

"I didn't know..."

"I thought you saw him at school, handcuffing those lowlifes!"

"I wasn't sure if it was him!"

Diane sighs heavily. "Well, now he knows about all the shit I did as a teen!"

"Yeah, and?"

"I have embarrassed myself in the eyes of the fuckin' _law_!"

Alex scoffs while rolling her eyes. "Come on, Mom, everyone does stupid things at my age, sometimes also illegal! It's not like he can arrest you for those petty crimes now."

"I know, but...I was even more sleazy, right when I met Lee. I'm way too dirty for Charles!"

"Absolutely not! It seems as if he still likes you!" Alex insists.

"That's because he's never heard my tales from then. I was a prostitute and a stripper...two icky jobs that would immediately turn a good man like Charles Ford, off."

"The losers you danced for and had sex with were shady. You were pregnant and alone, doing your best...and he would get that. You don't have to spill everything now...you may want to when you get closer, but do whatever makes you feel comfortable."

"I'm always swearing-"

"I'm sure he uses a few cuss words of his own, but if he doesn't, whatever! Nobody's perfect. Why are you so concerned about all this? Don't tell me you're falling for him!"

"He's cute, I'll admit...he's nice and we're getting to be friends. I cannot ruin this by appearing indecent! I'm not gonna just throw myself at him...that's a grave mistake that many people make."

"I know."

* * *

"Who's that?" Nicky asks as she and Lorna pass Mr. Morello, Mikey, and a guy in his early twenties.

"I dunno, one of Franny's boyfriends, probably. They're always cheating on her by groping me and taking up space when she's not home. She has the worst taste in men." Lorna says this emotionlessly and it shatters Nicky inside.

"You girls wanna sit on Santa's knees?" he calls out when they're about to head upstairs, and Nicky expects Lorna's father and brother to say something, but they're concentrating on the dumb game. Lorna flips him off and exits the room. "I guess you'd like coal this year!"

"Why don't you fuck off?" Nicky hollers. "I'll slit your throat if you dare molest Lorna."

"Hey, we don't permit language like that in my house!" Lorna's dad yells.

"Sexual harassment and abuse isn't cool in my book," Nicky says firmly. "Your daughter's had enough, and your other one is working her ass off late into the night while her pervert of a boyfriend is goin' around bein' a piece of dung! They're your children, your baby girls, why do you not give a shit?! Oh, and did you forget about your wife who's deteriorating? You claim to be so Catholic, isn't that all about being a morally correct human being?"

"We're watching this!" Mikey shouts.

Nicky moves in front of the television. "Did you touch my sister inappropriately? I'll fuckin' kill you."

"No, now move it!" the bratty twelve-year-old demands. "You don't wanna see Pop when he's mad."

"Shame on all of you," Nicky mutters as she storms out. She searches for Lorna until she can tell the small brunette is in the bathroom, and then goes into the room that she and Tricia are sharing. Her sister is reading in the fully lit-up room. "Hey, Trish, anyone bug you?"

"Nah, its chill here."

"Good. Uh...time for bed. As you know, I'm skipping school tomorrow, but you're gonna be up and outta here by seven-thirty."

"Okay...I set the alarm!"

"Awesome! I'm gonna go check on Lorna. Good night!" Nicky kisses Tricia's cheek and tucks her in.

"Ew, I'm not a baby!" she complains.

"Sorry, kid, you'll always be my little sis."

"Night!"

Nicky tries to open the door to Lorna's room silently, but the floors creak beneath her feet. In the moonlight coming through the window, she sees Lorna shoot up in bed with a frightened gasp that turns into a squeak. "Oh...it's just you. Thank goodness!"

"Who else would it be? Does that son of a bitch crawl in your bed, too?"

"Only when he's drunk or on something...he unlocks my door with a coin and he's fully naked...trapping me so I can't get away. Stay with me, please." She reaches out and grabs Nicky's hands.

"I'll be here all night long if that's what you want." Nicky climbs on top of the bed and lays next to Lorna, who's curling up in the fetal position while whimpering. "Have you told her?"

"No. You're the only one who knows. It's not...I'm used to it. I don't care, I'm barely home without her. I'm sneaky, I find ways to avoid 'em."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Since I was eight, but the first few times, it was a joke. Franny brought these older boys home, around seventeen, and they'd call me _sweet cheeks_ 'cause I still had my baby fat. My mother reprimanded them, and I didn't understand why."

"Eight years old," Nicky repeats in disgust and holds Lorna close to her. "You were a just a little girl. Those were pedophiles, just like that sicko downstairs."

"They were attracted to my really red lips, and I started puberty around eleven. When I was thirteen, one of them kissed me, and I did it back to him because I thought he had a big crush on me, and I was flattered. Piper caught us and said I had to tell Franny or she would, but she shut her mouth when I threatened to let the cops in on who was in charge of the prank. Then, uh, Piper destroyed their relationship some other way and Franny got a new boyfriend. The Morello women have no luck in love at all! I guess I'm not really worthy of it..."

"You are, I promise, baby," Nicky murmurs and kisses Lorna's temple softly, as if she's delicate. "I'm not gonna call you _shortstack_ any longer."

"I don't mind it coming from you, 'cause you're real sweet to me. My family is so fucked up," Lorna sobs in Nicky's arms, getting her shirt wet with tears.

"That makes two of us, kid."

"No, but the thing is, it hasn't always been this bad...we'd go to church every Sunday, have outings...my parents used to be so active and lovey-dovey! Me and Franny were tight with our brother. Ma would go shopping with us girls and we'd get our nails done or a pedicure. It changed when she got sick...that wasn't her fault, though. My father got meaner when he had to get put in the wheelchair, and my brother started giving me and my sister a hard time. I'm the closest with her and Mikey became our dad's number one fan. My mother now has weak teeth and brittle bones...she's not herself anymore. She's slowly fading away, and there's nothin' we can do to stop it."

"Damn, that sucks, babe. I'm sorry." Nicky strokes Lorna's hair comfortingly and wipes away her tears with the pads of her thumbs.

"I'm so fucking done with all these perverts makin' things worse...I hate having big breasts sometimes...my father reminds me to cover up, not look too mature...be a good girl in the eyes of the Lord, don't entice men. I shouldn't be blamed, though...lust is one of the seven deadly sins! When I said that, he told me not to talk back and...he got rough...before I knew it, I was on the floor and my lip was bleeding. I was nine and Franny wasn't home, so I cleaned my injury, put ice on it, and took off...I saw _Notting_ _Hill_ in theaters and cried. Afterwards, I got hungry and I started to miss Franny, but she was sleeping over at a friend's house...so I couldn't interrupt her. I had to return...I needed to eat dinner."

"I never would've guessed, seeing how happy you are all the time, but that movie choice doesn't surprise me."

"Yeah, I'm a little broken...but I feel safe with you, Nicky...ever since you rescued me that night. I'm so glad you're here."

"I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else. Lemme ask you this, did anyone freak out?"

"No, my father and brother ignored me, playing video games, my mother was ill, so she couldn't help it, and I made food...macaroni and cheese, for all of us."

"You're too precious for this world."

Lorna sniffles and wraps her arms around Nicky's waist. "Thanks. I apologize for keeping you up."

"It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway."

"How come, 'cause of Piscatella and withdrawal?"

"Yeah, I didn't want nightmares."

"I thought I was gonna lose you forever, like earlier this afternoon."

"No, doll, uh, because of you, I'm alive. You were there...so were the others, but you were cradling me, making sure I wouldn't hurt myself even more...and I appreciate you so much for that. I know how hard it must have been for you, taking care of a drug addict, but you did it."

"You're not just a junkie, you're my best friend. I couldn't live without you. It would be too devastating."

This makes Nicky smile. "Same here, Lorna."

"We need to talk about what we did yesterday," she whispers. "My father can't stand lesbians. If he caught us-"

"It'll never happen again, even though I did enjoy it. It was just wild hate sex, right?"

"I don't hate you..."

"Neither do I, but we were kinda fighting beforehand..."

"Yeah, but you were looking at me during it...nobody's ever done that before."

"Why not? You're beautiful," Nicky murmurs, stroking her cheek with her knuckles. "Is this okay?"

"Yes. So are you."

Nicky's heart warms at this. Lorna is so soft and nice to hold, and sometimes, when the short girl gives her a hug, some of her makeup gets on Nicky's shirt. It makes her feel special because it's proof that she got to touch a pretty girl. She loves Lorna's cute, excited voice when she's talking about things she's passionate about, and Nicky wants to be the cause of her big smile and sparkling eyes as often as she can. Moonlight streams in through the sheer white curtains and it's making Lorna look even more exquisite than she already is. Nicky's so in love with this chick, it's unbelievable. She's never felt this way about anyone.

"Will you sing me to sleep? You have such a pretty voice," Lorna mumbles while laying down, and Nicky's heart lifts.

"Of course. What would you wanna hear?"

"Have you seen _West Side Story_? It's my favorite movie!"

"No..."

"Okay, then whatever comes to mind!"

Nicky exhales deeply. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...you make me happy, when skies are gray, you never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away..."

Lorna yawns and snuggles into Nicky. "Love ya, girl. We'll be besties 'til the end of time."

* * *

"We should let Daya rest," Maritza whispers. "I gotta eat, ain't you hungry?"

"Yeah, but like, I don't wanna leave her out," Flaca responds.

"We're not doing it to be mean...she needs this, she's preggers!"

"Okay..." Maritza steps out of the room quietly as Flaca crawls ahead of her. She scoots herself down the stairs with Maritza following, and her tiny friend helps her into her wheelchair. "¡Whoa, eso fue rápido!" Flaca notices aloud when she sees a strange man in the kitchen wearing her mother's jacket and making chilaqueles. "¿Se durmió?" At this, Maritza giggles.

 **Whoa, that was fast! Did he sleep over?**

"Marisol!" Theresa exclaims as her face turns red. "Uh, lo siento, cariño, este es Kubra, mi novio. Sólo me está haciendo el desayuno antes de que èl se vaya, y luego empezaré a trabajar. Kubra, esta es mi hija, Marisol, y su amiga, Maritza."

 **Sorry, sweetie, this is Kubra, my boyfriend.** **He's just making me breakfast** **before he leaves, and then I'm gonna start work. Kubra, this is my daughter, Marisol, and her friend, Maritza.**

"Hola, chicas," he greets them politely.

 **Hi, girls.**

"Kubra...casi como _cobra_ , pero está bien," Maritza says, and Flaca nods in agreement. She turns to the guy and chuckles awkwardly. "Hi. She and I also speak English."

 **Kubra...sounds like cobra, but okay.**

"Hey, ambos son bilingües, como yo. ¡Qué asombroso conocerte!"

 **Hey, you're both bilingual, like me. How awesome to meet you!**

"Sí, tú también. Um...tienes un nombre genial."

 **Yeah, you too. Um...you got a cool name.**

"Gracias, ustedes son bienvenidas a tener algo de esto." Kubra hands Theresa a plate of chilaqueles, and then the girls get their own servings. "Eso debe doler...¿cómo te rompiste la pierna?"

 **Thanks! You're welcome to have some of this. That must hurt...how'd you break your leg?**

"Un conductor idiota no miraba adonde iban y me golpearon con su auto."

 **Some idiot driver wasn't looking where they were going and they struck me with their car.**

"Oh, no, ¿los atrapaste?"

 **Oh, no, did you catch them?**

"No, sólo se fueron."

 **No, they just left.**

"Eso es muy malo. Espero que la policía los encuentre pronto."

 **That's too bad. I hope the police find them soon.**

"Yo tambièn."

 **Me, too.**

When they're finished, he says, "Adiòs, oso de azúcar," and gives Theresa back her jacket while pecking her on the lips. She lets him out the door and closes it while grinning.

" _¿_ _Oso de azúcar_ _?_ " Flaca asks. "¡Ustedes se están poniendo serios!"

 **Sugar bear? You guys are getting serious!**

"¿Qué piensas?" Theresa asks.

 **What do you think?**

"Él es agradable."

 **He's nice.**

"¿Hermoso?"

 **Handsome?**

"¡Sí, buena elección!"

 **Good choice!**

Theresa grins proudly. "Gracias."

* * *

Since Gloria and Aleida didn't want to leave Daya home by herself, they'd let her sleep over at Flaca's house. She startles herself awake when she hears the sound of paper rustling. "How much have you read of my diary? It doesn't look like you're any closer to figuring it all out."

"Are you a mirage?" Daya wonders aloud while closing her eyes, trying to dispel the optical illusion of her dead friend who appears to be very much alive. It doesn't work.

"You're not seeing things...it's me, in the flesh." Piper fans Daya with one of Flaca's CDs. "You're sweating. So, its true, then? You're pregnant?"

"Mm-hm..."

"Did one of Aleida's boyfriends knock you up?" As Piper comes closer to her, Daya backs up on Flaca's bed and pulls the covers to her chin.

"No."

"Well, I didn't think so...it seems like she's turned over a new leaf! So, who was it?"

"Mr. Bennett, he's a new teacher, you don't know him." Daya's heart is pounding out of her chest. She doesn't believe in ghosts, so this must be a figment of her imagination. She's dreaming.

"Typical Daya, going for the older guys. Let me give you a little piece of advice. It sounds sexy, delicious, and gossip-worthy, but at the end, you wind up torn apart."

"He's not like that."

"Ask your mom why her relationship with a certain Rick Hopper went down the drain."

"Was he your murderer?"

"No, I'd never give _that_ away."

"Piper, it would really help if you gave me a clue. Mysteries don't get solved without them!"

"They're around...you just need to find them." Just after she says that, Piper vanishes. The CD is still on Flaca's bed, where Piper had left it.

* * *

"What should we do today, since there's no school?" Nicky asks.

"Alex called an impromptu meeting for Piper's friends at the Shake Shack, so that...you and Maritza would be bored there! It's how we deal with her death, in a way, I guess. We don't mean to leave you out, it's just..."

"We didn't know her," Nicky finishes Lorna's sentence. "It's okay, I'll work on a project...not the mural yet, but something else. I'm crafty, I like to keep my hands busy." She's been wanting to build something for Lorna and personalize her bedroom door, anyway.

"Oh, like what?"

"You'll see when you get home."

"After we're done, you and Maritza can meet up with us...I'll text ya." Lorna ties up her hair and pulls out a few strands at the front to frame her face. She smiles a little while putting on shimmer blush, and looking extra pretty as she does all of these things. She leaves behind stray glitter after applying her eyeshadow and it's angelic.

"Cool, sounds great!"

"I took too much lotion," Lorna explains as she rubs the excess on Nicky's hands. The physical contact is amazing. "Here, moisturize!"

"Thanks."

"You like my outfit?"

"Yeah, especially your dress, it's adorable!" Nicky compliments her. It's coral, with white flowers.

"Thank you!"

Nicky walks Lorna to her front door and gives her a hug. "Have fun!"

Lorna smiles at her appreciatively. "I will!"

Once she leaves, Nicky sends Red and Blanca messages, asking how they're doing. To her satisfaction, they're completely fine. Blanca is now tending to Diablo and Red's in the cafeteria, making food for the teachers and students who didn't participate in the strike. Nicky goes out and buys supplies for her project and works on it while listening to _Stockings_ by Suzanne Vega on her headphones. She hums along to the lyrics, really feeling them in her soul, because it's about the singer being in love with her straight best friend.

 _I don't care for tights, she says  
And does not tell me why  
She hikes her skirt above her knee  
Revealing one brown thigh_

 _I see, I say, and wonder at  
Her slender little fingers  
How cleverly they pull upon  
The threads of recent slumbers_

Nicky puts her hair into a bun so it doesn't get on anything. She grins as she sands down the wooden letters that spell out Lorna's name. She paints them, alternating between bright pink and yellow, the brunette's favorite colors. Her vision board is giving Nicky ideas. She nails them into a smooth board and makes sure they're secure.

 _Do you know where friendship ends  
And passion does begin?  
It's between the binding of  
Her stockings and her skin.  
(Oh yeah)_

 _She stayed up so late I thought  
She'd ask me to go dance  
But something in the way she laughed  
Told me I had no chance_

Nicky gathers up the fake hearts and flowers and begins gluing them onto Lorna's door as a decoration. She wants only the best for her girl, even if they're not anything more than friends.

 _The fiction in her family  
Was that she was never nice  
I'd say she was very  
I just did not see the price_

 _Do you know where friendship ends  
And passion does begin?  
When the gin and tonic  
Makes the room begin to spin.  
(Oh yeah)_

Nicky goes through the recycling downstairs and finds ripped up old magazines and newspapers with what she thinks is blood smeared across the pages, but she breathes a sigh of relief when she sees it's only red nail polish.

 _There may be attraction here  
But it will never flower  
So I'm assigned to read her mind, now  
In this witching hour _

_Here's no game for those who claim  
To be easily bruised  
But how can I complain  
When she's so easily amused?_

Nicky cuts out pictures and words she thinks Lorna may like and pastes them all over a neon blue vase she'd bought. She saws out the doorknob and installs a new one that came with a key. Lorna doesn't seem to get enough privacy. She stands back and admires her handiwork.

 _Do you know where friendship ends  
And passion does begin?  
(When she does not show you  
The way out on the way in) -  
It's between the binding  
Of her stockings and her skin.  
(Oh yeah)_

* * *

"So, what's this all about?" Flaca asks as the four girls sit down at a table. "Super neat tattoos by the way," she compliments Lorna and Alex.

"Thanks!" they say together.

"I love the heart and the roses the best," Daya tells them enthusiastically, and they smile.

"You would, fellow hopeless romantic!" Lorna rests her elbow on Daya's shoulder.

"Okay, I appreciate your kind words, but before we get off track...we haven't heard from P lately. Don't you think that's a bit weird?" Alex questions the girls.

"Yeah, we're friends with all the people we suspected, except Leanne," Daya says.

"Maybe they don't wanna do it anymore after almost killing you, Flaca," Lorna murmurs.

"Nah, it seems like they're waiting for us to be alone, and we never really are," Flaca disagrees.

Alex's phone vibrates and she sneaks a peek at it under the table. There's a video of Leanne hooking up with that douchebag Ratman while hollering something inaudible, and Angie is pointing a gun in his face while grinning creepily. A feeling of dread settles in the pit of her stomach. _Just kidding, nobody killed Ratman, but maybe he wishes he were dead! They're holding him hostage until he gives them both an A, and he has Stockholm syndrome with Leanne! You better make sure you behave, otherwise, you'll deal with this, too! Xo, P_

"You look terrified, hon," Lorna comments. "Your face is all pale."

"Fuckin' meth-heads...they're frightening, but what else is new?" Alex responds. "We spoke too soon, P just texted me this." She shows them the message.

"Yeah, I got it as well," Daya tells the group.

"Same here," Flaca lets them know.

"I don't know what the point of this was," Lorna mutters, staring at her phone in annoyance. "We don't even care about Ratman."

"P might be trying to pin it on us," Alex replies.

"They just sent us proof that people we can't stand are doing something illegal. Maybe they wanna test if we're gonna turn it into the police?" Daya asks.

"We won't, because I don't want him released from captivity," Flaca answers. "Fuckin' P, makin' us wanna hide Leanne and Angie's secret!"

Lorna sighs and rests her chin atop her fist. "Me, neither. I know...I'm glad to have Nicky and Tricia move in...it helps me forget that P is lurking around."

"That must be real fun to have them stay with you!" Alex states.

"It is."

"You seem giddier than usual," Flaca points out.

"Oh, do I?"

Daya smirks. "Yeah...you're glowing."

"It must be the makeup I'm wearing." Alex, Daya, and Flaca exchange looks and start giggling. "What?"

"Nothing," Alex replies. She presses her lips in a thin line, as do the Latinas. "You just kinda radiate positivity."

 _Nice save!_ Flaca mouths. "Mm-hm, when you're genuinely happy, we are, too."

"Oh, it's like how yawns are contagious and babies start crying when they hear other babies doing it!" Lorna realizes aloud.

"Exactly," Daya says.

"For our group hangout, can we not include Pennsatucky?" Lorna asks. "I really don't trust her...I tried, but she's looking too suspicious. The only people she's actually close to is Boo, and out of all us girls, Nicky. That smells fishy to me. Why would she get all buddy-buddy with someone that I'm best friends with? It's like, get your own, you know? Also, I'm the least targeted out of everyone here. She's well aware that causing me serious harm would hurt Nicky, and she wouldn't wanna do that to her only real friend who's her own age."

"Yeah, you make a good point," Daya agrees.

"So, all in favor?" Alex wonders aloud.

"Too bad, she's got a great voice...well, okay, we'll leave her out," Flaca replies. The girls raise their hands. "Aye!" they say in unison.

"Not just for today, though. We give her the boot," Lorna corrects them. "She's out."

* * *

"Hey, there's your mom's boyfriend," Maritza informs Flaca after she, Blanca, and Maria have finished gushing over Lorna, Nicky, and Alex's new body art and Flaca and Daya are done checking out Nicky's. All of the girls are hanging out at the Sparrow Tavern and with the exception of Daya, having one drink each under Franny's supervision.

Flaca takes a sip of her wine. "I know, I'm trying not to look. It's kinda weird that we met him in our pajamas and he kissed her goodbye."

"Theresa's got a man, huh? Why'd ya never tell us this exciting news?" Lorna asks, gulping down her mimosa.

"They just got together late Saturday night, and I didn't think they'd make things official this quickly." Kubra gives Flaca a head nod, and she waves at him back. "He cooked for us."

"That's nice!" Maria comments.

"Just be sure your mom still makes time for you," Nicky says and then guzzles her beer.

"She does."

"You should talk to him," Blanca recommends. "He's kinda staring at our group."

"Maybe he feels just as awkward as I did, or he could be wondering what a bunch of underaged girls are doing in a bar," Flaca mutters. She scoots out from the table and wheels herself over to Kubra. "Hey!"

"Marisol, nice seeing you again."

"Yeah, I'm usually just called Flaca by friends, but I'm Marisol to my mom."

"I sincerely apologize for still being at your house when you'd just woken up...I thought I'd be gone by then."

"Nah, it's cool. Your leather jacket's groovy, by the way. My mom and I are big fans of them."

"They just make a statement, you know? I'm a rebel."

"Ah! So is she, actually. That's probably where I get it from."

"I can tell! She's pretty fantastic."

"Yeah, I know. I just gotta ask...are there other chicks in your life? She's in no mood to be the _other woman_."

"Oh, she's not...I wouldn't do that to her. I'm really a good guy, trust me. I'm crazy about her, only her. I understand why you wanna protect her, though. I, myself, was hyperaware of other men going out with my mom when I was your age. She was also single...my parents split when I was too young to remember."

"Awesome, well, if you betray her, I'll break one of your bottles over your head, and it'll be a bloody mess," she threatens him calmly. "¿ _Comprende_?"

Kubra nods. "Got it."

* * *

"I dunno what's up with our moms going on dates...something's going on between mine and Charles. She says they're just friends, but I can tell she definitely feels something for him. It's too early though, and we're aware of that," Alex is saying as Flaca returns to the table.

Lorna gasps happily. "I've only seen 'em once, but they're so cute together!" she squeals. "Cheers!" She taps Alex's beer bottle with her glass.

"Yeah, I guess," Alex mutters. "I teased her about it on Saturday after he asked her out-"

"Oh my god, like on a date?" Maritza asks excitedly, touching her cup of martini to Flaca's wine glass.

"Uh-huh."

"Aren't you happy for her?" Flaca asks.

"Of course, but I'm not all mushy about it!"

"They're gonna be so perfect, like Luke and Lorelai, the cutest coffee shop couple _ever_! Those two have the greatest chemistry, and your mom and Charles are like the gender-flipped version of them since she's a waitress at a food place, and he's the patron." Lorna's practically bouncing in her seat from exhilaration. "She's found her Lorelai!" At this, their friends snicker quietly under their breaths.

"Actually, you'd say she's found her _Luke_ ," Alex corrects Lorna.

"No, 'cause Charles doesn't own a diner, however, Diane is a single mom with a daughter she's real close to."

"My mom doesn't have a diner job either! It's a restaurant."

"Hmm, you're right...well, then maybe they're more like Lorelai and Christopher. I love that character, he has the same exact name as _my_ Christopher!"

"He sucks, he's a deadbeat dad...you shouldn't like him just because of his name, no matter how infatuated you are with the real Christopher!" Maria says, stirring her orange juice and vodka.

"Actually, both Christophers are shitty," Daya points out. "Lorna, you and I watch it for the romance, not _that_ guy!"

"Okay, what are you all talking about?" Nicky asks, leaning back in her chair. "I'm lost."

" _Gilmore Girls._ It's a show about a mother, Lorelai, and her daughter, Rory, who are like best friends, it's on its fourth season, and they always go to this diner that Luke runs. Even though Luke and Lorelai have never kissed, you can tell that they're in love with each other," Blanca explains. "Maria and I watch it for Lane, Rory's best friend. It makes me yearn for when I was a punk rock chick at twelve with three eyebrows."

"Hell yeah, Lane rules!" Flaca proclaims.

"She's my bitch, yo," Maritza agrees.

"I love her," Alex says. "I wish she and Rory were together, but it's only got straight couples. Ugh...I just watch it for Lorelai and Rory's bond. It reminds me of the one I share with my mom."

Nicky groans. "Well, no lesbians and I have mommy issues, so I can't relate to that."

"Actually, you and Red are like Rory and Lorelai, aren't you two pretty close?" Lorna asks.

"Yeah, I suppose I could try watching it with her...but she seems like the mother hen to everyone, not just me!"

"She has the softest spot for you," Blanca says. "I can see that."

"Well, she _did_ tell me I was like a daughter to her," Nicky lets them know.

"Aw, that's sweet!" Lorna squeezes Nicky's hand while grinning. "Some other really good family shows are _Charmed_ and _Full House_. We'd always watch reruns of both at our sleepovers and _Charmed_ is on its seventh season...I'm not ready for it to be over next year!"

"Who's your favorite character in _Charmed_?" Nicky asks Lorna. "Now those sisters are hot! I watched it regularly until I was thirteen...I'll have to catch up!"

"Piper! She's a hopeless romantic like me and Daya, and I love her with Leo!"

"I like Phoebe, but I wish they made her be with a woman. At least they don't make jokes about people who are anything but straight like _Full House_ does! People of the same gender kissing isn't something to fuckin' laugh at!"

"I know, right? That's so annoying, but it was from a different time. I'm happy people are more accepting now. You know what would really make me swoon, though, is if Charles carried Diane out of Friendly's, like the ending scene in _Officer and a Gentleman_ when Paula is working in her factory, Zack picks her up and walks out with her in his arms," Lorna gushes. "Oh, that was so romantic!"

"She'd probably tell him to put her down," Alex murmurs, "but I'm not sure, maybe not! I don't want him doing that unless they're in a stable relationship!"

"Is Aleida still with that buff dude?" Flaca asks Daya. "I thought I saw them together at Maria's party."

"Yeah, it's been about three weeks now...he's the first of her boyfriends that I actually don't mind. The little ones are wary of him because they're used to Cesar, but Leon is like, so different. I've never seen him do drugs or scare us kids with guns...and he doesn't seem weird at all. He...protects us. A while ago, he put in a security system and the day after he and my mom met, he installed bunk beds for the children. He's almost part of the family."

"What a man!" Lorna squeals. "How'd they meet?"

"When she came here for her ladies' night, she got super drunk, fell back from her barstool, and landed right in his arms instead of on the floor."

"Oh my goodness!" Lorna hollers in Daya's face, and everyone holds their ears. "That's the cutest thing ever! Gosh, Daya, that's beautiful! It really is," she comments, fanning herself. "I'm gonna cry! Sorry, Alex and Flaca, but Daya's mom's story is too amazing and it wins the prize. Love at first sight after crashing into each other, just like me and Christopher, _yes_!" She's jumping up and down, squealing, "Eeeep! Eeep! Eeeeep!"

"Lorna..." Daya chuckles while Nicky and Blanca get Lorna to sit back in her seat. "Shut up, you dang hyper pixie!"

"I can't help it! I'm so happy for you!" She hugs Daya.

"I'm not sure if he was really in love with her at first, but she was definitely attracted to him."

"That's the opposite of my mom and Charles...he was more interested in her before she started having googly eyes for him. I think she's just wanting to prevent herself from a damaged heart again," Alex says.

"Wait, my mom and Kubra started flirting right away, and they were interested in each other mutually. I should win!" Flaca insists, narrowing her thin brows. "Who made you the judge of this thing anyway, Lorna?"

Lorna rolls her eyes. "Hello, I'm the romantic movie guru!"

"Yeah, don't be a sore loser, Flaca," Daya tells her. "Leon gave my mom his business card with his number on it, and she called him up the next day."

"Guys, it's not a contest!" Nicky reminds them. "Lorna's just very opinionated when it comes to love. Don't take it personal."

Maritza sighs dreamily. "Love's totally in the air. It's inspiring..."

"I wonder who we should set up next?" Flaca asks. "Oh my god...how about Gloria and somebody?"

"Perfect, you took her name right outta my mouth!" Maritza says elatedly while rubbing her hands together.

Lorna squeals in exhilaration. "Aw, let's do it! She should have her knight in shining armor!"

"The last thing she needs is to meet a stranger online," Blanca tells them. "She's not gonna be down with this. If you wanna matchmake her with somebody, it needs to be at least a month after Arturo finally got locked up and we all have to know the person and trust him. We don't even know if she now hates men and refuses to date for the rest of her life. I wouldn't blame her. Gloria's the closest thing I've had to a tía. She showed me how to put makeup on over a black eye. It's unimaginable what she went through. She is not gonna be ready for a passionate relationship!"

Daya nudges Blanca. "Preach it!"

"Yeah!" Alex, Nicky, and Maria agree in unison, but Lorna, Flaca, and Maritza pout and shrug.

"What if she likes women?" Nicky wants to know. "You have no idea."

"Shit, you're so right," Lorna realizes out loud.

"Hey...see that guy sitting in the booth over there?" Alex tilts her head in the direction of where he is. "I know him, he's cool. That's Fahri, my babysitter from when I was a kid. My mom and I are trying to get close to him again. I'm gonna go say hi."

"Oh, he's cute!" Flaca points out.

Maritza sighs exasperatedly. "Do you have to have a crush on every dude you see?"

"What?" Flaca asks defensively. "I'm boy crazy, what can I say? It's not like I'm gonna go out with him...and anyway, how come you're so worked up about it?"

"It's annoying. Dudes are just not that special, to be honest."

"Right on, sister," Nicky murmurs, lightly punching Maritza's shoulder.

"Mari-"

"No, I wanna experiment with chicks," Maritza interrupts Flaca.

"Okay, that's fine. We girls are super cool, and we give off the best vibes!"

"Correct-a-mundo!" Lorna declares.

"Cheers to being a girl!" Blanca says, and they raise their glasses and tap them against each other's. She's almost finished with her piña colada. "Should we come with while you tell him hey?"

"Yeah!" Alex says. She leads them to where he is. "Hi, Fahri, these are all my friends. Before you ask, yes, Mom lets us go here if she or Lorna's sister, Franny, is watching us."

"Alex, how are you? Nice to meet you girls!" Fahri gives them a polite wave.

"You too," Nicky says.

"I'm fine," Alex responds.

"You and your mom can come to my apartment tonight, if you want."

"She has a date, actually. Maybe tomorrow?"

"That sounds wonderful! I'll have to look at my calendar."

"Okay, awesome!"

* * *

Nicky grins at Lorna until her dimples show. They play footsie and Lorna gets a tingly feeling when Nicky's toenails softly glide up and down her bare leg. She giggles suddenly. "I'm ticklish!" Nicky puts her feet up on Lorna's lap, into her crotch, and she quickly starts to squirm, but she's loving every single second of it. Nicky looks so good in her flannel blue shirt and black tank top. If only Nicky were a guy, Lorna would date her in a heartbeat, but she's not, so these feelings are useless. The orgasm Nicky had given her the other day was so powerful, though, and just thinking about it makes her horny.

"What's going on with you two?" Maria asks in amusement.

"We're just foolin' around," Nicky murmurs, not taking her smoldering brown eyes off Lorna. Her gaze is so deep that Lorna's heart skips a beat. She closes her eyes and gulps while fumbling with her napkin, momentarily forgetting that she's in a public setting. The blonde removes her feet and suddenly, Lorna jumps and her eyes snap open when she feels an icy glass bottle against her cheek.

"Wake up, Morello," Nicky says in the low voice she'd used with Lorna in one of their most intimate, hottest moments.

"Oh, jeez...I-I guess I nodded off for a-a sec," she stammers, looking away from Nicky.

The girls start laughing uncontrollably and Lorna doesn't understand what's so hilarious. Quickly, she thinks of something to take her mind off Nicky flirting with her. She really shouldn't be taking pleasure in this, not when she's working so hard to make her and Christopher a thing.

"What if Christopher's parents are real controlling? Like, they won't let him date me?" she wonders aloud. "They could be forcing him to go out with Angela, when truly, he loves me, because I know he does! Or...Angela's parents are forcing her to date Christopher!"

"That's a bit of a stretch!" Nicky says.

"No, it could be like in _A Cinderella Story_ where the football player's all like, 'This is your dream, Dad, not mine!' and goes to kiss the main chick who works in the diner instead of the popular girl! They do it in the rain and everything!"

"Actually, it is already like that, because the jock chose the average girl over the popular, bitchy cheerleader, and while you're not a mean girl, you're the cheerleader in the movie! You're the captain, in fact," Maritza states.

"Well, then I'll quit the squad!"

"You shouldn't change yourself for a guy," Blanca advises her. "It's self-degradation, and the last thing you wanna do."

"I'll see about that, hon. I'm still gonna talk to their parents. I need to know!"

"Girl, I wouldn't," Alex discourages her.

"How would you even know where Angela lives?" Daya asks.

"I'm not going to their houses. I've been doing some extensive research...and I found out their places of work."

"Yo, that's super creepy!" Flaca points out, glancing nervously at Maritza.

A wave of anger washes over Lorna and she bangs her hands on the table. "None of ya needa be tellin' me what to do or insulting me!" She reaches for a glass, ready to smash it, but a pair of arms encircle her tightly and pull her away from the table. "I'm your friend, so support me!" She's attracting attention, but she doesn't care. She keeps trying to get out of Nicky's grasp, but the blonde doesn't let her go.

"Hey, Lorna, shhh..." Nicky murmurs sweetly. "Try to calm down...you're scarin' em, kid...and I don't want your sister comin' over here and snappin' at ya. Take a few deep breaths and count to ten, okay? One, two, three, four, five..."

When Nicky's halfway finished, Lorna starts to sense her fury dissipating, and then she begins to cry because the girls seem afraid of her. "I'm so sorry...I just wanted to find out for myself...I...I didn't mean to go off like that...I just get real mad easily."

"I'll go with you, okay? We can find out together," Nicky says gently.

"Alright...thank you."

Their friends accept her apology, and to Lorna, all is right with the world again. Nicky's still pissed at Flaca, though. "Do you not have a filter?" she hisses. "Lorna's sensitive! You need to be careful of what you say to her, dude."

"I wasn't tryin' to offend her..." Flaca turns to Lorna. "You ain't...you know. It's just, the situation...of goin' to a complete stranger's workplace and talkin' to 'em about their kid...it's like...it ain't something I'd do. I wouldn't feel comfortable."

Lorna shrugs. "We all got our own opinions."

* * *

"Yo, what went down with Rick Hopper?" Daya questions Aleida while they're out shopping for new bedding.

"I got with him because he called me _magnificent_ , and he was Christina's father...and one of the cops who arrested Cesar. He used to be a drug dealer, so I wonder what made him change."

"Did he do something to Piper?"

Aleida chuckles humorlessly. "Nah, but if you ask me, I say the little bitch got what was comin' to her. She fuckin' seduced him and destroyed our relationship...he didn't go for her, but she told him I put you in foster care and that I'm a whore. She even said that to my face. I never cheated on him, though. I only flirted with other men. Only when he and I got into bad fights because he thought women were wimpy damsels in distress, I fucked Cesar."

"What a homewrecker..."

"I know, but then I thought it'd be better this way. Who the fuck wants to have _Hopper_ as a last name? We ain't bunny rabbits."

Daya chuckles. "Yeah..."

"So you want pink, right?" Aleida shows Daya a pale pink comforter.

"That's pretty!" Daya takes it and puts it in the cart. She notices a matching pillowcase set with tiny blue flowers all over it. "I'm definitely getting this! Then, I'll paint my room turquoise. Oh, and I'd like a goldfish." Aleida begins to speak. "Don't make some joke about me giving my fish to another man or I will walk away from you."

Aleida snickers. "I wasn't gonna."

"You do idiotic things, but at least you let me and John be together."

"Nah, I don't like that this has happened either, but there's nothin' I can do about it. You gonna sneak around anyway...and he's the father, he needs to be there for you."

Daya hugs her mother and Aleida pats her back gently. "Thanks for understanding that."

* * *

"Hey, no peeking! Keep 'em closed!"

"I'm not!"

"You are! I can feel your eyelashes fluttering around my fingers."

"It don't matta, I can't see nothin'!"

Nicky continues to guide Lorna up the stairs, with one hand covering her eyes and the other on the small of her back as she holds onto the rail. She's anticipating this surprise that Nicky has in store for her. The blonde is full of them. Under that tough, bad chick facade, is a silly girl with a big heart. Nicky's snarky comments and perverted side are just part of her personality. Even though Nicky seems like she can handle anything, Lorna wants to protect her-not only from being homeless or possibly brutalized by Vee and for sure Piscatella, but also from herself. Nicky's not suicidal-Lorna knows that-but she is certainly self-destructive.

"Alright, open your eyes, kid."

Lorna does so and gasps in shock and awe. "Whoa, you did all that for me?" She touches each letter and decoration softly.

"Yep, and check this bad boy out." Nicky hands Lorna a keychain with a key and a few heart charms attached. "This is for your room so you can lock your door, and you could hook your personal house key onto it. When Franny isn't here all night long, you can be with me, always. I know it's technically Tricia's room for now, but that's only during the night. We mostly chill out in your room."

"Thank you, Nicky!" she shrieks happily, wrapping her arms around the other girl's waist.

"You're welcome! I also gave you a pretty vase. I kinda modeled your moodboard thingy over there, so it matches." Nicky jerks her thumb toward Lorna's collage of magazine cutouts. "Hope ya like it."

Lorna picks up the vase and examines it carefully. "Oh, I _love_ it! It's real cute!" She giggles and smiles so hard that her cheeks ache. "Nobody's ever done this for me before. You're so creative...and that lock? What a handywoman!"

Nicky beams, probably proud of herself. She should be. "I'm glad, Lorna. I enjoy making you happy. You deserve it!" Nicky envelopes Lorna in a warm hug and lifts her up slightly off the ground while spinning her, making her laugh out loud.

It's causing her to wonder if she's actually in love because she's seeing stars and her heart is doing funny things. It's confusing though, because she's only into guys and she has Christopher-when Angela and their parents are out of the picture.

 _No, she can't be. The rest of her friends treat her just as sweetly as Nicky does. They're wonderful and kind, like Nicky is. It's just that they've never made her feel so..._

She can't figure this out.

 _Could she just be suffering from extreme loneliness and seeking out any form of attachment, mistaking platonic for romantic? Would she be this close to Nicky if Angela just got lost, never to be seen again?_

Nicky is doing the exact same things that she wants Christopher to do for her, what she'd been pleading with Vinny for, and that is to be protective and gentle-which he was, but he thought her stories were fabricated, so she didn't bother telling anyone else-not the girls, nor her sister, nor Red, Gloria, and Diane. She'd just avoided being home when Franny was absent. They'd probably gotten the idea, but nobody had ever asked, most likely not wanting to intrude. Piper had slut-shamed her, which was another reason for her silence.

Nicky believed her. She'd listened. She'd wanted to.

That's why Lorna feels so much for her.

Nicky cares.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, Captainperoxideanddeadboy,** **cornedout, and HannahMiley1fan!**


	25. Real Tough Chick

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: violence, abusive, racist, and ableist language**

 **cabrona-bastard**

 **Ramona and Pidge are the same girl-Pidge is her nickname.**

 **How do you like Diane with Charles? I just thought CO Ford was a decent cop-damn I miss him, the cops from the first three seasons (except Coates, Healy, and Mendez) were awesome, and he's single, so perfect for Diane!**

"Hey, I'm just wondering...what are your intentions with my mom?" Alex questions Charles in the public library after they'd conversed about mundane things like music and books they enjoy. "Is tonight a friends thing, or...are you looking for something more?"

"I'm not the kind of man who rushes into things, if that's what you're asking. Your mother is an amiable woman, and I'm completely fine with taking things slow. Tonight, yes, we're just gonna be two people on an outing and having a great time...nothing other than that...if anything were to happen between us now or in the future, it would be on her terms only."

Alex feels relieved at his answer. "That's very reassuring. I'm glad you're a respectful dude."

"I wouldn't be anything but. I'd never deliberately hurt her."

"Good, I hope you're telling me the truth, because we know too many assholes to count. I wish betrayal was a crime."

"I'm being honest, I promise. That would be more fair, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah..."

* * *

"What do I even wear for this thing?" Diane is freaking out, pulling every casual dress, skirt, and nice top that she owns out of her closet. She doesn't want to go in jeans, since that's part of her uniform at both of her jobs. "Alex, could you come here and help me out, honey? I've got makeup on, but no outfit!" Her daughter walks in quickly. "I don't wanna hear shit about how I'm pretty no matter what! Don't give me that! I'm just so nervous!"

"Once again, he's your friend, not a romantic partner!" Alex reminds Diane. "You have to relax. Jesus, I've never seen you like this."

Diane groans and flops over on her bed. She tries to calm down her heart, which is pounding rapidly against her ribcage. "I don't want to be in Lee-infested clothing, I'd like to burn everything he's touched, and I'd rather not look poor with my ripped stockings. Fuck, it's bad enough that I can't set myself on fire, because he's been all over that, too."

"Ugh, I didn't need you to say that," Alex mutters, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "So...what have you worn with him?"

"Everything..."

"Yeah right, Mom! There has to be something."

"I have literally nothing! I wore each one of these every single night of that affair!" Diane tosses her hands up in the air. "Fuckin' shitty goddamn asshole!"

"Wait a minute." Alex holds up a finger. "You fit in my clothes. Take a breather, I'll be back shortly."

Alex returns a minute later with stockings, a black leather miniskirt, a sheer dark red sleeveless top with a matching cami underneath, and a gray cardigan. "Try this. I also have evening gowns, but they're too fancy. Lorna, Flaca, and Maritza rearranged my closet and put together all my nice shit."

Diane immediately changes into the outfit and looks in the mirror. She fluffs out her curly hair over the sweater and gapes at herself.

"Well?"

"You are a true blessing, thank you, baby. Thank you!" Diane pulls Alex in for a hug and kisses her cheek. "We'll have to go shopping next time, but this is amazing!" She gathers her hair up and puts it into a bun with tendrils hanging down, slides in fake but passable gold hoops, pulls on a pair of black boots, and grabs her purse off her bed. "Bye, Allie!"

"Bye! Have fun!"

"I will!" Diane calls out and rushes to her car. She texts Charles that she's leaving and drives to the address he'd given her. When they see each other, they embrace and pull apart within a few seconds.

"Wow, you look lovely," he praises her, and she grins.

"Thanks...but I'm not too dressed up, am I?" she asks worriedly. He's in jeans and a top.

"No, no, you're fine. I should've worn the button up and the black slacks...next time."

"Yeah," she agrees. "Let's go in!"

"Alright!"

As soon as Diane notices that Caputo's in the band, she hides her face against Charles' chest and starts laughing. "Oh my god, that's my boss!"

"What a strange coincidence," Charles says and then chuckles. "I hope Joe doesn't cause you to walk out of your job, either."

"What happened?"

"There were budget cuts at Litchfield, the minimum security women's prison where we both used to work...so I quit before he could fire me. Then, there was a riot and he switched to being, I guess, a principal or the manager of Friendly's?"

"He was the vice principal, then Fig...excuse me, Natalie, was the principal until she was caught embezzling, so...well, it feels like a riot is going on at school, but it's more peaceful than a prison one, I'd imagine. What made you decide to be a CO? I mean, obviously keeping assholes off the streets, but what made you choose to be the security guard of a women's prison or a juvenile delinquent center for girls rather than a men's prison?"

"I'm not sure, I just have more compassion for women who wind up in minimum security...most of them have done small crimes, drugs, stealing money from companies because they're poor or homeless, or going down for their husbands or boyfriends. Mostly, they're not hurting anyone...and if they do, it's because they have a mental illness or were defending themselves. There were definitely a bunch who really did horrible things because they got pleasure out of it, but...about seventy-five percent of them, you're rooting for them to learn from being in jail, and succeed when they're released. Now for men's max, that's almost full of serial killers, abusers, child molesters, and rapists...they don't get my sympathy." Diane nods in understanding. "Now girls...their minds are young, and if they've come from a bad home, that can really mess them up. They act on impulse, teenagers especially. Sometimes, we get kids who've spray-painted a wall or tried some drug...or even was a prostitute. They're minors, we go easy on them...they're not tried as adults unless they have purposely harmed a person for no good reason. A lot of them...I don't think they belong behind bars. They need a lesson, but you don't just throw someone in a cage."

"Right, I mean...they're just children...they should have proper guidance, and if they don't, that's not necessarily their fault. Now, for the rich or middle class kids with good parents...they know better, they've been taught well...maybe they can sneak graffiti or drugs and not get caught. Teens wanna try that shit."

"I get that, totally. I feel bad arresting kids who've never done anything too terrible, but the law is the law. It's my job."

"I know."

"What caused you to want to be a waitress and a teacher?"

Diane shifts in her seat awkwardly and untwists the strap of her cami underneath her top. "I was an English major in college and even though freshmen can be bratty, I kill 'em with kindness. Then they feel bad if they're rude and quickly apologize. Plus, I'm a hit with my high-schoolers. I'm one of the favorite teachers."

"Excellent!"

"Yeah, and as for Friendly's...I just like to have a side job," she lies. "I love serving people, bringing smiles to their faces, especially the little ones when they get ice cream sundaes."

Charles grins. "That's great."

"So I bet your favorite part of your job is releasing people from jail?"

"Yeah, if they've earned it."

"What's not so awesome?"

"I had to put a bullied transgendered inmate in the SHU-that's isolation-for her own protection, and I felt so bad...I really didn't want to do it. In fact, it was the final straw before I stopped working there."

Diane shakes her head. "Wow..."

"The system's fucked up sometimes."

"Yep..."

"Hey, I'm wondering, how long is your hair?"

"Just to my chest," She undoes her bun and he just gapes, open-mouthed as the brunette locks cascade down her back and shoulders. "It's nothing, really."

"It's beautiful, just like your eyes," He touches her hair softly and then removes his hand, probably afraid he's invading her personal space.

She looks down at her lap and her cheeks turn pink. "Thank you," she mumbles softly.

The music begins to play and Charles holds out his hand toward her. "Would you like to dance?"

"Sure! I'm not positive I'm very good, but okay!"

She doesn't step on his toes once as they glide around the floor, and it's wonderful when he twirls and lifts her. During the slow songs, he's staring into her eyes so much that she blushes and bites her bottom lip while looking down at the floor. She's really beginning to like him, but she refuses to let herself dive into another relationship until she's a hundred percent positive he will accept her for who she is, respect her and Alex, and be with her for at least half a year before sex.

They go out to the Williamsburg Waterfront and eat some takeout pizza with their backs pressed up against the fence. Afterwards, they walk along the bridge slowly so they can take in the view of the beautiful lake they're facing. The lights from the buildings and the moon reflect upon the water, making it sparkle, and it's quiet and peaceful here.

"It's really pretty in the evening," Diane points out.

"Yeah, it is," Charles agrees.

"I took Alex to this area a lot...now she probably just goes herself, with her friends, but yep...I used to drive out here, even before she was around, and I just kinda contemplated life. I thought about who I was gonna be in the future. It's a good place to do that. Sometimes, my mind wasn't on anything at all...I just wanted to be alone...maybe let out a good cry, or scream-that is, if nobody was around."

"When I left my first job, that's exactly what I did."

Diane smiles, but then she remembers the first time she went to this location when she didn't have a smoke or drink, and that was after she'd woken up in bed to find Lee gone without even so much as an apologetic breakup note. He'd promised to bring her there later that night, but obviously, he hadn't. She'd called out his name and searched the hotel about five times, but no luck. She'd dialed his number, repeatedly, but the line had always been disconnected or busy. All day long, she'd waited for him to ring her back, and she jumped up and answered the phone whenever it rang. The disappointment that it wasn't him crushed her to the point of tears-and Diane had never cried that hard over a boyfriend in her entire life. After a few hours of sobbing in bed, she decided to visit the amazing view that was the Williamsburg Waterfront, just to have a change of scenery. It had made her feel a tiny bit better, but she continued to think of herself as pathetic for being so upset that a famous rock star had broken her heart.

A few sniffles later, she lets out a trembling sigh and tries to keep up her grin, to push her emotions back down. They just keep coming up, though, like it's too much for her to swallow. As she stands here with another man, holding onto the rail and staring out at the glittering sight, she wonders how something so simple could hold a huge amount of meaning to her if it all started with one jerk who isn't even worth her time-and then came back, pretending to be a decent human being for about two weeks.

"Are you okay?" Charles asks.

"Yeah," Diane squeaks.

"You don't sound it."

She's puzzled at how he can read her so well, even when they can barely see each other. She could choose to tell him she just wants to bask in the quiet, but instead, she asks, "Alright, you really want to hear this?" She can't keep things from him that aren't even her fault. He would never blame her for having such a shitty ex.

"I'll listen to anything you have to say, Diane."

"He fucked me over for the last time," she growls through gritted teeth. "I warned myself not to fall for it again..."

"Who?"

"The dumbass who got me pregnant with Alex via one night stand when he was the drummer for Death Maiden, then abandoned us both when I told him I was gonna have a baby. Fifteen years went by, and he showed up in my classroom...apologizing for being famous and forgetting about me...wanting to get to know her and hook up with me again...start a real relationship. He said he was ready to be a family...I doubted him, attempted pushing him away, but he...he used words to get me to agree...I was just waiting for the moment he'd stop his act, but...I had to get rid of him...because he had the audacity to make a pass at his own daughter, effectively creeping her out." Diane pauses and takes a deep, shaky breath. "Even though he didn't know she was our kid, it was wrong... _so_ fucking wrong! He'd caused me to be all torn up inside for the last time, but when Alex told me what that monster said to her...the pain I felt was so much worse. If I'd never let him back in, he wouldn't have done shit. I'm such a screw-up!"

"No, don't be so hard on yourself...sounds like this idiot's the guilty one. If it had been me, I would've stepped up to the responsibility...and how could you have known that he'd do that to Alex? I'm sure she doesn't blame you at all."

"She doesn't, but she should...I even saw right through him, and I _still_ gave him another chance. I'm so goddamn naive...stupid..." Diane wipes her eyes with a tissue from her purse, but the tears don't seem to stop leaking out.

"You are not," Charles insists. "I wanna punch that bastard's lights out for making you feel that way."

"If I was smart, I would never have gone for him a second time."

"You thought he'd changed, you were hoping..."

"That makes sense."

* * *

"Hello, er, Mr. MacLaren, I'm so sorry to bother you, but are you making your son go out with Angela, because he's been pretty miserable without me!"

The man peers at Lorna with a confused look on his face. "What? Who are you and why do you care who Christopher spends all his time with?"

"Oh, I'm Lorna, his girlfriend. He told me to seek you out here. You see...we were together for a short time...and we still are, but now, Angela's in his life. She's completely wrecking his life. It's like that movie, _Fatal Attraction_. She's evil!"

"I've met Angela...my wife and I think she's a very nice girl."

"That bitch is clearly faking it! Does Christopher even like football, or is that just the overbearing father in you? Do you know his true dreams? I'm so much more than just a bitchy cheerleader, that's such a nasty stereotype, a lot of us are actually pretty friendly! I'm not even blonde like they all are in the movies!"

"That's nice, dear. We let him do what he wants. I don't care if he has a thousand girlfriends."

"I'm his only one!" Lorna growls. "You fuckin' got that?"

"Excuse me, I'm going to need you to remove yourself from my office."

"You need to tell me you cemented it into your head that Christopher's my boyfriend. I couldn't give a shit less if you're the fuckin' CEO of the _world_ , let alone this stupid company!"

"Miss...I don't have to answer your questions anymore. I'll ask security to forcibly escort you out if you cannot obey my request."

Lorna sighs while folding her arms across her belly. "Okay, maybe it isn't you. CEOs usually don't pay attention to their kids because they're always busy working. I should've asked your wife...wrong person, I apologize. Bye!" She dashes to where Nicky's standing by the huge office. "He's not the problem...Angela's mother is. What's the deal with women trying to turn their daughters into mini versions of them? When mine tried to do that to me, I stood up for myself! I'm my own person!"

"Alright, let's try her out. I hope it's not another expensive-looking facility. I feel weird in those kinds of places."

"Ms. Kuznick, hello...do you really know your daughter, or is what she's doing what you want?" Lorna bursts out as soon as she walks into the woman's dentist office. The woman jumps in her chair and drops a whole folder onto the floor, scattering all the papers. "Oh no, let me help you." Lorna starts to gather up the documents, but Ms. Kuznick stops her.

"Whoa, you can't just charge in! I'm doing something important. If you're some television interviewer who's doing a segment about parenting on Oprah-"

"Do I look like one? I'm here because I'm Christopher's soul mate. Just wondering...are you literally pushing Angela to date Christopher? 'Cause he really loves me, not her! He told me that himself! Love reigns over everything, even petty and meddling parents."

"She makes her own decisions. Please leave, or I'm going to call the police."

Lorna scoffs as Nicky pulls her away. "So it's her. Thanks. Sorry about the mess," she apologizes while walking backwards and then making a run for it back to the curb. "It's really fuckin' Angela," Lorna says through gritted teeth. "That slutty cunt! I got my hopes up for nothin'!"

"Well, now what?"

"I am going to singlehandedly destroy her."

"Okay, but first, Flaritza is gonna message Humps' sister and they want us all to be there. Also, they're gonna film their second video and we're in it again. Taxi!" Nicky waves a cab down. "Thanks for stopping, man." She opens the door and lets Lorna in first, then herself. She shuts it behind them and tells the driver to go to Daya's address.

"It's too dark to do anything yet, so...sure, I'm real excited for this! Hey...we should come up with a combined nickname on account of our best friendship!"

"That's kinda cheesy, but what were you thinking, Licky or Norna? The first one sounds luscious, and the second's barely got me in it."

"Nichorello or Moreichols."

"Nichorello, definitely. It's just missing one letter from each of our last names and we share the first _o_."

Lorna giggles. "Oh, you like this now, don't ya?"

"I suppose."

* * *

"So, Dana Humps...it just shows porn shit," Maritza tells the girls.

"Nah, you gotta type her last name as _Humphrey_ , we just call him Humps," Flaca reminds her.

"Okay..." Maritza highlights _Humps_ and puts in _Humphrey_ instead. She opens a few results in new tabs and goes through the pages until she finds one that has a brother with her same surname. "Got her!"

"Holy shit," Alex murmurs. "We're really doing this."

"Fuck yeah!" Blanca replies. "Expose his ass!"

"Start with 'hey, I was a student in your brother's class, and he's so disgusting in his lessons because of what he makes us do,'" Lorna suggests.

"List everything, even the little details," Nicky adds.

"Yeah, and let her know how traumatized you were and still are," Maria advises. "As a fellow woman, she should understand."

"I'm kinda worried she'll take his side, to be honest," Daya admits. "He's her blood."

"If we all write to her from our profiles, she won't," Flaca says.

"Look, I got a response!" Maritza shouts excitedly, and the girls crowd around her. _My brother is dumb and gross...my sister and I always have to reign him in...he goes too far at times. Sorry..._

"Ask her if she can talk to him for us!" Lorna tells the small Latina.

Maritza nods and types, _Will you do me a favor and speak with him?_

 _Sure._

The girls shriek and jump up and down, hugging each other tightly. Then, Maritza picks up her camera phone, holds it in front of her and Flaca, and presses _record_. "Hello, everyone, this is Flaritza live, with special guests, Daya, Blanca, Maria, Lorna, and Nicky! Say hi, girls!" She points it at them.

"Heyyy!" They smile and wave at the camera.

"Yo, we just wanna change the topic of our channel for a minute...instead of winged eyeliner and contour, we're here to tell y'all that there's a protest at our school. We skipped today...not just us, but almost all of the students!" Flaca announces, bringing the camera back to herself and Maritza, with the others in the background. "We got these creepy teachers, and one of 'em's got a sister, so Maritza here revealed everything he did!"

"It was so fun!" Lorna adds.

"Dana Humphrey, I hope you're listening," Nicky goes on. "That's his sister."

"He and his fellow teacher, Lee Dixon are gross and dangerous. Humps is so graphic in biology class, forcing us to touch dead or alive animals, and he and Dixon both feel up underaged girls!" Blanca reports.

"That's right, Brook Shields," Maritza says.

Blanca looks confused. "Who?"

"Oh yeah, you totally look like her!" Flaca comments. "She's a pretty actress, so it's a compliment."

"Hm, thanks, then!"

"Anyway, they both give us nightmares...and so does Piscatella, with how he gives such brutal punishments," Alex mutters. "I'm not easy to spook, but he...he's frightening, threatening to break my arm just for defending Nicky, who he'd slapped!"

"He and Dixon have murdered people before," Maria goes on.

"Please help us get these fuckers fired and in prison with the most security possible," Daya continues.

"You heard our friends. We cannot live with being actually afraid to get an education, all because of Humps, Lee Dixon, and Desi Piscatella!" Maritza exclaims. "I've had nightmares about them, Humps, especially!"

Flaca slings her arm around Maritza. "Yo, I'm always there for my girl during those times, but it hurts to see her cry. We're like two peas in a pod."

"Mine are of Piscatella banging on the window outside Lorna's bedroom door when we're hanging out in there," Nicky says. "They freak me the fuck out!"

"Yes, he's terrifying, all three of those men are," Lorna murmurs, her eyes wide.

"That's the end of our segment tonight. See y'all next time!" Maritza chirps.

"Bye!" Flaca calls out, and the girls wave at the camera.

* * *

Right when Alex is in the middle of listening to music on her headphones and singing along to the lyrics while twirling and gyrating around her room to them, Diane comes in. Embarrassed of her voice and wild dancing, she cuts herself off immediately and pauses the song. She pushes her hair back from her face and fixes her glasses so they're higher up on her nose.

"No, don't let me stop you, honey-"

"It's alright," Alex mutters while taking off her headphones. "It's sleepy time anyway. We have school tomorrow." She gets into bed, as she's all ready. "Did you have fun with Charles?"

"Yeah, we talked about our jobs a bit, danced to Sideboob music, where, I kid you not, Caputo sang. He sucked." They both laugh at this. "Uh, then we got some food and headed to the Williamsburg Waterfront. I told him you and I went there together, and what Lee did to us, just recently. Charles was so fuckin' sweet about it...he made me feel a lot better. I could see that he meant his words when he said I wasn't to blame for that douchebag, and we kind of...swayed-like, he held me...until I quit crying." Diane's eyes light up with happiness and she smiles like a giddy schoolgirl. Even though this type of talk bores her, Alex is beyond ecstatic for her mother, so she grins as well.

"Aww, he sounds like a sap, but that's cool."

"He was! We're gonna hang out again during my lunch hour tomorrow."

"That's great, Mom. I'm happy he cheered you up...and is a nice guy in general."

Diane squeezes Alex's hands lightly while kissing her forehead and her cheek. "Same here." Alex takes off her glasses and puts them on her nightstand while rolling over. "Good night, baby, I love you!"

"Night, Mom, I love you, too!"

* * *

"Liquid soap!" Blanca shouts while running into the backroom with Flaca, Daya, and Maria following her. "I think it should work just as well as oil."

"Oh, perfect!" Red exclaims. "Where and when are you going to set this up? I can't do it because I have a bad back. Besides, I don't know if it'll work...but I'm really up for anything." She yawns. "I'm tired."

"Maybe tomorrow, like in the hallway right outside the gym."

"That sounds good!"

"Hey, Red, on a lighter topic, we need to ask you something before Gloria gets back...do you know if she's ever been interested in women, like went out on a date with one before?" Flaca wants to know.

"Well, no...I believe she's straight. Why?"

"Okay, thanks! It's just for research," Daya tells her.

Red is about to press the girls on what this is about, when her co-workers return and continue preparing food. Dixon and Humps barge in after them, and the young Latinas exit the area. "So, a nigger, two beaners, a commie, and a mute...that's the joke," Dixon says while placing himself in between Gloria and Aleida, and Humps grins. "Hey, I found the spice rack, literally, so I can make my sausage more flavorful, huh?"

"Remember who has the knife," Aleida snaps while chopping up a tomato. "Ain't you supposed to be waitin' out there?"

"Lady, we do what we want," Humps snarls while shaking his gun at her, and she knocks it out of his hands with her knife. Gloria catches and drops it in the same second. She stares at the other women, wide-eyed and unmoving, as if she's in shock. "Yeah, you're too scared to do it!" He chuckles darkly as he picks up his weapon and shakes his head. Red, Claudette, and Norma try to get the men away from Gloria and Aleida, but Dixon blocks their path.

"Women...they're good for sex and cooking, that's about it," he mutters.

"What are you going to do with us?" Red asks.

"Yeah, there's five of us and two of you screwups," Claudette says more strongly while the rest of the women are eyeing Humps' gun.

"We just want to watch you slave away." Dixon and Humps sit on chairs. "Go ahead."

"Why aren't any of you lazy asses working?!" Piscatella booms, and Red almost jumps out of her skin. Claudette steps in front of Red, while Norma slightly pushes Gloria and Aleida further back, to make a path for the scary piece of shit. "Well, get to it! Don't just stand there gaping like a retard, Reznikov!"

Red ignores the shakiness in her legs and the fact that her back aches. She quickly starts to make the first meal of the day.

"If you must know, your co-workers interrupted us," Claudette hisses.

"I don't want to hear any excuses!" Piscatella roars. "My men are in charge of you, which means you need to listen to them and do what they request."

"Yo-" Aleida begins to speak, but Gloria covers her mouth and shushes her.

"I'd like to hear what she has to say, Mendoza."

Aleida struggles to get Gloria's hand off her mouth. "Ugh, don't lick me!" Gloria mutters while wiping her hand on her pants.

"It's a good thing she did, because I would've gotten rid of you some other way. You should let your little friend talk. Keep doing whatever you Mexicans do for breakfast."

Gloria nods and obeys him, but Red can see that she's trembling and clutching the knife so tightly that her knuckles are turning white. Piscatella towers over the Latinas-he's a whole foot taller than them.

"Dixon just came in and made rude comments about me and my girl. He was bein' real racist and sexist...and I tried to defend us, but Humps pulled out his damn gun to shut me up. What the fuck do we gotta do, huh?" Aleida wonders aloud.

"How about this, old lady Diaz?" Piscatella walks up to Aleida and glares down at her coldly with his hands clasped behind his back. She gives him the same angry stare and copies his stance. "Imagine yourself without a tongue and no longer gabbing away." A quiet gasp emanates from Gloria as her hand stills. "At least Romano didn't lose much...she stuttered to begin with. Protecting friends can lead to unpleasant things."

Fear strikes through Red as her gaze travels from Norma to Aleida, who doesn't appear to be so strong now, since her eyes are hollow, void of expression. She presses her lips together and touches her mouth, as if she's checking for blood. "You threatenin' me?" Daya's mother asks quietly.

"It's a warning. I enjoy the silence." Humps and Dixon snicker behind them. "That was way out of line when you refused to give Mr. Bennett eggs. You five deserve to rot away in a dingy basement. You will treat us staff with respect. I'll be watching." His diabolical glance passes over them as he creeps away.

* * *

"I wish Leon and Cesar were both here to take his motherfuckin' ass out!" Aleida whispers to Gloria as they continue chopping up vegetables and stirring eggs and milk.

"I know, but...you gotta learn when to shut the hell up! _Ay dios..._ I'm serious here, mama. He could've killed us all! He's already mutilated one of us!"

"Fuck." Aleida glances at Norma. "She really got no tongue? I thought she was just mute."

"Nah, but it's deformed, she can still sing."

"Hurry up, stop your chit-chat!" Dixon bellows, and Humps pounds his gun on the counter a few times. "I wish you were on _Girls Gone Wild_ , hot pants."

"Yeah, you and Ramos. That would be...oh yeah, just thinking about that makes me..." Humps grabs at his crotch while grunting. "Every single one of those little ones, actually. I need to get into 'em."

"What about the tall chick? She's got the body of a stripper."

"They all do. I heard Nichols call Morello _shortstack_ , well, she's not wrong. Damn, that is one fine piece of ass, but even perkier tits."

Gloria turns on the stove after pouring oil into the pan, and the flames burst out of the burner. She can't look away. What she really would like to do, is smash them both over their heads with it for the way that they're talking about the girls. She, Red, Aleida, Norma, and Claudette, are being forced to listen to this, though, because if they utter a single word, they could be in immediate danger. The men's conversation cannot get more disturbing, and it triggers a dark memory. As she dissociates, she feels like she's blindly doing her job and hopes she doesn't mess up anything. She can sense someone helping her sit on the floor. She rocks back and forth while whimpering.

 _"¡Come, perra!"_

 ** _Eat, you bitch!"_**

 _Gloria chews in silence and tries not to cry. She wants some pasta or Mexican food, not this shit. She only gets that stuff for lunch, and she doesn't mind meat at all, but she hates liver and horseradish. It's terrible._

 _When she finishes, Arturo tells her, "Voy al baño y luego voy a ver televisión. Será mejor que te unas a mí."_

 ** _I'm going to the bathroom and then I'm gonna watch some television. You better join me._**

 _Gloria just nods and loads their plates. She gets out some candle holders and a match and sinks into the world of Santeria while she waits for her Satan-like boyfriend. A minute later, the television roars to life and the materials for her practice are snatched out of her hands and tossed on the ground. He starts a fire and she asks what he's doing._

 _"Quema los candelabros y los fósforos. Nunca se le permite practicar esa mierda de nuevo. ¡Sólo haz lo que yo haga, puta!"_

 ** _Burning your candle holders and matches. You're never allowed to practice that bullshit again. Only do what I do, whore!_**

 _"Esto es porno, y peor aún, porno infantil!" Gloria's about to sob when Arturo slaps her across the face again. That's going to leave a few marks. She hates him to no end. He's a monster who really needs to die._

 ** _This is porn, and even worse, child porn!_**

 _"Mira lo que veo. No me importa lo que pienses de eso. Creo que es seductor, y por lo que debe usted, así que callarse y prestar atención a la televisión." He grips her face in his hands and forces her eyes at the television. She's very disgusted at what she sees and every time she whimpers, he squeezes her face tighter, making it hurt even more. Gloria is starting to get dizzy and tears roll down her cheeks. When the movie is over, he tosses her into his bed and undresses her like she's a kid. It's repulsive and degrading, but she can't do anything about it. His fist slams into the side of her face and the tears come before she can speak._

 ** _Watch what I watch. I don't care what you think of it. I think it's alluring, and so should you, so shut up and pay attention to the television._**

 _"Has hecho creer que no bebiste, mujer. Nunca rechazarás nada que te ofrezcan mis amigos o yo. ¿Lo entiendes?"_

 ** _You made them think you didn't drink, woman. You will never turn down anything offered to you by me or my friends. Do you understand?_**

 _"Sí," she squeaks, holding her temple where she's sure a bruise is forming. She looks down and sees three bloody lines cross her chest. They still hurt to touch. Her hand and foot are both red where he had banged them with his fist and boot. She looks terrible._

 _He grabs her butt and forces it on him while he strips himself. He wraps his naked arms around her chest and it makes her feel so dirty._

 _"No me hagas volver a empujarte abajo de las escaleras mañana," he whispers to her violently. "Tengo mi ojo en ti."_

 ** _Do not make me push you down the stairs again tomorrow. I've got my eye on you._**

 _She nods, with tears streaming down her face. He forces himself on her like he does every single night, makes her do a strip tease for him, beats her, and then sniggers._

"Gloria, can you finish the omelets, or do you want me to?" Red asks her softly while Aleida kneels down next to her and gently strokes her hair.

"El diablo encarnado está aquí... _él_ está todavía dentro de ellos..." she mumbles.

 **The devil incarnate is here... _he_ is still within them...**

"Are you cursing me?" Dixon bellows, and Gloria scrambles into a corner when he gets up.

"No," Humps says through a chortle and holds him back. "She's just being a whiny bitch."

 _He can understand her._ This is horrifying to Gloria.

"Something about Blanca's boyfriend?" Red looks puzzled, as do Claudette and Norma.

"No, _diablo_ is devil in Spanish...she's saying Dixon and Humps are the devil in human form," Aleida explains. "Yo, Gloria...they gonna get Piscatella if you keep sitting here. They're over there with their creepy faces, leering at us. I know you ain't havin' a crisis right now. Jesus fuck." She hugs Gloria. "Brush it off, mama, come on. I know it's hard, but-"

"I...I had a flashback." Gloria chokes on her tears. "M-my ex...he lives in _all_ of them. I... _we_...can't escape." She gulps and shudders.

"No shit," Red murmurs under her breath. "Aleida's right, though, you're a strong woman...you cannot let them see you weak, no matter what. It's not like we can order them to leave. They will be out very soon."

"Okay..."

"What are you gossiping about?" Dixon explodes. "We need to eat! Boy drama can wait!"

Humps cocks his gun, and Gloria's friends immediately help her up. "Yeah. Good choice, you dumb cunts."

* * *

As soon as she and Lorna round a corner to meet up with their friends, Nicky sees Piscatella stalking toward the gym. She doesn't want to again show Lorna that she's frightened of the beast, but her body fails her as it begins quaking continuously. She knows he can turn around at any moment and spot them.

"Fuck...I can't do this," she mumbles through her panic attack when he's too far away to hear.

"What is it, hon?" Lorna asks. "You got a haunted expression in those big brown eyes 'a yours."

"Homeroom...Alex, Maritza, and I have Jason from _Friday the 13th_ in a few minutes-his mother, actually...and I'm unable to be there..." Nicky gasps deeply while grabbing at her chest where her throbbing heart is. She twitches violently when someone touches her face, specifically where she was slapped. It's only Lorna, so she breathes a sigh of relief, but it turns into a whimper. She literally cannot move her feet, she's so scared.

"It's only me...it'll be okay, Nicky...I can help you skip...we'll go together," Lorna says soothingly while kneeling down when she does. "Oh dear, you're petrified!" Lorna squeezes her knee and she places her hands on top of Lorna's, in an attempt to settle down.

"You've got Mrs. McCollough...you shouldn't miss her class. She's not horrible like fuckin' Bigfoot. Can't I just join Red and Gloria and everyone in the cafeteria's backroom?"

"That's the last place you should go, because they are expecting some of us to cut class today and they probably want our blood."

"Of course!" Nicky's voice cracks and she blinks back tears. She furiously wipes them away with her fists. "Oh, shit fuckin' holy, Lorna...I-I can't breathe!" she squeaks, loathing how fragile she sounds right now.

"You gotta, hon, you're gonna make yourself sick and pass out. We don't know when he's gonna walk out, so I gotta get you away from this location right now. Come on." Lorna stands up and keeps holding Nicky's hand as they almost run out of the building and to safety, at the bus stop. "Our destination is Starbucks, where my sister works. I'll stay with you, I promise!" she comforts Nicky.

"No, it's okay, Lorna...I don't want you to get into even more trouble!" Her voice is still high-pitched and her heart continues to beat erratically.

"You don't leave a girl wailing alone on the bus with mascara running down her cheeks," Lorna murmurs while skimming her thumbs underneath Nicky's eyes. The bus comes and they both get on it. "It'll just be 'til second period! Ms. McCollough is lenient...she won't be too mad that I missed first period. Now inhale and exhale slowly until you can breathe normally."

Nicky takes Lorna's recommendation, and it seems to work, but she keeps shaking. "Thank you..."

So they sit in the back with Nicky's head on Lorna's lap, and as the tiny brunette Italian runs her fingers through Nicky's hair and rubs her back in calming circles when she begins hyperventilating, her love for this girl soars and reaches the skies above. It's just what best friends do for each other, and she has to keep reminding herself of this-but she can't help but imagine that it's a romantic moment between them.

* * *

"Come on, Nichols, get your ass in here," Alex mumbles while keeping her eyes on the locker room door. P had already advised her and Lorna not to skip Piscatella's class because it's way too dangerous. She takes her phone out of her purse and her thumbs skim over the keypad as she types a note to Nicky. _Where are you?!_ Her anxiety grows when Nicky doesn't answer for a while.

"Still no word?" Maritza asks while putting her shorts on.

"Nope." Alex tries Nicky again. _Could you answer me, please, I'm fuckin' worried as hell!_

 _Jesus, chill out, Alex, I'm playing hooky because I can't handle being around that neckless ape man. Lorna's with me and we're getting caramel macchiatos, I'm fine._

 _No, you're not. Come back to school before he notices you're gone and gives you a horrible punishment!_ Alex runs a trembling hand through her hair and pulls on it gently while pacing. "Shit, shit, shit..." she mumbles under her breath.

"What?" Maritza questions her.

"She won't return in time...and she's gonna face serious consequences."

"We gotta cover for her."

"I don't know why Lorna didn't think of this! Fuck!"

"We should've had her with us."

"What, and leave Lorna alone?"

"Oh...someone texted you."

 _I mean, are you stupid? Nobody can rebel against him unless they don't mind being killed. Blanca and Diablo were lucky that they came out of that pool alive...didn't you learn from that? I don't care if you survive his abuse...it'll make me happy and my job would be easier if you were tortured to death, in fact, because you'd be in Hell with Piper and Piscatella would go to jail...but to have your friend, who had nothing to do with this whole saga, be highly at risk...what a stupid move on yours and Lorna's parts for not warning her! Xo, P_

"Yeah, it's nobody," Alex murmurs while shoving her phone back into her bag. "What should we do?"

"Tell her to bring him something like a donut or coffee," Maritza suggests. "That way, he won't be as angry...I hope."

"Okay, thanks for the idea."

"Welcome!"

* * *

"I can't ditch that fuckin' awful gorilla's class!" Nicky cries.

"I know, I got the memo, too," Lorna says. Nicky reluctantly buys a cold drink for the evil creature and tosses her cash at Franny. "Sorry, we gotta skedaddle!" the brunette shouts at her older sister over her shoulder, and then the two girls scurry back to the bus and get on it as quickly as they can.

"Man, that's how...how fast we go...in...in gym class..." Nicky says in between wheezing gasps of air. "It's not...good...for...for my heart..."

"Don't talk, just concentrate on breathing, okay?" Lorna hands Nicky a bottle of water.

"Mm-hm," Nicky mumbles, and then drinks the cool liquid.

"Later on, I'll take ya to Caputo to discuss your heart condition...ya need accommodations, like being in a different Physical Ed class, for one. I'm nervous that you're gonna suffer a heart attack from all that strenuous exercise...this lady I take care of for community service had a massive one...that pig fucker really likes to push people past their limits. I'll tell ya what...we can go to Caputo's office right away. We'll tell Alex and Maritza to let that son of a bitch know where we are. You are in no state to run to your extremes."

Nicky feels grateful that Lorna wants to do this for her, but she's afraid that Piscatella will tell Caputo that she's a junkie and had been arrested for it. "No, no...that's not gonna work...I'll...I'll deal...and if I get dizzy and fall down, he'd let me take a break. If he really wanted me to die, he would've done the deed right in front of Vause and Flores on Monday. He's not gonna make himself responsible for the death of one of his students!"

"Oh, he can get away with anything! You heard what Red and Blanca reported to us...he was still hired, even though he's a murderer! Nicky, I can't sit there in History class, not knowing if you're okay."

"Alex and Maritza are with me...look, thank you for helping, but it's not worth stirring the pot on this one. Don't you have him, too?"

"Yeah, I'm alone there...I just keep my head down and do what I'm told. Some other girls I know are in there, so I stick by 'em, but they're not like, my close friends...uh, Zirconia, Stephanie, Alana Dwight, Michelle Carreras, Helen...and good ol' Kasey Sankey was in my class last year, but she was such a bitch. She called me crazy and a _dago_ , which is a really offensive word for a person who speaks Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese. I'm glad she's gone. Anyway, um...he's terrifying, but he's never tormented me constantly, probably 'cause I'm too much of an easy target."

"Well, good. You're small and I worry about you."

"Hey, you only got a few inches on me! He's a tree compared to both of us!" The bus lurches to a stop and then they step off, just as the warning bell is ringing. It sounds faint since the school is a little ways away. Nicky and Lorna speed-walk to the building, share a short but sweet hug, and go into their separate classrooms. Nicky tears off her jacket, throws it into her locker, and goes into the gym, just as the final bell goes off. Luckily, she always starts out wearing her uniform so she doesn't have to change.

"What do you have in your hands?" the huge asshole roars at Nicky, and then grabs the drink from her.

"It's for you...I bought it...at...at Starbucks," she answers.

"You're trying to bribe me, okay." He slurps it noisily. "Scamper around the room until your lungs collapse!" he orders the class. He clutches a fistful of Nicky's hair, practically ripping it out of her scalp, and throws her to the ground as she shrieks loudly. "You don't come in at the final second, you dumb blonde cunt."

"That was totally unnecessary!" Allison Basara yells while Alex and Maritza hurriedly assist Nicky in standing back up. They keep their hold on her upper arms until she stops wavering on her feet.

"Shut up, terrorist, unless you want double detention!" the animal growls.

Nicky groans softly. "My head hurts. I'll be okay, though."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Alex wonders out loud while showing her the peace sign.

"Two."

"Let's go!" he bellows at them.

Nicky waits for her heartbeat to catch up, and then, obeys the cruel teacher's command.

* * *

"Whoa, a hundred views already?" Flaca mumbles to herself in awe while scrolling down hers and Maritza's latest YouTube video comments before Woodshop starts. She shows her phone to Nicky and jabs the screen with her finger. "Damnit, they like Maritza better, yo! Fuckin' Cher...they called me a beaner version of her! So much for bein' famous..."

"They're just trolls, you're both equally awesome," Nicky assures her in a bored tone while resting her head on her arms.

"Oh yeah, Maritza told me what went down in gym. Someone should record this shit...it's proof!"

"I agree, but they gotta be real slick. Tell me something funny. I don't wanna think about the giant."

"Nothin' is goin' through my head 'cause I'm hella sad about what you been through, girl. I got so much compassion, like, up the ying-yang."

Nicky rolls her eyes. "Wow, you really _are_ emo. Come on, I need to be cheered up. Aren't friends good for that sorta shit?"

"Mr. Luscheck gets boners when he's scared," Zirconia pipes up with a smirk. "It's hot."

Flaca wrinkles her nose. "Eeeewww, that is not gonna help her!"

Nicky groans loudly. "I didn't need to know that."

"Yeah, but it got your mind elsewhere, didn't it?"

"I'm so gonna use that against him if he betrays me somehow," Nicky says. "Otherwise, that makes me uncomfortable, because he's my friend."

"It's weird to be talking about our teacher in this way," Stephanie agrees.

Janae and Cindy explode into laughter. "Fuck man, that's hilarious!" Cindy shouts.

"I would try that, but Cindy and I are more into that handsome fella who does construction," Janae says.

"I grabbed Mr. Luscheck's beard and it popped right up," Zirconia murmurs as Ouija, Pidge, and Michelle lean into her to hear more, and Flaca wants to gag. "He's mine, chicas!"

"I lust after Mr. Stratman...I dream of licking him like he's candy," Alana confesses. "Mmm, he probably tastes so good...I miss him and his abs! I wanna sing to him next time I see him, just like that really tiny girl with the squeaky Brooklyn accent and lipstick did to that Christopher guy!"

"You straight girls are gross," Nicky complains. "Enough of this Lolita bullshit."

"Amen to that!" Poussey bumps Nicky's fist with her own.

"I wonder where my future husband is..." Alana muses aloud.

 _Exactly where he belongs_ , Flaca wants to say. "Ugh, wasn't he like, a huge jerk?"

"No...did you know he used to be a professional stripper in college? Blanca, Steph, and I went through his file so I'd have some ideas on what to say to him if I ever saw him outside school. I always dressed up for him!"

"Okay, and the fact that he made Blanca stand on the table and she pissed her pants twice doesn't bother you at all?" Oujia asks sharply. "She gave you a rag when you broke your nose on that door. I thought you were friends..."

"Oh...I didn't know he did that to her. Sorry."

"Yeah, 'cause you naive as fuck," Pidge snaps.

"No, I wasn't there that day!" Alana protests. "We're not very close...we don't converse much. It's mostly Steph, Reema, Jeanie, and I...Blanca's more on the outskirts. The only thing the two of us had in common was being bullied by Piper...we assisted each other." At this, Stephanie elbows her. "Ow, what the fuck? You wanna give me a bruise?"

The Hawaiian girl gestures toward Nicky and Flaca. "You do realize you're talking in front of one of Piper's friends about her, right? Dominicans got a point...like, everyone knew about it except you. I tried to report it to you, but you didn't listen, just like my mom about Kris Kristofferson."

This piques Flaca's interest, and she and Nicky exchange a glance. "What you talkin' about?"

Alana looks at Flaca with guilt swimming in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's alright, we're trying to unmask her killer," Nicky says. "I mean, she never existed in my world, but I'm tight with her clique. It would help us."

"These bitches gonna accuse everyone now, y'all," Cindy mutters.

"Watch out, Poussey, even _you're_ gonna get blamed," Janae adds.

"We don't suspect her," Flaca says.

"Yeah, she's not negative and rude!" Nicky chimes in.

"Fuckin' _cabronas_ ," Michelle gripes. "They think Blanca and Alana murdered her together, as if they _could_." She and the other Dominican girls chuckle.

"Hey, that's offensive!" Alana objects.

"Nah, but picture this, Piper fights back and you get a nosebleed," Pidge says.

"Her kicking my face in would be a problem for me, yes."

"Blanca could do it, though," Ouija murmurs, smiling widely. "She's a real tough chick."

"Spic's right," Brandy says.

"Yeah, you're pretty smart for a brownie," Jennifer agrees.

"Watch out, you're gonna unleash their fiery Latina rages," Helen reminds her fellow Nazi followers as Ouija's nostrils flare with anger.

"Don't call Ouija racist shit, you fuckin' cracker hos! It wasn't them neither!" Flaca argues before Ouija can get a word in. "Blanca's one of our crew, and we barely know any of y'all! You don't have a huge motive!"

"Yo, we all pulled together yesterday and did a courageous thing...so let's all just calm down and stop fighting, yeah?" Nicky asks. "Stretch across tribal groups...look past differences, _don't_ insult each other, not even underhanded compliments..." Nicky raises her eyebrow at the white pride group. "Get back on track!"

"That was awesome," Poussey says. "Your speech bein' real motivational and each and every one of us working toward the same goal."

"Whoo-hoo!" Flaca cheers. "So, like...maybe a few of us could sing Nicky songs to make her smile, 'cause I don't like her bein' down in the dumps."

"I have something better," Ouija announces. She stands up on the table and clears her throat. "Guess who I am. Okay...hey, girl, uh, ya got a smoke? Uhhh or if ya want, I can lick ya pussy, make ya scream real loud, because I know ya like that, baby..." She perfectly imitates Nicky's usual smirk and posture and the inflection and tone of the blonde's voice.

Nicky throws a wad of paper at her when the class starts laughing hysterically. "Fuck you, I know that's me!"

Flaca and Poussey are actually shrieking with tears in their eyes, and a grin manages to spread across Nicky's face.

"Oh my god, you cannot go to school with that unibrow! That's totally unacceptable...you'll never get a job at Barney's looking like that!" Ouija says in a fake prissy voice while fluttering her nails and batting her eyes. "I just love the French braid I made in my hair! Don't you?"

"Holly Hobbie!" Flaca calls out, and they all chuckle. "Piper never wore those."

"Yo, my best friend and I are gonna be real popular, we got all kinds of makeup tips and we're like, so totally super fly!" Ouija does a correct impression of Flaca, but it could be Maritza, too. It causes Flaca to giggle anyway, along with the rest of the students.

"Flaca or Maritza," Nicky guesses.

"Both, it's like they share the same soul."

"Wow, we do!" Flaca exclaims.

"Amazing job, thanks!" Nicky compliments Ouija, and they all clap for her as she jumps down and takes a bow.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMiley1fan, A Star In My Universe, LM Ermington, and thecharmedwerewolf!**


	26. Girl Power

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **koshmar-nightmare**

The walk to English class is more somber than usual. Even though they're eager to search all over the city for Gloria's perfect man, Lorna and Maritza can't stop thinking about Nicky having to sprint in the gym for the whole period, even when she was splashing through her own puke. "Because of that fuckin' Chewbacca, she threw her guts up! My heart sank to my knees and I felt empty all of a sudden when you and Alex told me. Damn that awful piece 'a shit!" Lorna hisses. "I really wanna report this to Caputo...and also let him know that she had to stay after so the monster could do God knows what else to her...and he didn't let you or Alex in his office or nothin'. Only thing is, we can't, because he'd use the heroin addict thing against her."

Maritza sighs. "I figured. That really sucks...well, why don't we inform Caputo that he's killed somebody?"

"He would just deny it," Lorna says, and by her tone, Maritza senses she's lost all hope. "The only thing that's keeping me from having a complete mental breakdown, is Nicky constantly reminding me that she's okay enough to attend the rest of school today. I'm gonna give her a hug right when I see her next period!"

"Me, too."

They stroll through the door of Diane's classroom and sit at the front. "Hi, girls," Alex's mother greets them kindly.

"Hey," they respond in unison.

Lorna smiles at her phone and then shows it to Maritza. There's a text from Nicky. _Woodshop is so entertaining right now...they're all lifting my mood tremendously, and I wish the rest of our group, namely you, was here!_ Maritza's own phone vibrates and she sees that it's Flaca messaging her a video of Ouija standing up on a table. She'll have to watch it later when it won't bother her fellow students and Diane. The caption beneath it reads, _She sounds exactly like them! Maybe she can show off her talent when we vlog!_

Apparently, Lorna had gotten it too, but she's viewing it on mute. She pauses it when the camera focuses on Nicky's lit-up face. Lorna's not aware of this, but Maritza notices how smitten Lorna appears to be as she strokes the side of the screen, where Nicky's dimpled cheek is. She keeps replaying Nicky giggling and she only puts her phone away when Diane announces that they're going to start with some iambic pentameters and Shakespeare.

When their lesson is over, Maritza and Lorna join Nicky and Flaca before art. They'd probably gone out of their way to avoid any of the lethal teachers. Lorna throws her arms around Nicky. She looks so delighted to see the blonde. "I'm glad you're still standing!"

"Of course I am..."

"What'd he do to you?" Maritza asks as they take her to Ms. Ginsberg's cooking class.

Nicky pushes up her sleeves enough to expose red handprint-shaped bruises wrapped around both her wrists, accompanied with fingernail indents full of blood that had already dried, and it reminds Maritza of what she thought she'd seen on Gloria before. She, Flaca, and Lorna gasp.

"Oh my goodness!" Lorna cries and kisses the area where it looks the worst. "Honey...you need ice on those..."

"Frieda already gave me some. That fuckin' demon made me get down on my hands and knees and beg for his forgiveness. He wouldn't let me out of the room until I cried and acted pathetic."

"Oh, I hate him!" Flaca exclaims.

Lorna grits her teeth. "Killing him seems too nice. I'd like us all to torture him instead."

* * *

"Our in-class assignment for the day is going to be pairing up and painting each other," Ms. Fischer instructs the class, and she grins as Lorna sits still next to an easel and Nicky starts to sketch her. "Nice job, girls!"

"Thanks," Nicky says. She takes time with her work and enjoys admiring every one of Lorna's features. It's really the only time that she can really stare at the tiny Italian without feeling like she's wrong for it. However, when Lorna draws Nicky, the blonde is antsy, and she keeps smiling so much she giggles.

"Hush, you're gonna mess me up!"

"Sorry, it's just weird that your eyes have been on me this long."

"I gotta concentrate!"

She looks so cute when she focuses on this task.

Alex and Daya are partners, and same with Blanca and Maria. Flaca talks about music to Poussey as she draws her. This environment, along with Woodshop, is calm and peaceful. Her past two periods, along with second, have definitely soothed the burns of first and third. Dixon hadn't wounded her physically, but she's sickened by the comments he makes.

* * *

"Hey...where's Aleida?" Leon asks when he doesn't notice his girl serving lunch.

"She's kinda hiding in the backroom," Gloria informs him, tilting her head in that direction.

He immediately grows concerned. Aleida Diaz doesn't conceal herself from the world-he knows her. She shines with confidence. Something must really be wrong. "Alright, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Leon goes through the double doors and sees her curled up in a corner. "Aleida? Baby, are you okay?" He squats down next to her.

"Oh...hi, Leon," Aleida mumbles while sniffling. "Um, sorry you gotta see me like this. Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure? It doesn't look it." He tucks some of her hair behind her ear and sees a tear crawling out of her eye and down her cheek. He catches it with his thumb before it can slide off her jaw. "What's the matter, honey?" His lips touch her hair as he runs his hand through it a few times. He wraps his arms around her. "You're shaking."

"How'd you know I was here?"

"Gloria told me."

"Of fuckin' course she did." Aleida rolls her eyes. "One threat from some motherfucker and she thinks I'm delicate. I got feelings, but I'm not broken, ya know? I can handle this shit...whatever they throw at me." He can tell she's covering up her fear with bravery, just by looking at her.

"Yeah...wait, who threatened you?" he asks. "What'd they say?"

"There I am, right, stickin' up for my girl 'cause these two punks are demeanin' us...then one pulls out his gun, I get it away from him...then their bigger, nastier co-worker gets all up in my face and he's like, I'mma turn you into Norma. That's the one who don't talk, so...he gonna take away my tongue somehow."

His protectiveness goes up a few hundred notches. "I won't let 'em touch you, Aleida! Where are these goddamn thugs so I can take 'em all apart?"

"It's impossible. They're not like regular human beings...you punch 'em, and they'll shoot you or kill you with their bare hands. Even the police...they don't do shit. I just wanna stay in your arms until you gotta go back to work."

He holds her tighter against him and kisses her tears away. "Sweetheart, I'll keep you safe, always."

She buries herself in his chest. "Help me stop crying. It's ugly."

"Okay, I will, but I think you're beautiful either way."

"No, I just can't afford to be weak...in front of anyone..."

"You're not. If you didn't show emotion, that would be strange."

"Wow, I guess Mama Lourdes was way off!"

"Mm-hm."

* * *

"Ugh, there was gum on the floor and now, it's on my shoe," Blanca complains as she joins the girls at lunch. "It's sticky whenever I walk...I'm gonna have to scrub it off later when I get home."

"You know who's I bet it was? The boogeyman's," Nicky grumbles. "He was chomping on it in the middle of class. I kept praying for him to choke. He probably spit it out when he was in line."

Blanca gives her a slight nod and gets her food. Lorna explains what Nicky had been through, so everyone around them can hear. Then, Blanca lifts up her shirt slightly and shows them a dark bluish-black mark on her right side. "Courtesy of Godzilla," she mutters sarcastically. "He shoved his foot right there...I thought he broke my rib cage."

Daya feels so bad for her friends who are being abused by him. "God, that motherfucker deserves to die!" she growls, and Alex nods in agreement.

Gloria shakes her head. "It needs to happen soon! Even your motha's scared of him now, Daya...he threatened to cut her tongue out, basically...she's in the backroom, being consoled by Leon."

Daya gasps. Even though Aleida can be annoying, she would never want anything like that to happen to her mother. "What the fuck? Why is he so hellbent on terrorizing all of us?"

"He's torturing you because he hates me and wants to see the people I'm close to suffer," Red informs them as she hands Nicky her meal. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. You're not weak, no matter what he does or says...and yes, it _was_ his gum."

"I know," Nicky murmurs.

"Life was easier when I was a preschool aide and factory worker!" Red grumbles.

"Why?" Alex wants to know.

"Piscatella and co weren't around and I knew Nicky when she was just a tiny tot in the classroom!" Red holds up a white notecard that reads, _Do not ever speak of the mafia or the mob, that is a secret between you, me, and the lunch ladies. If you don't want those criminals to hear what you're saying, write it down. This necklace records everything. I cannot take it off._

"Aw," Lorna coos while she and the girls nod slightly. "No wonder you had such a pull to her!"

 _No, it was yours, and if you value your life, you need to own up to it, bitch! Since I love kids, it would be after your baby is born. Kisses, P_

Daya scoffs at the text and sighs. She retrieves her lunch from Gloria and goes to where Blanca is. "Hey...that was mine...I'm always chewing on it, and I guess it fell out, but I had no idea. I'm sorry!"

"That's why it's not allowed in school!"

"Red just told us it was the horrible person's," Alex lets Blanca know. "She would've seen him do it, too. Why are you believing Daya? She doesn't get the blame here."

"She chews gum," Blanca says weakly, like she's not sure that she's right.

"Everyone does!" Lorna snaps, rolling her eyes. "You don't even sound certain."

"Well, I'm accusing her."

"Hey, stop being a puta!" Maria shouts.

Blanca sighs. "Okay. Sorry."

"Yo, what's goin' on with you?" Flaca questions her.

"Yeah, you got Aunt Flo visiting soon?" Maritza whispers.

"I have no idea. It's nothin'...I was an idiot. I do that sometimes."

An uncomfortable silence passes over the group, and Daya gets a sinking feeling in her stomach. Blanca may not be P, but she does work for him. It all makes sense now. Even his last name starts with the letter P, and he assaults her, like the Joker does to his minions. He basically gave himself away. She has to make the other girls aware of this.

It can't be him, though, because he would never make it this easy. He's just another villain in their lives. Blanca is also a bit gullible and stubborn in her thinking-she refuses to be wrong. Daya can't see her under someone, not after last year. She'd demand to be in charge. After all, she is second in command to Maria, over Ouija, Pidge, Michelle, and Zirconia. She's pretty powerful.

If Daya thinks Blanca is P, she's probably not. It's too obvious. Plus, she doesn't really adore children that much, and Piscatella doesn't seem like the kind of person who would. All this thinking is giving Daya a headache, so she's relieved when Lorna changes the subject.

"Anyway...I've never talked about my volunteering at the hospital, right?"

"Oh, nah, how is that?" Maria asks.

"It's nice, when the people are sweet, and they are, even the usually grumpy ones."

"Do you have favorite patients?" Blanca wants to know.

"Yeah...three women...Miss Rosa, who's got cancer and no hair, Anita, who has Morton's neuroma and sleeps with a CPAP that helps her breathe at night, and also this poor old lady named Jimmy with Alzheimer's. She kept thinking Red was her daughter and when I showed them all pictures of me and my friends to cheer them up, she kept referring to Piper as Roberta. It makes me sad to know we're all out here, but they're stuck in there with no family, just waiting to die."

"That's hella depressing," Maritza agrees.

"I bet you do a great job of cheering them up," Alex tells Lorna, and it makes her smile.

Daya pats Lorna's hand. "Yeah..."

"Of course she does," Nicky says. Lorna brightens up even more and thanks them.

"Guess who won class president?" The small Italian points to herself proudly. " _Moi_!"

The girls start bidding her congratulations. "I knew you had it in the bag when you recited your speech for me," Nicky tells Lorna, who grins happily.

"Yay!" Blanca and Maria cheer in unison.

"That's so cool!" Flaca squeals.

"Yo, totally," Maritza agrees.

"I'm really proud of you!" Alex says.

"Yeah, great job!" Daya adds.

"Thanks!"

"That goes for the thing you three wrote in _The Beeline_ , too," Blanca tells Lorna, Daya, and Flaca, her glance shifting between them. "You did great!"

"You're all terrific writers," Nicky compliments them.

"Mm-hm," their other friends agree, and a surge of delight goes through Daya. Flaca and Lorna seem to be satisfied at their accomplishment as well.

"Gracias!" Flaca responds.

"Yeah, thank you!" Lorna says.

Daya smiles. "I'm happy y'all liked it."

"Nicky, I've been meaning to tell you this, but your sister is kind of annoying me...she always calls me _stretch_ and at Maria's party, she and Mercy were scolding me for drinking at the dance-a-thon! It's like the kid wants to be a pain in my ass on purpose!" Alex complains. "Why would you tell her? It's not her business!"

The blonde girl snickers. "Well, after you teased them during their date at Friendly's, I think they're just doing a little payback."

"Dude, I can't believe you're taking her side!"

"Hey, she's my sister. We're like a team, Vause. Of course, if she continues to do it, I'll have to stop her! One tiny comment is enough."

"Okay..."

"You know how we say _Flaritza_ when referring to Flaca and Maritza?" Lorna asks. "Nicky and I mashed up our last names, so you can call us _Nichorello_!"

"It's got such a neat ring to it," Nicky adds.

"That sounds awesome!" Alex says.

"Yeah!" the rest of the girls exclaim in unison.

After they watch Ouija's accurate impressions of Nicky, Flaritza, and Polly, Pennsatucky comes up to them. Daya looks down at the table awkwardly, as do Lorna, Flaca, and Alex. "Hey, y'all, how's it hangin'? Sorry I'm late, I got held up-"

"There's this thing called exclusion," Lorna mutters. "You're not invited."

"What you talkin' about?"

"No, of course you're welcome," Nicky says, scooting over to make room for her. She gives Lorna a puzzled glance. "Don't be rude!"

"It doesn't feel like it. You Piper lovin' cunts will never accept me, no matter what. See ya 'round, Nichols." She stomps off, pulling her hood up and over her head.

Daya sees that Flaca's received a text from P. _You're the dumbest bitches alive, no wonder you were flattened...and keep accusing the wrong people._

"What is this all about?" Blanca asks sharply.

"Why you bein' cruel like Piper?" Maria wants to know.

"You can't just dump her!" Maritza protests. "She's part of our band, for one thing! We need her!"

"Nah, we don't...she ain't trustworthy."

"Without us, she got nobody."

" _I'm_ still her friend," Nicky declares.

"That's exactly her goal...to get into your good graces!" Lorna states. "She's not close to anyone except you and Boo! That's very weird!"

"I didn't have friends last year either, besides Maria. We just had each other," Blanca says.

"That's different...Nicky has other pals, Maria didn't," Alex mutters.

Maria gives Alex an icy glare. "I thought y'all weren't like this...you better than her. Fuck this shit, man." She gets up and starts walking away, and then Blanca does the same. They stop and turn around to face the table. "Nicky, Maritza, you comin' with us?"

Nicky appears to be disappointed. "Looks like you're still a stone-cold bitch, Morello."

Maritza folds her arms across her chest and frowns. "Really, Flac, Piper made you feel bad about yourself, now you're being just like her? Not cool, dude."

"Hey, it wasn't my idea!" Flaca shoots back at Maritza. "Y'all can holler at Lorna...she had the suggestion...and Alex loved Piper, so of course she'd loathe people who were super mean to our former Queen Bee!"

"Okay, umm...how else would Boo know about something very private that I did, huh? Pennsatucky is not God, even though she thinks she is! She would obviously tell her foster mother everything, right? She knows my secret-one that I won't tell nobody, but she is well aware of it!" Lorna yells at the top of her lungs. Everyone stares at her in confusion, but the girls who aren't getting P messages start giggling. "What?!" she shrieks hysterically, almost in tears.

"Oh, shit, fuckin' Boo with the big mouth," Alex hisses under her breath, but Daya hears it since they're right next to each other. "I have to confess." She takes a deep breath. "Lorna, settle down! They heard it from me."

"You told them?!" Lorna practically shrieks at Alex.

"Yeah, she had to, it was a bet," Blanca tells her, and Nicky laughs.

"Ugh!" Lorna throws some of her spaghetti at Alex's face. "That's for blabbin'!"

"Oh!" Alex gasps as the noodles drip down her face and the sauce soaks into her hair. "What the fuck?!" She takes off her glasses, wipes them off with a napkin, and stuffs a handful of fries down Lorna's shirt.

Lorna screams while trying to get them out of her bra and brushes off the greasy crumbs. "You're lucky those weren't covered in ketchup!" She tosses more of her pasta at Alex. "Take _that_!"

"Hey, you stained my shirt!"

"It would've come out eventually," Nicky tells Lorna while smirking.

"This is for not taking the situation seriously!" Lorna flicks a meatball off her fork and at Nicky's forehead, and Nicky retaliates by wiping spaghetti sauce on Lorna's face.

Their friends giggle at the mini food fight they're having, and Flaca and Maritza decide to escalate it, getting all of the students in the cafeteria involved. Gloria, Red, Norma, and Claudette dodge it by ducking behind the counter. The teachers, even the cool ones like Diane and Ms. Fischer, are trying to stop it, but they keep getting hit with food, too. Luckily, Piscatella, Humps, and Dixon aren't there to ruin the fun.

* * *

"Look at Angie, kissing Clarence like nothing at all is wrong," Lorna grumbles as she and Nicky pass Angie with her boyfriend. "Everyone knows she's just dating an African American guy to rebel against her racist parents."

"Well, that's not fair to him."

"I know, right?"

"Maybe he's passing her drugs."

"I feel like telling him she shits it out and takes it!"

"Does she really?" Nicky shrugs. "I took some from her once, and they didn't smell or taste bad at all."

"What?!" Lorna shrieks with her hands on her hips. "She's best friends with Leanne...you shouldn't be associated with neither of them!"

"Leanne and I talked about how cool dolphins were...she loves them! I mean, I don't think she's that bad. The poor girl got her finger shot off and she was burned. Of course she's gonna have some issues. She apologized for being rude to me about my sexuality."

"I would not associate Leanne with the word _poor._ She is a cunning bitch, just like that man-rapin', Oxy-lovin' Angie!" Lorna hisses. "Obviously, she'd lie to get you back on her side."

"Hey, Piper was also that way, and you, Alex, Daya, and Flaca were friends with her."

"She had her good moments. They don't. They're like stupid little children who run around, messing up everything in their path." Lorna huffs. "The only things I can use against them is that Angie's afraid of skeletons and Leanne has never had an orgasm, but that's the same with many people...ugh, they stink!"

"I don't like Angie because she said I was gross for hitting on her, when she, with the meth teeth, is a disgusting cunt, but I just think Leanne's...pathetic...like, she calls her own vagina a _soggy box._ Like, who does that? Didn't anyone ever teach her Sex Ed?"

"Maybe not, but still, you don't wanna be trustin' her or nothin'. In eighth grade, she bullied Brook to the point of trying to kill herself by overdosing on Benadryl, and even if I don't like Brook, nobody deserves to have their hair unwillingly cut off or be pushed to suicidal thoughts! That's the only reason I was okay with her being on the squad. It's also why I hated Piper when she was so mean to Blanca, just because of a fashion don't."

"Okay. I take your word for it."

"Thank you."

They go into Humps' classroom together, linking arms in solidarity. He just scoffs at them while a snide expression crosses his icky face. Pennsatucky is setting up her desk and a pang of guilt shoots through Lorna. "Hey...you should formally apologize to her," Nicky says. "Being in the middle is annoying. I like my friends to get along with each other."

"I know, I was about to." Lorna wrings her hands while walking up to Pennsatucky. "Hi...um, there was a misunderstanding, and I'm really sorry. You can be in our group anytime."

"Alright, if I feel like it."

"I understand that."

"You can't disrespect me. That's why I got into fights with Piper."

"Okay, well, again, I'm sorry."

"I forgive you, but I'll never forget this."

"Did someone say something about a fight?" Humps asks behind them in a weirdly excited tone. "I'd love to see one!"

"We're not gonna throw down in the middle of class!" Pennsatucky snaps. "Take your creepiness somewhere else, dude."

"Very well, then...I'll be looking forward to it in detention tomorrow." He winks at them. "Back to your seat, shortstack!" He kicks Lorna aside, and she sprints towards the front and practically falls into her chair, gasping a few times.

"How did he hear your nickname for me?" Lorna whispers to Nicky. _The answer is simple-he must be P and is clearly stalking Lorna and her friends. There's no other way._

"Fuck if I know. He was most likely listening too hard to one of our banters and wanted to get some enjoyment out of it. Typical frat boy behavior, right? I've got revenge up my sleeve, never you fear!"

"Pennsatucky and I have to beat each other up!" she worries.

Nicky rolls her eyes. "No, you don't. He probably forgets half the shit he says. May I remind you that this little man was a high school loser? He's doing this to compensate for it."

"Oh, he remembers everything. He is as sinister as they come, just like Dick-son and Piss-cuntella."

"Clever!" Nicky stifles a chuckle while discreetly hi-fiving Lorna. "Those are good."

"Thanks, but you're not getting the point-"

"Ladies, do you have something to share with the class?" Humps cuts Lorna off, and she freezes.

"Actually we do, sir," Nicky tells him politely, and nods at Lorna. This is her cue to let her frog out of its container that's sitting on her desk. "Ribbit and hop free, little froggy!" The rest of the class follows along. Lorna squeals as the frogs roam around the room, and Nicky bursts out laughing. "Don't you just love frogs, Humps? They're pretty cool, but I wouldn't get so many of them and show them off to the class!"

"I used to be called the toad boy! Put those away, please!" He flails about, stepping over the many frogs. "Come on, I was picked on mercilessly for it!" Lorna chuckles softly at how wimpy he's being.

"Humps the toad boy!" Nicky shouts. "You've got a weakness, asshole! That is hilarious!"

"Nicky, shhh," Lorna begs her, but the whole class has him under their control, so she just goes along with it.

"You're in big trouble with Dana!" Nicky guffaws while leaning back in her chair and slumping. "Fuckin' idiot, this guy."

"Nichols, that's enough!" Humps thunders. "I am your teacher! You will not disrespect me!"

"Why? You don't show that you give a damn about us!"

"Each one of you will start digesting a frog, unless you'd all like to do lions!"

"He doesn't have a lion in his closet," Nicky mutters to Lorna, but the class ends up obeying Humps. The blonde goes along with it, probably not wanting to entice him any further.

"There's the slut! Hey, Angela Cooze-nick!" Lorna growls after school and runs at her, tackling her down from behind before the girls can blink. She does what P has instructed and simply presses her fingers into her enemy's throat, gagging her as she tries to scream. She attempts to get out from under Lorna, but Lorna isn't moving. "Tell me you won't even so much as _look_ at Christopher again!"

"Get...off...me..." Angela struggles to say, and Lorna senses some people pulling her up to her feet. "You psycho bitch!" she hollers at Lorna, and Nicky stops her before she can slap Lorna.

"Are you asking to go to prison?" Nicky hisses as Flaca, Maritza, Alex, and Daya force Angela away from them.

"Don't be dramatic! The most I'll get is another detention like everyone else!"

"Were you actually gonna kill her?" Alex wonders out loud.

"No! I just wanted her to stay away from Christopher! She knows what'll happen now."

"Alex and I gotta go to band practice," Flaca mutters.

"Yeah, and we have cheerleading!" Maritza says.

"Gloria and Aleida are waiting for me," Daya lets them know.

"Bye!" Lorna calls out to them cheerfully. She skips after Nicky and Maritza. "I'm going with you, just to tell Ms. Jones that I quit!"

* * *

"Ma, I can't believe he said that to you!" Daya exclaims in a hushed voice as she, Aleida, and Gloria leave the school as fast as possible, in order not to be seen by the humongous bear.

"What?!" Aleida snaps. "Gloria, you want Europe to hear about this, too? You goin' around tellin' the world this shit? Fuck!"

"I'm sorry, it just came out...but I was more giving her an example of who else he's been ferocious to. It just shows her how much more human you are."

"It's embarrassing!"

"No it's not, Ma...I don't shame you for being frightened of the piss monster. That means you're smart."

"Yeah," Gloria agrees with Daya.

"That was supposed to be a secret...but whatever. Just don't tell nobody else! Let me say it first if I wanna," Aleida tells them.

"Okay," Daya and Gloria reply in unison.

* * *

"Well, that's too bad you're leaving us, Lorna. You seemed to really love being part of our squad!" Ms. Jones says.

"Not anymore...I'm sorry."

Nicky steps up to Lorna's side. "It's fine if you don't wanna do cheerleading because you're no longer interested in it, but don't you _dare_ drop it for some jock who doesn't even like you!"

Ms. Jones gives the brunette a curious look. "I'll give you a few days. You can take a short break and then see if you wanna come back."

"I don't need a bit of time away...this is forever."

"You should really think about it," Maritza recommends.

"I already have! Either you or Nicky can take my spot as captain."

"Wow, are you serious?" Nicky asks while folding her arms across her chest. She rolls her eyes. "What, would you die for him, too? Fuck me alive!"

"Is this about a boy?" Brook questions Lorna. "I thought this sport was all about girl power, no guys allowed! You are totally killing that vibe!"

"Yeah," the others murmur while nodding their heads.

"You shut up!" Lorna growls at them. "I don't feel like being here, that's it! Goodbye, Nichols, I'll see you at home! As for the rest of you...stay outta this!" She storms off, and there's a horrible pang at Nicky's chest. She feels like she just got dumped, even though they were never actually together. She had joined this team all because of Lorna.

"Whatever, we don't need her, right?" Nicky shouts.

"Who are you trying to convince?" Ella wonders aloud.

"Mm-hm, everyone knows you like her," Caitlin adds.

"Well, you're wrong."

"We can all tell that you're hurt by her decision," Tia lets Nicky know.

"She'll be back, probably once she figures out Christopher hates her guts," Tiff assures Nicky.

"I dunno why she's not getting the picture that he wants nothing to do with her!" Brook mutters.

"I'm super pissed at her. She let us all down," Maritza says sadly.

"Yeah, for fuckin' dick!" Nicky snaps, kicking the railing of the bleachers slightly.

"I know you're angry, but could we please not damage school property?" Ms. Jones asks.

"Fuck your hating violence bullshit! You were about to shoot a kid because you were piss-poor drunk, or did you forget?"

"Miss Nichols, I understand why you're acting out, but you need to stop, or else I'll have you sit out for the rest of the day," Ms. Jones tells her calmly, but firmly.

Nicky puts her hands up in surrender since the coach is being more than fair. "Fine. Now can we practice?"

"Yes, if you promise to behave yourself."

"I will. Sorry, I shouldn't be taking my rage out on you or anyone, really." Nicky hangs her head in shame. "I just have a temper."

"You should learn to control it," Brook whispers, and Nicky flips her off when the coach isn't facing them.

After Nicky and Maritza both lead a few cheers, they notice Lorna watching them from a distance, appearing to be extremely upset. There are even faint mascara streaks under her eyes and trailing down her cheeks. Nicky scoffs in disbelief. "Look at her," she mutters to Maritza. "She really did this to herself!"

"She's making me depressed. Let's not stare. Hey...I got somethin' to ask you, since you already done it with a straight girl," Maritza whispers when they're all resting and drinking water or stretching.

"Uh...yeah?"

"How do you deal with it? Like...listening to her stories about dudes she's into when it's like, _hello_ , I'm right here to give you the true love you deserve!"

"I'm a lesbian junkie...she will never go for me. Yes, we...comforted each other...but she wants the perfect life with a husband and child. I'm not part of that equation...so I basically am just happy that we're very close friends. She frustrates me at times, like right now, but I won't ever stop loving her, whether it's in a romantic way or not."

"Say you've already kissed...twice...and you feel sparks...like nothing tastes better than she does." Maritza closes her eyes and sighs deeply while blushing. "Her lips are like a mix of vanilla spice and hot sauce. You want her to touch you, just one more time...and we sleep together, so it's real tempting-"

Nicky gasps and chuckles a bit. "Holy shit, are you talking about Flaca?"

"What? No!" Maritza sits up and opens her eyes. "She ain't into me like that."

"You can't get anything like that past me. The hot sauce part gave it away...but I've kinda suspected you had a crush on her ever since her ex's party! It was sorta confirmed when you got jealous of her saying that Alex's friend was cute and you were tired of her always making comments about guys. Why don't you feel like that about Lorna? I mean, she's worse, she actually _pursues_ the boys she's into."

"Okay, you caught me."

"Aha!" Nicky points at Maritza. "She admits it!"

"There ain't nothin' I can do about it, though. The first time we smooched was when we were both drunk...she was heartbroken at camp because Ian was bein' a jerk and ignoring her by not sending her letters, even though she sent him a postcard a few times until I advised her to give up. The second...I initiated it, intending to pass it off as a joke, but she didn't do it back, only 'cause she was depressed that day. She only thinks of us as besties."

"That really sucks. Maybe you could ask her-"

"Nah, that would be hella weird! I know the difference between a kiss under the influence and a real one. She's never started it when she was sober."

"Invite her to the homecoming dance," Nicky suggests. "She cannot say no to slow dancing with her best friend! It gets people into a romantic mood. That's what Lorna always says. If she pulls you in close until there's no space between you two, well, that's kinda flirty."

"We did that at the dance-a-thon...nothin' happened! I ground against her, she went along with it, but she's just touchy-feely like that. I don't wanna make a fool of myself!"

"Look, I get it...but to be honest, I don't have any better ideas. You could flirt with her, in the same way you'd do with a guy, like compliment her...or take her to a scary movie and cuddle up with her...even if you're not afraid. Ya know, fake it. Uhhh...go out to candlelit dinners, bowling, Dave and Busters...like dates."

"Oh...okay, then! Thanks!"

"You're welcome!"

* * *

"There we go," Lorna murmurs to herself. "That should do it!" She steps back from planting her homemade explosive device into Angela's car and then runs away while cracking up. She makes sure nobody has seen her, and then she passes the cheerleaders again. "Snooty bitches...I'm glad I'm not in that crowd! Christopher is turned off by those kinds of girls!" she says under her breath. Even though she misses it, dropping out was worth it. _There's no way Christopher would reject her this time. If an average chick is what he wants, then that's what he'll get._ Her phone pings and she pulls it out of her purse as she trembles with excitement.

 _Hey, excellent job! I have really high hopes for you! It'll work this time, I'm sure! xoxo, P_

"Lorna..."

She jumps while turning off her phone when she hears Red say her name. "Huh? Ooops, I didn't notice ya there. Sorry, Red!"

"It's okay, dear...time for us to go."

"Oh, community service, right!" She chuckles nervously while breathing hard and then hiccups a few times.

"You seem a little...off."

"Um, no, I'm...I'm doing quite well, actually. I don't wanna be late!" Lorna skips to Red's car and tugs on the passenger side door. She groans. "It won't open!"

"Yes, I haven't even gotten my keys out yet." Red pulls them from her purse and unlocks her vehicle. Lorna jumps inside and bounces on the seat. "You aren't usually this happy."

"Uh, have you met me? I am a bundle of joy...a total optimist, even with all the shit we go through all the time in school!" Lorna taps the steering wheel impatiently. "Now please, hurry."

The older woman raises her eyebrow skeptically, but steps on the gas pedal and begins to drive anyway. Lorna calms down during the drive and hugs Red goodbye before walking into Miss Rosa and Anita's room.

"Hello, ladies!" she chirps kindly. "How are we today?"

"Out of breath," Anita mutters, and Miss Rosa vomits into a plastic bowl. Lorna frowns and her heart goes out to them. She quickly helps Anita sit up more so she can get more air into her lungs, and wipes the puke from Miss Rosa's mouth and hands her a glass of water. "Oh, thank you, honey."

"You're welcome."

"I used to be so much more badass when I was around your age, kid," Miss Rosa says. "Now I got cancer...I didn't want to pass away in a hospital bed in my fifties."

"I never thought a heart attack would do the trick," Anita tells Lorna dryly while squeezing her hand.

"Just take it easy," Lorna advises them. "Hey...where's your makeup? You look a little sad without it."

"It wore off."

Lorna plucks some black eyeliner, blue eyeshadow, and mascara out of her purse. "I got some right here. I don't mind sharing. I'll put it on you."

"Sure, thank you for your sweet offer!"

"Anytime!" She turns to Miss Rosa. "Would you like some?"

"No, I could do without it."

While giving Anita a makeover, she asks Miss Rosa, "So, what'd you do when you were young that was so _badass_?"

"Oh..." Miss Rosa smirks. "I always loved the _dinero_. In nineteen-eighty-two, I robbed the Old First National Bank in Tribeca, Manhattan not once, but two times, and I got away with it, too. I didn't go the third time, in order to not press my luck."

Lorna's mouth pops open in surprise and she lets out a belly laugh. "Holy ravioli!"

"She tells me the story all the time," Anita confirms. "Once, she and Yusef, who's now in remission, stole money from an alcoholic nurse."

"Did ya get busted?"

Miss Rosa scoffs. "No, she was as clueless as they come!"

"That is so fascinating! How old were you...back then?"

"Twenty-eight. Now, I must tell you, there is a curse attached to this...each time I did it with one of my husbands, they died...Marco, by gunshot wound, and Andy via heart attack. Don survived...but we never married."

"That's too bad."

"You know how I want to leave this earth?"

"Mmhm?"

"Speeding off in my car, with the tires squealing...then I'm gone in a blaze of glory."

"That sounds amazing," Anita comments.

"It is!" Lorna agrees.

"I've got three to six weeks left to live, kid. My dream will never happen."

"I can help you escape when it's almost time! I'll uh...get someone to pretend they're your daughter...take you out of this lonely place, and then you gotta drive as quickly as you can!"

Miss Rosa looks shocked. "You are a very bright child!"

"Thanks!" Lorna beams.

"How do you come up with these ideas?" Anita wonders out loud.

"I'm not sure. I'm a big dreamer...that's how I ended up here."

"You wanna be a nurse when you grow up?" Miss Rosa questions her.

"Somethin' like that...but we'll see. My mom's in the same state as you. We dunno how long she'll last."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, hon," Anita says sympathetically.

Lorna nods and then sits on a chair between the two older ladies, holding both their hands in a moment of silence.

* * *

"Thank you for letting me stay, Shelly," Red tells her new friend as she takes her suitcase inside the blonde woman's small home. "Once again, I'm sorry for inconveniencing you like this. Everyone else's houses are too full of husbands or children...or both! I'll help out with rent."

"I appreciate that...and really, it wasn't a problem at all! I could use the company anyway!" Shelly Ginsberg helps Red unpack her suitcase in the guest room. "I made the bed as comfortable as possible, you know, for your bad back."

"Oh, yes, I'm very grateful. Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"

"Not at all...but I have to show you this." Shelly leads her into the tiny space. "Don't use my decorative soaps, please. I crafted these myself. You can look, but not touch."

"Wow, they're beautiful."

"Thanks. The regular soap is fine, though."

"Okay."

After Red finishes washing her hands, she and Shelly begin making dinner for themselves. "So...do you have any favorite students in your cooking class? I know teachers shouldn't pick, but...they do."

"Cindy's a silly one...she's trying to become Jewish like Rhea Boyle and I, but by the way she acts, I'm not sure if she's serious about converting to her desired religion. I guess she'll wise up if she really wants it. She and I do get along well, though. How about you? I always notice the same girls going into the kitchen's backroom, Maritza Ramos being one of them. They seem to really love you."

"Nicky," Red says without a second's thought. "We keep each other grounded. I always felt like a different, better person around her." She hurriedly scribbles, _even when I was a mobster's wife_ on her notepad and shows Shelly.

"That's great!"

"I worry about her...in that _koshmar's_ classroom. He's extremely dangerous...he only pushed me down once, worked me to exhaustion, and stole my dignity...but he has physically attacked that little girl so many times. He tried to actually kill Blanca and her boyfriend, Diablo...he pushed Lorna down, but nothing else...he most likely got bored of her because she just took it...and I think Nicky is next on his list. Seeing her so timid...it breaks my heart." A chill goes up Red's spine as she imagines Nicky dead at the hands of that dragon. "Alex is very close to being his fourth victim. He caused Gloria to have a panic attack after he threatened Aleida. They cook in the cafeteria with me."

"Whoa, that's scary...and I thought him taking my fancy soaps was bad! I'm so sorry."

"He treats some better than others, I suppose. He's never injured Daya, Maria, Flaca, or Maritza...probably because Maria, Flaca, and Daya aren't in his class, and Maritza isn't worth his time since she doesn't bite back. I should consider that a good thing...only half my girls are affected. Terrible, isn't it...that I have to be lucky that this worthless hulk doesn't harm some of them? The worst thing he's done to Maria is give her detention for selling drugs."

Shelly gives Red a sympathetic grin and rubs her back soothingly. "I sincerely apologize."

* * *

 _Spring was never waiting for us, girl  
It ran one step ahead  
As we followed in the dance  
Between the parted pages and were pressed  
In love's hot, fevered iron  
Like a striped pair of pants_

"I want the cliches. I wanna watch the sunset with a beautiful girl. I wanna not be able to take my eyes off of her, despite how much I love the sky. I want the soppy letters, the texts and to hear the love in her voice when she talks about me. I wanna be the person she calls when she's drunk but more importantly, when she's sober. I want to giggle during sex because it is awkward and clumsy. I want people to tell me that they wish they had a love like ours. Maybe that's naive or conventional of me, but what's the point in love if you don't show it?" Flaca swears she can see tears glimmering in Maritza's eyes as they're listening to their favorite song, _MacArthur_ _Park_ , by Donna Summer, while laying on top of Maritza's bed after having just applying their apricot facial scrubs. She had no idea her smaller friend was needing a girlfriend so badly. "As much as I want those things, I want the rest, too. I wanna be the shoulder she cries on when she's had a shit day at school. I want to be the person she needs to look after her when she's sick. I want to be the person to look after her when she's anxious or depressed and just can't get out of bed. I want everything. No, it isn't fucking easy to always be there for someone, but it's worth it for the right person. One day she will be the right person. I'm sorry, Flac...I don't mean to ramble, but..."

 _MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark  
All the sweet, green icing flowing down  
Someone left the cake out in the rain  
I don't think that I can take it  
'Cause it took so long to bake it  
And I'll never have that recipe again  
Oh no!_

"Yo, it's fine, Mari. I totally agree with you...that shit's so romantic! Isn't that kinda like what we have, though...except the sex thing? People even call us Flaritza! It's amazing!"

"Yeah...we're friends, though. We ain't like, a couple or nothin'. I just...is there really nobody out there for me? You into this guy, that guy, and the other guy, too...but I can't find my other half anywhere!"

 _I recall the yellow cotton dress  
Foaming like a wave  
On the ground around your knees  
The birds, like tender babies in your hands  
And the old men playing checkers by the trees_

"It don't mean they like me back!" Flaca smoothes Maritza's hair back from her face and plays with it a little. "Hey, don't worry...you will, I'm sure. You're so pretty...I'm sure whoever you choose is just gonna love you! How could they not?"

"There's the whole bein' straight part."

 _MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark  
All the sweet, green icing flowing down  
Someone left the cake out in the rain  
I don't think that I can take it  
'Cause it took so long to bake it  
And I'll never have that recipe again  
Oh no!_

"Oh yeah, well...we thought Lorna was only into dudes, but I think somethin's brewin' between Nichorello!"

Maritza shakes her head from side to side. "Nah...fucking don't mean shit."

 _There will be another song for me  
For I will sing it  
There will be another dream for me  
Someone will bring it  
I will drink the wine while it is warm  
And never let you catch me looking at the sun  
And after all the loves of my life  
After all the loves of my life  
You'll still be the one_

"Have you seen the way they stare at each other? I dunno how I never noticed it before! Lorna may have an unhealthy obsession with Christopher, but she has eyes for Nicky, like in her heart."

"They are pretty cute together when they flirt!" Maritza points out.

 _I will take my life into my hands and I will use it  
I will win the worship in their eyes and I will lose it  
I will have the things that I desire  
And my passion flow like rivers through the sky  
And after all the loves of my life  
Oh, after all the loves of my life  
I'll be thinking of you  
And wondering why_

"Mm-hm."

"I can't wait 'til she gets over his dumb ass."

 _MacArthur's Park is melting in the dark  
All the sweet, green icing flowing down  
Someone left the cake out in the rain  
I don't think that I can take it  
'Cause it took so long to bake it  
And I'll never have that recipe again  
Oh no!_

"Me neither. Hey...let's go out sometime soon, like by ourselves. I'll pay."

Flaca smiles excitedly at Maritza's invitation. "Sure! That'll be fun."

 _Oh no_

 _No  
Oh no!_

* * *

"Well, I'm glad you had a nice time!" Fahri tells Diane after she'd talked to him about her date with Charles as they smoke outside on the porch. "He seems a lot better than Lee, that's for sure."

"Oh, he is! I'll have to have a girls' night sometime soon and spill the deets. There's just not much time in school..."

Their conversation fades as Alex takes her shoes off and wanders through Fahri's apartment. It looks over a gorgeous view of the city, and his furniture and paintings on the walls are nice. While listening to music, she makes herself comfortable on his white couch and turns on the lamp. For about the fifth time in a row, she reads the article Lorna, Flaca, and Daya had written for _The Beeline_ , their school newspaper, and beams with pride. It includes everything-direct quotes from students, teachers, and the ladies in the kitchen, who had been harassed by Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps and how stupid and unfair it was that they still work there, despite them being lethal creeps, and the oppression of minorities, such as anyone who isn't a straight white male.

"Hey, Uncle Fahri!" Alex hears a female voice shout happily from outside, so she peers out the window to see who it is. She had no idea he was related to Allison-he had only mentioned her as his favorite and only niece, who always came to visit, and that name is pretty common. She comes in with Taystee, Poussey, and Brook. "Oh, hi, Alex! Nice to see you!"

"You, too!"

"I brought half my clique...Cindy, Janae, and Suzanne are busy with more important things." Allison does an eyeroll. "At least these cool chicks are here, right?"

"Yeah!" Alex waves at the girls. "Taystee, check out this section of _The Beeline_! Sophomores got game!"

"Oh right, it's hella good! I showed her already," Poussey says.

"How could I forget, you two are the best of friends!"

"That's okay, I'll read it again!"

Allison turns on the television and flips channels until Poussey yells for her to stop.

"A cooking channel?"

Poussey grins. "Yo, it's Judy King! She my idol, man!"

"Okay...we'll learn how to make...whatever that is," Alex murmurs.

"Judy seems so nice...Jennifer and Maureen are also huge fans of her, but Ms. Jones and Red, not so much. Red thinks she's better," Brook says. "I've never tasted her meals, so I wouldn't know...but her southern drawl is neat. Plus, I bet she's never put any bad stuff in people's food."

"You can thank yourself for that, Soso. If we act ungrateful, we can expect shit. That's how the lunch ladies are, okay?" Alex tries not to sound too mean, even though she does want to poke fun at the annoying idiot.

"Got it. I admire Norma, though. She's kinda like my mom. The others are a bit...I don't wanna say scary, because we have the three musketeers who are even worse, but more intense."

"That's cool. My mom is close friends with Red, Gloria, and Aleida, so..."

"Claudette thinks I'm awesome!" Taystee sings.

"They're all great!" Poussey exclaims.

"I get along with 'em pretty well, too," Allison says.

"Same here," Alex tells them. Suddenly, her phone lights up on the coffee table and she grabs it before anyone can see the text. _You're welcome! -P_

She's confused as to what this means until Diane comes in to tell her that someone anonymously submitted a clue to the police that would help them in Piper's murder investigation, and they needed her and her friends at the station. Alex gets up, waves goodbye at Allison, Taystee, Poussey, and Brook, and Diane takes her to meet Lorna, Daya, and Flaca there. Her mother stands outside with Red, Gloria, and Theresa while the girls sit across from Charles. Alex is pleased that he seems to be leading the case. He slides a cassette into the slot under the television set and presses play.

Piper's standing outside a door, but she doesn't appear to know that she's being filmed. She's there for a total of two seconds, and they jump when a black gloved hand clamps over her mouth and drags her inside a dark room. There's no sound, but they can tell that she's screaming. Alex doesn't want to see it anymore, but she knows she needs to, if she wants to get some answers.

"Why can't we hear it?" Lorna asks Charles.

He tries turning up the volume, but it doesn't work. "I think it's been rerecorded and set on mute."

A black gloved fist slams into Piper's face and she staggers back, looking bewildered and frightened. Five figures are behind her, dressed all in black with ski masks over their faces, and one of them is talking while covering her mouth with a white cloth and tying it around her head. The video is grainy, so they can't really tell the eye color of anyone, but they're all shorter than Piper. Charles pauses it when the camera goes to Piper crying. Alex breathes in and out raggedly and sobs into her hands while shaking her head. She can't be mad at him for showing them this, since he's only doing his job. It's just extremely upsetting. She senses Lorna and Daya rubbing her back, probably attempting to calm her down.

"I'm so sorry, Alex...I know she meant a lot to you girls, but could I ask you some questions?"

"Sure," Flaca answers.

"Do you know where this was?"

"It looks like the makeout shed in the garden near the cornfield," Alex responds, and then her voice catches.

"Yo, she was wearing those clothes the last night we saw her," Daya adds.

"Mm-hm, I would know that purple sweater from anywhere!" Lorna continues.

"She was so secretive about her life that didn't involve us...and she may have gotten mixed up with the wrong kinds of people," Flaca says.

There's something strange about how Lorna was watching it-almost like she'd viewed it before, since she looked completely at ease with seeing Piper get beat up. Alex knows that Lorna had her problems with Piper, but she's not a cold-blooded bitch. Even Daya and Flaca were distressed, and they had more reason to hate their deceased friend.

Lorna may not be guilty of anything, but from immediately placing the blame on Pennsatucky to her jumping Angela, and not to mention, her punching Piper in the tiny bit of footage that P had sent to them, makes her look extremely suspicious.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, LindaAndrewsfan, and HannahMiley1fan!**


	27. Entertained

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Happy birthday, MinervaSnape394! Have a great one!**

 **Warning: sexual harassment, racist slurs, and violence.**

"I need to speak to you in private, Lorna," Alex murmurs, starting to get up.

"About what?"

"Come on."

Lorna follows Alex outside of the station and around the back. "Okay, go."

"You're acting a bit too calm about this whole thing. Why?" At Alex's question, Lorna freezes and starts trembling with fury.

"I told you, I ain't done nothin'!"

"I never said you did...but P doesn't hate you as much as they do the rest of us. They haven't hurt you physically or tried to start drama between you and the other girls."

"P sold out Nicky for selling drugs when she wasn't actually doing shit at the time! That affected me! I worried about her all the time!"

"Yeah, big whoop...it was more that they wanted to see if we were all being treated fairly. You alone, have never suffered at the hands of P. They're always putting me down for loving Piper and attempted to cause a rift between my mom and I with the heroin I had, they ran under Flaca and slut-shamed her, and they had Daya take the fall for the ogre so she could get into a meaningless argument with Blanca!"

"That ain't my fault...P has even said I'm their favorite...I dunno, it's weird!" Lorna protests, feeling tears swim in her eyes. "You can't be such a bitch to me about that! I didn't ask for them to...love me or whatever!"

"Maybe not...and I would buy it that you couldn't stand Piper, and P liked you for it, but Flaca and Daya harbored resentment for her, too...and I was mad at her for playing with my heart the way she did, but P is mean to us equally. They love you the best!"

Lorna scoffs. "I'm not sure what you want me to say about that! It could be 'cause I was nice to all Piper's bully victims...they like that I got a good heart."

Alex presses her lips in a thin line. "Were you filming the video? I know you went out there to search for her that night."

"No!"

"Really? You seemed to be too comfortable with what Charles...CO Ford showed us. It was as if you'd already been there, seen that...and don't try to give me bullshit about P sending it to you and only you, because no matter how many times someone watches something so horrifying that's happening to their friend, they're going to be very upset."

"Well, I apologize for not crying like you were! Everyone copes with death differently!"

"You didn't need to get that upset, but you were acting like we were watching some boring documentary...I might have even seen you grin. Let the good times roll, huh?"

"What?! I wasn't happy!"

"Oh, and let's discuss how you randomly iced out Pennsatucky...like someone needed to be the scapegoat so nobody would point fingers at you!"

"You three agreed with me!"

"You also tried to murder a human being. I know you despise her because she's with Christopher, but that doesn't mean she needs to die. Thankfully, we were all there to stop your wild ass!"

"No, I said this before...I had to make her back down...I wanted her to know I wasn't playin' around."

"The police won't see it that way."

Lorna sighs as paranoia starts to settle within her. "Piper made me like this!" She's wondering if she really did do or witness something, but just can't remember because she'd disassociated.

"It's just the way you are. Anyway...if you can recall being near that place where Piper was taken, you should tell us."

Lorna bristles. "Don't interrogate me no more!"

"If you are P or working for them, or killed Piper later on in the video, I cannot forgive you...ever!" Alex says angrily through gritted teeth. "It's your last chance to tell me the truth!"

"I'm not associated with that in any way, shape, or form."

"Liar!" Alex hollers at Lorna and stomps off, leaving her on her own to cry silently against the wall.

When Lorna goes home, she just sits on her stairs and mulls over everything Alex had said to her. A lump grows in her throat again and she begins sobbing quietly while hugging herself. Nicky walks down the steps and takes a spot beside her, resting her arms atop her thighs and letting them hang off her knees. "Hey, kid."

"Hi." Lorna sniffles and rubs her eyes free of wetness, but the tears don't seem to stop.

"You should come back on the squad if dropping out upsets you so much that you're ruining your makeup."

Lorna shakes her head no. "It ain't that...Alex got so pissed at me tonight...she...she just said shit...and it really hurt me inside. We had a bit of a brawl. I'm not gonna say much else."

"Okay...I'll help you two work things out-"

"No, that's...that's not necessary, but thank you anyway. We'll go back to bein' friends soon."

"I was gonna take a shower, but I'll be here with you instead." Nicky scoots closer to Lorna and holds her close.

"I thought you were mad-"

"I am, but I'll get over it eventually. Ya know, I gotta let you do whatever you want, even if I think it's pointless."

"Thanks." She breathes in and out shakily.

* * *

"Piss-cuntella got here early, I couldn't do it!" Blanca tells Red as she and the other girls come into the backroom. Everyone groans in disappointment. "Even when Diablo took me on his Harley, we still couldn't get to school fast enough!"

"I think he would notice a big mess first anyway," Nicky informs her.

"Does that mean I shouldn't try again later?" Blanca asks. "No, he doesn't really look at the ground...he wouldn't be expecting it!" she answers herself.

Daya's phone buzzes in her pocket and she takes it out. Lorna, Flaca, and Alex must have gotten the same text, since their eyes widen in astonishment, but Daya's message under the picture is more personal. A shock goes through her system when she sees Gloria and Aleida in a full-on makeout session at the Sparrow Tavern with Red, Diane, Theresa, Juliana, Franny, Norma, and Claudette giggling or simply smirking in the background. _Oopsies, look what I came across...Mommy's cheating, you better go tell her boyfriend before I send him a letter about her little affair! You have until midnight to break the news. -P_

"Yo, I don't mean to interrupt, but some white girl's dad saw Gloria and Aleida kissing...what was that about?" Flaca wonders out loud. "I don't remember her name."

"I don't think we ever..." Aleida trails off.

"Wait, when the fuck was this?" Gloria wants to know, and Diane chuckles awkwardly.

"We were all getting drunk and I dared them to kiss," Red admits. "It was before Aleida met Leon that very same night."

Daya breathes a sigh of relief. "Ohhh," the girls murmur through a laugh.

* * *

"Is that her?"

"Yeah, that Morello chick was out on the streets all night. Her fatigue made her weak, besides losing a lot of blood!"

"I wonder how much sleep she got!"

After the gossiping boy and girl pass them, they look at Lorna quizzically. Nicky is the only one who knows the truth, but she makes herself appear to be just as puzzled, to respect Lorna's request to keep it a secret. "Please tell me that's just a stupid rumor," Maritza begs.

"It is," Lorna assures her. "I would never do something that silly! Bye!" After hugging Nicky and Maritza, she runs off to her first period class. She and Alex are still ignoring each other, and it makes Nicky want to lock them in a room together so they can talk out their problems.

"Hey, Vause, what's your issue with Lorna?" Nicky asks.

"I don't feel like discussing it. Let's get changed before the hulk catches us not ready yet!" They do as Alex recommends and hide themselves as best they can when Dixon and Humps walk through the locker room like it's nothing, wolf-whistling at every girl they see, especially the naked ones. Nicky and Alex conceal Maritza so Humps can't get to her, and they cover her mouth with their hands so he won't hear her whimpering through her panic attack. She's absolutely frozen with fear. Dixon spanks both Nicky and Alex's butts at the same time, making them jump.

"It's better if you grab 'em," Humps says. He pinches their bottoms and Nicky shivers, flashing back to what Pornstache had done to her, but somehow keeps the bile down. Alex appears to be just as disgusted.

Piscatella stomps in after they leave while twirling a metal bat like it's a baton, and tears Nicky away from her friends. They're screaming at him to leave her alone, but he throws her down so she lands hard on the floor, luckily on her hands and knees, so her head doesn't crack open-but it's so painful that all she can do is cry. "Stupid junkie!" he growls at her. "You're such a waste of my time!" Alex, Maritza, and Allison attempt coming to her aid, but he blocks their paths with the baseball bat. "I was hoping to hear a bone snap somewhere inside your body."

"I'll do anything to make you stop bullying me." Nicky sobs, crawling to the bench to help herself up. She staggers on her own two feet while backing away from him.

"It's refreshing to see Stalina's face when she notices you're injured."

"Why do you hate us so much?"

"You're all troublemakers, plain and simple. A heroin addict shouldn't be stepping foot on the street! Oh well...tomorrow will be a new day."

Nicky gulps and watches his hand clench around the neck of his bat. "Meaning?"

"You'll be begging for me to smash your face into the pavement and let you bleed out. No more questions! You four dirty cunts are now late! March into that gym now, and not a word to me or each other!"

They silently do as they're told.

* * *

"I been thinkin'...we should split the cash. You don't gotta spend money on me," Flaca tells Maritza while they're taking Alana to the cafeteria's backroom on their way to their classes, as Lorna follows them. Alana has yet another bloody nose, and the wad of Kleenexes she's holding doesn't help. Piper had thought it was hilarious and pathetic, but her friends always felt sorry for the poor, accident-prone girl who couldn't seem to stop bumping into things.

"No, no, it's my treat."

"Okay, then thank you! Where were you thinking of going, and when?"

"How about bowling and then ice cream at Friendly's tonight?"

"Yeah! That would be super awesome!" Flaca exclaims.

"You're going out, just the two of you?" Lorna wonders out loud.

"Mm-hm," Flaca and Maritza say in unison.

"Oh, enjoy yourselves!"

"Thanks!"

"Jesus, what happened to you?" Red asks.

"Dodgeball, I didn't even see it coming," she responds. "Ow..."

Red sighs and looks at her in concern. "Go to the backroom, I'll see if it's broken."

"Thanks..."

They leave her with Red and meet up with Nicky, who's staring at her bared teeth and touching each one with her tongue in the bathroom. "What are you doing?" Lorna wants to know.

"I got a toothache and my teeth are ugly! Look at 'em, all yellow and stained...girls are gonna start to wonder why they allow me to eat 'em out...let alone be attracted to my smile!"

"That's the warning sign of them rotting from repeated drug abuse and smoking. Maybe you could ask Red to take you to the dentist and have you get Chiclets?" Lorna suggests. "I hear they make your breath smell fresh and minty, and they're beautiful and white!"

Nicky puffs her cheeks out and exhales. "Thanks for the idea! I just hope Red's loaded! Otherwise, I don't wanna bug her about it. Uhh...we should go to Woodshop, come on, Flaca! Lorna, Maritza, you gotta head to English!" She exits the bathroom, takes Flaca's wheelchair from Maritza, and pushes her down the hall to their next class.

* * *

"That's kinda hot that you ride on the back of your boyfriend's Harley," Lorna tells Blanca at lunch. "What I would give to do somethin' like that...I'm not sure if Christopher's into motorcycles, though."

Alex rolls her eyes internally, but she opts not to say anything, since she can't think of one nice response. "I love it," Blanca murmurs while squeezing Diablo's shoulders and pushing his wheelchair into the end of the table where they're going to sit with Maria and Yadriel. "So, what do you guys think, should I dare my cousin Anton to eat the goldfish that I won at a carnival when I was almost three?"

"Twelve years? The average lifespan of a pet fish is five to ten," Nicky informs her.

"Yeah, well, I guess they do really good with nothing to eat except Fruit Loops."

"Wow!" Maritza exclaims.

"Tal vez no deberías dejarlo acercarse a tu pez...¡ese tipo tomará cualquier reto!" Diablo tells Blanca.

 **Maybe you shouldn't let him near your fish...that dude will take any challenge!**

"Oh, sí...¡gracias, mi amor!" Blanca kisses Diablo and Lorna squeals.

 **yes, thank you my love**

"I adore your PDA so much!" she gushes.

"You would," Alex mutters.

"Yeah, he thinks I'm cute, even with the extra toe on my right foot."

"Aw," Lorna coos.

"Did you really live on a Greyhound bus for a year?" Daya wonders out loud.

Blanca nods. "I wanted to get away for a while...and Maria encouraged me to come back home."

"I gave her a nice makeover like she wanted me to...even though she didn't need it," Maria says.

"That was real nice of her," Flaca comments.

 _Maria and Blanca stroll confidently through the hall, holding hands, after Maria loses her baby bump and Blanca has two eyebrows and a full head of straight hair that's slightly curled at the ends. They're dressed very stylish with makeup, jewelry, skirts, blouses, and boots instead of frumpy, like they just rolled out of bed. Everyone they're passing is shocked, boys catcall at them while girls appear to be jealous. Some new students compliment them and ask them to join their group and be the leaders. Alex and Lorna glance at each other for a split second in amazement, but then they're not able to stop gaping at the two transformed girls. Alex can't believe her eyes._

 _"Is that really Blanca?" Lorna asks._

 _"Well, she's with Maria...I assume so, yes," Alex responds._

 _"Wow, she looks great!"_

* * *

Flaca and Daya go to the girls' locker room together, already in their red and blue uniforms, and Ouija walks ahead of them. "Yo, did you notice how far Alex was sitting from Lorna today? What do you think happened?" Daya asks.

"I'm not sure...I hope they resolve things soon! It's annoying when there's drama within our group!" Flaca responds. "Hey, I'm so glad our classes are gonna be together today!"

"Me, too!"

Flaca has Mr. O'Neill, while Daya's teacher is Mr. Donaldson. Mr. O'Neill is funny and the whole school is well aware that he and Maritza's Earth Science teacher, Ms. Bell, are dating, and while Mr. Donaldson is strict, he's also reasonable and shows that he has a good heart. He makes sure to go easy on Daya since he knows she's pregnant. She still has to do the exercises, but she can take her time running. He allows her to walk fast around the gym or the track, as well. Last year, Daya used to have a pervert physical education teacher with glasses who always touched her until Piper got him fired. It was the best thing Piper ever did for her.

"Did you and Maritza set up your teachers together like in _Clueless_?" Daya wants to know.

Flaca giggles. "Nah, they got together on their own, but that would've been cool!"

Everyone but Flaca is doing laps, circling the track, when Mr. Donaldson lectures Cindy for being lazy because she's going as slow as Daya. "I'm with child, just like her!" she insists, pointing at Daya.

"You need a medical statement from a doctor! Pick up the pace now, Miss Hayes!" he orders.

While he isn't looking, Cindy grumbles, "Of course you're preggers, every Spanish girl is," and pushes Daya to the side as she runs past her, and Daya stumbles to the ground. Her arm shoots out in front of her so she doesn't fall on her stomach.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, she's pregnant!" Flaca yells from next to the bleachers.

Ouija gets Daya back to standing. "Are you okay?"

Daya groans while brushing herself off. "Yeah, I probably got a bruised knee or whatever, but I'm fine."

"Mind yo beeswax, skinny bean!" Cindy hollers at Flaca.

"Alright, that's an extra five laps for you, Miss Hayes!" Mr. Donaldson shouts at her.

"Fuckin' bitch deserves it," Pidge mutters from behind Daya.

* * *

"I almost did a bad thing last night!" Suzanne tells Lorna while holding her head and making her eyes bug out. "Thank heavens Maureen was there!"

"What happened?" Lorna wonders out loud.

"We were babysitting her favorite kid, Dylan, together, when he tried to call his dad so he could go home. Suzanne didn't want to let him leave. She continued playing dress-up with him and chasing him around the house and he tried to exit through the fire escape, but I caught him just in time!" Maureen explains. She rubs Suzanne's back soothingly. "We did have to scold him for dialing nine-one-one because there was no emergency...but he was safe!"

Lorna gasps. "Oh, that's good, I'm glad he's okay!"

"I don't like when children run away from me, it's not nice!" Suzanne pouts. "I'm Employee of the Month of September at Super Emporium, and that means I'm a people person! Dylan should admire me!"

"I'm sure he does, but he was probably tired, that's all," Lorna assures her. "Congratulations, by the way!"

Suzanne grins. "Thank you!"

"We know, but rejection hurts," Maureen says.

"It doesn't seem like he did it because he doesn't like you!" Lorna insists. "Kids may have more energy than us, but they get bored easily-"

"I was keeping him entertained!"

Lorna sighs in defeat. "I dunno, then."

* * *

"I shot a nurse for making fun of my sixth abortion, before I got arrested for the prank, but I got away with it because Boo advised me that if I wanna commit a crime, I should do it in private, so I did. Later when I told her, she said she was only teasing. At the time, I didn't know she was such a jokester!" Pennsatucky reports to Nicky. "I don't do that shit no more, 'cause I ain't on meth."

Nicky is about to respond, but Humps interrupts their chatter. "So the process of Lingchi is simple...they'd kill the person by cutting off one part of them at a time. By Wikipedia's definition, it's the death of a thousand cuts, a torture method used in China. Does anyone know when it was banned?"

Nicky raises her hand. "Nineteen oh-five."

"Good...I wish it were still popular, though, and in America, too. Someone come up to the front...the little whore. You're as hot as the tiny, spicy Mexican you're always hanging around." He clutches Lorna by her wrist and forces her up and has her face the class. Nicky starts to get up. "Stay in your chair, Nichols. I never told you to move!"

"Don't you even think about touching her!"

"Be glad it's not you."

Nicky scoffs. "You're grosser than the shit I gotta pick up with the litter picker!" Her heart breaks as Lorna just stands there, trembling and whimpering in his grasp.

He fondles each part of Lorna that would be chopped off, and Nicky rummages through Lorna's purse, not planning to stop until she finds the brunette's perfume bottle. "I'd strip her naked and draw on her with a black sharpie, exactly where I would slice. The breasts and butt are first since there's a lot of meat there, and then digits and limbs. The ears are next, then the eyes, nose, and mouth. Then, I'd hang her up by her hair and leave her there to die. She'd go quickly, since she'd be a bloody pulp." The class looks close to gagging and throwing up, and when he starts to unbutton her shirt, Nicky sprays Lorna's perfume right into his eyes.

"You stupid whore!" he snarls while Nicky takes a shaking Lorna from him.

"I thought I was gonna be prepared like cattle before they get slaughtered and turned into beef!" Lorna cries as she and Nicky shoot out of the room at top speed.

"That would never happen! He was just being creepy and gross...he'd fail to act on it!" She hoists Lorna up on her back when it the Italian falters in her step.

* * *

Alex twirls the blue tips in her hair around her fingers as she watches the tall trees leaning in the wind from outside her Geometry classroom. She squints when she thinks she sees Lorna's hands on Nicky's shoulders and the brunette's legs hooked around the blonde's waist. She feels guilty about what she'd flat-out accused Lorna of doing. There's just no way she'd really hurt her friends like that or let them get murdered. She would intervene.

When the bell finally rings to signal the end of the day, she, along with the rest of the school, boycott detention. It's not as if the shmucks will seek out each and every student and successfully find them, because it's impossible. After-school activities are being held at people's houses. She passes Lorna and Nicky, who have just finished talking to each other before cheerleading and continues on her way to where Flaca is waiting for band practice at their teacher's apartment. She's surprised when Lorna starts walking with her, towards the bus stop.

"Hey...where are you going?"

"I thought we weren't speakin' to each other...you were giving me the cold shoulder."

"Well, I'm sorry...I'm just so determined to figure out the mystery, that every little thing appears suspicious. I should've never treated you like that! It wasn't fair of me."

"Thanks..."

Alex puts her arm around Lorna. "How come you're not with the squad?"

"I dropped out. I'll tell Christopher once I see him!"

"Had to slip that in there, huh? You think he'll really give a shit?"

"Don't sound so exasperated! It'll make him be mine forever, you'll see! Ain't nobody, not even you, gonna change that!"

Alex raises her eyebrow at her smaller friend. "We just don't want you to get hurt."

Lorna scoffs. "Oh please, the only person who's _hurt_ is that stinky Angela Cooze-nick! God, I'd hate to be her her right now!"

"Same."

* * *

"Yay, I got a strike!" Flaca cheers as her pink ball rolls into the pins, knocking all ten down.

"Aw, lucky you, I can only get more of 'em down with the stupid bumpers!" Maritza complains.

"Maybe that's because you're mostly paying attention to recording us bowl!"

Flaca's wrong though, because Maritza can't stop thinking about how tight her ass would look in her jeans if she were bending over to retrieve a ball, and the fact that she has so much cleavage. Besides, she's beyond exquisite under these purple lights and her shimmering jewelry, red lips, and blue streaks in her hair make her absolutely ethereal. "How about you help me?" She knows perfectly well how to bowl, but she wants to feel Flaca's arms around her, with the taller chick's warm breath tickling the back of her neck.

"Okay, I will." Flaca hands Maritza a six pound green ball with holes big enough to fit her thumb and middle and index fingers. They head to the lane together, Flaca rolling along as Maritza walks with her. "So what you gotta do is kinda kneel down. Flaca guides Maritza to a squat. "That's how you can judge where exactly to aim. Then pop back up...and let the ball go right down the center of the lane by making sure your wrist is straight." Flaca positions Maritza and has her arm swing forward. The gentle touch of Flaca's hand on the back of Maritza's is enough to make her melt. "One last tip, tell yourself and imagine that the pins are the people you hate the most."

"Alright, thanks, girl!" Maritza imagines the pins being Humps, Dixon, Piscatella, and Arturo as she sends the ball flying into them, achieving a perfect strike. "Yes! I totally killed 'em!"

"Whoo!"

They go to Friendly's and sit across from each other at a red booth, and Flaca props her casted leg up and on Maritza's lap. Maritza thanks her lucky stars that Alex isn't there since she wants Flaca all to herself. They look at the menu, and Maritza can't help but peer over the top of hers at Flaca.

"What? I got a zit on my face or somethin'?" She pulls out her compact mirror from her purse. "Shit…"

Maritza blushes at having been caught staring. "Nah, nothin' like that…you're just so beautiful tonight."

Flaca beams and rests her chin in her hand. "Thanks…you're super pretty, too."

"Thank you."

Diane comes up to them. "What can I get you girls?" she asks.

"I'd like an orange sherbet ice cream on a brownie with a topping of whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles, please," Flaca orders.

"Can I please have cookies and cream ice cream topped with cookie dough, whipped cream, and rainbow sprinkles?" Maritza asks.

"Of course. It'll be ready in about five minutes or so," Diane says pleasantly.

As they wait for their desserts, they talk about everything and nothing while giggling. Later, they gobble their treats down. "Mmm!" they exclaim in unison.

"I had fun with you!" Flaca tells Maritza as they go into Diane's car. Alex's mother is going to take them to Fahri's apartment, where Alex had invited all of her friends for dinner and a movie. It's perfect because then Maritza can lean into Flaca's good side to get comfortable on the couch.

"Me, too!"

"It totally sucks that Lorna and Nicky are missing out 'cause of stupid volunteering!"

"I know, right?"

They get there just as Gloria is dropping off Daya. "Your friend has a nice place," the older Latina says to Diane in passing, and then she hugs everyone. "I saw a glimpse through the window."

"Oh, thanks, I'll tell him you said so!"

"Hey, girls!" Daya greets them happily as she wraps her arms around them.

"Hi!"

"Have fun, you three! ¡Adiós!" Gloria calls out.

"¡Gracias! ¡Adiós!" they shout after her.

Maria and Blanca are already there, helping Alex and Fahri set out plates as he announces that dinner is prepared. The girls follow Diane into the kitchen and she hugs her daughter and Fahri. They eat their broccoli rice casserole while Alex, Diane, and Fahri converse and include Flaca, Maritza, Daya, Blanca, and Maria in on it. Fahri appears to be sympathetic of the fact that Flaca was run under by a car, which has caused her to be in a wheelchair. Then they watch an action film, _2 Fast, 2 Furious_. Maritza would've preferred a rom-com, but she does like the cars zipping all over the highway. As she snuggles with Flaca, she gasps as an epiphany appears into her head. "Ohhh...my god!"

"What?" Flaca whispers.

"This dude's been real good friends with Alex and Diane for years, right? Blanca said it had to be somebody familiar…he's totally kind and respectful...are you thinkin' what I'm sayin'?" she asks in a hushed tone while squeezing Flaca's hands in excitement.

"Yes!" Flaca squeals under her breath. "Holy shit, we gotta tell Lorna!"

* * *

Lorna is doing her homework diligently when her phone plays a ringtone. Her heart sinks in disappointment when she sees it's not Christopher. "Hi, Flaca."

"Hey, girl!"

"Why are you speaking so quietly?"

"We're in the bathroom and we don't want nobody to hear…but _Operation_ _Land Gloria Her Prince Charming_ is underway!" Maritza says cheerfully. "We found our candidate! It's Fahri!"

"The man we met at the Sparrow Tavern?"

"Yep! He's close to Alex and Diane, so it's not like he's a stranger, _and_ he's nice and handsome! He's also exactly Gloria's age. Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!" Flaca explains happily.

Lorna smiles. "Oh, that's great! What's the plan for gettin' 'em together?"

"We gotta think, but it don't need to happen til October ninth. That will have been exactly one month, and we know that 'cause we looked in Flaca's call log…we got Arturo arrested, so we counted from there."

Someone knocks on her door to the tune of _shave and a haircut, two bits!_

"Cool...um, hold on…" Lorna puts her phone down. "Who's there?"

"It's Nicky!"

"Sorry, I gotta go!" she tells Flaca and Maritza and then quickly gets her key and the blue friendship bracelet she'd crafted for Nicky out of her desk drawer. She unlocks her door and lets Nicky in.

"Hi, how was NA?"

Nicky rolls her eyes. "Ah, the usual…serenity prayer and then _it works if you work it!"_ she recites with what Lorna can tell is faked enthusiasm. "It's said at the end of each meeting. I'm three days sober, which is like nothing. Alex, Tricia, and Daya's mom are doing so good, they don't even need the twelve step program! I can't go too long without a cig and heroin's my best girlfriend!"

"I can't quite grasp how anyone could be addicted to smokes or smack, but that's kinda like how nobody gets my attraction to Christopher, so we're the same in that way. Uh…I got a little creative, by the way...this is for you." She presents Nicky with the gift and slides it over her hand and onto her wrist.

"Best friends forever," the blonde murmurs to herself as her fingers skim over the white beads with one black letter on each of them. "Hey, thanks, kid. I, uh...I appreciate this. Really!" There's a hint of sadness in Nicky's eyes, and Lorna doesn't understand why.

"You don't like it."

Nicky grins. "No, I love it! I mean something to you, so…yeah, I'm extremely grateful."

"You sound so melancholy."

"It's just that nobody's ever done anything out of the blue like this for me before, unless it was a bribe…so if you're trying to make up for the cheerleading thing and get me to forgive you for leaving the squad-"

"I would never do that to you," Lorna assures Nicky. "I'm always genuine. I don't buy people's love…or friendship!"

Nicky sighs and plops onto Lorna's bed. "Alright. So…I asked Red to take me to the dentist to get Chiclets, but they're booked solid until next week. Since the whole procedure takes numerous hours, I've gotta be out for the whole school day. How awkward would it be if I had Mrs. Kuznick working on my teeth?"

"Very! I hope you don't get her!"

"Me neither."

* * *

"I suppose we can't skip detention this time, otherwise they'll ruin our weekend!" Diane overhears Allison gripe. She's sitting with her fellow teachers, Frieda Berlin, Susan Fischer, Artesian McCollough, Berdie Rogers, Eliqua Maxwell, Francine Dennis, Erin Sikowitz, Rhea Boyle, Shelly Ginsberg, Wanda Bell, Scott O'Neill, Felix Rikerson, Joel Luscheck, and John Bennett since Charles is handling an emergency at this time.

"Where is Mr. Donaldson?" Mr. Hayes roars suddenly, getting everyone's attention. "I'd like to discuss an issue with him!"

John stands up. "He's in a meeting, but I could-"

"No, I need to speak to _him_ , not you or anyone else at this table!" Cindy's agitated father bellows. "He's being unjust. One of his students is getting away with too much because she's pregnant like all fifteen year old Mexicans are, and my daughter, Cindy Hayes, got in trouble for making a racist comment! She wouldn't have had to say anything had the school been fair on their policies of people who _decide_ to make sports harder for themselves by getting-"

Daya hides her face in shame, and Cindy leaves the cafeteria immediately. Diane feels sorry for both girls, and Daya's friends squeeze her hands in support.

"Mr. Hayes, would you like to talk about _fairness_? Why don't you discuss that with Mr. Piscatella, Mr. Dixon, and Mr. Humphrey, because they're the worst out of all of us. Lunchtime is not the appropriate setting to be going on a rant like this! I will need to have you leave, sir," Mr. Bennett calmly orders him.

They breathe a sigh of relief as Mr. Hayes finally walks out of the cafeteria.

* * *

"The buffoon I've told you about before, Mr. Hayes, comes in, ranting about how Daya shouldn't go slower than her peers because she's with child. It was in the cafeteria, so we all heard it, Daya included," Aleida's best friend reports to her.

"What do you expect me to do about it, huh? He should be yelling at Bennett for getting my daughter pregnant!" Aleida tells Gloria sharply.

"Then march up to him at the parent-teacher conference tonight and tell him that! Your kids are in the same Physical Education class! Surprisingly, though, Mr. Bennett stopped him from taking his ruckus any further. I guess I shouldn't be _too_ shocked, because this is Daya we're talkin' about here."

"Aleida, hi...I am so sorry about what Mr. Hayes said, as if we didn't have enough motherfuckers in our lives!" Diane exclaims when Daya's mother walks into the school with Gloria.

"Yeah, Gloria told me...I fucked up my daughter!" she admits with a heavy heart.

"Fix it, then!" Gloria recommends.

"Where is she? I'mma talk to her right now."

"She should be with Flaca, getting out of gym class."

"Okay, thanks, girl." Aleida searches for Daya around that area.

* * *

"So, Mr. Hayes spread his bullshit about you around and you never told your motha?" Aleida questions Daya.

"Why would I confide in you about anything?" Daya asks while stepping into her jeans and putting her shirt on over her head and her arms go through the sleeves. "You'll just tell me I shouldn't have been a slut to cause people problems, or...whatever!" She pulls the shirt down over her torso.

"I ain't gonna do that no more, alright?" Aleida's eyes glisten with moisture, and Daya is stunned to see her being this emotionally affected by the situation. "I truly apologize for being so mean to you all these years. I promise...I'll be a better mama from now on." She sniffles and chokes out a sob. "I'm really sorry, Daya. You're my daughter...and ain't nobody gonna make you feel bad about yourself. I was so awful...but I wanna work on being closer to you..." Aleida hiccups mid-sentence as tears roll down her cheeks, and she wipes them away. "In order to do that, I gotta...I gotta be a good person. Ya know, a...a motha you can count on and all that shit."

Daya swallows the lump in her throat at her mother's speech, and she and Aleida embrace. "Thanks, Ma..."

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome." After a few moments, they let each other go and Aleida storms up to Mr. Hayes. "Yo, I dunno who the fuck you are, but if you got a problem with the school, you talk to Caputo or Mr. Donaldson about it and deal with what they say, but leave my daughter outta this! She's not getting privileges, they're called _accommodations_ , and it's not only her fault that she's got a baby on the way. Plus, it ain't your business! You got that, you nasty-ass fuckhead? Huh?"

"Sure...I apologize, lady."

"Yeah, you _bet_ I'm a lady! You just the tramp, but plot twist, we ain't together! I _so_ pity your wife! The bottom line is, if you're lookin' for a scapegoat, it ain't Daya."

"I understand." He turns to leave, but Aleida pulls him back.

"Oh, I'll decide when we're done here!"

Daya and Cindy look after the scene in astonished silence, and Daya smirks at the way Aleida is snarling at Cindy's father. "Hey...I'm sorry for my daddy's behavior. He yelled in front of me and my friends, too, and it's none 'a his bizz-nizz if I have beef with you," Cindy mutters, motioning for Daya to uncertainly follow her out of the locker room. "He goes off on tangents...my mama, brothers, sisters, and I can't stand it. It makes her wanna kick him outta the house sometimes. He's one of the reasons I wanna be Jewish and live with Ms. Ginsberg or somethin', but I'll miss the rest of my family too much. Ain't nobody really can comprehend that except my boy, Martin."

"Okay...I appreciate your apology, but you were very rude to me yesterday and you could've hurt my child. I cannot put myself in danger like that."

"I know...I feel bad, a'ight? I shouldn't have shoved you or called you that slur. I guess I'm kinda...jealous of you."

Daya chuckles bitterly. "Are you for real?"

"Well, with the way your mama's setting my daddy straight...now I never met her before, but man, you're lucky she doesn't care that you got a bun in the oven! If I had a supportive mama like yours-"

"My mom is so lenient that she expected me to get knocked up and she doesn't think I can do anything else!" Daya blows up at her. "Her ex was the same...and she always took his side over mine, even when he was being a violent piece of scum. The man she's dating now, just happens to be a good guy. The first time she'd been really nice to me and proved it...was just now. Like...she's gradually kinder each day, but it'll take me a while to completely trust her."

"I really am pregnant...but nobody really buys that 'cause my pluscious curves hide it, and I don't want this kid...I'd only be no more than an occasional playmate to 'em, but 'cause of my religion, I can't abort it."

"Oh, wow...uh, yeah, you can, but you don't need to tell anyone about it."

"You gonna give me the cash for it? I don't got zip! I need to at least let my mama in on the big news eventually...she'll be pissed as hell, but hey, I'm bein' honest. Only thing is, I dunno how to tell my religious freak parents that I got knocked up!"

"Maria's starting a support group for teen moms, if you ever wanna join. Maybe you'll get some ideas there."

"I'll think about it."

* * *

Since Caputo couldn't suspend all of the students for skipping school and the punishment that followed, they're all having detention in the large gym. "Last year, there were many fights in school instigated by the sadistic asshole teachers," Maria warns Nicky and Maritza as the girls walk inside the large room. "I have no idea why not anymore, but maybe they're just saving it for a bigger audience, like here, for example. Diane's supposed to be in charge, but Piscatella took over and physically forced her out of the room. Stratman and Humps made a bet and demanded that Suzanne and Maureen have a go at each other since Maureen was willing to, and Suzanne beat her up so bad that Maureen was in the emergency room for months, being treated for elephantiasis. Ouija, Blanca, and I pulled Suzanne off before she could kill Maureen. So yeah...be careful!"

"Shit, that's fucked up," Nicky says distastefully.

"We don't gotta worry about it this time, because one half of 'em ain't here, and we would just flat-out refuse!" Maritza declares.

"Since you all like to team up against us, we will divide you!" Piscatella suddenly booms. "Apes, burnt rice, and terrorists, follow me to this side. Dirty Mexi-hos and other Mexican'ts with Mr. Dixon. Chaps, Little Hiroshimas, and every single person with the same skin color as the ugly kitchen commie, Mr. Humphrey will take you." He passes the girls and glares at them. "Separate, _now_!" Piscatella grips Alex's tattooed forearm firmly and jostles her. "Your stupid chocolate-dipping mother should realize that she's not _ever_ going to be the leader of this!"

"I think she got the idea last year," Alex snaps. "Besides, parent-teacher conferences are today."

"Good, she better have. I'm not sure what exactly either of those nigger lovers know." His evil eyes pass over to Daya as he releases Alex. "Tell those cunts to keep their public displays of affection in private."

They nod quietly and then the area is quickly split into three sections. The girls have to sit on the bleachers while doing their homework. It's not too horrible if they don't ever look up to see Humps leering at them. The trouble only starts when Lorna sheepishly comes into the space. Nicky has a terrible feeling in her gut that Humps will treat Lorna as his little plaything, because he does that.

"Finally took drugs, huh, Morello?" she asks teasingly, hoping to distract Lorna from the hungry look on his face. "Maybe that's why you were being Looney Tunes Lorna on Wednesday?"

Lorna flips her off. "Mind your beeswax!"

Nicky scoffs while folding her arms across her chest. "Well, it looks like the snitch got herself into trouble too, eh?"

"Hey, fuck you, Nichols!"

"Hey, chill, kid, really, how did you wind up here?"

"Stop breathing in my face, you're giving me secondhand smoke germs."

"She was inflicting violence on another student...chick drama! Careful with that one, she's fiesty!" Humps cuts in.

"Nicky, I think that's enough," Alex mumbles.

"She's a fuckin' bitch!" Angela yells. "She actually tried to kill me!"

"Oh, shut up, Cooze-nick!" Lorna hollers. "I wouldn't have done nothin' if you'd stayed away from my boyfriend in the first place!" Christopher kicks Lorna from behind, and she growls while standing up. "Excuse me?" She yanks Angela by her hair and throws her down, but several girls catch her before she can fall too far. Humps guffaws, and Christopher appears to be livid. "Don't attack me outta nowhere, you cunt!"

"You fuckin' asshole!" Nicky bursts out at Christopher and goes to punch him, but Larry and Pete stop her.

"You don't like each other?" Humps wonders out loud. "Why don't you battle it out? Use your fists. My little Betty Crocker seems to want to!"

"No, that skank's not worth it!" Angela shouts as Polly and Christopher help her back to a sitting position.

"Call me that one more time, and you'll see what happens!" Lorna screams at her, but Nicky and Alex hold her back from going up there again, and they move her away from Christopher and Angela entirely.

"Okay, let's see...Doggett! You seem to have a lot of anger towards that lipstick freak...so go ahead. Get her."

"I don't feel like it. She's not that bad, okay?"

"You're ugly anyway, I'd rather see hotter girls fight. Last year's was pretty boring...a fuckin' retard and a Cabbage Patch doll. It may have been better in a mud pit, but I needed that twenty dollars. The only streetwalking dago who wears whore lipstick...you can fight anyone you want in here. I'll keep it a secret!" He licks his lips as he directs his sneer towards Nicky and Lorna. "Nichols...you and Morello like to argue so much...let's see it get physical!"

"I ain't a prostitute, and it was just a banter," Lorna mumbles. "I don't wanna hurt her! We're real good friends."

"Yeah, just leave us alone!" Nicky snaps.

"Oh, don't tell me you're scared! Shortstack is powerless! You'll win...easily!"

"I'm not afraid of her...or you! Also...I'm the only one allowed to call her that because it's our _inside joke_!"

"What's the problem, then, ditz? I'm challenging you to a brawl with the insane dwarf. I wanna see a fight. You're in detention for being fuck-ups, let's see you fuck each other up. I'll record it so my buddies can see it, too! Contestant number one, come on down!"

Nicky laughs at how stupid he's being. "Fine. I can handle this! It's probably all just talk, anyway!"

"Come on!" Bob Yoders urges Lorna. "It's like babes wrestling, but live!"

"No, I don't wanna, quit pushin'..." She yelps when Alexi Bendahli grabs her by a lock of her hair. "Knock it off..."

"You like your hair pulled, I thought!" Christopher says.

"Only by you!" Lorna answers him.

"Let's go, Lorna the Whore-na!" Kristy Lars eggs her on while she, Tammy Hills, and Jody Ocker pull Lorna down the steps and shove her towards Nicky. Alex tries to stop them, but they easily avoid her.

"You can't sing for shit!" Paulie Jamin insults her.

"Shut the fuck up!" Lorna shrieks so loud that it shatters Nicky's eardrums. She stumbles back a few feet and then staggers back up to Nicky.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the white supremacists begin to chant, and then the rest of the students, except Nicky's fellow cheerleaders, Alex, and Pennsatucky join in.

"That's it, play on her temper!" Humps says. "Let it out, shortstack!"

"Guys, that's enough!" Nicky screams. "We're not going to hit each other, but if you want a back-and-forth squabble for your own entertainment, then that's cool. It could be a nice way to work out issues between us."

"Yeah, give it up!" Alex puts in.

"This is ridiculous!" Ella grumbles. "Don't be so mean."

"Less bla-bla-bla, more fists!" Angela calls out. "This bitch needs to go down!"

"Cut it out!" Caitlin and Tia shout at her in unison.

"You really should not have quit cheerleading!" Nicky punches Lorna's upper arm playfully. "That dumb Christopher doesn't even love you!"

"He does, too!"

"Can it with the lying to everyone including yourself, Morello! Don't you see that most of them think you're a lunatic? I dunno, maybe you are, and that's not your fault...but the whole reason I decided to be on the squad was you. What, I'm not...I don't mean shit to you?"

"Of course you do...and _I am not what you just called me_!" Lorna hisses through her gritted teeth.

"You're sure acting like it...your world revolves around him!"

"Yeah, duh, because he's my boyfriend!"

"It seems like you forgot about your friends!"

"You know I didn't, so cut it out!"

"Cut _what_ out?" Nicky fires back.

"You're picking a fight with me for no reason!"

"This is going nowhere!" Humps kicks Lorna in the side, and she whimpers in agony as she falls to the floor. "I'm going to kill her if you don't express your true feelings," he threatens Nicky in a dark tone of voice as he holds a knife to Lorna's throat. "You are angry with her! You want to _murder_ this brainless twit-bitch!"

"I'm not like that, man. Let her go, please..." Nicky begs, starting to tremble involuntarily. He strokes the side of her face with his weapon and closes his other hand around Lorna's neck. "Take...take me instead..."

"I really don't care. You'll beat each other to death anyway." A sinister chuckle escapes his snakelike lips. "Strip down to almost being naked and then you'll be ready. Battles make people sweat. Think of the Gladiator. I wanna see some girls gone wild!"

Some of their audience watches in horror as Nicky and Lorna remove every bit of their clothing except for their undergarments. Humps wolf-whistles and claps, along with the douchebags in the crowd, and a few girls, namely the ones who were taunting Lorna, laugh out loud.

"Do your worst," Lorna rasps out as the color begins to drain from her face. Nicky sees that goosebumps are forming on the brunette's skin, and she feels a shiver run through her own body. It's from both being cold and scared for their lives.

"No, this is coming from someplace deep inside me that I've kept buried because I didn't want to start drama, but I think you are batshit _crazy_!" she confesses and smacks her upside her head. Lorna's eyes turn black, her nostrils flare, and her mouth sets into a thin line, but Nicky stands her ground. "If you are seriously that mentally ill, I can get you some help, but you're ignoring us!" Nicky holds onto Lorna's shoulders and shakes her. "You actually believe that Christopher is in love with you, but guess what? He's not! He never will be! You can't even take rejection like a fucking normal person! Cry into your best friend's arms, eat ice cream, and watch a chick flick or some shit...anything but...flying off the handle at his _real_ girlfriend like a...a psycho!"

All of a sudden, Lorna explodes. "How dare you? Enough of this!" She rams her foot into Nicky's crotch, making her keel over in pain, and then she does it a few more times until Nicky collapses to the ground, wheezing. Her heart is thumping so hard, almost out of her chest. "Damn you! Enough!" She realizes shit just got real, and she definitely had said too much, but it was so Lorna could survive. "You're such a rude bitch!" Some of the crowd, including Humps, is jeering as she tries to stand back up and brush herself off, but Lorna pounces on her, straddling her sides with her knees on Nicky's arms so she can't jerk Lorna off of her. The small fists start flying into her face and she can hardly breathe or see anymore. Her vision goes dizzy, she turns away to vomit her guts out, her nose and mouth fill with blood, and she's on fire. She can't even cry because she doesn't want to use her energy to do it. If her heart wasn't broken before, it definitely is now, and if she were to die at this moment, she'd take the opportunity.

* * *

"Oh, fuck, this isn't happening!" Alex squeaks through her ragged breaths. She, Pennsatucky, Brook, Ella, Caitlin, and Tia rush down to Lorna over an unconscious and battered and bruised Nicky from the chin up, and pull the short Italian off of the blonde.

Lorna sees what she's done and immediately begins sobbing. "No! No! I didn't mean it, I'm so sorry!" Her whole body is quivering and her hands are covered in blood.

"I know," Tia whispers while she and Alex rub her back in soothing circles.

"Oh my god, is she...did I..." Lorna can barely get the words out.

Pennsatucky shakes her head no and continues giving Nicky chest compressions. "She's got a pulse...she just needs a trip to the hospital. Someone dial nine-one-one!"

Ella and Caitlin are already doing it while Brook and Pennsatucky assist Nicky back into her clothes. Alex shoots daggers at Humps. "This is all your fucking fault, you sicko. Don't think I won't be going to my mom about this one. Ohhh, she is going to drag you to hell and back!"

"It's your friend who threw the tantrum. How would I know she was a two-year-old at heart? Detention's finished, and I won another twenty bucks!" He exits and a few minutes later, the gym divider curtains go up.

Right away, the Latinas and Poussey come running over. "Holy shit, what-" Blanca stops herself mid-sentence when they see Nicky flat on the ground, unmoving with a blood-smeared face. " _¡Dios mío!_ Who did this to her, Humps?"

Lorna takes a deep, shuddering breath and wails loudly. "He made me attack her," she mumbles. "I'm a bad person...I should be...I should be condemned...for what I did..."

"He wanted to pent up her anger by getting Nicky to be too blunt," Tia explains.

"Fuck, that is so twisted, I'mma get Red and everybody!" Maria says.

Lorna scoots over next to Nicky and strokes her hair softly while dabbing her face with a tissue. "I'm so sorry, hon...I'll clean ya right on up. Oh my goodness, I don't think I'm ever gonna be able to forgive myself for what I done to ya...no matter what, I should never have gotten that upset." The others kneel around them and she sniffles a few times while holding Nicky's limp hand in her own, fiddling with the bracelet on the blonde's wrist. "I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me...I got issues, you're probably right. Normal people don't abuse their friends like this..."

"Humps manipulated you...he messed with your mind...badly," Ouija tells her.

"Yeah, this so was not your fault," Flaca agrees.

"I did it, though..."

"Lorna, you never wanted to!" Alex states.

"I'm just like Arturo!" Lorna cries. "I...I hurt someone I'm supposed to...to love!"

"You are nothing like him!" Maritza tells Lorna. "Nobody pressured Arturo into hitting Gloria, he did that on his own."

"Well, why did I listen to...to Humps? I _hate_ him!"

"He tricked you both into clawing at each other!" Tiff answers. "I don't think either of you had much of a choice."

"Look...Suzanne has attacked me before under Vee's instruction and it's part of her mental illness. There could be a possibility that you have one too," Poussey chimes in.

"I ain't delusional like everybody says!" Lorna denies.

"I would love to shoot him in the dick," Daya mutters.

Lorna manages the smallest of smiles. "That would be nice."

Maria returns to the gym with Red, who immediately starts bawling while getting down on her hands and knees. She gathers Nicky in her arms and rocks her like she's a baby. "Oh, sweetheart!" Gloria and Aleida are behind her, and they help the girls console Lorna. Red begins pushing her hands into the center of Nicky's chest and counting to thirty. "Breathe, damn it!" she shrieks frantically. There's still no response, so Lorna gives her mouth-to-mouth. It doesn't help.

"There's just too much blood blocking her airways, and her heartbeat is very slow! What...what have I done?" Lorna sobs.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, L.M. Ermington, cornedout, and A Star In My Universe!**


	28. Maybe It's An Epidemic

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, attempted sexual assault and some racist insults.**

Feelings of shame swarm around inside Lorna, and she wants to puke her guts out and die. "I...I brutally assaulted a girl with a medical heart condition! You all have every right to hate me forever!" She hadn't noticed it before, but some of Nicky's teeth were knocked out, and Lorna fears that some may have gone down the blonde's throat and she's unable to cough them back up.

"No," Red tells her fiercely. "She will wake up from this, and nobody is furious with you. This was all Humps! I'm going to call Tricia so she and Taystee can come to the hospital." She dials Tricia's number on her phone and presses it to her ear. "Hi, honey." There's a pause. "I'm so sorry to pull you away from your friends, but this is important. Nicky has been horribly wounded and needs urgent care...we're about to get her medical attention...well, she's in pretty bad shape."

"Tell her I viciously assaulted Nicky, I want her to shoot me in the vagina," Lorna mumbles, but Red shushes her. _Not now_ , she mouths.

"We hope she'll be fine. Will you ask Taystee to bring you to the Lincoln Hospital? Alright, bye, Trish."

"What'd she say?" Lorna asks instantly after Red hangs up.

"She was crying and wondering if Nicky was going to be okay, and she'll be at the hospital shortly."

Since they don't want to wait for any paramedics or an ambulance, the women and Nicky's friends lift her up and put her on Flaca's lap sideways, and the girl in the wheelchair holds her upright since she's deadweight. Lorna knows it's not the time to be jealous since it's too serious of a moment. Then, after she, Alex, and Blanca get into the backseat of Red's car, the other girls help the women take Nicky from Flaca to the three who are in the backseat so she can sit up against one door and have her legs stretched out across their laps, and they buckle themselves in. Maria is in the passenger seat besides Red. The ladies take them all to the hospital, but in two separate cars, with Maritza between Flaca and Daya in Gloria and Aleida's vehicle. Poussey and Pennsatucky had opted to take the bus to where they're going since there's not enough room and they're not too close to anyone except Nicky, really.

As soon as they get there, everyone frantically lets the receptionist know that Nicky needs a cot and to see a doctor right away. When one finally arrives and brings in a cot for them to assist Nicky onto, Dr. Brooks tells them that only family is allowed to visit right now. Since Nicky doesn't have any, she lets Red, who says she's Nicky's foster mother, stay with the injured blonde. Lorna begs to go in, too, just to hold her hand until she comes out of her coma, and the doctor gives in, probably because of Red staring her down. Tricia and Taystee come in with tears in their eyes, and Lorna starts sobbing all over again, apologizing profusely. Dr. Brooks doesn't believe Taystee is Nicky's sister and has her stay in the waiting room with the other girls, Gloria, and Aleida, but Tricia follows Lorna and Red where they're wheeling Nicky into a room with a cot.

* * *

A steady beeping is the first sound Nicky's heard since Lorna knocked her out because of Humps. She opens her eyes slowly and it aches so much. Her entire face is raw and it burns when she tries to move it. She gazes all around the white room, or it could be a cloud, for all she knows. "Ah," she whimpers softly. "Maybe I made it into Heaven." She feels a hand wrapped around each of hers and from her blurred vision, she sees Lorna and Red on either side of her and Tricia perched on the end of her bed. "It's not Hell 'cause you three are here. Wait..." She knows she'll go from what she loves, and it'll definitely be heroin, since it obviously wasn't Lorna. "I'm fuckin' alive," she slurs quietly.

"Thank goodness!" Lorna cries.

"How long I been out?"

"About forty-five minutes," Red lets her know. "You gave us quite a scare, little girl."

"No wonder I had time to meet Jesus," she tries to joke, but nobody laughs. "He sent me back down here, I guess I get a lotta love from that dude."

Tricia crawls up next to Nicky and nestles into her. "Praise the Lord, for the first time ever."

"Nah, this is my third time almost dying, and it's different because it wasn't from heroin, so yeah."

"I thought I was gonna lose you forever," Lorna murmurs, and Red tenderly kisses Nicky's forehead and cheek.

"I'm still here," Nicky says nonchalantly.

"I'm so glad," Red tells her while threading her fingers through her matted blonde curls.

"Me, too!" Lorna and Tricia agree in unison.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Lorna mutters. "I'm such a fuckin' bitch...I can't say it enough, but I'm so sorry, Nicky."

"Wait, what..." Tricia starts to ask.

"I'm the one to blame for the condition Nicky's in," Lorna admits.

"We're both at fault here...I got a bit carried away with what I said to you." Nicky turns to her little sister. "First off, though, that evil Humps instigated it...he's one of the teachers who are just plain sadistic, like Lorna and the others had tried to warn me, but shocker, I didn't take 'em seriously. He took advantage of the fact that we were having a little go at each other and turned it into a huge smackdown in our bras and underpants."

"I even saw him jerking off behind us," Lorna adds and shivers visibly. "I'm so disgusted with myself...I should've done something...to stop him...before I...I..." She trails off into hysterical sobs while shrinking into her chair and hiding her face with her hands. "You shouldn't ever be alone with me again! I don't trust myself at all..."

"It's okay...I know that he provoked you. Right now, though, we don't have anyone egging us on to be in a war with each other. He forced us to physically fight each other by gunpoint, kid," Nicky attempts to convince her. "Those bitch fellow students of ours...they were riling you up and he was kicking you like some animal, so no wonder why you were already furious. He coerced me into saying hurtful things so you'd have a reason to...bash my face in a dozen times." She groans weakly because talking causes her incredibly sore face to move. "That was his goal...he wanted you to do his dirty work so the sting would be even worse." Nicky gasps sharply and it feels like a truck has just rolled over her. "Ow...fuck..." She twists around in agony, nearly squishing Tricia underneath her and crushing Lorna's and Red's hands as the excruciating pain takes over her body. Warm tears trickle down her cheeks as her head pounds. "I need...I..." She despises appearing so fragile in front of Lorna, Red, and Tricia. She hopes they won't treat her like glass now.

"Painkillers?" Lorna guesses. "I'll get 'em for ya, honey." She begins to go, but Nicky keeps a strong hold on her hand.

"Stay. Please. I can get through this. It's just like a thing I gotta deal with when I'm worn down."

"It's my job anyway..."

"I'll fetch a nurse," Red pats her unscathed cheek gently and stands up. Nicky clings onto her arm like it's a lifeline and pulls her back down into her seat.

"I don't want you to leave either, Red."

"Okay, then _I_ will!" Tricia decides aloud and exits the room.

"It would've only been for a second, sweetheart...and you know Lorna isn't going to hurt you."

"Yeah, and it's not that. See, Marka...the cunt who gave birth to me...she would always blame me for getting sick...I brought it on myself. I don't even remember her being at any of my appointments...she just handed my nanny a wad of cash and instructed her to take me to the doctor's," Nicky remembers bitterly. "It takes a lot more effort to be a mom, and all she did was give me life."

Red strokes her hair and she hums contentedly in response. "Oh, Nicky, I'm always going to come back to you, I assure you of that!"

"It's deep-rooted mommy issues, just roll with it. Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize."

"Alright, not sorry," Nicky mumbles, and Red chuckles softly.

"I apologize," Lorna speaks up, and Nicky glances over at her. "I...I'm not sure why I'm allowed to be here. I'm dangerous...I don't deserve to be near you again."

"Hey, stop. Really, it wasn't you at all. It's like...you were possessed because of that monster." Nicky sighs heavily. "Quit being hard on yourself before I start making bad _Exorcist_ jokes," she attempts teasing Lorna, but the brunette still appears to be very upset.

Lorna sniffles. "Okay, _The Exorcist_ was not real. That's one thing I know. I don't have a demon inside me."

"Look, you had that piece of shit twisting your mind all around. I want...no, I _need_ you with me. You're just as important as Red. I mean, so is Tricia, but I need those damn pills, and you two are already by my side." She doesn't want to mention that she wishes Red wouldn't pick up Tricia just to take her to the mall when the younger blonde can go with her newfound friends and instead, watch Nicky at cheer practice. It's selfish and immature of her to think this way because decent parents must love all their children equally and not have favorites, she's well aware, but that's how she feels.

Tricia returns with a nurse who gives Nicky a cup of water and painkillers. She takes it in one gulp.

* * *

While Lorna, Red, and Tricia are visiting Nicky, and it's Alex, Taystee, Poussey, and Pennsatucky's turns next, then later, Daya's, Maritza, Blanca, and Maria completely destroy the house that Humps and his cronies live in since they're not home. They all smash bricks through the windows, paint it with red and black graffiti, and run away, cackling, as they jump into Yadriel's car. He blasts music as he drives off.

"Yo, that was awesome to see!" Flaca exclaims. "I wish I coulda done it too, but my wheels can't go over these sticks very well!"

"Stupid rotten yellow cottage!" Maritza grumbles, wrinkling her nose in repulsion.

"I know, just as disgusting as they are!" Blanca agrees, and she can see that her boyfriend and Yadriel are proud of them.

"It felt so good fucking it up!" Maria says.

"Yeah, especially after what they did to y'all and Nichorello!" Flaca gestures to everyone except the driver. "Maybe they never touched me nor Yadriel 'cause we got teardrop tats. They scared of us, dude!" At this, Yadriel smirks.

"I wish we set that fuckin' place on fire!" Maritza tells them. "Or, um...threw all of those gross dead creatures into it so they'd have a bug infestation!"

"Next time, this was just an impulse thing 'cause we're fed up, ya know?" Blanca asks, and Maritza nods.

"We should bring Daya, Alex, and Nichorello," Maria suggests.

"Yeah!" Flaca and Maritza squeal together.

"I thought you didn't like Alex," Blanca whispers to her while she's leaning forward so Flaca and Maritza don't overhear.

"I'm keeping the peace. It's just hard when she really loved your bully. I always got you, girl. I don't let nobody mess with you no more."

"Neither do I. Dude, you know me, I'm tough as nails." Blanca sits back into her spot and watches as they pass an area she recognizes.

 _He'd tricked her into going to the bad teachers' cabin, or whatever they call it, and now there's a rumor going through the grapevine that she's fooling around with all of them, even though the students know that Piscatella's gay. Sickness swirls around in her belly and the lump she's trying to swallow is stuck in her throat. Piper chortles behind her. "Oh my god, if it isn't Blanca the Beast! This is classic! We caught you red-handed, you little slut!" The girls surrounding the bitch just stand there, appearing to be extremely uncomfortable, but they don't say a word against their Queen Bee, as Blanca expects. She turns around and takes off into a sprint._

 _Kasey Sankey and Jennifer Digori trip Blanca as she's racing through the woods, so she falls to the ground, skinning her hands and knees, and throws up. She scrambles around to find the perfect branches to cut herself with, but Joey comes up to her with a camera. "I'm happy you found a nice place to live! You'll fit in with the other wild creatures!" She wipes puke off her chin and crawls away, wishing she could call Maria or run to somewhere safe, but she feels too weak to move. It's dark and she's not only humiliated and heartbroken, but she's terrified._

 _"Leave me alone, please..." she begs him quietly as tears leak out of her eyes and slip down her cheeks._

 _"Sure, after you repeat my words. I am a freak. Go ahead, I'm waiting."_

 _"I'm a freak," she mumbles._

 _"Yeah, you are." He walks away and catches up to Kasey and Jennifer._

 _"Get up, beastie," Piper commands. "You're such a loser!"_

 _"I can't..."_

 _"Are you paralyzed or something?"_

 _"No, I-I just...I'm physically sick." She chokes up the leftover bile and spits it out._

 _"Ew, you're disgusting!" Piper shouts, stepping a few feet back from her, and Alex trails after the leader. "Girls, we're all gonna get germs! Why aren't you following me and Al?"_

 _"We'll be there in a minute," Lorna snaps impatiently. "Remember how sad you were over Mike Powell not returning your love? It fuckin' hurts! Not to mention, Joey_ is _shit on a stick for what he did to me, and now, her!_ "

 _"Maybe we should at least help her get back home?" Daya asks shyly._

 _"Yeah, she could use some comforting...the girl_ did _just get duped," Flaca murmurs._

 _Piper scoffs. "She_ _really should've known she was way out of his league, come on!"_

 _"Pipes, straight guys can be idiots!" Alex points out._

 _"Uh, you're talking about me like I'm not here," Blanca mutters, mostly to herself._

 _"Just walk away, girls!" Piper orders them, and they obey her, but spare Blanca sympathetic glances._

 _"Dios, Maria, I wanna die!" Blanca shrieks into her phone after they finally leave. "They turned me into a laughingstock!"_

 _"¿Que pasó?" Maria asks, her best friend's voice almost deadly, and Blanca tells her everything, starting with how living with her parents who had no fashion tips whatsoever didn't help her at all socially and finishing with her only friend advising her not to give a fuck about what people thought of her. She'd tried that, but it's embarrassing to be a pariah just because of something anyone can easily fix._

 ** _What happened?_**

"Yo, what's up? ¿Estás bien?"

 **Are you okay?  
**

Blanca smiles when she feels Diablo rubbing her thigh affectionately. "Sí. Now I am."

 **Yes.**

"I'll never let anyone do that to you again, baby," he murmurs and then pulls her in for a hot kiss.

"Get a room!" Maritza complains, but she and Flaca are grinning.

* * *

"Blanca, Maria, and I trashed Humps' tiny house where he rooms with Dickman and Piss-cuntella for what he did," Maritza announces when Red goes outside the room to talk to the doctor.

Nicky and Lorna both snicker. "Fantastic job, kid!" Nicky praises Maritza.

"You're such real good friends," Lorna puts in. They hi-five Maritza, and she beams with pride.

"Yeah, that was super cool!" Flaca chimes in. "Yo, there's somethin' we wanna tell you, Lorna. Only thing is, I dunno if you'll be okay with it, Nicky."

"Just say what you gotta say to her, it'll make her happy, and I'll feel better," Nicky answers her groggily. She's starting to fall asleep, so they let her.

"Fahri should come to the school somehow...or we'll ask Alex where he works and bring Gloria there," Maritza says.

"We gotta like, _It Takes Two_ this shit," Flaca informs them.

"Oh yeah, that movie was real cute!" Lorna gushes.

"We'd need to ride horses with them in the same place and do something to Gloria's so it makes her freak out and then he saves her before she gets badly injured...that's how they'd start to get to know each other!" Maritza exclaims.

Nicky grunts. "Animals are unpredictable...you don't wanna put her in danger. Movies are different from our actual lives...of course they wouldn't kill off or seriously harm the main characters," she mutters while her eyes are still closed. "If something awful were to happen to Gloria because of a matchmaking plot gone wrong, Daya and her mom would fuckin' murder you."

"I thought you weren't interested in this plan of ours," Lorna mutters remorsefully. "I'm sorry...we ain't gonna carry it out 'til the ninth, a month of Gloria bein' free from that mean man."

"It's alright...you kinda need me for this anyway. In fact, you'd probably wanna involve all of us in your plan, Red included, and your moms and Franny, if they so desire."

"Oh, wait, I got it...we'll go to the ocean, and we'd be there with her, Daya, and Aleida while you two-" Flaca gestures between Nicky and Lorna "-take Fahri, Diane, and Alex out for a day at the beach. We'll get her into the water, not where the sharks are, just when the current is strong enough to make her struggle and big waves will crash down on top of her...then we'll run out of the water as she's goin' down. When he hears her screaming for help, he'll rescue her! We'd do it right in front of you guys, though, of course."

"Yes, that sounds perfect!" Maritza gushes.

"Swoon!" Lorna agrees.

"No! What, you want her to drown? Why would anyone assist a perfect stranger when her whole family and her friends are there to do it?" Nicky wonders aloud. "I don't like this suggestion at all. Even though I'd sometimes like to suffocate in the sea, I wouldn't want Gloria or anyone else to risk their lives by doing that, even for a few seconds."

"Okay, you got a better idea?" Maritza asks, and she, Lorna, and Flaca look offended.

Nicky scoffs. "You three have never been in near-death situations, _that_ much is obvious."

"How about something safe so she doesn't panic because she thinks she's gonna drown?" Lorna offers up meekly, just to please Nicky. "Um...one of us could pretend to be hurt...and they both gotta help. They could accidentally brush hands or look up into each other's eyes!"

"That'll be super adorable!" Flaca exclaims and she and Maritza giggle while clapping their hands eagerly. "Even if they don't strike up a romance at first sight, they could at least get a glimpse of each other and talk and shit."

"Yeah, but only thing...who would our actress be?" Maritza wants to know.

* * *

"Why me?" Daya asks over the phone as she sits against her dark wooden bed frame.

"'Cause you're pregnant. You may not even have to fake your distress," Lorna replies.

"How would we even make sure they're in the same place at once? When Gloria took me to his apartment, she didn't go in..."

"Gloria would be at school, in the kitchen, right? Diane works after and Alex could save money by asking Fahri for a ride to Friendly's instead of taking the bus. She'd tell him to meet her in the cafeteria's backroom and then she'd say she forgot something in one of her classes and needs to get it before the teacher leaves and run off. You'd faint or whatever, and they'd assist you in getting back to your feet," Flaca tells her. "¿Comprende?"

"What about you or Nicky? You guys are actually hurt!" Daya points out.

"Nah, 'cause Flaca needs a reason to get out of her wheelchair, she wouldn't do it in the kitchen, it's not believable, and she can't just fall out of it...and Nicky would be with Red, taking her out of the kitchen, leaving Gloria by herself with you and Fahri," Maritza explains.

Daya sighs. "Hmm, alright, I'm in."

"Yay!" the three girls on the other line cheer happily.

* * *

Besides Lorna, Red, and Tricia, Nicky's visitors had come in pairs throughout the day. She enjoyed Lorna taking care of her, even though she had to anyway because she was on duty. From wiping up the bloody mess on Nicky's face and getting ice for her bruises, black eye and fat bottom lip to regularly giving her painkillers and water, she'd been the absolute sweetest nurse Nicky ever had. When Lorna had to help other patients, Taystee and Poussey came in, after them were Pennsatucky and Boo, then Alex and Daya. Blanca and Maria were next, and Flaca and Maritza arrived last. Gloria, Aleida, and Diane check up on her at the end of the night when parent-teacher conferences are over. During her stay in the hospital, she'd gotten flowers, balloons, and get well cards. Lorna's still there, even after her shift is finished, and so is Red. As the evening turns into late night, Lorna calls Franny and tearfully lets her know where she is. Red informs her roommate that she's dealing with an emergency and won't be home until Nicky's back at Lorna's house and the pain isn't too bad anymore.

While Lorna is finishing up her call and Red goes to the bathroom, Stella strides in and pulls up a chair next to Nicky. "I came in earlier, but you were sleeping."

Nicky turns away from her since she doesn't even want to look at her, let alone hear her. "What're you doin' 'ere?" she rasps out.

The tattooed Australian slithers her fingers through Nicky's hair and down the side of her face. "Get off me, man, stop," she groans, but Stella keeps at it, trying to kiss her, until Nicky jams her knee hard into the idiot's chest while spitting at her. "Fuck this sexual harassment!" she grumbles, as the EKG machine starts beeping rapidly along with her speeding heartbeat. She attempts to get her breathing back to normal, but it's difficult.

"I just wanted to say feel better soon." Stella wipes the saliva off her chin. "I guess I'll return some other time..."

"Out!" Lorna orders Stella while stepping up to her. "Nicky thinks you're gross!"

"You're sick! You could've killed her! Meanwhile, she was hollering my name and then I got heroin from her. Damn, if I could go back to that moment..."

Lorna glares up at Stella darkly. "Stay the hell away from her unless you wanna catch these hands, you whore! In fact, touch her again, and I'll tell everyone that you buy drugs for sex!"

Stella grabs Lorna by her shirt and pushes her aside. "They all know, so it's not like some embarrassing secret. Don't threaten me, o nutty bitch. I've got seven inches on you! Sure, you got rough with Nicky, but that was only because Humps provoked you and she's practically your height."

"I'm protecting Nicky, ya fuckin' kangaroo! I ain't gonna hurt her no more. You just wanna molest her like the creepy slut you are!"

"You gotta admire the kid for defending my honor like she does," Nicky cuts in, interrupting their stand-off. "Look, she's right. All you ever were to me was a customer who's really bad at finger-banging and cunt-licking. You just didn't have it. Thanks for the cash, though, I really needed it. Other than that, I don't need your slimy hands near me anymore."

Lorna cackles. "Well, how 'bout that? One hookup, and then what? Did you even try to get to know her?" She scoffs while rolling her eyes. "We're _so_ done here."

Stella appears to be mortified as she hurriedly leaves. Lorna goes to Nicky's side and curls up next to her. "I thought she was gonna force me...to do more...with her...if you...if you didn't..." Nicky tells Lorna through panicked gasps of air. "Oh my...oh my god...Jesus fuckin' Christ, Lorna..."

"Shh, you're safe now," Lorna coos while toying with Nicky's curls and lightly stroking Nicky's cheek with her thumb. "I'll make sure Red does somethin' real nasty to her food on Monday."

"Thanks..." Nicky sighs elatedly and leans into Lorna's warm, loving touch.

"Anytime."

* * *

"I ain't really sure how to do this...I never confessed to nothin' before," Aleida says to the priest behind the latticed curtain as she kneels on the step.

"That's okay. Just recite whatever sins, or wrongdoings in the eyes of God, that you have committed, and then you'll need to do some prayers, such as the Hail Mary a few times."

"I don't know any..."

"You can do it with me after."

"Alright." Aleida sighs deeply while clasping her hands. "So, um...a good mother, I was not. I got into heroin packing, and I brought my children into a home filled with smoke and weird odors, you know, from drugs...they were exposed to it. Not only that, I, uh...treated 'em terribly." She begins to choke up, but she knows it's a horrible time to cry. "I was always insincere. I never put 'em to bed or...or kissed their boo-boos...I put all my boyfriends' needs before theirs. I was blessed with beautiful babies...and I ain't ever...ever...told 'em I love-loved 'em before," she murmurs, trying to keep her voice from cracking so much. "Instead, I...I made my oldest, who's fifteen, be in charge of her kid sister and brother...I even gave her the idea that one of her guy friends was real into her, so she flirted with him, humiliating herself since he and her other friend were together...and I drove around with my son, who's only three, in the...the trunk of my car...and my youngest daughter...I called her s-stupid." Aleida allows a few whimpers to escape and she looks up at the ceiling, shaking her head while pressing her lips together. "Like, I actually said that to a four year old's face...but my best friend is so great with 'em, they think of her like their-their tía. She's much better than I am." Aleida sniffles and blinks back tears. "I s-slapped my high schooler because she...my latest man...that motherfucker had sex with her...and I was so envious...and now, I'm dating someone else, but I can't make a decision between the two." She loathes being so insecure and needy of love that it's reduced her to this. "I r-really do adore my k-kids and have-having them w-with me. I just...I haven't been able to show it much."

"Okay, well, after your penance, you can let me know how you are planning to improve."

"Sure..."

* * *

While Aleida is giving her confession, Gloria sits on the steps outside to wait for her. She sees Alana praying on the steps with her eyes closed. Then, she opens them. "I'm still getting used to being an orphan. My father put a gun to his head and my mother overdosed on pills in the same week this summer. I made calls to everyone in my family since I discovered both their bodies. My aunt is making life easier for me, she's the best...but it's difficult to wake up and then over and over again, realize they're not ever gonna come back."

"You have my condolences. I lost my parents at an early age, too...and I also had a tía who took me under her wing. She and I are extremely close."

"Oh...that's nice. You should always value her, is my recommendation, because you never know what you have until it's gone. I was arguing with my aunt about trying to find this teacher I had a thing for...and she got into a bad car accident. I have no idea if she'll make it...but I need to go to the hospital now. My bus to it is almost here."

"I'm sorry, I hope she'll be okay."

"Thanks," Alana mumbles over her shoulder as she leaves.

Gloria knows she should've gotten in touch with her aunt a long time ago, like when she'd first started living here, but she's just been so caught up in everything that it had completely slipped her mind to tell Lourdes where she is now. The woman had only left her a voicemail that she couldn't attend Benny's birthday party because she couldn't afford the plane trip to visit, and Gloria kept forgetting to call her back. She finally has a second to herself now, so she dials Lourdes' number and waits for her to pick up her phone.

"Gloria?"

"Hola, lo siento por no notificarlo antes..."

 **Hi, sorry for not notifying you earlier...**

"Está bien, pensé que tal vez estuviste huyendo o escondido... Supongo que encontraste un lugar donde no te encuentre..."

 **It's okay, I figured maybe you were on the run or in hiding...I assume you've found someplace to stay where he won't find you...**

Gloria smiles. "Sí, lo hice, estoy en el Bronx, con mi ahora mejor amigo y todos nuestros hijos. Ella trabaja conmigo en la cafetería donde su hija va a la escuela. Me siento muy segura aquí. Su novio incluso consiguió una alarma de seguridad instalada. Nadie puede entrar sin que se apague."

 **Yeah, I did, I'm in the Bronx, with my now best friend and all our kids. She works with me in the cafeteria where her daughter goes to school. I feel so safe here. Her boyfriend even got a security alarm installed. Nobody can break in without it going off.**

"¡Eso es increíble! Estoy feliz por ti, cariño."

 **That's amazing! I'm happy for you, sweetie.**

"Yo también. Bueno, si alguna vez quieres vernos o cuando tienes el dinero para un vuelo, puedes venir aquí. Los chicos y yo te extraño ... y estoy seguro de que Benny le encantaría contarle todo sobre el jardín de infantes!"

 **Me, too. Well, if you ever wanna see us or when you have the money for a flight, you can come out here. The boys and I miss you...and I'm sure Benny would love to tell you all about kindergarten!**

"Voy a intentarlo muy duro, Gloria. Lo prometo."

 **I will try very hard, Gloria. I promise.**

"¡Bueno! ¡Te amo, tía! Gracias por todo, en serio."

 **Okay! I love you, Auntie! Thanks for everything, really.**

"Eres muy bienvenida, mi chica."

 **You're very welcome, my girl.**

"¡Adios te quiero!"

 **Bye...I love you!**

¡Yo también te amo!

 **I love you, too!**

Aleida walks out of the church while Gloria closes her flip phone. "I'm done...I suppose some higher power up there has forgiven me for my sins, but I still feel awful. It's like...I told a stranger about the different ways I've fucked up, but they don't care. My kids deserve someone who's not me...those prayers or whatever, they didn't absolve me of guilt."

"Hey, listen. You gotta learn how to forgive yourself and take pride in the progress you've made so far." Gloria puts her arm around Aleida as they walk to the car. "Who stood up for Daya against Cindy's dad?"

"I did."

"That's right. Who went out and bought her new bed stuff and a fuckin' goldfish?"

"Me."

"Yup. Who does Christina's hair every morning and makes motor sounds like _vroom, vroom!_ when playing with Emiliano's toy vehicles?"

"You, or Daya."

"Not only us, you do as well. You also take part in helping Daya through her pregnancy, you play Barbies with Christina even though you hate that shit, and you never skip your turn for changing Emiliano's diapers. You spend quality time with the children, just like Daya and I do. You and her are getting along real good, by the way...watchin' _Judge Judy_ while snackin' on Doritos! Y'all got me into it, too."

"That was our tradition when she was little, but then everything kinda...disappeared when the others joined us. It's cool to be getting into the show again."

"Well, even if you don't see it yet, you're turning into a decent motha...day by day, you learnin'. I ain't even had to reprimand you lately or nothin', or heard shouting matches between you and Daya. I ain't sayin' I ever expected you to be perfect, 'cause nobody is, but you're pretty damn close." They get into the car and Gloria starts driving them home.

"I noticed the kids are still withdrawn and shit...and I can't let go of Cesar, no matta what."

"I know, he was a big part of your life...it'll take a while...and that's what happens when they've been around one scary guy after another. It'll take years for them to heal, or maybe they never will. I ain't gonna say don't blame yourself, because you should. Own up to your mistakes and then fix 'em."

"I will...I already apologized to Daya, but the other little children won't understand my words."

"You'll have to show 'em you're sorry, then. You don't gotta call 'em cutesy names, but at least tell 'em you love 'em, kiss 'em and hug 'em, play with 'em...kinda what you've been doing these past three weeks."

"Okay."

As everyone helps her move all of her things into the nursery so Daya can have her own room, Gloria comes across a picture of her and Lourdes on vacation in Cabo with the boys. She'd enjoyed hearing her aunt's voice an hour ago and she wishes Lourdes could come and see them, but she'll just have to be patient. She and Aleida put the youngest children to bed and kiss them goodnight.

"It's on!" Daya calls out just as Aleida is getting the Doritos and putting them into a huge bowl. They sit on the couch and Gloria joins them. Benny takes a spot in her lap and Christina squeezes in between Daya and Aleida.

"Can you do my hair?" Christina asks Daya as she pops a chip into her mouth.

"Ask Ma," Daya mumbles while chewing.

"I will," Aleida volunteers. "Your sister's hands are dirty with crumbs!"

"Okay, Mommy. I want braids."

"What's the magic word?"

"Pwease?"

"Alright, braids?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Mama!"

"You're welcome." Aleida situates Christina directly in front of her and begins to arrange her curly black locks into two plaits on opposite sides of her head. Daya looks pleased, and Gloria feels like she's finally fixed Aleida.

* * *

"Morning, hon," Lorna murmurs when Nicky rubs her eyes open, but not so much that it's painful. She's a bit disoriented but then realizes she'd stayed overnight at the hospital, and Lorna is nestled into her side. Red's still sleeping in a chair next to Nicky's cot.

"That's gonna make her bad back worse," Nicky worries aloud.

"I know, I told her that last night, but she insisted upon staying in here."

"I should wake her." Nicky stretches, but she can't let out a good yawn. "God, all my injuries are killing me!"

"I'm sorry," Lorna apologizes while twirling the ends of Nicky's hair around her fingers. She gently kisses Nicky's cheek and pulls back, smiling sadly through her tears.

"You don't need to say that, kid. I'm the direct cause of all of this...I chose to do drugs and therefore, get myself arrested, which made Piscatella hate me...and Humps just wanted to get a rise out of both of us. I almost died from heroin twice before...and last time, I was so smacked out of my gourd that I crashed a cab in Chelsea, Manhattan. I am no stranger to the bright white light waiting for me upstairs."

"It's a miracle you're alive."

Nicky chuckles while taking Lorna's hand off her cheek and pressing her lips to it. "I appreciate the sentiment, kid, but maybe Jesus keeps rejecting me because I belong in Hell."

"There's no way you do! I'm definitely going there, though."

"Nah, babe. You're sent from above."

Lorna grins and shakes her head. "I didn't save your life or nothin'...I almost destroyed it!"

"Only thanks to Humps." Nicky reaches over and taps Red. "Hey, Lorna and I are both up!"

The older woman startles herself alert. "Oh, good morning, girls! How was your sleep?"

"Awesome!" they answer her in unison.

"I'll go and tell a nurse so hopefully, you can be released soon." She groans and massages her back and neck while standing up. Nicky wishes she could do it for Red, but she doesn't have the strength. "I have a bit of a kink, but I'll be fine."

"I'll get the sore spots," Lorna offers.

"Thank you, Lorna, but first, I'm going to notify a nurse that Nicky is up." She winces as she starts to bend over, so she instead kisses her own index and middle fingers and places them onto Nicky's cheek.

After they go home with the instructions of what times Nicky should take her painkillers and change the bandages on her face, Lorna runs into Franny's arms and sobs out the whole story, why Nicky was really in the hospital. Her sister seems understanding and ready to murder Humps. Meanwhile, Nicky takes a first glance at her reflection. She barely recognizes the chick in the mirror. She still has her disheveled hair, but one whole side of her face is smothered with gauze and the other is dotted in angry blue and purple marks. She has two black eyes, a few missing teeth, and her bottom lip is busted wide open. There's several band-aids- under her nose, on her chin, and her temple. She can't stand looking at herself anymore, so she grabs a pack of ice from the freezer and puts it on her bruises while laying on her bed.

* * *

"How's Nicky?" Gloria asks as Daya comes into the kitchen, closing her phone, while the women are cooking breakfast and the kids are playing on the floor.

"She's back home!" Daya cheerfully informs Gloria and Aleida. "Lorna's so relieved...the rest of us girls are, too, of course."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Gloria exclaims, and Aleida nods in agreement.

The doorbell chimes, so Daya checks to see who's there by peering through the peephole. It's just Leon, so she lets him in. They'd been expecting him.

"Hey," Daya greets him pleasantly. "My mom's making chilaqueles with Gloria."

"Daya, hello, thank you," he says politely.

"Hey, mister!" Benny calls out, and Leon waves at him while squatting down to his level.

"Hi, buddy. You gonna beat my butt in another video game today?"

"Oh, yeah! I'm a champ, just like Mama says!"

Everyone has a chuckle at their exchange. Christina slowly walks up to him. Her mouth is moving, but nothing comes out.

"What is it?" Leon asks her in a soft-spoken voice. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you..." He smiles sheepishly at Daya.

Christina backs away slowly and her eyes dart all around where he is, searching for something. She runs into Daya's arms and her little sister buries her face into her shoulder. "Are you trying to say something to Leon, baby?"

Christina barely nods and cups her hands around Daya's ears. She whispers, "I want a playground like in school and at the park, and he can do it, since he made me and Benny bunk beds."

"Oh...okay. Should I tell him, or you wanna try speaking up?"

"Yeah. You." The tiny girl taps Daya's nose.

"Alright." Daya bounces Christina in her arms for a few seconds. "She's asking if you could build a play structure in our backyard."

"That'd be _awesome_!" Benny says excitedly while jumping up and down. "Can you, mister? Puh-leeeeeease?"

"Sure, no problem-"

"Bennett Park is sixteen minutes away from here...we always take you kids...for free!" Aleida insists.

"I used to bring the boys to Bennett Park in Washington Heights, New York City, and now it's a regular thing with Christina and Emiliano, too." Gloria informs them. "Aleida, it might be nice if he could, that way, we don't gotta drive all the time, and besides, it's completely barren out there." She gestures toward the huge empty area where Daya would play hopscotch as a child while her mother and grandma smoked together on the steps while watching her. There's a wooden fence next to a chicken wire fence surrounding the big space.

"I'd love to build one on the house and lay down some rubber mulch since a pavement with cracks and a tiny amount of grass isn't safe to fall on. I could also install a swimming pool if there's room."

"Yeah, maybe next to the swings so we can jump off them and into the water!" Benny says happily, and Christina beams.

"We gotta teach you how to swim first, baby," Gloria points out.

"Mm-hm," Aleida agrees. Leon stands up and walks over to her. While the children aren't looking, he kisses her. "Are you sure you wanna? That's a lotta work for no pay," she tells him.

"Of course I do. You're my girl, and your family's important to me, too."

"Well, thank you."

"Can you paint it red and green?" Benny requests. "Me and my brother love those colors!"

"Gween!" Julio repeats.

"Sure, kid."

"Purpur," Christina mumbles quietly.

"She'd like purple, it's her favorite color, and Emilio...you like blue?"

"Boo!" he echoes.

"Okay, I'll get to work!"

"Have your meal first, babe," Aleida says and plops the combination on a plate. "Breakfast is ready!"

"Thank you."

* * *

"So, college, how's it going so far?" Leon asks.

Aleida groans and stretches herself out on the steps. "My brain is fried! I can't fuckin' stand trig and calculus. It's gonna take me so long to get my GED...I feel like I never will. I gotta study once a week for eight months...it ain't easy at the Bronx Adult Learning Center."

He pauses in his labor and makes his way over to her. "You got this, baby," he assures her and then squeezes her hand as he takes a spot next to her. "Gloria, Daya, and I will help you."

"I don't even know if I should try anymore...Cesar is making fun of me for doing this, so...maybe he's right, it's silly." Aleida stares down at the ground, but Leon tilts her face up and locks his eyes into hers.

"Don't listen to him or anyone else who doesn't believe in you. To achieve a dream, you really need to go for it. Do you want to have a career in painting nails?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, to reach your ambition, which you truly deserve, focus on _you_. One asshole's opinion doesn't count, even if he _was_ your boyfriend."

"I'mma tell that motherfucker!"

"I have the urge to straighten him out!"

"I'll do it, don't worry...anyway, how tall are you?" Aleida questions Leon. "I only come up to your neck!"

"I'm six feet two. How 'bout you, shortie?"

"Five feet three...well, I love our height difference." Aleida can't stop running her hands down his broad shoulders and strong chest. "You look so tasty when you're shirtless."

"You do as well," he flirts back with her. He wraps her in his arms and slides his hands up her shirt, cupping her breasts as their mouths join together. Still making out with him, she puts her legs on either side of his waist and finds that he already has a tent in his shorts. "Shit, I got a big boner..."

"Mmm, yeah, you're so fuckin' hard," Aleida moans through their steamy kiss. "Oh my god, these muscles...I'm already wet...too bad you got another hour of this!" She points at his unfinished project. "Remember, the kids are countin' on ya."

They pull away from each other. "I know."

"All the chicks at Martin Van Buren High think you're hot and some of 'em even call you Mr. Mackadocious. It annoys me!"

"I didn't like it either. You're the only one allowed to call me that nickname."

"Good, then I will, Mr. Mackadocious." Aleida winks at him. "I'm so hungry and horny for you, but we'll wait 'til tonight."

"I want you just as bad, but yeah..."

* * *

"I'm glad Nicky's doing well, but I feel bad that she's in so much pain," Diane comments.

"Me, too," Alex agrees. "She doesn't wanna leave Lorna's house for a while until she can hide her wounds with makeup."

"I can understand that!"

"Do you have another date with Charles tonight?"

"It's not a date," Diane reminds her daughter. "We're just hanging out and getting to know each other...taking things slow, like you recommended. I'm not telling him anything about my past until I know for sure how he'd react. Sometimes, I don't feel like I'm good enough to really go out with a cop."

"Do what you want, Mom, it's not like you have to tell him anything you don't want him to know about..."

"That's what I thought you'd say. I'm going to Starbucks with Charles, Aleida, and Leon, like a group afternoon outing."

"Oh, have fun!"

Alex's phone chimes. _Get all the girls together, you know which ones I mean...the cripple, the mommy-to-be, the deranged little girl, and yourself, the Piper lover, I've got more of that video I want to show you. It's been sent to your computer since Mommy's leaving soon! If this doesn't happen, you'll all be next -P_

She shoots off a text to each of the girls and asks them to come over because P has threatened their lives.

 _Okay, I'll have Maritza stay with Blanca and Maria. -Flaca_

 _I just got done feeding Nicky, so sure, I'll first need to ask Red to take care of her before I go. -Lorna_

 _I'm on my way! -Daya_

In about half an hour, the girls show up at Alex's trailer park and she lets them inside. She rushes them to the laptop she shares with Diane and opens the file with dread creeping around her entire being.

The people in ski masks are pushing Piper down onto some wooden table, holding her right forearm over the fire, and the girls gasp while covering their mouths when someone stamps some kind of tattoo onto her right forearm. Then, it cuts off and switches to Piper's bedroom. Alex still hasn't gotten over the shock of Piper being so tormented, and it's possibly how she died. The scene keeps replaying in her mind, haunting her.

"¡Dios mío!" Flaca exclaims when the camera pans across a group of skeevy men. "There's Humps, Dick-man, Ratman, Cesar, his cousin Duardo, Mendez, and some white guy with a pedo mustache I don't know."

"What is this, a club of predators who preyed upon Piper?" Alex wonders out loud in disgust. A shiver goes up her spine and she senses Lorna shaking next to her.

They converse about watching the girls undressing through Piper's bedroom window and the fact that they were all in the same fraternity. They close the meeting with "Vemos todos!" which Flaca translates to _we see all_.

"Where you hidin' that bitch?" Aleida demands to know while storming into the room, and the girls' jaws drop to the floor. "Imma get her first! She broke up me and Rick, and now it's time for her punishment!"

"That was a different time, she's good now," Daya snaps, closing Alex and Diane's computer quickly. "My mom never really liked her, no secret there. Did your moms or Franny?"

"Mine was indifferent," Flaca responds. "She wasn't really fond of her much, but she also had no idea how to deal with her, and she couldn't control her."

"Same with Franny," Lorna continues.

"My mom was quite patient with her, and they had a fine relationship. Daya, if yours did anything-" Alex starts to say.

"She didn't! She'd never stoop that low, even though she was stuck up and bitchy too. I guess she just saw her own bad traits in Piper...and why are you blaming her when there were like, seven other people who were perfectly capable of it?"

"Okay, fine, I won't accuse your mom."

* * *

Franny and three other girls whose name tags that read _Ouija_ , _Pidge_ , and _Brandy_ , are busy behind the counter. Ouija takes their orders. Aleida and Leon get vanilla lattes while Diane and Charles have cappuccinos.

"Are you sure you two don't want the white chocolate mocha?" Brandy asks while gesturing between Diane and Charles.

"I'm positive," Diane answers.

"Same here," Charles says.

"Ignore her, she can be racist," Pidge mutters.

"Shut up, spic."

"Hey, one more rude word from you, Brandy, and we'll notify the boss!" Franny snaps. "We treat customers with respect."

"That's right, cracker," Ouija adds.

"My dad's the manager. He hates anyone who's not straight, white, Christian, and able-bodied. I, however, can deal with 'em."

"You gonna suggest I get the caramel macchiato, gringa?" Aleida asks Brandy sarcastically, but the white girl doesn't respond. She seems to be embarrassed as she works on their drinks, and Aleida smirks, proud of herself. "Y'all can laugh."

Diane smiles and bumps fists with Aleida while Leon snickers. Charles gives Aleida a thumbs up.

"This is America, we speak English. Here." Brandy hands them all their coffees and Aleida rolls her eyes and gives her a dirty look as they walk out.

"This is a free country, we can do whatever the fuck we want, except use inappropriate slurs!" Diane retorts. The four of them go for a walk around the area.

"You think this will actually be successful?" Aleida wants to know.

"My best friend with yours?" Diane wonders aloud. "I dunno, I'm hoping so."

"Don't you think the rest of us should meet him first?" Leon asks. "He could be deceitful like Arturo...and Gloria's becoming almost like a sister. I'd hate to see her be hurt again."

"Sure, but I know him. He's not an abuser or any kind of douchebag. When I met him in my early twenties, I probably would've gotten with him had he not been fifteen."

"Okay, we'll go visit him later, if that's alright with you?" Charles glances over at Diane questioningly, and she nods.

A little while after getting back from Starbucks, both men are under the weather and their faces turn ashen. However, the women feel fine. Charles appears close to passing out as Diane helps him into his house, and Aleida puts the back of her hand against Leon's forehead. "You all sweaty...you got a fever?"

"I'm sorry...I can't work anymore today...or drive..."

"It's okay, I'll take care of you. We'll switch seats and you can lean back." She starts to leave the car, but Leon sluggishly gets out and then throws up. Aleida rushes over to him with a ratty towel and wipes up the mess around his lips. "Oh, my poor baby!" she cries. She takes him back to her house, has him rinse out his mouth, and gives him water when he's propped up against pillows on top of her bed. He falls asleep, and she lays down right beside him.

* * *

"I'll let Alex know I'll be home later," Diane tells Charles as she places an icepack on his forehead while he's on his couch. She keeps a puke bowl and a bottle of water on the coffee table in front of where he's sprawled out.

"You don't need to..."

"Shh...let me be your nurse."

He grins a bit. "Thanks...you're the best," he mumbles.

"No problem. This is the first time I've seen your place...it's nice!"

"I'm glad you think so." Charles gazes up at Diane. "You're invited anytime, and Alex is, too."

"Awesome, I'd love to swing by, and I'm sure Al wouldn't have an issue with it either."

* * *

"I gotta call in sick at Dave and Busters," Poussey lets Taystee know as they follow Alex to Lorna's apartment where Nicky's staying. "I hope Carl will understand..."

"I'm sure he will! You even _sound_ sick, and not in the good way. It's funny...my belly aches, too. You think it's somethin' we ate?"

"Maybe it's an epidemic, yo. Cindy, Janae, and Suzanne been complainin' how they all got the stomach flu from Starbucks. I know caffeine does shit to your stomach, but...this is weird, man. Like...all of us?"

"Alex said her mom's boyfriend was ill, too, which is why she couldn't go to my uncle's house," Allison tells them. She knocks on the Morellos' door and takes down her hijab, revealing a head of red hair, but they don't have the same reaction as last time. "What? This made y'all feel better before."

"Everyone knows Lorna's daddy's a real bigot," Poussey explains. "That's why you gotta..."

"I try not to let it bother me."

Alex knocks on the door. "I'm sorry about this."

"Why, because African Americans are being targeted? This a fuckin' hate crime, if that Nazi follower Brandy poisoned our drinks! Somebody gotta watch her ass next time!" Taystee exclaims. "I'm real nauseous..."

"Me too..."

"Maybe Red could take Ms. Ginsberg there, since she's Jewish. Hitler hated them, Brandy is a huge fan of him, so...and Red is excellent at watching suspects like a hawk! Plus, we could talk to her co-workers."

They seem to like Alex's idea. It's Lorna who lets them in, and she ushers them upstairs to where Nicky is. Since Poussey weighs about ninety pounds, Allison carries her on her back, and she, Lorna, and Alex guide Taystee all the way to the brunette's room. The two African American girls stagger in. "You both look like hell," Nicky murmurs.

"So do you, sister." Taystee plops down next to the blonde and Poussey's on the other side of her, and Taystee hugs the girls close to her.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, cornedout and A Star In My Universe!**


	29. Way Too Much

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, racist comment, verbal and physical abuse, and rape.**

"Don't take that!" Ouija says suddenly when Shelly reaches for her drink, and now Red's positive she wasn't just seeing things, such as Brandy actually trying to poison human beings.

The blonde woman puts her hands up. "What's wrong with it?"

"That white supremacist barista, Brandy, slipped something into your drink, just because of your religion," Franny answers. "I'm sure she did the same thing with the African Americans who came in earlier today."

"Are you fucking kidding me, and they let her work here?" Red asks sharply.

"Her father runs this place. Why else you think only white people and two Latinas were hired? He needs us for diversity, and the job pays well." Pidge explains.

"Plus, we're real good at making coffee," Ouija adds.

"Has she actually... _killed_ people?" Shelly wonders out loud worriedly.

"I hope not!" Franny responds. "Either way, we need to put her and her racist father outta business!"

* * *

"Daya can't really be of much assistance in my schooling...she's got a bun in the oven, so _I_ gotta support _her_." Leon raises an eyebrow at Aleida, looking shocked. "Yep...I screwed up again. It takes two to tango, they didn't use protection..."

"Wow. Uh, well, how does that make it your fault?"

"I ain't never given her the talk! I'm sure she took Sex Ed, but it wasn't enough, I guess..."

"There are many options for teens who are pregnant. She could abort-"

"Nah, she's keepin' it. She's gonna finish school and we'll get a babysitter."

"Maybe give it up for adoption until she's ready to take care of her child?"

"Mmm, maybe..."

The doorbell rings and Aleida wonders who it could be, since everyone's home. "Come on in, ladies, she's in her room with him right now," Gloria is saying. A few seconds later, there's a soft knock on her bedroom door.

"Who is it?" Aleida calls out.

"Red and Diane, we need to talk about something serious," her Russian friend says from outside.

"Okay." Aleida lets them in and is puzzled as to why their faces are red and splotchy. "What's up? I thought you'd be taking care of your boyfriend, Diane."

"We're not exactly a couple...and he's napping. I didn't want to leave him alone, but he said he'd be fine with a mutual friend of ours...but now I'm worried he won't ever fuckin' wake up."

" _Dios mío,_ why?"

"You know that bitch who was spewing all those racist insults?" Aleida nods and Diane sniffles while using her knuckles to wipe under her eyes. "I think she actually tried to...murder him and Leon...with poison."

"I just went there with Shelly, who's Jewish, and I guess one of the other girls who works there, Ouija, caught Hitler's slut sneak a shot of green liquid into Shelly's latte."

" _What_?" Aleida looks at her man, who's laying on her bed with his arms behind his head as his eyes droop closed. She turns her gaze to the women. "The fuck y'all talkin' about? He ain't gonna die, and neither is Charles."

"Yeah, she could've done something fuckin' horrible to their coffees," Diane tells her.

Aleida's heart skips a beat and she gets a terrible feeling in her gut. "Where's the manager?" she demands. "I want this bitch fired!"

"Going to the person in charge won't do any good, it's her father!" Red says dejectedly.

"Fuckin' hell...we goin' there right now. I'll have Gloria and Daya watch him." Aleida runs over to Leon and kisses him hard like it's their last one ever, while tightly holding his hand. "Be alive when I come back, baby." She gulps while stroking his stubbly cheek. "Please...you can't die."

"I won't." He tiredly swipes his thumb beneath her eye, brushing away a tear. "Don't cry, babe. I'm gonna survive this."

* * *

"There she is," Diane mutters as they walk into Starbucks.

"Spicy food ain't enough of a punishment for you, bitch!" Aleida hollers at Brandy, who appears to be smug. Several people direct their attention to the scene.

"Look who it is, the old commie and her nigger-lovin' pals!"

Red whips a knife out of her purse and sticks it right under Brandy's chin, with the tip gently resting against her scrawny neck. "I've got my fancy tricks, too, skinhead."

At this moment, Flaca, Maritza, Blanca, Diablo, Maria, and Yadriel come in with determined and angry expressions on their faces, but then their mouths drop open in surprise and amazement. Maritza and Flaca take out their phones to record the confrontation. "Shit's goin' down!" they announce in unison.

Brandy scoffs and attempts to move away, but Ouija and Pidge are right there behind her and hold her in place. "Ain't nobody lettin' you get away with this shit!" Franny tells her roughly.

"I will go to my dad about this!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Diane says. "Get out from behind the counter."

"No way!"

"It's not a choice," Aleida growls.

"Oooh, get her!" Maria yells.

"Kill her fucked-up ass!" Blanca shouts, and several people cheer the women on.

The young Dominican girls push Brandy to come face-to-face with Red, Diane, and Aleida. Red grips her by her shirt, pushes her against a wall, and corners her, with Aleida and Diane flanking Red. "Hey, I'll call the police if you make one mark on me!"

"You could try, but they're all useless, except my close friend, who you just poisoned!" At this, people start spitting out their drinks. "If he makes it, you could tell him, but then, he'd want our reasons why we did it, and that'd be quite awkward for you, wouldn't it?" Diane asks rhetorically.

"Calm down, it was just a caffeine overdose, not lethal at all! We ran out of antifreeze. That Jew would've been the first one of your little friends gone, had my wetback co-worker not stopped her from drinking her coffee!"

"Who you tellin' to chill out? You wanted to wreck people's lives, just because they're African American or Jewish! Do you really have that much disrespect for humanity?" Aleida hollers at her and then punches her in the jaw. "You a fuckin' monster!"

"Yeah, any day's a good day to hit a Nazi!" Red closes her hands around Brandy's neck, but doesn't squeeze. "You better find someplace else to work. I hope you never do, though...I pray that nobody ever hires you again!"

"Mm-hm, and I'll see to it that Charles arrests both you and your father's asses once his health improves," Diane adds. "Or better yet, both of you get antifreeze in _your_ coffees!" The three of them open the door and push her out. She flips them off and storms away. The coffee shop explodes into cheers and applause.

Aleida immediately goes over to two dark-skinned women and a small boy. "You guys alright? You didn't drink much, right?" They shake their heads no. "Oh, good! Hey, Sophia...you should be the cheerleaders' makeup artist at Martin Van Buren High. I'm a cafeteria worker there along with Red, and Diane here is a freshman year teacher." Aleida gestures between the two groups. "Diane, Red, these are Sophia, her wife, Crystal, and their son, Michael. He's a good buddy of Christina and Benny's."

They exchange pleasantries and shake hands, and then Diane calls Charles. "Hey...I just found out that she gave you a caffeine overdose...you should get better in a week!"

"Oh, thank God, just way too much in my system!"

"Yeah..."

Next to her, Aleida dials Gloria's number. "Can I speak to Leon, please?" After a few beats, she assures him, "You gonna be okay, baby! You gonna be okay, and I'll be there with you soon!" She giggles and tears form at the corners of her eyes as she lets out a half sob. "Bye!" She kisses her phone and hangs up.

"He's turned you into such a softie," Diane teases Aleida, and Red chuckles. Daya's mother simply rolls her eyes while smiling.

* * *

"Yo, we saw what went down there, Flaritza, who recorded it, Blanca, and our boyfriends. Your mama, Red, and Diane are _bad ass_! Damn!" Maria tells Daya at the beginning of their support group meeting for teen moms at Shake Shack.

"I watched it about five times," Daya lets her know, grinning. "I know, they're great!"

"The best part of it was knowing my friends aren't gonna die, and those women were just the icing on the cake," Allison says while dragging her fries through ketchup.

"It definitely made my day!" Ouija exclaims.

"Wow...I never knew Brandy was that cruel...sure, we have our political differences, and she idolizes Hitler while I hate him because my boyfriend's Jewish, but she's always been nice to me, and to him, too, but I guess she fakes it. I'm glad that wolf in sheep's clothing got what she deserved!" Polly says.

"Did Larry get any of her special concoction?" Maria wonders aloud.

"No, thank God!"

"So, you're not with Pete anymore? I thought he was the father of your baby," Daya murmurs, feeling weird speaking to one of Piper's friends she doesn't know well.

"We split, but yeah, he's the dad. He wants to be an explorer when he grows up, not raise a child. I told him he should've thought of that before not using a condom! I'm lucky I got Larry, though...he's been a great help," Polly answers.

Ouija rubs her belly that's only sticking out a little bit. "My sister and my friends got my back through all this."

Allison sighs happily. "My boyfriend, Hassan's there for me, too, and we're bringing in his other girlfriend, Sahar, to be part of our relationship, which I'm totally fine with, so don't be givin' me weird looks. Farah, our daughter, loves us all. Cindy wanted me to inform you guys that she has her two older brothers and one older sister to take care of her and help hide the secret from their parents for now."

"Y'all know Yadriel and I are forever, and that Pepa was born this past summer," Maria says. "Blanca adores her too, she's _Tía Blanca_...even though it took her a while to get used to my baby."

"I guess it's time for me to spill, but you _can't_ tell him you know...Mr. Bennett is the father of my kid," Daya confesses. The girls, except Maria, gasp out loud. "Gloria freaked when she and my mom heard the news, but Aleida had more of a _what can you do?_ attitude about it."

Ouija slurps her chocolate milkshake as Daya takes a big bite of her cheeseburger that's filled with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, and mayo. "My parents don't give a shit."

"Mine are cool with it," Allison chimes in.

"Mine won't speak to me. They said it's shameful that a white girl gets pregnant at this age, and before marriage, too. Now that Pete's not around, that makes it even worse in their eyes," Polly tells them. She groans. "I'm ready to burst!"

"My dad hated Yadriel, and since he lived separate from my mom, I left his house for good and stayed with her. She let me buy an apartment with Yadriel and she often visits us and Pepa." Maria turns to Polly. What you havin', boy or girl?"

"A son...we're gonna name him Finn," Polly answers.

"Okay, that kid is gonna get Huckleberry Finn jokes all his life," Ouija says, and everyone snickers.

* * *

On Monday morning, bright and early, Lorna watches as Piscatella stops Red from entering Caputo's office. "I know what you're planning to do, Reznikov," he snarls eerily. "If you or your idiotic little friends shoot off your mouths to get my man in trouble-"

"Your man? Is Humps your boyfriend?"

"Shut up!" he snarls at her, and Lorna presses her lips shut tight so he won't hear her sniggering at Red's joke. He shakes his finger at her and jabs it into her chest. "You know what happens to snitches in prison? Yeah. They get shanked. This time, it won't just be your hair or clothes being cut, Reznikov." Lorna's blood runs cold at his threat.

"Okay. You have my word, and I'll tell the other women Nicky's friends, and whoever they've told, to keep quiet, too."

"You'd better."

"Remember, though, many of the white students were witnesses and the word will quickly spread. What if one of them spills the beans?"

He glares down at her. "Don't be smart with me. Nobody is loyal to that sad, pathetic bitch, except that junkie's friends, of course."

"Do not insult Lorna or Nicky, they're like daughters to me. They all hate Humps, and will want to get him arrested. Good luck telling everyone to take it to the grave." Red bravely walks away from him, and Lorna follows her into the cafeteria's backroom, where her friends and the lunch ladies give her hugs of support, until she has to go into History class. On the way there, everyone is discussing the blood and vomit stains on a particular part of the gymnasium floor, with teeth scattered about.

"Did you kill her?" Leanne asks.

"I think she did, that's how come she's being so silent!" Angie replies and then they both giggle.

"Why don't you eat shit?" Brittany Lehman calls out rudely.

"We should send her to live in a porta-potty," Helen says.

"Well, last year, the darkies had Crazy Eyes, and the brownies had The Beast. Now it's Looney Tunes! You're an embarrassment to our race!" Brandy adds on.

Lorna ignores them while flipping them off and tries to block out their taunts, but more come her way. "Lorna the loser, Lorna the loser!" Angela, Kristy, Jody, and Tammy begin chanting after her. She practically runs away from them while shrieking out her fury at the top of her lungs, not wanting to attack anyone in the middle of a crowded hallway.

"Where are you going, crazy pants?" Rebecca Keenan yells and hi-fives Jennifer. "They're only teasing you!"

Paulie, Greggy, Vinnie, Alexi, Joey, and Bob catcall at her. "Look at those tits bounce!" Paulie comments.

Alexi guffaws. "Mr. Humphrey just became my favorite teacher!"

"You both were in my fantasies all weekend, hot stuff!" Bob jeers.

"That screaming is really getting me hard!" Greggy adds.

"It reminds me of the old days," Vinnie puts in.

"I know lots of other ways we can make her screech," Joey informs them snidely.

Lorna almost falls into her classroom, breathing heavily while shaking, panting, and coughing. The students turn around in their seats to stare at her, and only Ms. McCollough is kind enough to rub her back until it calms her down.

She gets called into Caputo's office and is told to sit on a chair in his office. He closes the door behind him and peers at her over his glasses as he takes his spot at his desk. "Miss Morello, would you like to tell me what occurred between you and Miss Nichols on Friday?"

"We got into a fight," she mumbles, keeping her eyes trained on her trembling fingers that are fiddling with the tassel on her bag. She'd like to tell him everything that Humps made her and Nicky do, but she's well aware that she can't, unless she wants Piscatella to severely harm Red or kill her.

"I can see that. Uh...may I ask why? Students inflicting physical violence on each other is not tolerated on school property."

"I know that...and I...I'm s-sorry," Lorna stammers. "I never...I didn't wanna...hurt her. I just get...real mad at people when they...when they're saying...mean things...and I...I took it too far...she's not dead, though, she's...she's at home...recov-recovering," she tells him between sobs.

"Alright...that sounds like you had what Mr. Piscatella would describe as a _psychotic break_. You need to see Mr. Healy about your mental issues."

"I...I don't have any," she protests.

"Miss Morello, it's either that or juvy."

Lorna gulps. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"Will you go to him for counseling, then, please?"

She nods slowly and gets up while sniffling. Even if he's a racist homophobe, he could still maybe help her with whatever is wrong with her. She makes her way to Healy's office and knocks on the door. The white-haired man with glasses lets her in and gestures for her to sit in front of him.

"Hello." He nods at her in acknowledgment. "You're one of Piper's prettier friends, hmm? Lorna Morello, right?"

"Yeah." She shifts uncomfortably under his gaze. He'd always had a weird thing for Piper and he'd tried to ask Red out the minute she said she'd divorced her husband, but she turned him down. He was tight with Pennsatucky last year, but not anymore, supposedly because she now has short hair and a lesbian foster mom.

"I think I know what your problem is. When you look around your circle of friends, who do you see?"

"Umm...Nicky, Alex, Daya, Flaca, Maritza, Blanca, Maria-"

"Okay, that's two lesbians and five Hispanics."

"So?"

"They're a little rough around the edges, am I right?"

"I'm gettin' real confused...they're my girls, I love 'em-"

"That's it right there! You're infected with the diseases of both lesbianism and being around Mexicans. It's making you lose your temper at them because your subconscious is telling you that you shouldn't be associated with those types of people. You want to push Nichols away because you're disgusted by her."

"No, I'm not-"

"I understand where you're coming from, Miss Morello, I really do. You're a poor, straight, white girl. You think you can't find anyone better than that...group. The rich kids won't accept you because you aren't wealthy like them, so you take what you can get. It's driving you crazy."

Lorna stands up and heads for the door, not wanting to hear his ridiculous and uneducated advice. "They're my besties!"

"Take what I said into consideration!" he yells after her as she leaves.

Yearbook and Journalism is easier with Daya and Flaca there. She chats with them like normal, and if anyone blurts out an offhand remark towards her, they stand up for her, but she does nothing except glare at the assholes and give them the finger.

In Physical Education, she's forced to clean the mess, but oddly enough, the teeth have been picked up. It's dry, so it comes off in chunks, and she wants to sob and force the bile out of her throat, but she can't, not under Piscatella's malicious stare. He makes her repeat over and over again that she's a dangerous mental case, until she starts to believe him. Michelle, Zirconia, Alana, and Stephanie look at her with pity in their eyes, and she hates it.

"Thank you, though, if you actually did make that heroin addict get lost forever." When she's done, he yanks her up to a standing position. "Run until you hiccup on your tears, crybaby!" he hisses while pushing her to the floor.

She catches up with the nice girls in the class. "Here comes _Lorna la Loca_!" Zirconia says and then cackles.

Michelle glances at her friend curiously. "Hmm, I dunno about that, she's cute."

Lorna frowns. "Please don't call me crazy. I know basic Spanish."

"Shit, you're busted," Stephanie mutters.

"You need to stop talking, I don't want a broken nose _again_ , and neither do you, for not paying attention!" Alana whispers fiercely.

All of a sudden, Damon Chi, Jack White, Pedro Johnson, Samantha Sen, Lorie Mansfield, Nona Milos, Kate Ranka, Alaya Slim, Cassie Daft, and Rhonda James, pummel into Lorna and trample her as they race each other around the gym, and Piscatella chortles. She can barely breathe as Michelle and Alana help her back up. She's sure she has bruises now, but she lets the abuse roll off of her. After all, it's what she deserves, and it's no different from what Piscatella does. She limps at first and decides that she'll blame her injuries on the animalistic gym teacher.

Lorna keeps to herself as she and Maritza walk to English, linking arms. It's usually Lorna who starts the conversations, since Maritza's nervous to talk about anything in the hallways where Humps could be lurking around. Luckily, though, her friends assume that her silence is due to Nicky not being at school, which is definitely a huge part of it. They'd already told her not to let mean comments bother her, so she won't burden them with her whining. She takes care of it anyway by giving the awful students the evil eye or sticking up her middle finger on one or both of her hands.

"She'll return here soon enough," Maritza soothes Lorna while rubbing her back. "That's so sad that Piss-cuntella got you, too."

Lorna winces. "Yeah, but we gotta deal."

"It don't mean you gotta like it."

"I know. I feel like I been under an elephant stampede."

"Ow, that must really be painful!"

They enter Diane's classroom, and Alex's mother gives them friendly hugs. "Piss-cuntella?" she asks.

"Yep," Lorna mumbles as she plops into her seat next to Maritza.

"I'll get you some ice, those look serious!"

"No, they'll go away on their own," she insists, but Diane's already gone.

"Ice helps the process," Maritza says.

Lorna presses her lips together tightly to keep herself from crying. Piscatella's bad enough, but now, her fellow classmates are joining in.

As nice as Diane, Ms. Fischer, and her friends are, English and Art aren't the same without Nicky, and neither is lunch. The cafeteria workers, Diane, Ms. Fischer, and her friends have each wrapped their arms around her, but it only makes her smile for a second. The one and only thing that makes her really laugh is when Stella's food is laced with laxatives and she keeps having to use the bathroom while letting a few loud ones rip. She can't quite concentrate on the conversation the girls are having. "So, yeah, he offered to do the whole thing for free, but still...Cesar did a lot of shit for the kids," Daya's saying.

"That don't matter, though, it's how each dude treats 'em, and you, your ma, and Gloria. Leon seems respectful, but Cesar is a shitbag!" Maria responds.

"Mm-hm," the other girls agree, and Lorna nods while twirling her noodles around her fork a few times.

"How's Leon doin', by the way?" Blanca wants to know.

"It's gonna be a week," Daya reports.

"Same for Charles...it sucks," Alex mutters. She spoons a bite of rice into her mouth, chews it, and swallows. "Good thing that ugly Nazi will get punished for that shit she pulled."

"Mm-hm," everyone murmurs.

"Lorna, Flaritza, you guys haven't said a word, what's wrong?" Blanca asks.

"We just ain't up to talkin'," Maritza answers while Flaca leans against her shoulder, looking glum.

"Humps was extra gross today," Flaca informs them quietly. "He...he made me drink actual blood...because he figured I'd enjoy it because I'm goth...goin' all the way with it and bein' a vampiress." The girls' faces turn pale at hearing this, and Lorna feels squeamish inside.

"Ugh, I'm sorry, girl...and he's a cannibal, too, I think he wants to eat me, he implied it during his Lingchi lesson," Lorna chimes in.

Flaca wrinkles her nose and sticks out her tongue. "Ugh!"

"Ew, I hate him!" Maritza whispers.

"I really...I don't wanna go to my last period. I'm gonna skip," Lorna decides aloud.

"Good idea!" Maria says, grinning.

* * *

"You didn't even try to get him busted, and now, he's tormenting another one of my friends!" Flaca snaps at Maritza in the cafeteria's backroom when the shorter Latina gets off the phone from telling her mom about what Humps had done to her and how he's torturing Lorna. "The fuck?!"

"He wasn't even fired, nor arrested, exactly what I knew would happen, since CO Ford got coffee poisoning, but even if he was, his buddies would bail him out! My mom's trying to build a case against him, but it's hard when she's got so many idiots to work with!"

Flaca scoffs. "Whatever...you had the chance a long time ago."

Maritza folds her arms across her chest and looks down at the floor sadly, appearing to be hurt, and before the other girls can say a word to add to the brewing argument, Gloria steps in. "Hey! You gotta stop, Flaca. I don't like where this is goin'. Your anger is valid, but I believe it's misplaced. It's difficult to report sexual assault, given that we live in a society that's not inclined to believe victims. Not only that, but abuse of any kind is obviously very psychologically damaging and everyone reacts to it differently. While you and I might instinctively want to tell the police, others might not and while I think it's important that people do speak out about the abuse they've suffered, I also think it's reasonable that there are people who don't." Gloria puts her hand on Maritza's shoulder and squeezes it soothingly. "Maritza ain't the one to blame, Humps is. She is your best friend...you should never victim-blame her. That ain't what a friend does. If people said it was my fault that Arturo hit me and my son, I'd consider 'em fuckin' bitches! Maritza's still a victim and needs to be supported. I don't think you're necessarily wrong for feeling the way that you do. I can understand how aggravating it would be to see a second friend be hurt that way, but the problem isn't Maritza. It's the system, it's society, and it's the abuser. I would truly urge you to remember your friends are both victims and the way they each deal with it is what they're doing because that's how they think they'll survive it, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Flaca murmurs. "It's just that she could've stopped it..."

"I can understand why you would be upset, but that was definitely the wrong way to approach that. You gotta comprehend that she's been through a lot and sort of throwing the blame on her like that is real damaging...especially for someone who has been through sexual assault!"

Flaca sighs. "Okay. I get it. Sorry..."

"You're like, the last person I expected to have that reaction when I finally called my mom on Humps...I'd never do that to you," Maritza says.

"I know you wouldn't." Flaca wheels herself to Maritza's side and holds her hands. "I really do apologize."

"It's fine..."

* * *

After Spanish, Lorna and Daya hug before the Latina goes into the locker room to meet up with Flaca. Lorna passes the gym and sees Christopher playing basketball. She admires him doing a pull up on the basket and she takes this chance to skip inside the room and catch his rebound. "Hey...here's your ball." She tosses it to him and giggles. "It's just you and me...why don't we play together?"

"I thought I told you-"

"Angela isn't here."

"I have get into my uniform," he mutters shortly, and she follows him through the boys' locker room, where she's met with lots of wolf-whistling and jeering. She draws in a deep breath and yanks him to her side. "You won't quit, huh?" he asks sharply while finally facing her. His hard eyes turn gentle and for a second, she thinks he'll kiss her in the middle of everyone, but he doesn't. He does, however, appear to be free from the confines Angela had kept him in all this time, since he's finally not turning her away.

"Nope. You're my soul mate."

"Wear the prettiest dress you own. I want to take you out after school. Meet me by the theater at eight-thirty."

Lorna gasps as her heart almost stops. "Really?"

"Yeah. Angela and I broke up."

"Oh my goodness!" Lorna squeaks. "I have the perfect one! Is this alright?" She gestures to her pink summer dress. "Only I don't want Humps to see me in it, especially since Nicky won't be there."

"I'll be watching very carefully."

"You protect me so well!" she squeals.

"Where's your little victim?" Humps asks her cruelly when she reaches the top of the stairs, and she shrinks away from him. He just snickers and pulls her into his classroom. She has to suffer through it, including Polly, Larry, and Pete's merciless insults tossed at her, and then at the end of the day, she's done. She goes home to shower and tell Nicky and Franny the big news, but neither of them are around. Franny's at work and Nicky's at the doctor's.

* * *

"Hey...Daya, right?"

Daya turns around to face a nice looking Indian boy. "Yeah...do I know you?"

"I don't think so, since we've never spoken to each other before, but I'm in Mr. Bennett's homeroom...and he calls your name a lot. I sit more in the front."

"Oh, no wonder! I like the back better. Are you here for a checkup, too, or waiting for someone?"

"Neither, I'm training to be a nurse like my mom...so I'm shadowing her."

"Cool!" She's shocked because he hasn't yet said anything nosy or rude about her being pregnant. "Uh, I haven't thought too much about life after college, but I'm a good artist. My siblings and my mom's friend's kids love the mini comics I draw for 'em, so...maybe that."

"Can I see them sometime?"

"Sure..."

"Adarsh, come on!" A woman waves him over.

He smiles at Daya, and she returns it. "Mom wants me. Nice meeting you personally!"

"Same to you!"

"Adarsh Saxena!"

"Coming!" he says in an annoyed tone while still looking at Daya. "See you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye!"

"Why ain't you never noticed him before?" Gloria asks behind Daya. "Now I like that one!"

"Yeah, he seems like he'd be a nice friend." An idea pops into Daya's head and she grins. "You know what, Gloria, you've got a point. I'll call things off with John-"

"You're a smart girl."

"-and make plans with Adarsh tomorrow at school." It's the only way she can go on her date with John tomorrow evening in New York City. She'll have Gloria take her and Adarsh there and meet up with John, and she'll make sure Adarsh has someone who will join him when she leaves for the bar with John. That way, she gets what she wants, and Gloria will be happy.

* * *

When Lorna gets back to school after community service, the theater is dark and abandoned, except for Maritza, who's standing outside of it on her phone.

"Hey, I'm just waiting for Flaca and going to the little girl's room. Wanna come with?"

"Sure. I need to touch up for my date anyway! I can't believe I never told anyone, but I guess I'm still in shock! Christopher...he chose me over Angela, at last!"

"Wow, that's...awesome."

"I'll tell people as I see 'em."

"Okay...lemme just tell Flaca where we are."

* * *

Flaca searches around for Maritza and Lorna, but they'd disappeared. They'd been in the bathroom for quite a long time now. "Maritza? Lorna?" she calls out apprehensively, but there's no answer. Then, she sees Maria about to leave the school. _Maybe she knows where they are._ "Hey, Maria, you seen Maritza or Lorna?"

"Nope, not since Maritza finished directing practice, and Lorna quit, remember? I wonder why she's even here... I'll check outside, you check around here, look in every nook and cranny."

Flaca nods as she leaves.

* * *

Maritza is just leaving the bathroom when someone grabs her from behind, walks her towards a closet in the theater, and shoves her inside. The last person she sees is Humps, and he's grinning creepily at her. The door slams, and she's in pitch black darkness. She can't even see the door and she's scared out of her wits. "Please, help!" she screams, banging on a hard surface, hoping someone will hear her. It's very quiet in the theater, so she's worried that she's stuck here. "Lorna, are you there?" she calls out, wondering if Humps is about to stick her in the small space, too.

She doesn't answer, so Maritza guesses she'd already left with Christopher or she's still in the bathroom. She curls herself into a shaking ball and starts to cry. She shrieks when she hears the door opening and a thin stream of light floods the room. A dark shadow is standing by her, and she screams again. "I'm afraid of the dark," she whimpers. "Please don't hurt me!"

She hears the light switch on and she can finally see everything. She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees Flaca. She runs to her best friend and crush, sobbing into her shoulder while Flaca strokes soothing circles on her back.

"Humps threw me in here and I got so scared!" Maritza wails.

"Shhh…it's okay, you're safe with me. I can go home with you, but we have to first find Lorna. Maria's helping me look. She's outside, and I think Lorna is, too."

"Nah, she's in the bathroom." Maritza doesn't want to tell Flaca about Christopher because she doubts that Lorna's really telling the truth about him.

She may just be planning to trash the bad teachers' offices or something.

* * *

It's pouring outside and Lorna's walking down the dark street, searching for Maritza. She wonders if the Latina is still in the bathroom. After calling her name for the fifth time, she gives up and returns to the theater to find Christopher, since she thinks Maritza has already gone home with Flaca.

"Hey, little Lorna, where you goin'? I wasn't finished with you! You can't dump me! Sing me a song, or dance for me!" Eric Sonmad, one of Franny's worst boyfriends, demands. She has no idea what he's doing here or why he thinks he was ever with her. Joey follows him with a video camera.

"Get away from me, you pigs," Lorna mutters under her breath she tries to run on her trembling legs, but fear strikes within her and she trips over herself. Her heart pounds faster and harder when Paulie, Alexi, Greggy, Bob, Jack, Pedro, Damon, Jerry Fransisco, Adam Kwoch, and James Cav chase her and back her up against a wall. She realizes that she's now trapped. They let Eric through and then he pushes Lorna to the ground. She crawls backward on her hands and feet, away from all of them, but he easily grabs her by her hair and yanks her up. She's tiny, but she'd never felt this small until now.

"Eric Sonmad doesn't get rejected. You know what he gets? You."

"No, please, don't!" Lorna yelps in terror as he pulls off her jacket, revealing her pink dress. Greggy, Adam, Pedro, Jerry, Paulie, Alexi, and Damon start tearing the material, ripping pieces of it off of her. Bob, Jerry, and Jack are trying to lift up her dress, but she's holding it down with all her might. James kicks her hands away and Eric slams her into the wall so she falls. One of his hands grips both of her wrists like a vise, and the other cuts off the straps of her dress with a razor blade and snatches it all the way off. The piece of clothing is soon flung aside on the dirty ground, along with her undergarments, and she shrieks again as they all take turns pinning her down, forcing her legs wide apart, and ramming their ugly penises inside of her as they grunt. They claw at her like a bunch of beasts and bite her most sensitive areas. Blood seeps out of her and she can't catch even one gasp of air. Lorna's in such severe pain and she thinks this is how Nicky must have felt when she beat up the blonde.

Joey snickers as he continues to film her getting so violently raped. "Nice tits! You're such a slut!"

"Stop it! Help me!" she screams, but Eric slaps her across the face and she starts to cry.

"Don't talk back to a man, young lady. Learn some manners!"

"You're hurting me!" she yells through a few hiccuping sobs.

"We're fucking you, you stupid virgin! What are you, Sandra Dee?"

"No, she's Lorna the Whore-na! I took care of your friend, Morello," Humps snickers, coming up to the guys. He walks away with the monsters. Piscatella comes up and kicks her so she's facedown on the ground.

"Outta here, sir, I want her all to myself," Eric says and laughs evilly.

"Where's the other one?"

"Coat closet," Eric sniggers.

"Leave Maritza alone!" she attempts to shout, but it sounds hoarse because of Eric's firm grip on her throat.

"You bitch, I told you not to say anything," Eric snarls, bashing her head into the wall, so her world goes black for a second or two. "Don't even try to fight back."

"Lorna!" someone cries out. "Where are you?"

"I got Maritza," another person informs her. It sounds like Flaca. Lorna wonders who's with them.

"There she is!" a female voice filled with relief says through the darkness. Lorna knows that's Maritza.

"Oh! Oh, shit! Damn it, get the fuck off her!" Lorna hears a Spanish accented voice yell angrily. "I'll get her, Maria, you and Maritza can go home."

"She's mine, filthy taco cunt!" Eric shouts.

Eric is pulled off of Lorna immediately and thrown into a wall until he's unconscious. Lorna just sits there, scared to death and panting. She feels like she's being lifted up because her body is off the ground. Her dress is back on her and Maria picks up her bag by the strap and slings it over her shoulder. Like they'd done with Nicky, Maritza and Maria put her across Flaca's lap, with her legs dangling over one arm of her friend's wheelchair. Flaca holds her close and rocks her from side to side.

"I ain't never been so frightened in my entire life," Lorna whimpers.

"I got you now, _cariño_ ," Flaca assures her.

"I don't want nobody knowing what happened…especially not Nicky. Please…don't tell her! You c-can't!" Lorna begs the girls, burying her face into Flaca's shoulder, forgetting for a second that her mascara is running down her cheeks and her lipstick is smeared and her makeup is now on Flaca's new top. "Oh no, I just made a mess..."

"Don't worry about it. Okay, I'll respect that you want to keep this private, but I'll make sure that bastard's behind bars. We need to get you to the hospital-"

"No! Just...one of you take me back to your place and clean up my wounds so they don't look horrible."

"We can go to mine, then we'll get you home," Maritza offers.

"Thanks..."

After the incident, Lorna is empty and assumes she'll be ruined forever, but she doesn't think she should be. She's already lost her virginity, last year, and at least she didn't almost die from it. So she keeps going, holds her head up and her tears in. No matter how much she wants to break and let a panic attack consume her, she won't. She'd learned a long time ago that God punishes those who sin, and what she'd done to Nicky was unforgivable. _This is her comeuppance._ Slowly, she goes into her house and locks the door, passing her father and brother, whose eyes are glued to the television set. She trudges up the stairs, takes her pajamas from her room, ventures into the bathroom, and locks the door. She removes her clothes and drops them into the trash without bothering to wash out the bloodstains. They'll just serve as reminders. The clasp on her bra is broken anyway, her soiled underwear had been ripped to shreds, and her dress is missing both of its straps and a lot of the fabric.

She gets a glimpse of her appearance and even though she's mostly patched up and has no broken bones, she's damaged. Every part of her is all scratched up and bruised, especially her breasts. She throws up in the sink without warning, getting some in her hair, so she washes the chunk away with soap and water. She rinses her mouth out, brushes her teeth, and takes a warm bath, but she's still sick and trembling involuntarily.

It's only on her bathroom toilet where she cries quietly, touching the tender spots beneath her bandages, the red handprints around her wrists, sides, and thighs from being held down, and the bite marks inside her vagina, which make it hard to urinate. Her tongue runs along the cut on her bottom lip and she knows that she'll develop a black eye soon. When she's done using the bathroom, she wipes away the salty tears dripping down her cheeks and off her chin and takes many deep inhales and long exhales until they subside and her breathing stops being shaky.

It's hard for her to sit down sometimes, so she just lays on her bed. Luckily, she'd gotten into her pajamas, flossed, washed her face, and done her business for the last time tonight, because she doesn't have the energy to do anything else. She's only going to school tomorrow to see her friends and apologize to Christopher for not being there. She'll explain the reason why, and he'll definitely understand. She can't wait for him to kick those creeps' asses.

Someone knocks on her door, startling her. "Open up, kid, it's me!"

She wishes she'd given Nicky her own key, because she doesn't want to move. Sighing heavily, she gets up and lets her best friend in. Nicky's smile turns into a frown and her eyes grow wide. "Shit, Lorna, I take it your day was awful?"

"Yeah...I missed you," Lorna mumbles softly.

"I missed you, too, but...it appears that you were badly mauled!" Nicky looks over Lorna in concern and moves her hair away from her neck. "Jesus, those are terrible...and he fuckin' punched you, too?" she hisses. "Damn it, he needs to rot in hell!"

Lorna shrugs. "It had to be my turn sometime, right?"

"No, baby, I never wanted this to happen to you." Nicky embraces her and half carries her to the bed. Lorna falls on it immediately and gets into the fetal position. Nicky gently lifts her legs up and pulls the sheets and comforter out from under her. She covers Lorna with them and kisses her temple as she finishes tucking her in. "Want me to stay with you? It looks like you could use a little TLC."

"Mmm-hmm...you need it too, though," Lorna murmurs brokenly. "Your injuries are purple...and worse-worse than mine. I just had to use some ice...I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"You should get those looked at!"

"Don't push me, I'm so done with it!"

"Okay. I won't. Let's just hold each other, then, yeah?" Nicky asks sweetly, getting in on the other side and stroking her now flat curls.

"Sounds good..."

It's so cold, to the point of freezing. Lorna is comfortable in Nicky's arms, but she can't quit shivering, no matter how much they're bundled up with Nicky's body heat enveloping her. She can still feel their hands groping her everywhere on her body. She wakes up from nightmares a few times, of both the assault and an image of two hands crawling up and down her legs as the little girl version of her squirms and sobs in protest, and Nicky soothes her back to sleep with different lullabies she'd somehow memorized.

The next day is just as hard. Nicky had tried to go back to school, but she'd fainted in the middle of packing her bag. She still has to stay home and rest. Lorna applies her makeup carefully over her black eyes and cut lip. She can't walk anyplace without stumbling over students' or Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps' purposely-stuck out feet. When Lorna sees her rapists for the first time since last night, her heart stops and then starts up again a few seconds later. She runs into the girls' restroom with her stomach in knots and her heart rapidly thudding against her ribcage. She hurriedly locks herself in a stall, nearly collapsing while clutching her hair and pulling it to one side as she chokes up disgusting bile and pukes into the toilet. She flushes it and gets out to wash her hands and mouth. Unfortunately, Polly is standing right in front of her. "We heard you blowing chunks in there. Are you bulimic or something?" Polly imitates retching and then her friends cackle hysterically along with her.

Lorna gives them all an icy stare while flipping them off and leaves the restroom as quickly as possible. She doesn't think she can take Polly and her whole group.

* * *

Alex and Lorna go together from Spanish to Drama and leave Maritza in the backroom with the lunch ladies after her Spanish class. Lorna seems pleasantly surprised to see that Christopher is back in the class, especially since she hadn't caught even a glimpse of him all day. "Maybe Angela doesn't have him tied up anymore!" she says to Alex excitedly, her eyes widening innocently. She beams and bounces in place. "Things are really working themselves out."

"I don't think he's doing this for your benefit." Alex thinks back to how she and Blanca had seen Christopher giving Joey cash after watching a video on the other douchebag's phone with much interest. The sentence _thanks, man,_ _let's hope she got gang banged into reality_ repeats itself in Alex's head, and even though she doesn't want to imagine what happened and to who, she knows everything. Lorna has all the signs of being brutally raped or at least physically abused, from the multiple prominent bruises on her skin that's paler than usual, to her limp and squeaky sigh when she takes a seat anywhere and the emotional tremor in her voice. She doesn't talk as much anymore, except for when the girls speak to her and like Blanca had mentioned, Piscatella's handprints on someone would be much larger than a normal person's. The two girls had tried to see what Joey and Christopher were looking at, but Lorna's asshole crush had already deleted it while holding it high over Blanca's head and his cruel friend restrained Alex and clipped her wrists together behind her back like he was handcuffing her.

"I just know he is."

"Lorna, he's not a good person...he's friends with that idiot Joey, and they made a plan for you to get...gang raped," Alex whispers. "Joey taped it, apparently...but it was Christopher's idea. He even paid Joey to do it. You can ask Blanca if you don't believe me. We witnessed them discussing it after History class when Joey shared what I'm thinking is footage of you getting...I can't even bring myself to say the word, let alone think it."

"No, he would never do that," Lorna mumbles, casting her gaze onto the floor while holding herself around her waist. "No, no, not my Christopher. He's a good guy. Joey blackmailed him for money, I-I'm sure! He isn't involved."

There isn't a lot of time for her to debate with herself over this subject, since class has begun. Ms. Rogers instructs the class to pick scene partners for the first ten minutes. A girl named Jeanie Babson picks Alex, Maureen and Gina are together since Suzanne isn't present, and the pattern of not choosing a best friend or significant other like always goes on when Christopher announces, "Lorna, let's pretend we're father and daughter...or brother and sister, and my character will challenge yours to an arm wrestle."

"Okay..." she answers him uncertainly.

"You can say no if you want to," Alex says when she notices a scary glint in Christopher's eyes, but Lorna waves her away.

"I don't want to be disagreeable!" She switches her attention to Christopher. "Don't let me win!" she says a little more cheerfully.

Christopher sneers. "Oh, I won't! Call me Daddy. You told me once that you have daddy issues, so I wanna see you let 'em out."

Alex shakes her head as Lorna responds, "Okay, Daddy."

"Good job, now try to struggle against me," he tells her condescendingly while grabbing her hand and squeezing it way too tight, but of course, Lorna doesn't see it that way. She must still have lingering feelings for him deep down and may feel obligated to obey his commands. Alex knows this from two second-hand experiences, with her mother giving Lee another chance and continuing to not believe a word he says or thing he does, and Gloria forgiving Arturo up until he hit her son. "I'm your brother now, actually."

"That's fine!"

"Go easy on her, she's much smaller than you," Ms. Rogers tells Christopher.

They set both their elbows on the table and Lorna starts pushing his hand down with her whole body shaking as she uses all of her strength. This only lasts for a few seconds, though. Alex hates how manipulative Christopher is being, especially when he makes a big show of groaning and twisting Lorna's wrist while slamming her hand down on the table a few times, making loud bangs. Lorna gasps and squeaks. "Ow, you totally did that on purpose!" she hollers, still in character.

"That's enough! What's wrong with you, is that your definition of what I asked you to do?" Ms. Rogers puts her hands on her hips.

Christopher ignores their teacher. "That was a real struggle! You made Daddy work hard!" He shakes his hand out and cracks his knuckles. "Damn, it was worth it, though."

"What the fuck was that?!" Alex yells. "You meant to hurt her!"

"I'm fine," Lorna insists, but Alex can tell she's lying.

"You were too hard on her, young man. Therefore, you're in detention for the rest of the week!" Ms. Rogers picks up Lorna's hand, which now has a bruise forming on it. "You took it too far. When we act, we don't use all the power we have with people who are easy to beat."

"I'm sorry, I made a mistake...I don't know my own strength..."

"Well, then learn and memorize it!" she says sternly.

"Why are you holding your wrist like that?" Blanca asks Lorna after school once they meet up with Maritza.

"Oh...Piscatella tried to break it."

"Christopher sprained her wrist in drama class," Alex mutters.

"It was an accident! I'll only need a small cast!" Lorna protests.

Daya gasps. "That was an act of abuse!"

"Yeah, he doesn't love you!" Maria agrees.

"We all know Christopher isn't into you, and we're all aware that if someone was bothering us like you were bugging Christopher, we'd wanna hurt the person too!" Flaca puts in, but Lorna still doesn't listen.

* * *

"This is my mom's friend, Gloria, she's like my aunt," Daya informs Adarsh as they get into the backseat of Gloria and Aleida's car. "Gloria, this is Adarsh from English class."

"It's a pleasure meeting you, ma'am."

"You, too." They shake hands. "By the way, just Gloria is fine, or Ms. Mendoza."

"Sorry...Ms. Mendoza. You work in the cafeteria, so it's weird for me to call you by your first name. You're more like a staff member, so...I apologize, again," he murmurs nervously.

"No worries! I'm glad you said that, since sometimes, I don't feel like one." Gloria sighs as she starts up the car and begins driving. "You're very polite, I like that in a dude who's takin' Daya out."

"Thank you."

"I trust you'll respect her boundaries?"

"Yes," Adarsh responds.

"Gloria!" Daya exclaims, blushing out of embarrassment. "We're not going out as anything more than friends."

"Good." She drops them off near Dave and Busters. "Have fun!" she calls out through the rolled-down window.

"We will! Bye!"

"Buh-bye!" Gloria zooms away and the awkward silence between Daya and Adarsh has stopped.

"Thanks for doing this favor for me, really!"

"No problem! Uh, I also have a thing to do that my mom would freak out about...paragliding with friends, so are you okay waiting here for your boyfriend?"

Daya nods her head yes. "There's tons of people around. Go ahead, dude, but be safe!"

"I always am!"

Daya watches for John in the crowds and when she sees him, she runs up to him and they kiss. He leads her into Applebees Neighborhood Grill and Bar and they drink, play darts, and eat French fries for a while. It's enjoyable until Mendez shows up and claps John on the back.

"This is my former work buddy, and college roommate, George!" he introduces her. "George, this is my girlfriend, Daya."

"I'm his student," she admits. "We've met," she lets John know while sending a bitter glare towards Mendez.

"Oh, really? That makes sense, seeing that he's a cop and your mom's boyfriend was arrested."

Mendez chuckles. "Not exactly, but okay, we'll go with that." Daya can barely get a word in as the two men discuss their college days and tell her funny stories. She only finds John's interesting, since Mendez was just a disgusting frat boy who never grew up. He's acting like he never touched her grossly, and she wishes he would just do something so John can punch him out cold and then hopefully, dead. She'd wanted to tell her boyfriend what happened, but she wasn't sure how to explain it. There would've been no Mendez without P being involved. "Oh man, you could go to jail if anyone finds out about your delicious relationship! Of course I won't turn you in, but my co-workers are a whole other story, especially that dickweed Ford. It's a good thing he only arrests kids now."

"That's why we're hiding it! We've only told her mom and her mom's friend so far, and the other woman didn't take it well. Her mom was waiting for me to be honest and open about us."

Daya's finding it difficult to breathe after being in Mendez's presence for too long. She can't meet the slimebag's eyes or even look at him without wanting to pass out. She feels a bit dizzy, and she's not sure if it's more from the beer or seeing her rapist, but probably a mix of both.

 **Thank** **you** **for** **reading** **and** **reviewing** , **A Star In My Universe, LindaAndrewsfan, and HannahMiley1fan!**


	30. Having A Broken Heart Isn't Fun

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, torture, homophobic slurs, and abuse.**

Raindrops skitter down the windows as Red drives a solemn Lorna back home and Nicky to her NA meeting. Nicky examines the big cast on Lorna's hand and wrist that make her fingers look extremely tiny. "How'd you get this, kid?"

"I sprained it...in drama class, we were acting out arm wrestling. Christopher picked me! He's out of Angela's spell!"

"He did this to you?" Nicky demands. "I'll fuckin' kill him!"

"No, it wasn't deliberate! It's like how I hurt you...not meaning to."

"It's not at all the same thing!" Red tells Lorna firmly. "I'll make him regret it, just as I did with Stella!"

"You're both overreacting, it's a minor sprain, not that serious. It should heal in two or three days. He stopped when there was a pop and he apologized right away," Lorna insists. "Ugh, I shouldn't have told you..."

"Oh, this situation is definitely serious, and I'm glad you said something. He's exactly like Arturo!" Nicky mutters.

Lorna rolls her eyes. "He is not!"

Nicky's phone buzzes, so she takes a look at it. There's another pathetic text from Christopher, pleading for her friendship. She's been ignoring all of his messages and is going to delete them now.

 _Come on, I'm concerned about you! Why do you never answer?_

 _I consider you a friend. I talked to Joey about how it was rude and homophobic of him to ask for pornos of you and Alex...lesbians aren't a fetish. Since I stuck up for you, I expect you to be nice and respond to me! It's not like I'm asking for sex._

 _Okay, I know you're not dead, because you're on Facebook giving status updates, so maybe you're relaxing from stress and pain which I can understand. I'm sorry Lorna hurt you like that, told you the bitch was crazy! Hope you're okay, we need you back in school!_

"Fucker," Nicky snaps, closing her eyes in exhaustion.

"Huh?" Lorna asks.

"Christopher got my number from Humps...he's been trying to reach me, but I don't have the energy to reply to dumbasses like him. I'm blocking that garbage turd right now!"

"Good idea!" Red comments.

"How come he's talking to you?" Lorna wonders out loud.

"He wants me to be his lesbian best friend, I guess. He lost that privilege a long time ago, and I'm not sure why he hasn't realized that yet. I even told him before that I wasn't interested in his friendship!"

"It's fine if you're close to him! That's a sign we're really meant to be if he likes my girls! Just look at Aleida and Leon, he's respectful to Gloria and Daya and the little ones, as well!"

"We all despise Christopher because of how he treated you, we don't owe him a second of our time, and neither do you! Leon hasn't caused Aleida a visit to the doctor's office, there's the difference. That's why they like him, he's not a nasty little prick!" Red explains.

"Christopher isn't either. You just gotta give him a chance, okay?"

Nicky rolls her eyes internally. She just hopes Lorna won't be a battered wife in the future because of how naive she is by taking Christopher's shit. "Sure. Anyway...how was the rest of school today?"

"Miserable, because of the three bags of dicks, Piss-cuntella, Dick-man, and Humps."

"I can tell something else is wrong. You barely ate your breakfast this morning, playing with your food instead, and you usually shovel it in by the double mouthful."

"I wasn't hungry."

"Since when?" Red wants to know. "You didn't eat much at school...I know people cope with harassment differently, but you've never let them bring you down before."

Lorna scoffs. "What do you want me to say? Piscatella used me as his personal punching bag, Humps forced me to almost murder my bestie, and Dixon felt me up a few times! Yes, I'm sure to lose my appetite over those traumatic events! I can't keep my meals down when I think about them..."

"This has always been happening, them being disgusting in one way or another, but you're always talking a mile a minute, you clean your plate or bowl for every meal, and you're so cheerful at school, no matter what they do. What could possibly be worse than their behavior towards us?" Nicky asks.

"Nothing...I'm just being weird." Her breath hitches and she turns to face the window. "I'll...I'll be back to myself soon enough." Nicky can tell she's trying not to cry, and she moves to the middle seat so she can hold Lorna. The brunette snuggles into her and puts her thumb in her mouth as she closes her eyes, just as she'd done the previous night. Nicky's been forever wondering why Lorna sleeps like this, but she assumes it's from her past. The nightmares hadn't started until last night, though.

"When I was exactly your age, Piscatella's family hosted me as a foreign exchange student. Piscatella would abuse me in secret," Red lets the girls know.

Nicky's heart breaks for the older lady. "I'm so sorry to hear that, what an asshole!"

"Oh my goodness, Red..." Lorna murmurs. "Did ya get him arrested?"

"I went home soon after, claiming I was homesick and continued schooling in Russia. I let him drive me out of America, and I've always regretted not reporting it to his parents. My advice for you, honey, is to not keep things bottled up inside you, otherwise, parts of you will be so damaged that you can't put them back together. That's eaten away at me for years and made me vulnerable, and he knows it. I only work at the school to look out for the students and younger staff members he decides to make suffer. I coaxed Gloria out of a flashback once, and you know some of the girls come to the backroom for ice."

"Mm, that's terrible that you've gotta face him every day," Nicky says sadly.

"I know, but it's all because I didn't turn him in and I foolishly believed I'd never see him again when I moved to America ten years later. I'm nauseous all the time because I cannot get rid of him, no matter what. He's relentless."

"I feel like that, too," Lorna mumbles, sounding extremely fragile. "The nerves are so jumbled up in my tummy that I just get...blech! It's hard to breathe and stuff."

"Same for me," Nicky agrees. "I'm sorry I couldn't go there to protect you...my world can't stop spinning and I can only stand for so long, and I have the dentist tomorrow."

"I understand."

"I really hope I'll be back on Thursday." They arrive at the place for NA and Nicky presses her lips to the top of Lorna's head and her fingers that are sticking out of her cast before kissing Red's cheek and leaving the car. "Thanks for the ride!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

* * *

Continuing to panic inside, Daya tugs on John's shirt and he glances down at her. "Sorry, just catching up with an old friend." He gives Mendez a fast hug and steps away from him. "Well, see you later, dude!"

"Goodbye!"

"John, I gotta tell you something about that guy-didn't you hear on the news he was arrested for-"

"That was a misunderstanding, he never raped or sexually assaulted anyone...and now, I need to talk to you about something serious." He takes her outside where it's quieter.

Daya braces herself for what he's about to say. "Yeah?"

"We just had sex, and now you're pregnant. I could go to jail...I can't handle that, let alone raising a child with a fifteen year old girl! That'll be hard enough for me to deal with."

"Who's gonna tell?"

"You'll start showing eventually and people would ask who the father is..."

"I'll just say some random tenth grader who bailed out...or Mendez, since he...he's a creep. Who cares?"

"You can't pin it on him."

Daya scoffs. "Okay, then some dude who couldn't keep it in his pants at a wild party."

"Why do you have to keep it?"

"Uh, hello, getting an abortion is expensive, plus my mom doesn't believe in killing fetuses or babies, and she wants to teach me responsibility, something you oughta learn, too."

"I can't be with you anymore. We...we have to break up." She can hear the regret in his voice, but it doesn't hurt her any less. Her heart plummets into her stomach and her breath trembles.

"What?"

"You refuse to do the one thing that would allow us to be together, and that's terminating your pregnancy. It's not even a fully developed human being yet!"

"I'm not icing my child and preventing him or her from living a full life," she says coldly, on the brink of tears. "That's fuckin' final."

"You're turning into your mother, what's that all about?"

"I guess I'm really getting along with her these days. I've told you how she's changed lately."

"So have you...and I really don't like it. You're not the same person I fell in love with. We're not compatible." He turns around and walks away from her.

"John!" she hollers after him, but he doesn't spare her a glance. "John!" Her voice is drowned out by the busy street. She tries to catch up with him, but he's nowhere to be found by the time she gets to the end of the block.

That's when she breaks down and cries hysterically against a pole while hugging her purse close to her belly. A few African American girls not much older than herself with skimpy outfits, complete with fishnet tights and high heels, loiter near her while smoking. One of them comes up to her and pulls her cigarette out from between her dark red lips. "You're sittin' in our corner! Have your sobfest somewhere else. It's kinda dangerous here anyway...Daddy's comin' and he could mistaken you for a prostitute like us."

"Your dad doesn't mind you selling yourself?"

"I mean like our pimp, we ain't got no parents. Yo, get outta here before he sees you!"

Daya feels incredibly stupid, since she's street smart and knows about the bad areas in New York City. She really should've just gone to Dave and Busters, but she accidentally went the wrong way because she was so upset that she couldn't think properly. "Okay. Uh, sorry..." She gets up and goes back the way she came while watching out for people who could be scary. Luckily, she makes it to the arcade without any trouble. She sees the word _fun_ everywhere, but she's not having any. It's so loud in here, though, so she goes into the bathroom to call Adarsh to meet her outside of the restroom. He doesn't pick up, probably because he can't use his phone while paragliding, so she has no choice but to admit the truth to Gloria and ask her to pick them both up when he's done with his activity.

* * *

As Gloria stands outside the Burset house smoking for a much needed five minute break, she hears a ringtone and feels her phone vibrating in her pocket, so she takes it out without looking at who it is and lets her cigarette dangle from her index and middle fingers. "Hey."

"Hi, Gloria...it's me...Daya. Umm...I messed up real bad..." Daya starts out in a wavery voice and gasps out loud. "Oh...oh my _God_! I can't...I can't really breathe in here...it's my claustrophobia. I apologize for interrupting whatever you got goin' on-"

She immediately gets worried. "Where are you? What happened? He do somethin'?"

"I'm in the bath...bathroom at Dave and Busters. No, he ain't done nothin'...he's fine, but, um... _ummm_..." Gloria's fully aware that Daya is attempting to tell her something extremely difficult. "You gotta pick us up..."

"Okay, I'm comin'." Gloria begins to go back inside and tells everyone that she needs to get Daya and Adarsh. Sophia and Crystal nod in understanding and continue cooking enchiladas for the kids. It's a good thing that Benny had already gotten past the separation anxiety phase, Christina is content playing with him, Emiliano, and Michael, and Julio is napping upstairs. The children all hug her before she leaves.

"I...I'm so sorry, but I tricked you...I went to the bar with John..." Daya confesses, and Gloria drops the cigarette on the ground in shock that the girl would go behind her back like this and ditch a seemingly perfectly nice boy for her teacher, but at the same time, she's proud of Daya for being honest. "Then I saw Mendez and got a panic attack...and John left me stranded at the place...and I...now I'm all alone...Adarsh is paragliding somewhere near here because it's not like I was gonna hang out with him...a-and the father of my child just dumped me for good this time!" she explains through sobs. "You were right all along...men are assholes!" she adds tearfully. "You're...you're probably ecstatic at this news! Am...am I in trouble?"

Gloria's heart shatters at Daya's words and how hurt she is. "Nah, bebe, I'll let it slide this time. You just had the worst night ever, how could I ever be pleased about that? Stay where you are, I'm on my way."

"Thanks...see you soon."

"Bye!"

Gloria hangs up and drives to Dave and Busters as fast as possible without running red lights or speeding. She parks and hastily goes to find Daya. She enters the women's restroom and sees her splashing her face with cold water. Tears still glisten in her eyes.

"Hey, honey...let's go talk in my car, and you can have Adarsh text you when he's done, and we'll get him. Want a hug?" Gloria questions her kindly.

Daya scrubs the mascara off her cheeks and dashes straight into Gloria's waiting arms. She swallows hard. "You didn't even need to ask."

Gloria leads Daya out to the parking lot and they both get into the backseat. "Your mother and I are gonna chop off his balls tomorrow."

"They're already missing," Daya mumbles and then sniffles. "Seriously, don't discuss this with him. If he wants to come back to me, he will."

"We'll at least give that fuckin' douchebag extra spicy fire-alarm sausages, if you catch my drift. It'll be like a metaphor for us kickin' him, but he'll feel it in his mouth."

"I can't wait...but I rang him up a few times and messaged him to come back," Daya admits brokenly. "I'm not able to bring myself to delete his number. Why are you punishing him if you hated us being together anyway? This should be like, a dream come true."

"You know, I never liked him after I found out...but I completely get that you're deeply saddened by him being such a jerk. I would've rather had _you_ drop _him_ like a hot potato, but him doing this to you...and especially now that you're pregnant...it's a shame he won't ever find out what a wonderful mother you turn out to be. Single parents are pretty great, just look at me, Aleida, Red, Theresa, Norma, Juliana, Diane, and Maria and Blanca's mamas."

Daya sighs while leaning into Gloria's embrace. "I know, I shouldn't need him, but I do...I'm trying to get over him. I don't think I can."

Gloria strokes her hair lovingly and pecks her temple. "It's only been a half hour, baby. You will, eventually."

"Does it ever get easier? Heartache, I mean?"

"Yes, with time."

"How much?"

"Well, it's hard to determine, because everyone's experiences with that are different. Some can move on quicker than others. You're such a strong young woman, though, and you're fifteen...you got, what, seven decades left in this life? Even if you never settle, you could still find happiness...with friends and family. You got a kid to think about now, not some useless son of a bitch who left you in high school. I promise you, John Bennett does not deserve a second of your time, and in a few years from now, or hell, even a couple months or so, he will no longer be important," Gloria assures Daya gently.

"He was gonna stay...if I just got an abortion. Why'd I have to listen to Aleida?"

"Wow, what a gentleman, controllin' you like that!" Gloria says sarcastically. "You agreed with her-"

"Yeah, after she convinced me..."

"Okay, well I'm glad you picked your child over your boyfriend-"

"I wanted 'em both."

"I'm aware of that, but if some guy gets his girlfriend pregnant, he's expected to stay with her because it's half his responsibility. This fuckin' idiot freaked out and ran because he's not mature enough to handle being a father. He should not have been in your life at all, and he should've told you it wasn't appropriate to be dating you!"

"He did...I pushed it."

"Well, he should've kept telling you no. I'm not trying to insult you, but this is just a fact...teenagers' brains aren't as fully developed as adults' are, Google it if you want, and he took advantage of that. You are much better off without him."

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better, Gloria, but I feel like I've been fuckin' shot in the heart."

"Oh, honey," Gloria murmurs and rubs Daya's back soothingly. "I'm truly sorry." She holds her pseudo niece until Daya's phone vibrates.

"John?" she mumbles while turning over her phone so quickly that it skids to the carpet. She picks it up and the light leaves her eyes again when it's just Adarsh, letting her know that he's finished. "I guess we gotta take Adarsh home now."

"Well, since you never really went out for dinner, I could take you both to the Dave and Busters restaurant and you can play games there if you wanted to."

Daya sniffles and wipes her wet eyes with her palms. "Maybe some other time...we'll eat at home, it's okay."

Gloria picks up Adarsh and he gets into the backseat with Daya. "Hey, I'm sorry about your boyfriend," he tells her gingerly. "Having a broken heart isn't fun."

"Yeah...it never is," Daya responds, and then the waterworks start up again. "I apologize, I keep..." She breaks off into loud sobs and Gloria wishes she could embrace her again, but she's on the highway.

"It's okay. If you wanna talk about it, I'm here."

"Don't pretend you never listen to the rumors," she mutters and brushes off a tear falling down her cheek. "Of course he would leave me, right? Nobody wants a child in high school!"

"I don't believe the gossip...I'd rather hear the actual story from the person who knows it, that is, if they're willing to share."

"Well, I really am pregnant...and John, the father, refuses to be a teen dad. He knocked me up and just...walked. It wasn't right away, though...he waited a week to drop the bomb. He gave me an ultimatum...either I get an abortion or he bails. He doesn't even realize that I'm the one carrying the kid for nine months, he just has to be there...and then I can fuckin' give my baby up for adoption until I'm ready to care for him or her...he's such a wimp, but I can't make him leave my mind. Isn't that stupid?"

"It's his loss, because you seem like such a nice girl. The only thing that's dumb is him, in general. What an asshole...I don't know him from Adam, but I feel like punching him! My parents taught me to respect people from a very early age, and to take responsibility for my actions. They also said as a boy, I need to treat girls and women like they're princesses. It makes a lot of sense."

"Those are good lessons...I guess John never learned 'em."

"Yep, or he never followed them. Would you maybe wanna hang out sometime, like for real, not a fake thing? It'd be cool if we got to know each other better."

"Sure."

She knows it's too early for Daya to date again right now, but Gloria is hoping that Adarsh will be Daya's future boyfriend, or at least an excellent guy friend, because he appears to be extremely compassionate, from the way he's looking at her and speaking to her, and he's age appropriate. With those thoughts in her mind, she smiles at them in the rearview mirror, but they probably don't even notice.

* * *

As soon as Red stops at the curb in front of Lorna's house, she gets her key out of her purse and leaves the older woman's vehicle after hugging her good night. She sees Franny's car in the driveway while sluggishly walking up to her front door and hopes her sister hasn't done the trash yet, because Lorna doesn't remember completing the chore. She lets herself in and locks the house up.

"Lorna, is that you, sweetie?" Franny asks from the kitchen.

"Yep...I'm gonna do the garbage!" Lorna's feet pound up the stairs and she holds onto the stair rail when she starts to lose her balance.

"Have you eaten?"

"I get a dinner break at volunteering, so yeah," Lorna responds. It's not a full lie, because she'd had Jell-O from the hospital cafeteria and didn't want anything else.

"Okay. Thanks for helping out around the house, I really appreciate that."

"No problem!" Lorna scampers into the bathroom and takes out the plastic bag full of trash. She makes sure her tattered clothes are in there before she ties it up tightly, does the rest, and dumps all of it into the bin outside.

"Wanna cook with me?" Franny asks Lorna. When the sisters come face-to face, Franny instantly gasps and cups Lorna's cheeks. "Oh my god, Lorn..."

"Piss-cuntella. I don't wanna talk about it. Let's make food."

"He's a monster!"

"Yep."

They proceed to prepare dinner for their parents and brother, and then Lorna's family eats while she goes upstairs to get ready for bed. It's only been twenty-four hours since she was so savagely violated. She starts to drown in her own dark thoughts before a knock comes to her bedroom door. "Yo, we thought you'd wanna see this!" Tricia says.

Lorna unlocks her door and lets Nicky, Alex, Tricia, Taystee, and Poussey in. The dark-skinned girls seem to be looking a bit better. "Hi..."

"Hey, kid, so check this out!" Nicky hands Lorna her phone while pressing _play_. It's a video of Red, Diane, and Aleida confronting Brandy. The girls giggle, and eventually, Lorna joins in.

"Thanks for showing me!" she exclaims while handing Nicky back her phone. "It cheered me up immensely!"

"I'm happy to hear!"

"I'm so proud of them, especially my mom since I'm biased!" Alex tells them.

"Same here! Why would they let her run off and cause more problems, though?" Lorna asks.

"Vee took care of her...she put that cunt in a noose and had us whack her like a piñata!" Taystee says, and their mouths dropped open in surprise.

"Is she dead?" Poussey wants to know.

"Hell yeah, probably, but who the fuck gives a shit about a Nazi's life? The bitch tried to kill us black folk! My, how the tables have turned...that bitch hung off a tree and swung in the wind!"

"You're right, Tays. I would've loved to see that!"

"Come by anytime, she's still there, struggling to live. Suzanne talks to her a lot. She...doesn't do well with death...she doesn't quite realize that the Confederate flag ho is alive. I think Vee's just trying to run her out of town."

"Oh...okay."

"Well, my mom's waiting out front, so Taystee, Poussey, and I have to go," Alex announces, and the three of them bid Lorna, Nicky, and Tricia good night.

"Tricia, Franny's home, so you and I can sleep in here and Lorna can be with her sister. First, though, I'm gonna accompany Lorna until Franny joins her."

"Yeah, I'm not really in the mood to be alone at the moment," Lorna says somberly.

"Alright, that's fine."

Nicky and Lorna walk to Franny's room. "Hey...you're still limping," Nicky points out.

"The doctor said I should be good in a week. Both my legs are sore. I pulled some muscles when I tried to do a split and discovered I couldn't do them. I thought I was flexible..."

"Lorna, you are, but splits aren't your thing, and everyone on the cheer squad is aware of this, including you. Why would you attempt at something so wrong for your body? That's like me running a marathon at full speed. I wouldn't dream of it!"

When the atrocious creatures had stretched her legs all the way apart, she'd done a split and it felt like her legs were being pulled out of their sockets, but she's obviously not going to tell Nicky this. "I just wanted to see if I could...sometimes I wanna be in a wheelchair because it hurts to walk, and I hobble around like a little old lady." At school, the rude students are saying she may as well have a cane, and it makes her feel even more like an invalid. She flinches when Nicky's hands reach for her legs, and then realizing it's only Nicky, who doesn't mean any harm whatsoever, Lorna bursts out crying. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I dunno why I did that...it's a...a reflex thing...those animals just love my thighs and squeezin' 'em extra tight."

"Come here, doll, it's okay, I should've warned you..." Nicky gathers her into her arms and rocks her from side to side until she steadies her breathing. "I was just gonna give you a massage. If you don't want me to-"

"No...I'd love one, thank you! You're too sweet, like honey."

"So are you, babe."

Lorna puts her hands over where it aches the most. "Can you kinda just go lightly?"

"Of course."

Nicky uses the pads of her fingers to knead circles into Lorna's tense muscles in her legs. "Does this feel good?"

"Mm-hm." She winces when Nicky hits a damaged area under her pants.

"You stiffened...you can let me know if it hurts, and I won't touch the spot again."

"Okay. I just wish things could go back to how they were before...all this happened. It was shitty, but it was still normal."

"Same here, kid."

Lorna decides not to wear makeup until Nicky's back in school. She holds her friends' hands now because she's getting bullied and her high self esteem is chipping away. Piscatella kicks her hard when she's down, and Dixon, loathing that he was left out of the rape, jams his filthy penis into her bare bottom after gym class in the girls' bathroom while clamping her mouth shut with his sweaty briefs and tying them at the back of her head and telling her she's just as tight as Gloria. She hasn't seen or heard from Christopher at all today, so Angela must be in charge of him again. Her whole Biology class hates her, except Nicky and Pennsatucky, who aren't in the room, so they're all encouraging Humps to do whatever he wants to her while recording it on their phones. He prowls around her like a predator stalking its prey while grinning and showing a full set of sharp, white teeth. Lorna shivers and averts her eyes away from his staring. "I must say that you are not my favorite...it's the little Mexican hottie, but she was unfortunately pulled out of my class since she's not in your grade. You're the next best thing, and you're really busting out of your shirt there. Get up on my table there, sexy tits. I could pound you in front of each and every single person here, and they wouldn't care."

If Nicky were in this room, she'd probably slice his throat open, and so would the lunch ladies, Diane, the rest of her friends, and Christopher. Her entire body is clammy, her heart is beating so fast it's about to jump out of her mouth, and her legs are shaking so much that when Humps forces her out of her seat, she drops to her hands and knees. "I can't do this no more..."

"That's just really too bad. Crawl, bitch!" he commands and sends his shoe-covered foot into her belly. She scoots away from him, but he snatches her up by the back of her shirt and smashes her down so hard on his desk that she hits her head and there's a ringing in her ears. She jerks involuntarily at the blunt force of being crashed onto a table. "I want to see you fully naked."

"Yeah, Mr. Humphrey! That's what she gets for rejecting me!" Gustav calls out.

"Take all your clothes off, we're waiting!" Ralph yells after him.

"I'm _ravenous_ ," Humps adds lustfully, and an unexpected jolt runs through her body. "Feed me your juices." He unbuckles his belt and winds it around his hand except for a few inches including the buckle. She shields her face and curls herself up when he raises it, and it lands hard on her back. Lorna yelps shrilly and the students guffaw. "What'd I say? I'll whip you until you obey me! You're my sex slave since the other one can't do the job!"

Trembling, she undresses herself and then he pounces on her. She squeaks loudly when he sinks his teeth into her vagina hard, breaking one of the cuts that was trying to heal, and he digs into her breasts so deep that blood drips off his fingers. He assaults her lower region with his tongue and smacks his lips when he's finally finished. There's some blood sliding down his chin like he's a vampire, and Lorna throws up while sobbing. "Please just let me go..." she begs helplessly. The class sniggers as Humps holds her down with one hand and takes out a long extension cord from his desk drawer with the other. He ties her to the surface in place and the cord is wrapped around her wrists, causing further strain to her injured one, and she's bound underneath her breasts and then he loops the cord around her stomach. She can't move anything except her legs, but before she can kick him, he has two of the largest boys in the class gripping her ankles to keep her legs up. Humps instructs the male students to lick her, but after a minute or two, she can't handle the trauma, so she twitches and urinates all over Paulie, and gets some in his mouth, as well. He spits it back out at her and she coughs hard while gagging.

"Ew, you're so gross!" Kristy exclaims.

"You're supposed to shoot out cum, not piss, you big baby!" Jody chimes in.

"She's such an idiot loser!" Tammy shouts.

"Bad girl!" Humps roars at Lorna. He backhands her and her entire face is numb. "Now it's time for the rat torture! You're a martyr, so act like it! Sit back down, guys." He sticks cheese inside of her and on her nipples. She whimpers as he takes a rat out of its cage, with its feet wiggling and teeth baring. Just before he sets it on top of her, though, Aleida shows up outside the door and she appears horrified. She tiptoes into the room with a dish of soup and places her index finger on her lips as a sign for Lorna to be quiet. Thankfully, nobody else notices her until she smashes the bowl over his head, making boiling soup and ceramic shards rain down on top of him, slicing and burning parts of his face.

"Always wanted to do that to a motherfucker who hurts women," she mutters as she hurriedly unties Lorna. A few of the boys help her, but only because they think she's hot and want to impress her, but at least Lorna is getting rescued instead of dying from rat torture. Aleida makes sure Humps is still knocked out while she assists Lorna back into her clothes, grabs her bag, and escapes the classroom, and Lorna never thought she'd ever be clinging to Daya's mother for protection, but she is doing just that.

"Oh my god, thank you..." she mumbles as she stumbles along with Aleida into the cafeteria's backroom.

"Don't mention it."

Maritza gasps out loud when they arrive and grabs Lorna's hands. "Your clothes are soaked with blood! Lorna...did that vile monster seriously torture you in front of a bunch of would-be witnesses?"

"He made 'em all watch and said if they said a word, they'd suffer through the same thing," she lies straight through her teeth as Maritza throws her arms around her tightly. She has no idea why she's protecting them, but it could have to do with the fact that she doesn't want to actually admit that she has numerous bullies. She used to be so well liked, and she's embarrassed that she isn't anymore.

"There were rats when I went in, but I dumped a whole dish of soup on his fuckin' face and broke it all over him," Aleida reports.

"Terrific job," Gloria praises her. "Lorna, I'll get you some bandages and ice, you sit tight. Red's currently getting Nicky from her appointment, but she'll be here soon."

"Okay..." Lorna takes a seat on the tile floor against one of the cabinets and pulls her knees up to her chest. She leans her head back and keeps her arms around her knees as Gloria plays gentle Spanish music. Things are calm until Humps stomps into the area, and both she and Maritza scream at the top of their lungs. Aleida and Gloria look at him, alarmed, and hold each other in fear. Norma and Claudette stand in his way, and he just chuckles lowly as he pushes himself in between them and strides up to Aleida.

"I need to have a little chat with Mama Diaz...she keeps messing around, and it's making me angry!" He shoves Gloria into the counter to separate her from Aleida, and she gasps in agony. "Should I tell Mr. Caputo about how you harassed a co-worker, or could I deal with your ass myself?"

"I was stopping you from killing her!" Aleida snaps. "If she was dead, you couldn't torture her anymore! See my point?"

"Sure, I'll believe that. I was just gonna have one rat crawl across her luscious figure, but yeah, that'd be lethal, because most animals bite." He grins spookily at Lorna and Maritza and bares his teeth while growling. "Mmm, you both would taste so good," he comments before finally leaving.

Maritza, who's perched on the counter, starts panting heavily and whimpering, but Lorna doesn't see or hear anything else since she's having a panic attack of her own.

After their last period classes are finished, the other girls hug Lorna once she tells them where she is and what Humps had done when they ask about her new wounds. The strongest reaction, though, comes from Nicky, after they fill her in on everything. "Rat torture, tying you up, and biting you?" she practically hollers, and her cheeks are almost damp with moisture. "That's it, I'm returning tomorrow! I don't care if I have to ride through the halls on a wheelchair. It looks like those assholes have chosen to torment you because I'm not there. I'd rather have 'em do it to me instead!" She sinks down next to Lorna.

"No...I...I don't want you to go through it either, Nicky!" Lorna cries.

"Fuckin' hell, he could've murdered you, baby. I'm relieved that Aleida stopped him just in time!"

"Me, too." She's soon cradled in Nicky's arms with her head tucked under the blonde girl's chin and her legs sandwiched in between Nicky's. Flaca is holding Maritza about the same way. "I deserve it, at the same time," Lorna says under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. I love your comfort, is all."

"I have no problem giving you it."

* * *

"Guess who I ran into at Bloomingdeals when we were picking up maternity clothes for Daya?" Aleida asks Cesar before she has to go to college. She doesn't let him answer. "Margarita! You still with her!" She'd almost taken her down right there in the store, but Daya had stopped her and convinced her to visit Cesar and ask him why he got some other woman pregnant. This is the second gruesome thing she'd gone through today, and she's tired of it. The only part of today she'd enjoyed was meeting Adarsh and introducing herself as Daya's mother when Gloria pointed him out. He's perfect, and she's looking forward to Daya being with him.

"Well, yeah...you knew that!" Cesar says. "You actin' like a jealous bitch again! What's the problem?"

"You put a motherfuckin' bun in her oven!" Aleida hisses. "You been runnin' around with her behind my back for almost a year! I been loyal to you until you was arrested!"

"Okay, well that's only one of my side hos. You're my main chick. Why you mad?"

"My other boyfriend isn't just nobody to me like Margarita's a hooker to you...he thinks I'm real important in his life, and I love him, too. Leon ain't never got me pregnant 'cause he always uses a condom! He's responsible, unlike you, makin' babies right and left!"

"What a pansy ass he is, and you're totally falling for it! College, condoms, what's next? Family road trips? Working in some stupid cube office in front of a computer?"

"I ain't doin' clerical shit. I'm gonna earn money from bein' in charge of a nail salon, like I told your ass five thousand times already!"

Cesar snorts. "Get real! You'll give up on your GED in a few days! You're not a manicurist, you pack heroin! Men like _that_ dude...they're boring! They turn you soft, like Daya here! A fuckin' English teacher, seriously? She don't need him! You gotta be _hard_."

"I don't fool around with drugs no more...it's bad for me and the kids. Everyone else is sayin' I can do school, and I believe 'em."

"Who, brainless brats, a bunch 'a skirts, and some closeted faggot?"

Aleida tries to ignore the crack in her heart as he insults the people who are close to her. "Shut the fuck up!"

"It's true, ain't it?"

"Leon for sure ain't gay, my babies are precious to me, and my friends are the best."

"Ma, let's go, we don't need to listen to his shit!" Daya cuts in for the first time since they got there. "Her new guy is straight and more of a man than you could ever dream of being!" she shouts at Cesar. "You're losing her every day. We don't need you!"

"I wish I could blow your head off right now, you selfish, nasty bitch," Cesar snarls while glaring at Daya, and Aleida holds her daughter's hand in solidarity. His hateful eyes trail to Aleida and he points at her. "As for you, you're makin' a huge mistake. You're fuckin' up your life."

"Nah, I used to, and there were definitely consequences, such as Daya learnin' from me that it was okay to smoke and be with child at fifteen." Aleida shakes her head in disappointment at herself. "I didn't even know her life back then...when her whore friend disappeared, I was partying with you...even though I didn't like that slut, I should've been around for Daya, and I wasn't. I gotta live with that regret. Now, I ain't doin' nothin' bad no more...in fact, I just saved Lorna...remember her?"

"The short one with big knockers like Daya's?"

"Yep," Aleida says stiffly, despising that she ever allowed him to say things like that about teenage girls.

"Damn, she was stacked. Anyway, what'd you do that was so heroic?" Aleida can tell by his smirk that he thinks she's a joke, and it makes her heart clench in pain.

"Never mind, I don't feel like bein' bothered to tell you anymore. Maybe you need a cold shower, and I'll let you know next time I visit when you ain't so horny and can have a decent and normal conversation with me. It must be difficult not having women to fuck while you in prison. Could you have lost your balls and your dick's shrinking?" Aleida asks. "Leon's cock is so much bigger than yours," she whispers, since she doesn't need Daya to hear this. He groans as Aleida and Daya both stand up and walk out quickly.

"Holy shit, Ma!" Daya exclaims and then hugs her. "That...was...great! You totally burned him!"

"Hell yeah, but I'm not done with him yet!"

"Why not? He cheated on you and caused a fuckton of trauma!"

"I wasn't faithful to him, either," Aleida reminds Daya as they go to the car.

"Margarita betrayed him, too."

"She wasn't with him for as long as I was...we got a deeper connection."

"Leon's better for you."

"I ain't ready to lose the attachment I got with Cesar yet."

"Okay..."

* * *

As she'd promised, Nicky returns to school on Thursday and Lorna clings to her. Their friends and the kitchen workers welcome Nicky back with open arms. It's a new era for the two of them now, since the bantering has stopped completely, they take each other seriously, and Nicky notices something is up with Lorna. Not only is she Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps' new target, the students are giving her vulgar hand signs, calling her mean names such as _bitch_ , _slut_ , _cunt_ , _Lorna the Loser_ , _Lorna the Whore-na_ , and _Looney Tunes Lorna_ , and even spitting at her. They're also shocked and happy that Nicky's here again, but she doesn't return their hugs or smiles, because of the way they're mistreating Lorna. Nicky and Alex are currently taking Maritza to Geometry and exchanging a group embrace before she goes into the dreaded classroom. On their way to English, they walk by Christopher, and he smirks at them and extends his arms out toward them. "Hey, where's my hugs?"

"I dunno, moron," Alex snaps at him.

"You gave _her_ one!" he protests, nodding towards the spot where Maritza had been standing.

"She's a good friend of ours." Nicky's blood boils at his douchey behavior. "I can pop wrists, too, fuckwad! Only thing is, I don't do it to girls who aren't hurting me! You lay one more cruel hand on Lorna, and I'll beat both your balls and dick so far up your ass that you won't be able to walk right!" Nicky snarls at him threateningly. She sees Lorna out of the corner of her eye, appearing to be hurt, and then the brunette disappears.

"I'm only doing it to defend Angela," Christopher snaps back at her. "That insane bitch choked my girlfriend and installed a bomb in her car! Wouldn't you bust some girl's ass if they did that to Miss Looney Tunes?"

"Well, yes, but-" She stops herself, not wanting to be caught in his trap. "You're getting revenge on Lorna, who may have a severe mental illness and doesn't understand what she'd done that was so bad! You can talk to her kindly or suggest she get help, but you don't need to rough her up, or you'll have to deal with me. Got that?"

"Joey was right about you, unfortunately. Lesbos really _do_ hate men."

Alex rolls her eyes. "Just the ones who are heartless, and that goes for women, too, you damn homophobe!" He storms away from them, and Nicky gets an uneasy feeling in her tummy.

* * *

When gym class is over, Piscatella stops Lorna from coming out of the locker room until it's empty. He orders her to change back into her regular clothes and then leaves while turning off every one of the lights, save one. She hurriedly does so, but all of a sudden, she sees someone just standing there. Lorna jumps nearly a foot in the air and presses her hand to her heart. She's thankful that it's only Christopher. "Oh, Jesus Christ on a cracker! You scared me!"

He emerges from the shadows, appearing unapologetic and she's confused. "Do you know why I went out with you? I was thinking I'd get an easy hookup out of it and tame the dragon. I was also impressed that a hot girl was being so forward, but then I got turned off when you took it a bit too far. You're my annoying little groupie!"

Lorna gasps in disbelief and her heart breaks. "Did that cooze tell you to say that?"

"No, and don't you _ever_ call her that again!" He slams her headfirst into a locker so hard that she's bleeding somewhere and then he twists her unscathed arm behind her back until there's a sickening snap of bone. A high-pitched gasp and shrill scream escape her mouth, and that only makes him angrier. He squeezes her forearm even tighter. Lorna had been ignoring his nastiness up to this point, and now she can't take it anymore.

"Ow! Let go of me! Why...why are you doing this? I thought...I thought we were in love! I even quit cheerleading for you!" she cries while trembling and stumbling away from him. Help me! Anyone, please!"

"You're so desperate! I'm not surprised that you let the prank happen, and you wanted to play with the big boys...you're getting a taste of your own medicine!"

"I...I was raped-"

"Good! I'm overjoyed for my buddies! They had a fun time that night! I'll smack the psycho out of you!" He clenches his jaw while swinging his fist into her face, and he won't stop. He tackles her and she collapses to the ground as she shrieks in pain. "How'd you like that, you demented stalker?" he yells while repeatedly kicking her so her belly lurches and something cracks inside of her as he stomps on her chest. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry...please...just stop it..." Lorna sobs out. It crushes her so much and her heart rips itself out of her chest. She's dizzy with tears.

"Why would I? I won't, until you're just a rotting corpse! You're such an evil cunt!" He bends down, puts his hands around Lorna's throat, picks her up off the floor, and presses his thumbs into her pulse point, choking her while shaking her frail body up and down. "I can bench one hundred and thirty-five pounds. What about you, fifty? Fuckin' wimpy rag doll!"

"Hey, get the fuck off her, asshole!" That female voice is so familiar and like music to her ears. Nicky hurls her heavy bag squarely into the back of his head while standing on the silver bench so she has more leverage. It causes him to release his firm grip and Lorna sinks back to the floor, wheezing and coughing. She digs her fingers into his eyes to make him stagger backwards and crash to the floor. "Drop fuckin' dead!" She shoves her knee up his crotch about ten times, and steps on his throat until he stops struggling. "You're welcome."

"Thank you...but I deserved that..." Lorna rasps when she gets her breath back.

Nicky wipes the flowing tears off Lorna's wet cheeks. "Are you okay? Can you stand?"

"No. I can't walk, just go on without me."

"I'd never leave you! Let's get you outta here." Nicky scoops Lorna up and carries her to the nurse's office bridal style. Lorna stares up at Nicky with stars in her eyes since the blonde is emanating hero vibes.

"You're like...my knightress in shining armor," Lorna murmurs as her heart leaps. "My Princess Charming...you saved my life."

Nicky gives Lorna a friendly smile, and for the first time, Lorna really notices how pretty she is, and not just attractive in general. She's never felt this way about another girl before, but she's really falling for her best friend. The genuine kindness Nicky has shown her all this time when she was blind to Christopher's hatred of her, even when she'd raged on Nicky, makes guilt flow through her veins. "It was no big deal, kid. I'm always gonna protect you. I'll call the cops on that creep-"

"You can't, Nicky, he'll get me arrested instead...and they won't do shit anyway..."

Nicky puts Lorna down and they sit in chairs to wait for Dimaguiba, the school nurse. "CO Ford will when he gets better!"

"Christopher's gonna tell him everything...he...he tricked me!" Lorna blubbers and starts hyperventilating.

"Just breathe, baby…you're okay, I promise, just breathe."

"I can't breathe, I can't –" Lorna snivels and grabs her chest as it rises and falls rapidly.

"Do it with me. Inhale, then exhale." Somehow, this works just in time before the Filipino man shows up and calls her in. Nicky insists on going with her.

Dimaguiba looks annoyed as he works on Lorna and cleans up the laceration on her forehead. He tells her in a bored tone to put ice on her contusions and that she may have a broken arm and to get a cast at the hospital.

"Gee, could you sound a little more sympathetic?" Nicky asks him harshly. "She's badly hurt!"

"It's fine...let's just go back to our classrooms now," Lorna mutters.

"Alright..."

"My mind is a dark place...you don't wanna be there." Lorna says as Nicky walks her to Diane's English class, just to tell her teacher that she has to get a cast now.

"You have a beautiful mind," Nicky disagrees, but Lorna doesn't take the compliment to heart. Little by little, she senses that she's not all the way there in her head. "You're bright and optimistic."

"Not anymore. I just wanna be loved," she murmurs wistfully.

"You are," Nicky assures her, winding her arms around her as they stroll along. Lorna beams, but then wails as her knees give out, plopping on the floor and pulling Nicky down with her.

"I shared a lot with him, you know? Like my getting back at Vinnie...hitting Piper...and the prank, to name a few things. He didn't get me..."

Nicky coos while running her hand through Lorna's hair. "Hey, I understand you wanting revenge on that cheating jerk...and why you'd bitchslap Piper. She probably said something rude to you. Those things happen in life."

"Yeah, but I...I'm real messed up..."

"Aren't we all?"

Lorna cuddles close to Nicky for comfort and the other girl takes her in her arms and rocks her back and forth. "He called me a _stalker_...I just thought I was supposed to do anything for someone I really love, even if I have to knock people out of my way that are trying to interfere...but I feel terrible that I did that...no wonder he beat me up like a savage! He's a mean guy, but it's all my stupid fault!" She groans while clapping her hand against her forehead and then remembers she has a severe cut there. "Ouch!"

Nicky kisses the spot and her lips are so warm on Lorna's skin. "Is that better?"

"Mm-hm..."

"Awesome! I'll ask you some questions, is that okay?"

"Yeah."

"Did you guys kiss, hug, hold hands, say _I love you_ to each other, have deep conversations into the night, have nights out or in, laugh together under a warm blanket while cuddling, etcetera?"

"I...I wanted to...he was always busy...Angela was taking up his time! Well, she can have him, because I hate him now!"

"That's because she's his girlfriend! Look, I'm sorry that he was your unrequited crush, and he's an idiot for not seeing how great you are beyond all your...romantic aspirations...but you can't try to destroy two people's lives like that...otherwise you're gonna end up in an adult prison eating eggs and waffles while showering naked with a hundred other women and wearing orange and then beige! That's what you were in for last time, wasn't it?"

"I don't understand..." she mumbles, puzzled.

"Lorna, you just need some help, okay? I know you didn't mean to come off as a stalker, it's just, there's ways to control those tendencies."

"Why was he being mean to me?"

"Because he's an asshole!" Nicky pauses for a moment and sighs. "Well, if someone was stalking me, creeping me out, and threatening to strangle my girlfriend and acting on it, I wouldn't be all that nice to them...would you?"

"No!" Lorna gasps. "Oh my god, I'm just like..." She stops herself.

"Who?"

"What if I am, and I don't even know it? My poor friends...they're all being tortured..."

"What are you talking about? Tell me, kid, come on." Lorna just wordlessly plucks her phone out of her purse and shows Nicky the texts from P. She buries her face in her hands while crying. "You can't possibly send a weird anonymous text to yourself...listen, I'll protect you from whoever this is, and we should get CO Ford involved."

"I've already caused him enough trouble...and now I've broken the law twice...disobeyed a restraining order..."

"We don't need to tell him...it's a secret, as long as you promise you'll get help, since you seriously need it."

Lorna nods. "I will, I swear to you."

"I'll fully support you, like taking you to a good therapist and shit."

"Thanks..."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star in My Universe!**


	31. We're A Team

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star in My Universe! Warning: dangerous & gross situations and thoughts & actions of self-harm.**

"Do you mind seeing where Lorna is again, Maritza?" Diane asks. "I know you said last time, Lorna was in the locker room and screaming, but Nicky's got her now...so I'm concerned that they're both hurt."

"Sure." Maritza's about to get up from her seat, when Lorna unsteadily walks in, looking as if she'd been run over by a car or trampled by bulls. Everyone turns towards her and Diane gets a pain in her chest at how wounded she is.

"I'm so sorry for being tardy!" Lorna apologizes and Maritza starts to lead her further into the classroom. Diane goes up to her and rubs her back soothingly. "I'm real sore all over...I...I have to get a cast...on my forearm...but I...I can't just leave..." she stammers weakly. "Nicky wants to take me to the hospital..."

"It's okay...you should, it'll take longer to heal if you don't seek medical attention right away. I'll give you any missed work whenever you come over to see Alex or go to Friendly's."

"I appreciate that, Diane," Lorna whispers. "Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome." All of the students, except for Maritza, are snickering while showing each other their phones. Lorna stares down at her shoes and quickly leaves. Diane turns around to face her class. "Hey, what's so funny, guys?"

"Oh, just something we found on YouTube to occupy ourselves with while you were busy with her," Katrina Idismana answers, and a bunch of snickers escape from the kids around her. "My brother would find it hilarious!"

"Nice, let me see." Diane holds her hand out for Katrina's phone, but the girl throws it in her purse quickly. The other children follow suit. "What, is it something I wouldn't understand? I'm not _that_ old, you know."

"Lorna's kind of a teacher's pet...and she walked right into that one! We're all aware that she and Maritza are your favorites! Watch out, though, Lorna's wacko!" Anthony Overwest says. "My sister would know, they were in a lot of classes together last year, but then she graduated."

Diane folds her arms across her chest. "I still don't know what you're talking about, but there is no gossiping or being rude about your fellow classmates, period, is that understood?" she asks sternly.

"Yes, ma'am," the students mumble.

"Good!"

Maritza smirks. "Diane may be cool, but she ain't gonna let you get away with shit-talkin' one of my besties. Besides that, her daughter and Lorna are besties, too." She purses her lips, and Diane just has to smile.

* * *

"I just wanna be numb, I don't wanna feel anything," Lorna mumbles as Nicky is signing her cast with _You're my favorite girl, one in a million._ _Feel better soon! Hugs and kisses, Nicky_ in pink writing inside a fancy red heart. She adds _I love you!_ in tiny letters at the very bottom of the heart.

Nicky wraps her arms around Lorna. "I'm with you, okay?" She hums and kisses the top of Lorna's head while gently stroking her hair. "Do you realize how perfect you are?"

"I hear voices in my dreams and think they're real. I got the _dreams come true_ mentality. God, I'm such a strange girl..."

"No, you aren't..."

"I am!"

"Look...you inspire me to become a better person. I wish more people were like you, because you are so good at loving people."

"No, I'm not...I scare people away..."

"Hey, Christopher's a monster...just plain cruel, remember that! You're a precious human being."

"No...it's so humiliating, though...I'm the only one who's done stupid shit," Lorna worries aloud. "Ain't nobody else got that problem!"

Nicky caps up her marker. "I've done pretty dumb things too...wildest thing I've ever done, though? Should I talk about walking up the stairs on the ramp of an amusement park ride at two in the morning or running along a train track at that same time?"

Lorna raises her eyebrow and her jaw drops. "Oh my god! That's incredibly dangerous!"

Nicky shrugs. "Well, that was while I was bored, homeless, and on drugs...when the ride starts and you're going uphill, you see these stairs on either side, that's on Top Gun at Paramount's Great America in California. See, I'd travel to all the states on a cross country train or by taking bus after bus since I couldn't afford a plane ticket, but I could sometimes sneak on a train."

"Huh...I'm glad you didn't die!"

"Yeah, me too...anyway, ready to go and face the world again, kid?"

"Mm-hm," Lorna murmurs, nodding her head yes. "I wanna at least make it to the last part of English, since I love it there!"

Nicky guides her to Red's car as they follow the Russian woman. "I know."

"I've been crying a lot lately these past few days...I'm beginning to develop a bit of a cold."

"That sucks...I've dealt with it, too."

"How'd you know where I was?"

"I heard him and then you as I was going to meet Flaca for Woodshop, and Maritza was about to head in, but I told her I'd take care of his ugly ass."

"I'm relieved that you protected me like a true heroine. How's your knee? That must've really injured you when you plowed it into his crotch so many times that you missed once and banged it on the floor..."

Nicky takes the ice off her bruised knee to show Lorna the damage. "It doesn't hurt that bad...but I'd get real battle scars for you any day."

Lorna beams through her tears. "That means a lot."

"You're so pretty, and you're really cute when you scrunch up your nose while smiling," Nicky compliments her.

"Okay, you're making me blush now! Uh...so are you, like with your Chiclets and dimples and all. I also really like your eyes."

"Thanks, kid."

It turns out that Lorna appears to be worse than she actually is. Her sprained wrist is starting to improve. The bruising will go away in a week, and so will her forehead injury, black eyes, and split lip. Her hip bones around her vagina are temporarily ruined, and that will take a month to heal. Her broken arm will last for six weeks. She has a concussion from a bump in the back of her head and that will also take some time to disappear.

The damage that he'd done to her heart will never leave, though, Nicky knows this. It'll stay there forever.

* * *

"Do you guys think John's ever gonna come back?" Daya asks in Art class after signing the cast on Lorna's arm, _you and me, hopeless romantics forever and always!_ in purple. "He's been gone for two days now."

"Yeah, I've noticed that, too," Flaca says and plucks a black marker out of the box. She scrawls, _it sucks we both got casts now, but that just means we're made of steel_ _!_ underneath Daya's message and next to Maritza's, which says, _I enjoy having you as my friend and fellow cheerleader. Hope to see you back soon!_ in blue. "I dunno, girl, to be real honest."

"Well, I've tried to contact him like by phone, email, Facebook...but nothing. It's like he cut off all contact with me...or disappeared off the face of the Earth. I have that goddamn automated voice message, this number is no longer in service, implanted in my brain now. It's fuckin' annoying and heart-wrenching at the same time."

Lorna, Nicky, Flaca, Alex, Blanca, and Maria give her supportive hugs. "Don't expect him to return," Maria advises her and draws some orange and yellow flowers on Lorna's cast, along with the words, _you're gonna get through this!_ above what Daya put. "It's only gonna keep you in anticipation and disappoint you every morning."

"Alex, your tattoo is right. Love really is pain," Lorna mutters while Alex scribbles, _Get well soon, sis!_ in alternating black and red words besides Nicky's well wishes.

"Yep. Hey...did Christopher ever apologize for spraining your wrist?" Alex wonders aloud.

"No," Lorna responds somberly. "We're finished. Actually...we were never actually together. It was all a fantasy I made up in my head. You don't have to pity me or nothin'...I broke my own heart."

"I had a feeling you lied to us this whole time about him..." Flaca mutters. "Oh, well..."

"I'm sorry...Nicky told me stalking wasn't normal, basically...and I'm gonna start bein' honest from now on and get real help. I dunno if I have some kind of learning disability or I'm just plain crazy."

"Don't call yourself that... _crazy_ is a derogatory term. I'm thinking maybe you could be mentally ill," Nicky tells her.

"I hope I don't get stuck in some psychiatric facility! That makes people even more...out of it!"

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Nicky says, pulling Lorna's chair closer to hers.

"I dunno why this had to happen to me...I'm supposed to be perfect, I came from a straight-laced Catholic family...what are they gonna think? Oh, god..."

"Don't worry about that. If they love you, they'll be there for you, and if they disown you, fuck 'em. Leave the house and don't return like Maria here," Blanca suggests while writing with a green marker, _Everyone says we're like twins, well, you did inspire me to change up my looks, so thanks! You're cool!_

"Oh yeah, we could run away together, with our sisters, since they're awesome, too!" Nicky murmurs while nudging Lorna.

"Please, like Red would let you do that!" Maria says.

"What? Franny's a responsible adult!" Lorna insists.

"She let her cousin put a cigarette pack in his mouth!" Blanca shoots back.

"That was once! She got it back right away! I just wish Franny would get her own apartment so I don't have to live there anymore...but we gotta take care of our mom. It ain't our faults the guys in our family are such losers." Lorna sighs while setting her chin on her fist while propping her elbow on the table. "Okay, ow, that hurt," she grumbles and puts her arm down. "I gotta remember to keep both my right wrist and my left arm elevated. Fuck Christopher and Piscatella both, seriously."

"No one here wants to!" Daya tries to joke, but it works, since the girls chuckle. Ms. Fischer, who's standing by them, does too, probably because she'd heard what they were saying. They don't mind, because she's nice and understanding.

She comes over to them. "I'm sorry, girls. Men really suck, especially when they're not responding to your texts."

"Mr. Luscheck was a dumbass, huh?" Nicky asks and Ms. Fischer shrugs, looking sheepish. "He kinda told me about that...he screws shit up a lot."

"Yeah, he does. Whatever, right?"

"Exactly."

Their teacher looks over at Lorna. "I'll sign your cast, if you want?"

"Sure, thank you. Here, please." Lorna points to the spot near Diane's message, which is _It's both a pleasure having you in class and being such a sweet friend to my daughter. I'm so glad to know you._

"Feel better soon," Ms. Fischer murmurs as she scrawls it and stands back with a grin.

* * *

" _Survivor_ is the perfect anthem for all of us!" Flaca points out at lunch. It's the usual group, along with Ouija, Pidge, Allison, Pennsatucky, Alana, Stephanie, and the rest of the cheerleaders, who are happy that Lorna is going to come back to the cheer squad. Even Brook congratulates her for choosing herself over Christopher. A few boys are there, too, such as Diablo, Yadriel, Nathan, Hassan, and Adarsh. "Aah, the gang's back together again!"

"Right? Yo, I'm in the mood for singin' again!" Maritza exclaims.

"Me, too!" They both get up, stand on their seats, and start stomping rhythmically. The other girls and guys at their table join in and also clap to the beat. Everyone else begins belting out the lyrics to _We Will Rock You_ along with Flaca and Maritza. The decent teachers and cafeteria ladies seem to enjoy it quite a bit.

They're all panting after jumping back down and the sound of each person's shoes hitting the floor make a huge _boom._ It almost makes Lorna forget that a third of the school despises her and she's mangled up. "That was fun!" she remarks.

"Ugh, what's this?" Christopher yells from across the cafeteria while he twirls something disgusting covered in spaghetti sauce around his fork and it dangles off the utensil. The kids sitting with Lorna howl with laughter, and she joins in a second later. "Seriously, a jockstrap? You bitches are gross and immature!"

"No, that would be you, fucktard!" Nicky shouts.

The lunch ladies crack up hysterically. "Oh my god, I can't eat this!" He dumps his food in the trash and goes to Angela, who proceeds to console him and glare at the kitchen workers.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Alex comments.

"I know, right?" Blanca asks.

Lorna giggles. "Yeah..."

"Anyway, what happened to Lorna? All I could hear was shrieking before you ran in there, I didn't see a thing," Maritza says.

Nicky's face turns grave. "Is it okay if I tell 'em?" she asks Lorna in a hushed voice, and Lorna nods her head yes. "Christopher beat her up...he bashed her head against the floor so many times, she's now got a concussion, and all she wanted was his love," the blonde reports, and the group gasps, appearing to feel bad for her.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Maria tells her sympathetically, and Flaca and Maritza squeeze her hands while looking at her sadly.

Lorna opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. She's furiously blinking her eyes and rubbing her nose.

"Are you okay, Lorna?" Daya asks in a concerned tone. "I mean like, besides the obvious..."

She nods but continues blinking, faster and faster. She wonders what's wrong with her and if Christopher finally made her cry after all these weeks. _Did her friends' words sink into her brain? Has she gotten smarter?_ She can't believe it. Christopher had never cared about her. He'd never been there when she needed him most. He'd creeped her best friends out. He'd kissed Angela in front of her. He'd never wanted to be her boyfriend. She's afraid to answer the girls because she's holding back tears, and she doesn't want to cry in school.

"I'm fine," is all she can say, but a tear slipping down her cheek gives her away. "Excuse me."

Lorna runs to the bathroom, not looking behind her, even when Brent Schepens jeers, "Oh, boo hoo hoo, a wittle girl didn't get the boy she was after!" He mocks her while pouting and whining, and his friends all burst out cackling.

"I have an idea...I could be her for Halloween!" Angela says with a smirk. Lorna feels too weak to defend herself anymore since it's no use. She's a social pariah now.

She wants to sob her heart out in a stall, and not let anyone hear her, but she doesn't make it. She falls to the ground, her sobs increasing as she snivels. Her face is hot with tears as she mumbles to herself, "He never wanted me." She's grabbing her heart and gasping. It really hurts. Her heart is broken in two. Everyone was right about everything. She lets out an ear-piercing cry and grabs Kleenex from her purse and blows her nose loudly. She wasn't successful in getting him, she realizes once again, so she smashes her head into the brick wall. "I hate my stupid, fucked-up brain...makin' me do insane shit...I wanna fall down the stairs in front of school...or at the back of the science wing..."

Just then, she hears footsteps behind her and someone calls her name. Before she can turn, she feels a pair of arms wrap themselves around her body. It's Nicky. "You are not fine! I won't say I told you so."

"You can. I feel so guilty. I'm sorry for being rude and dumb about Christopher," Lorna bawls.

"I'm still not gonna say it. You need to be loved, don't you?"

"Yes, I need a bunch of hugs right now."

Nicky holds Lorna against her chest, and Lorna allows her tears to fall on Nicky's shirt and get it wet. The blonde is combing her fingers through Lorna's hair and wiping the tears off her face.

"Let it all out, Lorna," she murmurs gently.

"Why didn't he love me? What's so horrible about me?"

"Nothing at all! You are special and beautiful, and Christopher is a big jerk. I mean, look at all these signatures on your cast! You're the brightest star in the sky, and you're so loved, baby, you don't need him." Lorna stares down at her newest ones.

 _You're a wonderful girl with true courage, a lovely spirit, and much spunk! -Red_

 _Even if things are gloomy, you always lighten up our days! -Gloria_

 _Your smile is contagious!-Aleida_

 _We enjoy it when you chat with us in line!-Norma_

 _Get well! -Miss Claudette_

 _Stay fresh! -Pennsatucky_

The others who Nicky and Lorna had been sitting with, had just drawn stars or random patterns and in the cheerleaders and Alana's cases, smiley faces.

"Yeah, he's a dipshit!" Lorna shouts. "Oh, that felt good to yell out! _Dipshit_!" she shrieks again, but she shakes with sobs as Nicky comforts her.

"Calm down, take a few breaths." Nicky rubs Lorna's arms to try to warm her up, and it feels nice. She used to be tense, but now, she's totally relaxed. Lorna is so happy she can be herself with the blonde. "Do ya feel better now?" Nicky asks.

"I think so." Lorna nods.

Nicky holds and rocks Lorna until she finishes crying.

* * *

There is real fear in Lorna's eyes as she and Nicky go into Biology. They'd made an attempt to escape the school, but Piscatella had caught them before they could. "Don't be afraid, I'm right here," Nicky assures Lorna while squeezing her fingers.

"I'm sorry, Nicky, but I can't help it..." Lorna mumbles. Humps turns around and grins at them creepily. He looks exactly like Frankenstien, with his multiple well-deserved cuts and burn marks. The color drains from Lorna's face, causing her injuries to stand out. Nicky stands in front of her protectively and takes her to her seat.

He looms over them. "Well, hello, ladies! My, that was quite a treat you gave me last Friday! I could not stop thinking about it and masturbating!" Besides Nicky and Lorna, Pennsatucky is literally the only other person in the class who doesn't laugh. "A bit of the psycho bitch femme fatale mixed with the hot, dumb blonde...oh...maybe I should make those two fiery Latinas fight, you know how they have a temper!" He sniffs the back of Lorna's neck and Nicky holds her hand as best she can under the desks. "You're smelling extra scrumptious today."

"Is it like gingerbread or rice pudding?" Gustav asks.

"It sure is, my boy. Her skin is also the texture of a peach...every time I eat one, you're on my mind, sugar," Humps tells Lorna while winking at her. She squirms in her seat as he forces his mouth onto hers.

"Bite him!" Nicky urges Lorna and steps hard on his foot as he jumps back, groaning.

"You just about chewed my tongue off, you dirty whore! George was right about you ladies, you like to play rough. Well, I can do that, too. A true sadist feasts upon their own kind...prove you're one of us by gulping this down." He sets two cups of red liquid in front of them. "This has been collected from all the times Arturo has drawn blood from Gloria. He just let it gush out of her until he had enough to donate to me."

Nicky wants to pass out and she and Lorna both wrinkle their noses and shudder while looking away. "Why would we...drink that?"

"Ew, gross," Lorna adds weakly.

"I just told you to. You could participate in candle wax torture if you'd rather do that...I have a bunch of it in my closet." He starts to head towards it.

Nicky closes her eyes and whimpers while picking up the cup, and Lorna shakes her head as she sobs. "Let's take a fast swig at the same time and swallow before we can even taste it, okay?"

"I can't...this is from someone we're friends with!"

"I know, it's repulsive, but it's either this or getting our bodies eternally destroyed. On the count of three?"

"Oh, god..."

"One...two...three!" At the same time, they down it, but then cough half of it back up. Humps snickers evilly.

"Aw, look at my little vampires! You're such amateurs!"

"Fuck you! I've got a breathing problem and I couldn't handle knowing it was Gloria's!" Nicky snaps.

"I was having a panic attack because of that," Lorna chimes in meekly.

"Well, I can no longer sacrifice you because you're no longer an innocent little virgin. Joey has informed me that he fucked you last year. I'm majorly disappointed, but that's okay...I can still play with your watermelons, just not kill you. You'll still be completely defenseless under me!"

"Don't even fuckin' think about it!" Nicky growls.

Lorna crosses her arms across her chest, trying to push down her breasts underneath her shirt. "They've been sagging lately...they're not attractive anymore."

"They'll pop right back up once I do this!" Humps rips her arms off her chest, reaches up her shirt, and squeezes them tightly. "Oh, yes..."

"Hell no!" Nicky hollers and slams her textbook into the side of his head a dozen times, making him topple over. She lifts up Lorna and takes her out of the room as quickly as possible.

* * *

"You got any plans with Adarsh comin' up?" Gloria asks Daya before she has to leave for her convenience store job.

Daya nods her head yes. "I'm going to Dave and Busters with him tomorrow night."

"That's neat!" Aleida comments. She turns to Gloria. "Well, have a good time at work, but no fraudulent food stamps!"

"Thanks, and you know I won't! I haven't since I got that close call. Bye, everyone!" Gloria hugs and kisses Aleida, Daya, and the kids and then walks out the door.

Aleida breathes a sigh of relief. "Okay, she's gone, now we can talk."

"About what?"

"This been botherin' me all day and night...when we were visiting Cesar, did you notice Arturo in the room? Like, I keep tryin' to remember if I saw him..."

"No, I'm not sure." Daya gasps and her eyes widen. "Do you think he escaped?"

"Nah...maybe they just have different schedules based on last names or somethin'."

"We don't know his...and he was always there with Cesar."

"What should we do?" Aleida wonders aloud. "I'm positive he's too angry to speak with us at the moment...besides, he wouldn't care that Gloria is in possible danger..."

"If he's told Arturo where Gloria lives..." Daya starts out. "I wouldn't put it past him to be a fuckin' traitor! We're dead if Arturo finds out we're basically hiding her!"

"Yeah, well she's now going to the bodega alone...I called the prison before she got up, and they said he was still locked away, so I hope they ain't lyin'."

"I'm gonna take a cab there right now to make sure he's not back out on the streets. You stay here. If he comes around, call the police and just stand by the window, not in front of it! He's sure to recognize you then."

"Sure, but if you catch a glimpse of him, do _not_ let him see you. Even if you in a vehicle, he can still tail you on the bus. I mean it!"

"I won't, Ma. I'll wear sunglasses and use one of my scarves as a fancy head wrap."

"Okay, hurry and get ready! Pay attention to your surroundings, be alert and safe, and the second shit gets scary, dial nine-one-one. I'mma text Gloria, I wanna check if she's okay. If she asks why, we'll just tell her it's because we care about her, which is true." Aleida sends a message to Gloria, and her best friend responds almost right away. _I'm fine!_ "She's good for now, but that can change at any moment. There are also bodyguards posted at the front, but we wanna be extra cautious."

"Alright." Daya quickly prepares herself and calls a cab to pick her up. When it comes to the curb, she and Aleida embrace. "Good luck!"

"Thanks! You too!" Aleida blows her oldest daughter kisses and crosses her fingers behind her back.

"Why's he sleeping?" Christina wants to know as she points to where Leon is. "It's not nighttime!"

"He's not feeling well."

"I wanna go to Camp Skylight like Daya this summer!"

"I'll sign you up."

"Okay, Mommy!" The little girl reaches her arms up while jumping a few times, so Aleida picks her up and carries her to Gloria's room, where her brother and friends are. She plays with the children while listening for any banging sounds on the door. So far, it's been pretty quiet, except for the sound of the kids talking and giggling as they color on pieces of paper. Then, Christina pretends to feed Julio his baby bottle while Benny and Emiliano stack blocks. Aleida sits back and watches them have fun while conversing back-and-forth with Daya, who hasn't yet seen Arturo. She gets a lump in her throat. _How could she have almost missed her babies' last years of these precious moments?_

There's a light tapping on the door and she gets up to answer it. "You supposed to be restin'!" she tells Leon as she lets him in. Gloria's sons stop what they're doing and hug his legs.

"I just woke up from my long nap!"

"You're back walking around, big dude!" Benny comments happily.

"Duuuude!" Julio echoes while clapping his hands excitedly, and Aleida laughs softly.

"That's right, boys!" Leon leans down. "Whatcha doin' there?" He glances around at all of the kids while smiling.

"We're making a towa!" Benny exclaims.

"It looks nice!"

Emiliano frowns while shaking a block at Leon. He sets it on the floor gently and runs to Aleida. Christina follows her brother while sucking her thumb and pointing at Leon a few times. "I know, he's real friendly to you guys, huh?"

Her children go back to playing with Gloria's, and then Leon moves over to be next to Aleida. "My sickness has mostly gone away, but I'm tired of being bedridden. I wanna go out again!"

"Well, that's a good sign! Are you sure, though, because last night, you were so exhausted that you couldn't keep your eyes open and you only had saltine crackers and water for dinner."

"I love your concern for me, but really, Aleida, I got better!" He wraps his arms around her waist and kisses the side of her neck and her shoulder.

"Oh, mmm...I'm glad!" She giggles at his soft touches. "You certainly do feel stronger."

"I am! How was your day?"

"Great...nothin' much happened, though...but yesterday, wow...one of those teachers...they tried to torture Daya's friend, Lorna, to death, but I came in and got her the fuck outta there," Aleida whispers. She's surprised how easily it comes out to him. "I felt good rescuin' her."

"You should. You're so brave, and that's one of the many qualities I admire about you. She must've been extremely grateful." He places his lips on her cheek and lets them stay there.

"Oh, she was, but the poor girl was terrified...I don't wanna think about what would've happened had I not gotten there in time."

"Me neither. You've always been a heroine in my eyes."

Aleida's heart expands when hearing this, and she beams. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I started to tell Cesar the story, but he wasn't really...mature enough to listen to the whole thing...and he treated it like I did fuckin' nothin'...he couldn't get past commenting about her body, and then I didn't wanna tell him anything else."

"I can understand why. So rude of him!"

"I know..." Her phone buzzes beside her and she grabs it. _I made it to the store, and Gloria and I are both okay. I never saw Arturo._

Aleida shoots a text back to Daya. _He could be somewhere else, you never know. Stay with Gloria, don't let her out of your sight._

 _I will._

"What's going on?" Leon asks.

"We're kinda tryin' to hunt down Arturo 'cause I can't recall ever seein' him last night when we went to visit Cesar. They're in the same prison, and I'm afraid that he's told Arturo where we live because he can't get it out of his brain that Gloria turned him in to the cops. She didn't...Daya did, but we're sayin' it was a drug bust outta nowhere. That's...that's the reason for the alarm system. We don't want his cousin to get us or whateva...and it'll prevent Arturo from trying to knock down our front door."

"Is that the ass who was threatening you two weeks ago?"

"Duardo, yeah. Cesar's cousin, the drug ring leader, but I don't think he's a problem anymore...he may have gotten killed or arrested, since we haven't heard from him, otherwise that alarm would've gone off...hold up, what if Arturo tried to break out of prison, but he was murdered doin' it? That'd be good karma!"

"I hope that's what it is, but I'll stay here to watch out for all of you."

"You don't gotta...besides, I thought you was goin' stir crazy."

"I have to protect you and your loved ones, right?"

"Mm-hm...it's real nice of you."

"Anytime."

"So, I got an announcement to make!" Aleida calls out as Daya and Gloria both walk into the apartment later. "Leon is officially gonna live with us!"

"That's excellent!" Gloria comments.

"Yay!" Benny cheers. The other kids don't appear to be too affected by it, but they don't react negatively, either.

"Wow, that's great!" Daya puts in. "You must be happy!"

"I am! It'll be good for you kids and Gloria, too. He's a positive influence!"

"Where is he now?" Gloria asks.

"He's cleaning his apartment and he's gonna sell it!"

"Oh, cool!" Daya says.

Aleida is so thankful to see her best friend and her daughter still in one piece, so she wraps them both into an embrace and gestures for the children to join their circle. "I love you all!"

Their faces brighten up. "We love you too, Ma," Daya responds and kisses Aleida's cheek.

* * *

"Where you hidin' her?" Alex jumps as a man with slurred, irate, loud speech barges into Friendly's. Beads of sweat roll down his red face and he's gritting his teeth. "I know she's here, you fuckin' cunts!" Diablo and Yadriel keep Blanca and Maria behind them as he ambles around the restaurant.

"You need to leave, sir," Diane instructs him fiercely. "I'll let the police know! Uh...my friend is one!"

"I won't go until I find Gloria!" he bellows drunkenly while slamming his hands on the counter, making Diane back away from it. Alex drops her pad of paper and pencil in fright and Blanca and Maria gasp at the same time and huddle closer to each other and their boyfriends. "You know where she is, you're one of her bitch friends!" He sways and then takes long, uneven strides to where the customers are sitting. "You seen my fiancée?" he asks each of them roughly while poking them, and they shake their heads no with fear written all over their faces. Alex tries to dodge out of his way, but he pushes her aside while going into the women's bathroom. She bumps into the wall hard and almost loses her footing, but her mother catches her.

"You stay the fuck away from my daughter!" Diane yells while dialing Charles' number, since he's on the mend. She puts her hands on top of Alex's shoulders and cups her cheeks. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Yeah...just afraid and a bit shaken." Alex winces when Diane pats the bad spot gently.

"He'll be going back to rot in his cell soon." She puts the phone back to her ear.

"Diane, hi..." Charles answers.

"You have to come to Friendly's, hurry...Gloria's ex is here, he...he's intoxicated and being verbally violent...accusing us of hiding her...we...we don't even know where she is, but if we did, we wouldn't tell him...he also shoved Alex and got into customers' faces...I asked him to get out, but he refuses..."

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

"Thanks..."

"Where the fuck are you, you stupid bitch?" they can hear Arturo shouting angrily as many crashes sound, presumably from him kicking in stall doors. Someone screams, and a girl runs out, panting and whimpering. He enters into the men's room, banging on doors.

"It's locked, asshole!" someone hollers.

Arturo bursts out and stumbles back to the counter. "I'm sorry, forgive me, _¡por favor!_ " he cries. "I'm just searching for her...this is the last place I've looked...I've tried at her place, but it's been sold...Lourdes' in Florida, but her aunt wasn't home, I checked the store she works at, but nothing...the mall, the movie theater, and different restaurants and diners, the park...she's vanished! Can you...just tell me...if you've seen her?"

"We haven't!" Diane replies. "She's not around."

"Yeah, I don't even know who you're talking about," Alex lies.

"Stop harassing us!" Blanca says.

"You're lying!" he roars at them. "Stop being dishonest!" He pounds on the cash register and Diane jumps back.

"Hey! Police! Freeze, put your hands up where I can see them!" Charles hollers while pointing his gun at Arturo, and everyone sighs with relief. The place clears out with the exception of Alex and Diane. Arturo tries to make a run for it, but Charles grabs him and forces him into handcuffs. "Resisting a police officer, huh? You are arrested for felony escape and disturbing the peace!"

"Ford, we got it from here." Two other cops grab Arturo and one reads him his Miranda rights. "Down to max you go, buddy."

"Max?" Alex wonders aloud.

"Maximum security prison," Charles explains as they take him out of the restaurant. "Was anyone hurt?" he asks worriedly. He goes behind the counter and he and Diane hug each other tightly.

"I probably just got a bruise on my shoulder, but nothing else. I'll check it out," Alex responds. She doesn't want to make a big deal out of it because it could've been way worse. It'll stop being painful soon enough, and she'll put ice on it if she needs to.

"Not too bad, but the rest of us were terrified," Diane chimes in.

"I apologize, that must've been so frightening!"

"It was!"

Alex walks into the women's bathroom and takes off her leather jacket while turning to the side in the mirror. There is a huge red mark on her shoulder. "Oh, shit," she mutters to herself. It's bigger than she'd thought. "Fuck!" _At least it isn't on the same shoulder as her rose tattoo._ She puts her black jacket back on slowly so it doesn't rub too hard against where she's sore and goes back out.

"How is it, Al?" Diane wants to know.

"Fine...I just need some ice." Alex groans softly as the pain intensifies and she sits down quickly while holding the tender area. "Oh, and Advil or Tylenol, too..."

"You look like you might pass out," Charles says worriedly, and Diane gives her pills and she takes them with water. She rests her head on her arms and shuts her eyes.

Charles drives them to the hospital when Alex later complains of a hard bump under her bruise. It turns out that she has a hematoma and needs a cold compress, to elevate her shoulder, and to take Tylenol regularly. It should go away in about ten days.

As she holds Alex and kisses the top of her head, Diane murmurs, "My poor baby...I'm so sorry."

"I'll be okay. Uh...should we tell Gloria?"

"No, she'll just...she'll blame herself that you got injured, and we don't want her to panic when he's never going to escape again. They'll keep a sharper eye on him in prison this time."

"That's good."

"I'll get you an alarm system for Friendly's," Charles tells Diane, and she grins up at him.

"Thank you."

* * *

The first step in the girls' plan, even before Gloria and Fahri meet, is to have him get acquainted with the other moms, Red, Leon, Charles, and Kubra, at Fahri's apartment. Daya and Aleida had just told Gloria that they were going out for a mother-daughter outing. Aleida accepts Fahri right away, no questions asked, Flaca's mother is a little shy, but she warms up to him, Red interrogates him a bit until she seems convinced that he's innocent, the men chat with him about all kinds of things, especially sports and what they do for work. At the same time, they're also getting to know Kubra some more.

"I'm basically like a father figure to Alex, and I happen to like smoking, but I'm not an addict," Fahri is informing the adults as they lounge around on the couch.

Flaca gasps happily. "Just like Gloria, am I right?" she asks in a hushed voice when she and her friends are sitting on the guest bed, listening in on the men and women. "The second part, I mean."

"Totally!" Maritza whispers back to her while smiling gleefully.

"My mom's that way too, though," Daya tells them.

"Shh, just listen!" Lorna says.

"You got a job?" Aleida questions Fahri.

"Uh...not exactly," he admits, sounding bashful. "Who would hire me? I'm a pothead!"

"Well, shit," Alex mutters. "I don't think-"

"You can't have that attitude, man! Why don't you get one at Martin Van Buren High?" Blanca recommends. They exit the guest room and he looks over at them quizzically. "You can't just sit around smoking all day, you know?"

"That would be the smart thing to do," he murmurs. "I'll keep it in mind."

Nicky gets an extremely proud smile on her face. "Yeah, just go in for an interview with your resume all set up and maybe you'll find a girlfriend there or something!"

"Is she trying to ruin this for us with her big mouth?" Maria hisses as Lorna gently jabs her elbow into Nicky's side. They all stare at their blonde friend with their eyebrows raised.

Luckily, this doesn't make him suspicious of anything. "That'd be a miracle, finding both a career and love at the same time."

Aleida rests her hand on Leon's and squeezes it while grinning happily. "It can happen! It did to me."

"I'm feeling really good about this, then. Thanks, guys, I appreciate it."

The girls go back into the guest room, except for Alex, who walks into the kitchen. She returns with another pack of ice and holds it against her shoulder as she sits up against the pillows of the guest bed.

"I still can't believe Arturo was actually in your presence, and he hurt you!" Lorna comments.

"Yeah, it's a good thing he's locked up tighter this time," Nicky adds.

"It's alright, I was in his way. I'm just glad it was me and not Gloria."

"Don't blame yourself...it's that motherfucker!" Daya tells Alex.

"I know..."

"So...Leon's moving in and his apartment is for sale," Daya informs them.

"He should give it to Red!" Nicky points out. "Shelly's nice and all, but I'm sure Red would rather live alone!"

"Oh yeah, suggest that to them!" Blanca urges her.

* * *

"About this P...it's gotta be someone holding a grudge against you. I do admit, Leanne seems pretty fishy...anyone else seem fucked up enough to care what you guys did to 'em last year?" Nicky asks when she, Lorna, Alex, Flaca, and Daya are all sitting on Lorna's bed. They're sharing a bag of pretzels and admiring how Nicky tosses grapes up in the air and is able to catch them in her mouth.

"I didn't do anything, I'm a good girl!" Lorna says indignantly. "Wow, you're great at that, by the way."

Nicky grins at her. "Thanks kid, and I know you are, but I'm just trying to help you girls solve this shit!"

"Piper was the bad seed out of all of us," Flaca lets Nicky know.

"Yeah...and we're just wondering why someone's out to get _us_ for what _Piper_ did," Daya chimes in.

"It could be someone you least expect that may have been affected in an indirect way. They haven't texted Lorna in a while...what about the rest of you?" Nicky wants to know.

"No, not since Saturday," Alex responds. "They sent us a video of these people torturing Piper...but we couldn't figure out who it was."

"We've all been hurt now...maybe P...feels bad?" Flaca asks.

"Mm-hm, or more that they're satisfied that other people are doing their dirty work, and don't think they'll scare us enough," Daya mutters.

"I don't get it...why isn't P targeting Polly or Larry?" Lorna asks. "They were real close to Piper, too!"

"She and Larry were always fighting over whether she was into me or him so they broke up after a while and he hooked up with Polly, so of course, Piper found out and ditched them both before the P drama. P probably pitied them, so didn't bother sending them texts," Alex responds.

"Lucky them..."

 _"How could you do this to me, Mommy? I hate you!" Suzanne yells at Piper while punching her over and over again through the darkness. "I hate you!"_

 _Lorna gasps and runs up to her. "Hey, Suzanne, you gotta stop! It's Piper, not your ma!"_

 _"Leave me alone!" Suzanne hollers at Lorna, pushes her away, and continues beating up Piper._

 _"Uh...that's enough, Mara! I'll call the cops!"_

 _"Shut up and get outta here!" Suzanne is clearly not herself right now, and Lorna doesn't know how to help Piper._ _The brunette watches in horror as the leader of her group of friends is attacked to death or at least unconsciousness, she can't tell. She backs away slowly so she doesn't get hit either. Her steps are quicker as she gets closer to her apartment, and she breaks off into a sprint, almost wheezing as soon as she returns to where the others are._

 _"Lorna, where were you?" Daya asks._

 _"Did you find Pipes?" Alex questions her._

 _"I...I was out there...I tried to look for her...she's...she's disappeared."_

 _"Shit!" Flaca says, and Alex looks absolutely devastated._

 _"How could this have happened?" Daya wants to know._

 _"I have no idea," Lorna mumbles shakily as her chest constricts with guilt._

 _"Oh my god!" Alex cries. "She can't be..."_

Lorna starts panicking and holding on tight to Nicky's hands. "I'm scared that I may have seen somethin', I know about it, but it's just hidden in my mind...it appears in random flashbacks...or maybe they're real bad recurring nightmares...and I don't remember it sometimes...I don't even know if it's real or I just imagined it!" She claps her hand on her forehead. "I'm sorry...I don't...I can't remember it! Maybe when I get some help, I can be of more assistance..." She gulps when the girls stare at her with wide eyes and their mouths drop open.

"Okay, what do you think you saw?" Nicky asks her calmly while rubbing her back in a soothing motion.

"Um...Suzanne...but not really her...she was...she kept, um...striking Piper...with her fists...and I told her...I tried...I started to intervene, but...Suzanne...in Mara mode...that's her evil self...she told me to leave...I didn't wanna get killed...so I...I went back...I left her there...I was too scared...I...I knew that wasn't actually Suzanne...and I just...I knew how Piper treated her...I was trembling so bad...I let her..." Lorna breaks off into sobs and Nicky holds her. "I fucked up...so much..."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Alex demands softly.

"Like I said, I could've made it up. So many things in my life...I don't know which ones are fake and which aren't. How would I even...be sure...it actually...I'm not a credible witness." Lorna wails into her hands. "Fuckin' damn it, someone else should've searched for her!"

"We were all sleeping, you two were the only ones up, for some odd reason," Daya murmurs.

"We're back to square one," Flaca mutters bitterly.

"Yeah...I apologize," Lorna mumbles and then sniffles.

"If it's that vivid, then it could be a terrible memory that keeps replaying itself in your brain," Nicky says. "We could ask Suzanne if Mara has made her do awful things before."

"How would she know? People with multiple personalities sometimes can't recall what their alters do," Alex grumbles defeatedly.

"Well, we could try to bring out Mara and get her to confess," Daya suggests.

"No...I don't want Suzanne to get locked up for something she didn't do," Lorna replies. "It's like...she's got a mental illness, she can't help it...like me. Piper may have been aggravating her and then provoked Mara to escape. She kept calling Piper 'Mommy' for some reason."

"I know, but we gotta figure it out," Flaca tells her. "The fact that P is targeting all of us...makes me think we were all involved...except we were all drinking and getting high that night-"

"I wasn't on drugs," Lorna interrupts her. "Maybe that's why I was the only one awake besides Piper. I feel like you girls helped me cover up something...but none of us can remember it."

Daya sighs. "It's been so long since the worst thing that's ever happened to any of us has been a skinned knee on the playground."

"I know...but back then, I never knew my besties." Flaca smiles at Lorna while putting her arms around Alex and Daya. "Oh, and Mari, too, but she's more like my soul sister."

"Aw, you're sweet," Alex murmurs.

"Yeah," the others agree.

"Hey, I'm feeling a little left out here," Nicky says teasingly.

"Group hug!" Lorna announces, and they all embrace.

* * *

"What do you think their meeting is for?" Blanca asks Maritza as they hunt around Ms. Ramos' office with Maria, Ouija, Pidge, Michelle, and Zirconia, for a special expensive eyeliner that Maritza thinks she's lost.

"Piper shit, probably," Maritza responds.

" _Ay dios_ , that bitch again," Maria grumbles sourly.

"I know. Like...I don't think even _they_ care about her anymore," Ouija mutters.

"They're doing it to please Alex, obviously," Michelle points out. "I don't get why you guys can't stand her. I mean...I know she was extremely loyal to Piper, who was a total she-monster, but I...I kinda like her. She's super pretty and kinda hot. Oh my god, but don't tell her I said nothin', Maritza."

"Sure."

"First Lorna la Loca, now Alex, what's goin' on with you, Michelle?" Zirconia asks.

"Yo, don't call my friend _crazy_ ," Maritza snaps.

"Her ass is obviously whipped," Pidge points out, slapping Michelle's butt playfully with the back of her hand. " _Lesibiana_."

"Hey!" Michelle protests, moving away from her while giving her the stink eye. "You suck, dude."

"What's wrong with that?" Maritza wonders out loud while pulling open a drawer and pulling out a folded-up piece of paper.

"Nothin', it's how we tease each other," Ouija explains. "You gotta hang with us more often, and invite Flaca and Daya too."

"Okay...what about my white friends?" Maritza wants to know.

"Sure, but they gotta get used to 'em," Blanca answers, nodding towards the others.

Maritza barely hears anyone else as she opens the paper with curiosity. "It's my birth certificate..."

"What'd you find?" Maria asks, and the girls crowd around her.

"I'm actually...seventeen... _huh?!_ " Maritza rereads it as shock fires through her. "What the fuck?"

"How could that be possible? You just started freshman year, and you're so little!" Zirconia exclaims.

"Holy shit...I gotta tell Flaca and the rest of the gang...and like, talk to my mom!" She can't stop staring at it. "Maritza Ramos...was born at...Mercy Hospital...on the twenty-first day of July, _nineteen eighty-seven_...to parents...no father listed...mother, Juliana Ramos...why did she never tell me this? I'm so confused!"

"I got your eyeliner," Michelle says and hands it to Maritza.

"Thanks...it's just...I feel like I don't know her now."

"Hey, don't worry, girl, we got your back," Blanca assures her.

"Yeah, now _this_ mystery's much more important than stupid Piper!" Maria shouts, and the girls hi-five each other.

* * *

"Sure you're all set here?" Leon asks Red as she slips on her purple reading glasses.

"Yes, thank you!"

"Okay, awesome!"

When he leaves, Red tours her new apartment and decorates it with potted plants, wall paintings, and scented candles. She then settles on the comfortable couch with a good book, turns on a light, and begins to read until she's tired.

* * *

The girls have long gone home when Nicky slips into bed with her sister. She thinks Tricia has fallen asleep, but she's proven wrong when she hears, "Hey, Nicky..."

"Trish...you okay?"

"Yeah...I just wanted to let you know that Taystee's not that sick anymore," she mumbles with her eyes closed.

"Oh, she and Poussey texted me...it's such fantastic news! My bruises are now greenish-yellow, so they're gonna disappear soon!"

"Mm-hmm...I love it here," Tricia says while nestling into Nicky's loving arms.

Nicky kisses the top of her little sister's head. "Same. I feel like I'm in wonderland because it's so peaceful and safe!"

"Me, too but of course, we'd never admit that to Lorna!"

"Nah...I just show her how grateful I am that she did this sweet favor for us."

Tricia sighs deeply and then nods while smiling. "I will, too...I'm thinking we could take the sisters somewhere cool that they've probably never been, like as a thank you present for their hospitality."

"Oh, good idea!"

"Is Lorna gonna be okay?"

"I sure hope so, kid."

"There's something else I wanna tell you...I think I'm into girls...like...I'm a lesbian."

Nicky chuckles softly while beaming. "Nothin' wrong with that! I fully accept you!"

"I knew you would, because you're one, too...but I'll need tons of dating advice from you. Mercy wants us to officially be girlfriends, and I said yes! We started holding hands today, but not a smooch yet. I'm not that experienced."

"Congratulations! I'll help you with anything you need."

"Thanks! You're awesome! So...who was your first kiss with?"

"I've never had one, but I've been wanting Lorna and I to make out since three weeks ago from yesterday. Don't tell her!"

"I won't! Pinky swear!" They hook their baby fingers together while smiling. "We're a team!"

"We sure are!" Nicky agrees.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Franny's slumber is interrupted by her younger sister tossing and turning. Lorna's breath keeps hitching and her body quivers as she leans against Franny. "Hey...Lorna, what's wrong?" she asks through a yawn. "Are ya cryin', sweetie?"

"Nothin'...sorry for wakin' ya." Lorna's voice is thick and small. "It's just a real bad dream...I forgot what happened in it."

"That's okay." Lorna is usually a silent and calm sleeper, but Franny knows it could be because of Piscatella and Humps' actions coupled with the fact that Lorna's friend had been confirmed to be dead not too long ago, only close to a month, not to mention the danger her other friends have been in. "I don't blame ya for having nightmares, with all that's been goin' on lately." She threads her fingers through Lorna's hair and curls the ends of it. "Want me to hold you so you can drift off peacefully?"

"Yeah, I always enjoy that...it helps me bunches. Thanks, sissy. I gotta get Kleenex first on the side table."

"Anytime, little one." Franny pecks Lorna's cheek and assists her into a sitting position so she can blow her nose. Ten or eleven honks later, Lorna settles back into the fetal position. She keeps her arms stretched out in front of her and Franny is careful not to move them too much as she pulls Lorna closer to her. "I'm aware of what everyone says about Piscatella, but he put his hands on my baby sis, and Humps forced you to fight Nicky. I'll do my best to make sure they both waste away in freezing cells for the rest of their miserable lives or just die. I promise, Lorn."

"They're so terrifying, though, Franny! It ain't never gonna happen...we're only free when we graduate or if we ain't at Martin Van Buren High. We can't change schools, this is the cheapest one in the district!"

"You're right, honey...but that won't stop me from my attempts to get rid of 'em forever!"

"The good thing is, though, I'm gettin' some help! Nicky and I are gonna search for one, high and low, because Healy is awful! It ain't depression...it's more...I can't separate make-believe from the truth. For example...this whole time, I thought Christopher was attracted to me, but he ain't..."

Even though Franny doesn't understand why Lorna can't get a grip on reality, other than the reason of her just being a lovesick teenager, she's still going to support her in all of this. "I wish you the best of luck with that!"

Lorna's already started drifting off to sleep while sucking her thumb.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe and HannahMiley1fan!**


	32. Thank God It's Friday

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, sexist and racist remarks, violence, and sexual** **harassment.**

As soon as the girls get to school, Caputo's voice blares over the loudspeaker with the morning news. "Dayanara Diaz, Marisol Gonzales, Lorna Morello, and Alex Vause, please report to Mr. Healy's office for a therapy session," he announces afterwards.

"Healy counseled me wrongly, trying to separate me from my friends, so he's out! There is literally nobody else, Nicky!" Lorna panics.

"I'm sure that's not true! We'll find someone!" Nicky assures her.

"Come on," Alex grumbles, rolling her eyes while leading Lorna away from Nicky and linking arms with her.

"I don't need some fuckin' white man givin' me advice," Flaca complains, and Daya wheels her down the hallway. They're on the other side of Lorna.

"All he ever says to me is _hola_...I don't even speak the language," Daya chimes in.

They reluctantly go into his office. "Take a seat," he instructs Lorna, Alex, and Daya, gesturing towards the three chairs in front of him, and they do. Flaca stays in her wheelchair. "Your parents have entrusted me in helping you with this traumatic event you all have experienced."

"You've spoken to my dad?" Lorna asks uncertainly. "He doesn't really take care of me, it's the other way around..."

"I'm very good friends with your father, I've come over a few times to watch the game with him, but you aren't home when I'm there."

"You should talk to my sister, she's more in charge," Lorna recommends confidently.

"I'd rather speak with an older person."

"I doubt my mom thinks you're a reliable source, especially since you don't support our beliefs," Alex says.

"I've chosen to keep politics out of these meetings, and I explained that to her. She's fine with it, as long as I'm not prejudiced. As for the rest of you...Miss Gonzales, your mother approved of this, and Miss Diaz, yours said I better be good, so I will do my best." He gives them a half grin that Lorna thinks is probably fake. "Now...how did the four of you become so connected?"

"Piper was the leader of our clique...in seventh grade, she got us to become friends with each other. We all came from different backgrounds, and without her, we probably never would've even exchanged more than two words," Flaca responds.

"So, what happened when she disappeared, if she was the glue holding you together?"

"We kinda split up, but ever since we found out she died, we've turned back into a tight-knit group," Daya answers.

"I see. I've talked with your folks, and they agree that separating you momentarily is a brilliant idea. It seems to me, and them, that you four think it's perfectly fine to go against school rules and play hooky on the regular, even getting just about every student here to skip for an entire day, and you're so determined that Miss Doggett is Miss Chapman's killer, that you choose to ostracize her. I know she shouldn't have cut her hair, but you can't just place blame on people without proof."

"What the fuck?!" Flaca hisses.

"They never said we should stop being friends for a while," Alex snaps.

Daya huffs. "Yeah, we're not doing that bullshit!"

"Hey, shut up!" Mr. Healy snarls and bangs his hand against the desk. Lorna jumps sharply and her friends stiffen. He gives them a hard stare while pointing his finger in their direction. "That's right. Pay attention to me. You are not under anyone anymore...therefore, you're running wild. You're whining about how Mr. Piscatella, Mr. Humphrey, and Mr. Dixon are so mean to you...well no wonder! Together and without Piper, you're a mess, like tornadoes, blowing up everything in your path. She kept you girls controlled. Even when she was gone and you weren't friends, you never found yourselves in trouble with them until this year. You're getting ideas from each other, and that's not smart at all. It'll do you a lot better to divide and spend time with different people. If you're in the same classes, do not say a word to each other. Am I clear?"

"Yes," the girls mumble in unison.

"Good. I'll be watching closely. Now go to your homerooms," he instructs them while handing them each a pass.

Once they're back out in the hallway, they look around, hold hands for a moment, and then let go. "Maybe we should follow his orders...not because he's correct, but he could've made this deal with those nasty men and they're secretly following us around, or one of Healy's favorite students could snitch," Lorna advises them quietly. "I'm afraid to sneak! I mostly hang out with Nicky, anyway." She's trying to hide the pain in her voice as she says this to make herself feel better. Even though she loves being around her blonde best friend, she'll miss Daya, Alex, and Flaca, deeply.

Flaca shrugs and attempts a half smile. "Yeah, and I got Maritza at least."

"I'll just chill with the other teen moms, and Blanca is friends with all of us here," Daya whispers, patting her tummy.

"I need to focus on solving Piper's murder, because I'm apparently the only one who seemed to really give a damn about her." Alex salutes them and starts to walk away. "Detective Vause out," she mutters.

Daya and Flaca still head to English together, but they don't talk and even put more distance between them. Lorna quickly goes to History and looks straight ahead of her, not wishing to be distracted by her bullies. They're tearing her down, but she tells herself to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. Damon and Katrina pass her, holding hands, and they both flip her off.

"Hey, dumbass, watch where you're going!" Ed Martin shouts and purposely knocks into her while boisterously sniggering. She stumbles in her step, but regains her balance and continues to her first period. The cold, dead feeling in her heart from being ripped away from three of her closest friends, is overshadowing the burn of being physically pushed around and verbally abused by her fellow students. When she gets into History, she gives Ms. McCollough the piece of paper and plops down into her seat.

Physical Education is unbearable with both Piscatella leering at her, Christopher joining the class, and almost all of the students mowing Lorna down as they run, or bouncing basketballs off of her body. She makes sure they don't hit her head since she doesn't need another concussion. Only three of her classmates, Michelle, Alana, and Stephanie, are really sympathetic to her, and Zirconia gets easily annoyed with Lorna, but she doesn't make fun of her to her face. Lorna decides that she'd like to sit with them and Nicky at lunch today.

"You're like some stupid kid who thinks they can run faster than their way older brother!" Christopher suddenly hollers, and she can sense him right on her tail. Lorna urges her feet to zoom farther away from him as her heart beats rapidly against her ribcage. "Pick up the pace!" Every time she stops to let out squeaky gasps of air, he chases her around the room. After a few long sprints, she gets dizzy and faints.

"Get up!" Piscatella yells at her, but she can barely move, let alone open her eyes. "What'd I say, you puny stalker? Don't make me repeat myself!" His booming footsteps make the area around her vibrate.

"Hey, _gigante gay_ , she's too tired right now!" Michelle shouts.

"Just let her rest!" Stephanie adds.

"Come on, up you go," Alana whispers as they gently help her back to standing. "Thank god it's Friday, right?" The girls begin to stroll along with her, but Piscatella stops them.

"Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly? Carreras, I can make those scabby spider bites bleed! Dwight, I could break your nose this time! As for you, Hapakuka, don't try to protest against me! It'll never work! Mr. MacLaren, handle your side dish there! Her legs don't work, they're painted on!"

"Of course!" Christopher saunters over to Lorna and grabs her from Michelle and Stephanie, gripping the front of her shirt tightly in his fist. "I can see and feel how feeble you are compared to me!" He towers over her, creating a large shadow, and she shrinks away from him when he starts to walk her backwards, all the way to the wall. She continues to look behind her so she won't unexpectedly bang into it and attempts to slow down her movements, but he's using such great force against her, that she just about falls down when her heels smack against the wall.

"Why'd you...ask me out...the second time...if you...if you didn't like me?" Lorna asks in a frail tone.

Christopher smirks, and Lorna used to think it was sexy when he grinned mischievously, but now, it's just creepy to her, and she shivers in his grasp. "How else would you have been there to get your punishment?"

"Humps trapped Maritza in that closet...was that part of the plan? You wanna get back at me, fine, but don't you dare make my friends suffer for my actions," she growls, but he just chuckles.

"She just happened to be there, unfortunately, and we needed to get you alone. Mr. Humphrey knew that Flaca was around and would let her out eventually. They don't give two shits about you at all. If you've implanted it into your head that you actually sound threatening, or that you scare me in any way, you are going to be in for a horrible surprise."

"I know I don't...I'm not frightening. I thought I...I was," Lorna stutters.

"To me, you're not. Angela, however, is terrified of you. She can only handle tormenting you in the presence of others. She doesn't know when you'll strike. That's what you did to her!" He yanks on her hair and she whimpers in pain. "You have a hair-pulling fetish, huh? I'll rip out every strand 'til you're bald, then!"

"No..." A fresh round of tears make themselves known in Lorna's eyes and she sniffles. "Please just stop! I'm sorry!"

"Sure, now you are," he says bitterly. He releases her and kicks her to the ground. "Brainless bitch!"

* * *

"Yo, that sucks that you gotta be away from some of the girls," Maritza comments as she wheels Flaca to a table.

"It's just until things settle down here and we ain't on the news no more," Flaca mumbles. "We can sneak and shit...just not around school, and I don't believe that our moms were at all okay with this. Healy even involved Lorna's dad, who don't do shit to help nobody...and he didn't talk to Franny, who is like, Lorna's main caretaker."

"Still...he's such an idiot! Hey...speaking of Lorna, is she continuing to keep her rape on the DL?" Maritza asks quietly.

Flaca nods her head yes. "I don't blame her." She looks down at her phone when it vibrates and she angles it away from Maritza once she sees the unwelcome text. _Damn, I was hoping you'd be complete loners after Healy cut your little posse into quarters. That's okay, I don't need him to do that figuratively...I've got a knife that can do some literal harm! mwah!, P_

"Me neither. You get a message from Humps? You're lookin' a little...white as a ghost."

"Nah...it's nothin'." Flaca shudders at P's threat and notices the others on their phones, looking scared as well, but it only lasts for a split second before they put their phones face down next to their trays, except for Alex, who throws hers into her backpack and leaves the cafeteria. Then, Lorna dissolves back into conversation with Nicky and Daya quickly starts French-braiding Maria's hair. Flaca's surprised that P hasn't said anything about the assault on the Italian brunette, but then again, they seem to favor Lorna over her, Alex, and Daya, so it makes sense. She drinks from her cold water bottle and gulps down the cool liquid. "I guess I just needed some H2O. Bein' stuck like this makes me wanna pass out sometimes."

"Aw, man, I'm sorry!" Maritza squeezes Flaca's hand while pouting. "You're still a strong girl, though."

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome."

They smile at each other and start eating, but then Flaca pauses after swallowing her first bite of tamale. "Did you get in touch with your mom about your birth certificate?"

"Not yet...she's busy with her job. I'll speak to her when she gets home."

"Whoa...this is too big for her to miss!"

"I know...but I been thinkin' maybe the year could've been a typo...and nobody remembers shit from when they were three or younger!"

"Who types a seven instead of a zero? They're not even next to each other on the keyboard. You're actually able to drive and get a diploma if you skip three grades and start over as a senior! I'm kinda jealous."

"I _might_ be," Maritza corrects her. "This is just...I dunno how to react...like, there is a possibility that I could graduate and take y'all on road trips according to my age, but I don't _feel_ seventeen...mentally, emotionally, hell, even _physically_. I'm supposed to be the baby of the group, but now I'm older than you guys, even Nicky, and it's...weird, but cool, too!"

"I so agree!"

* * *

"Unbelievable, that motherfucker has the audacity to tear you guys apart," Nicky mutters after Lorna has told her everything at lunch. On the other side of Lorna, are Blanca and Pidge, and across from them, are Pennsatucky, Alana, Stephanie, Michelle, and Zirconia. "Did he do that to the rest of you, too, take you away from your best friends? Like, no offense, but Blanca, you and Maria are stuck together like glue, and Pidge, you and Ouija are so close, I don't think I've ever seen you spend a second without the other, unless you were in different classes."

"Nah, Maria wanted to conduct a meeting during lunch since Lorna, Flaca, and Alex couldn't hang out with Daya, so I'm not really part of that, since I'm not a mom or expecting," Blanca responds.

"Same," Pidge murmurs. "I do miss joking around with Ouija, though...like this one time, she slapped me because we both got so high off caffeine and had to shit...badly!" At this, everyone but Lorna chuckles.

"Oh, eeew!" Lorna groans, wrinkling her nose. "Not at the table! I got a queasy tummy."

"Sorry..."

Zirconia snorts and shakes her head. "Lorna la fuckin' loca...that was supposed to be funny!"

"Not cool, dude," Blanca chides her.

"What'd she call Lorna?" Nicky asks roughly while her hands clench and then curl into fists. "Also, what is this _loco in the coco_ I keep hearing when you and your people talk about her?"

"Crazy," the four Latinas inform her in unison.

"I know what the fuck it means!" Nicky snaps and glares at Zirconia.

"I never knew who my friends were referring to, until Monday," Michelle says.

"You know what's _loca_ , though, Cabrera, also known as Luscheck Lover, is bitches like you makin' fun of those with mental illnesses!" Nicky practically yells at Zirconia. The girl looks taken aback. "Mm-hm, you better back off, or you're not allowed to chill here."

"Jeez, settle down, I apologize!"

"I always have a reason to protest!" Brook is saying as she and Poussey walk by them.

"I know, baby, but just make sure it ain't illegal...like good thing I pulled you outta that tree when I did! How long would you have stayed there, eight months? Jesus..."

"I didn't want it to get cut down! Thanks for your concern, but look who's talking...you took a hit of marijuana, and you could get six years in prison for it if you were caught. I don't wanna lose you to prison!"

Poussey raises an eyebrow at her girlfriend. "Yo, seriously?"

"Yep."

"Got room for two more?" Poussey asks.

"Of course," Nicky responds and pats the spot next to her so she'll be between Lorna and Poussey. Brook takes a seat across from Poussey, besides Alana.

"Well, I heard the gossip, about the fab four...and I say we go to the backroom, before Flaritza, Alex, or the preggers clique takes it," Brook announces. "I do enjoy talking to Norma, and we all are aware that Red can make Healy do anything she says, including halt the breaking you all up thing."

Lorna glances around the cafeteria and sees Daya sitting with the other teen moms, including Polly, unfortunately, Flaca and Maritza chatting and giggling, and Alex is not present, since she's probably in the library, which is where she always goes for quiet time. "Okay!" The eleven girls walk to where the lunch ladies are, and they all begin talking at once about the situation currently taking place.

"Hey, one at a time, please!" Gloria tells them.

"Healy isn't allowing me, Alex, Daya, and Flaca to hang out, which is why we're all scattered about the cafeteria, besides Alex, who's somewhere else by herself," Lorna explains, and the women's faces grow concerned.

"That motherfucker said he was gon' do well for my kid, but that was just a bullshit lie!" Aleida snaps. "I don't see the point..."

"Yeah, and they can't risk releasing the wraths of Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps, because those nightmarish crap piles are like his fuckin' guard dogs or something, probably, for someone as evil as him!" Nicky goes on.

Red groans. "Oh, that man gives me hot flashes in between my regular hot flashes! Well, thank you for telling me! I'll certainly let him have it...I can assure you he's just as afraid of those monsters as we are. He isn't in cahoots with them."

"How would _you_ know?" Blanca wonders out loud.

"I'm well acquainted with him, maybe not anymore, though, because I put him in the friend zone...he had a Russian mail-order bride who could barely speak English, so I was the translator. He's a nervous little fool, narrow-minded, and most of all, listens to me. Don't worry, I'll deal with him."

"Thanks!" Lorna says happily and hugs Red, who returns the gesture. "Can you also let that old fart know that my dad does nothin' for me, but it's Franny who I rely on from my family?"

"Sure." Red looks behind her. "Hold down the fort while I'm gone!"

"You know we will," Claudette answers, and Norma gives her a thumbs up. Gloria and Aleida wish her luck and stay close to the older ladies.

"I think that's pretty cool of you, Red, that you can get him back on his toes," Nicky murmurs while grinning. "So, uh...what's the first big thing you're gonna do in your new apartment?"

"I'm throwing a housewarming party soon and getting myself a cat!" Red tells the blonde excitedly.

"Oh, cool!" Lorna squeals, and she and Nicky beam as they hold hands. She and everyone she was having lunch with, follow the Russian woman to Healy's office.

Red doesn't even bother to knock. She storms in, her eyes blazing with anger. "Sam! Who the hell are you to tell this lovely young lady and her friends that they cannot see each other? What the fuck do you get out of it? How is this going to help them in their grieving process? Some _counselor_ you are!" she yells at him. Lorna presses her lips together to keep from laughing out loud at Healy's semi-freaked out face. She doesn't dare look at the others, since she'll lose it.

"Cool your flames, Heat Miser! For your information, I don't know what they told you, but the four severely misinformed girls who were friends with Miss Chapman, have gone crazy. They're starting rebellions...teaming up against other students, accusing them of murdering Miss Chapman...and they need to be stopped. They're rudderless without her."

"Oh, and what was she, the queen? They have guidance...from my co-workers, the appropriate ones, of course, and I, their mothers and Lorna's _sister_ , not her moronic _father_ who doesn't know his ass from his elbow! They're trying to solve a mystery, what do you expect? We've already told them they can't just blame people without cold hard proof...and don't get me started about boycotting classes with those unfit teachers! They had every right to!"

"The police-"

"You mean those idiots who don't do anything but let my friend's abusive ex escape goddamn _prison_? Jesus, if that's who you think will find the killer, then you're out in left field, pal. These girls are more intelligent than you know. If they work together, amazing things can happen."

"Their parents-"

"Most of them are not aware of what you're like, and Diane must have been extremely hesitant in trusting you to give her daughter advice."

"I said nothing about Ms. Vause being a lesbian, however, I am worried about Miss Morello-"

"Yes, but this was a lousy thing you did, to pull them all apart. They'll find a better therapist in Ms. Rogers."

"Ugh, not her!"

"Now, don't let this threaten your fragile masculinity. They will be going to her. Goodbye."

The girls leave the room and Red lets the door slam shut behind her as she trails after them. A few seconds pass, and then they burst into cheers while patting Red on the back, hugging her, and giving her high-fives.

* * *

"I'm so relieved that Red got this taken care of," Diane says to Aleida as they both watch their daughters, Lorna, and Flaca reuniting in the hallway, and then go to one of their sixth period classes together with their other friends.

"Ditto, but Healy's still a dick...I ain't never gonna be trustin' him again!"

"Every time I see you with 'em, I wanna lynch 'em...you're just a couple of jigaboo lovers!" Dixon snarls as he stalks towards them. They don't even notice him until they hear his words that are dripping with menace. He spits at their feet and they jump back.

Aleida shivers as she imagines Leon being hung, especially after she thought he'd die from his drink last Saturday. She senses Diane squeezing her hand and trembling as well, but the slightly taller woman stands rigid and strong. "First of all, _Lee_ , Charles isn't my boyfriend...but I care about him a great deal. If you touch him...or Aleida's man, you'll be arrested and put on death row. Murdering someone because of their race is a hate crime!"

"Don't try to threaten me," he growls while pounding his finger into the middle of Diane's chest. "They didn't give a damn in Afghanistan...they won't here, either. You chicks are sirens, though...I'd get into you any day. Gloria's got a bigger ass, but I need to get off when she's not around." He gives them a creepy wink and thrusts himself in their direction.

When he finally stomps off, Aleida lets out a shaky breath. "Motherfucker needs a swift kick in the nuts and then a giant blow right in between his eyes!"

Diane puts her arm around Aleida's shoulders as she guides her back to the cafeteria's backroom. "I know...we gotta return to work. I'm betting you wish your class hadn't been canceled today!"

"Nah, I'm glad it was...I always seem to miss big shit like this. Yo, at least we got one mothafucka taken care of...again."

"I hope they kill Arturo in Max," Diane says. "He hurt my daughter, and Gloria...and little Benny."

"Oh yeah, he gotta be on death row!"

"Definitely!"

"I tell ya Leon moved in with us?"

Diane laughs. "About a hundred million times, lady. You're fuckin' shining with happiness every time you talk about him."

"So are you, whenever you or anyone mentions Charles. How come you ain't never kissed yet if you so in love?"

"I want commitment, so I'm waiting to see if he does too. Maybe around Halloween, we can make things official, but I'd like him to spend quality time with Alex and I before anything like _that_ happens. I'm so over useless bums."

"He don't seem like one."

"No, he doesn't...but I'm testing him for like, a month."

"Good idea."

* * *

"Happy one week anniversary of the two bitches fighting to the death!" Humps grins at Nicky and Lorna ominously. He snakes his revolting fingers through Lorna's hair and they turn into claws as he begins pulling something out of his pocket that looks like red string. "You won, sort of, so congratulations! Here's your prize." He puts it on over her head and she looks down to see that it's a necklace, made of human teeth, much to her disgust, and beads that read _first place_. "I thought you might be curious as to what happened with those after they fell out when you punched her!"

It's like the wind is knocked out of Lorna, and she can't speak, let alone gasp. Nicky sucks in a breath of air and covers her mouth with her hands. "What the fuck...you're so twisted..."

"She definitely is, huh?" He picks up a tooth and runs the point of it along Lorna's cheek. "Aren't you, my sweet?" Boisterous laughter sounds in the classroom.

"No...not Lorna, you asshole!" Nicky hollers while grabbing it from him. She quickly takes her scissors out of her bag, snips off the necklace, and steps on it hard while glaring at him. "I hate you! I hope you get eaten alive by your own shitty rats!"

"Such lovely words coming from you...no wonder Mr. Piscatella always wants to beat you...you're nothing but a bratty, no-brained dyke!"

Lorna sees red when he says this to the girl she truly loves. Using her no longer casted hand, she hurls Nicky's scissors right at his face without thinking and takes hold of Nicky's hand while standing up. They both storm out with their belongings and rush to Ms. Rogers' office, where Red has arranged the counseling sessions from now on. "I'm proud of you, baby," Nicky murmurs.

"I'm so fuckin' fed up!"

"Same here!"

As they wait for her until after school, they take a bus ride to Starbucks and back and the two of them buy Fruity Pebbles frappuchinos. They'd already warned Ms. Jones that they'd either be late to cheerleading practice or miss it just this once, because of Lorna's mental issues, and the coach had understood completely. Lorna then goes into her therapist's office with Nicky, as per her request. They plop on a couch directly across from Ms. Rogers.

"Okay, Lorna...what brings you here today?" the woman asks.

She fidgets nervously, playing with her hands in her lap and crossing and uncrossing her bouncing legs. Nicky puts her hand over Lorna's and strokes her fingers gently. "Umm...I...I'm unstable...upstairs." Lorna points to her temple. "Everything's junked up in there. For almost an entire month, I called...I told people that...that Christopher was my oh, so perfect boyfriend and said I'd marry him and have his children after one date...and he even showed that he wasn't interested, but I assumed it was his girlfriend or their parents holding him back from loving me, or the fact that I'm a cheerleader. It...it was a fantasy I created, but I believed myself. I lied...to all my friends...and my sister...and the ladies I look up to. I also...stalked him, all the way to Atlantic City and at his house, trashed his car and his lawn...spammed his phone with voicemails, Facebook messages, and texts...tried to seduce him and got myself in juvy...and attacked his girlfriend and...my bestie, who's sitting next to me. I'm nothin' but a joke now."

"Humps manipulated you into hurting me," Nicky corrects her. "Plus, those idiots have no right to be so ableist!"

"No sane person would give into that!"

"Lorna, it's very apparent that you do have a mental illness, because if you were on the spectrum, it would show at all times. This is nothing to be embarrassed of or mad at yourself about. You were born the way you are, and you can't control your violent outbursts that you don't choose to do. The first thing we need to determine is your diagnosis so I know how to assist you. Do these episodes happen at random and does it affect your daily life?" Ms. Rogers asks.

"I get 'em whenever I get real angry or pressured...but I don't...I'd rather I didn't. I wanna be a nice girl...and it was really only when people tried to stop me from getting Christopher...or when Piper hit on the boyfriend I had last year before she was killed. There's another thing...I dunno what I'm doin' at random parts of my life...and maybe, my brain has blocked out bad memories."

"Well, it sounds to me that you have erotomania."

"Eroto-what?! I knew my brain didn't work right...I'm batshit bonkers!"

"Erotomania," Ms. Rogers repeats. "It's a disorder where the person affected believes someone of a higher power or social status, whether it be a celebrity, complete stranger, a rich individual, or the most popular kid in school, is enamored of them. You have delusions and you think they're real. That's what made you stalk him."

"Oh...but Christopher ain't any of those. He's middle class, but I'm poor, so that could be it." Lorna glances at Nicky in confusion and panic. "I'm really...really...looney tunes, loco in the coco!"

Nicky rubs Lorna's thigh a few times and pats her knee softly. "Shh, Lorna, that's why we're here. She's gonna help you."

"That's right. Now, I'm going to put you on some antipsychotic medication so your condition can improve instead of getting worse, which will cause you to be in prison or killed for stalking."

"I almost was, but Nicky...she rescued me," Lorna mumbles. "Are you sure these are gonna make me better?"

"Yes, I am."

"Okay...thank you."

"You're very welcome. You may come to me anytime you need to, but let's schedule weekly meetings...how about every Saturday afternoon at three?"

"That sounds good!"

* * *

While all of her friends and her mother are busy doing their own things, Alex sits alone in the cornfield with a cigarette between her lips. She pulls it out and blows out a white cloud. She'd gotten the smokes from a random passerby, and she needed them badly. Sylvia had run away without telling anyone except Alex, and she considers calling her ex-girlfriend's parents about it. She decides to text them, but then Sylvie sends her a few angry texts in allcaps, even though Alex had just done this to protect her. Nicky and Lorna are currently with Ms. Rogers, Flaca and Maritza are together and she doesn't want to bother them, Daya is off at Gloria's bodega, Maria and Blanca are at one of their boyfriend's houses, and Alex is the only single pringle, it seems, in the way that her friends have their own lives that don't involve thinking about Piper. Diane isn't that serious with Charlie and he's a nice man and respectful of both her and Alex, but she still feels like a lot is changing because they're hanging out so much. Alex doesn't want to bug her mother for attention since she's well aware she has it. Her mother has finally found happiness in a man, and Alex isn't about to ruin things.

She's also the only one trying to solve the mystery. The others hunt for clues and make attempts at piecing things together, but they give up when they're tired of it or get scared off by P. Her friends are really burned out, and they rely on her because they think she's the smartest out of all of them, and also because she had the closest bond with Piper. Alex is disconnected with those close to her, in a vulnerable state at the moment, and just needs time alone to think about her next move. She doesn't know where her life is going now, and she wonders if she really has to be Detective Vause all the time. It's why she's startled when she sees a bald, hard-looking Arabian man heading her way. She instantly relaxes and conceals her pack of cigarettes behind her back when she recognizes him as Kubra, Theresa's boyfriend. "Uh, hey...I didn't see you there, sorry! I was terrified for a second..."

"I apologize for freaking you out." He casually sits down next to her. "You don't have to hide those from me."

"Oh, shit, don't tell my mom!"

"I won't. What's up?"

"Me, I'm higher than a kite," Alex responds and then they both laugh. She giggles again while looking up at the sky. "I wonder what it'd be like to fly, but at the same time, I feel as if...I'm floating out of my body. You seem pretty chill."

"Yes, I'm totally cool with underage drinking or smoking, as long as you don't go to extremes."

"I'm not an addict, so you have nothing to fear."

"You look bored, like you need something to do, Alex."

Alex nods her head yes while fiddling with her hair. "Mm-hm...they're all playin' with other people except me...not a lot of people appreciated Piper, so I'm the only one unraveling the exact details of her death. You've read about her in the paper, right?"

"I did. It's quite unfortunate, what happened to your friend. I'm deeply sorry for your loss."

"Thanks."

"I want to tell you about what I do...this is a secret, so you must not repeat this to anyone. I thought you'd be into it, since you enjoy smoking and doing drugs at times, hmm? I saw you once with your friend...crack?"

"Yeah...but she quit because she's hooked on it, so it's either all or nothing for her. I, however, am not much of a junkie, but I do enjoy it once in a while."

"Very well. Now...I am a bartender, but I keep my other business private. I'm also an international drug lord."

Alex chuckles, but he keeps a straight face. "Come on, you gotta be kidding...Jesus Christ, you're serious! Really?"

"I have cartels everywhere in the world. Clients deal my product, which is heroin, mostly, to many countries, and they have mules that pick up suitcases full of smack money. Your job, if you're interested, is to be one of my lovely clients and sell drugs, have a mule, or both. It's something to occupy your time with, and you'd earn cash...lots of it."

"I need that...my mom and I are poor, so...I gotta support us, too. Why not? I'd love to be your employee." She smiles, proud of herself. "I have a boss who isn't my mom! Cool."

"That's right. We'll see each other at this location tomorrow at three, perhaps?"

"Sure! I'm so excited to start. Uh...how can I not get busted, though? My friend did, and she got arrested, sent to juvy...I don't want that to happen to me."

"It won't, I'll make sure of it. However, you will be responsible for your mules and pick them up at the airport on time."

"Got it."

"I'm not joking. If you're late, they'll be caught, and you'll be in huge trouble. Do as I ask, and any problems will not exist."

"I understand, sir."

They exchange a firm handshake and he grins at her. "Awesome blue tips, by the way. Your hair, makeup, and style of dress are perfect for this occupation."

"I'm glad I could win you over!"

"Why don't we finish this pack of smokes back at my hotel room? There's gonna be tons of people there I want you to meet anyway. You gotta get to know your co-workers."

"Yeah, I'm cool with it."

As they begin walking, Alex receives a text. _Oh, what a devious little girl you are. I'll keep Mommy and the girlies from finding out...only because I want you dead from a heroin overdose. xo (but not really), P_

"Too bad you won't get your wish, I'm not even addicted," Alex mutters under her breath, so low that Kubra doesn't hear her, or more importantly, P.

Suddenly, though, she freezes when she sees a familiar face as she goes into the room later. She'd know the man from anywhere. He's dressed smart and a stern expression is etched onto his features. "How old are you again?" Fahri asks.

"Fifteen, but I wanna be involved! _Please_ don't say anything!" she begs him with her hands pressed together, as if she's praying.

"This isn't appropriate!" he scolds her. "You're a teenage girl, my friend's daughter, in fact, you shouldn't be-"

"I'm just helping out my mom by adding more income...besides, you're not my dad!" Alex grumbles.

"Fahri, you have no power," Kubra cuts in. "You and Alex are my employees, so you, and the rest of the workers, all need to be accepting of each other. Is that clear?"

"Ha!" Alex says victoriously.

Fahri raises his hands in surrender. "Alright. Sorry."

"Very well!"

* * *

This time, Aleida is also in the car with Gloria when Daya and Adarsh go out. The younger children are at the Bursets. Daya is glad that Aleida is present, since she wants to show both her mother and Gloria that she can move on from John. It won't be simple, but Daya has an inkling that Gloria was speaking the truth the other night. He's certainly making it harder for her to miss him, by not even showing up anywhere. She feels strange, being with another boy, although Adarsh isn't her boyfriend. Since she's never actually had a boyfriend who was also in high school, she assumes he won't be sweeping her off her feet anytime in her life like Gloria and Aleida are hoping he will. She'd once tried flirting with a guy friend of hers, Paolo but he liked another girl, Claire, who also was Daya's friend and had told her she had a thing for him, all because Aleida had put it into Daya's head, that Paolo was into her, just based on the fact that he was a gentleman. She realizes now that Aleida was trying to be helpful, but it didn't work out, and it cost her two friends.

"So, how long have you been into manga?" Adarsh questions her.

"When I was little, I discovered a manga book in a trashcan, and it went from there. I've been practicing my drawing skills ever since then, and I think I finally got it down now."

"You do!"

Daya smiles brightly at his compliment. "Oh...thanks. I'm also doing a mural outside school with Nicky, but I gotta figure out how to do it without Piss-cuntella, Dickman, and Humps seeing that it's us!"

"Hey...you two ain't goin' paragliding after the arcade games, right?" Aleida wants to know. "She never did nothin' like that before..."

"No, just Dave and Busters," Adarsh says.

"Okay, good, because we want her to play it safe," Gloria says as she stops at the curb and lets them out.

"Enjoy yourselves!" Aleida calls out while she and Gloria wave goodbye at them. They grin at the women and wave back.

 _As Mommy likes to say, loose as a shoelace! You haven't even given birth yet, and you're already trying things out another dude because John broke things off with you. It's really hard to feel bad for a slut. kisses, P_

Daya scoffs while rolling her eyes at her message, momentarily forgetting that Adarsh is right next to her. "Uh...one of my friends is just...being an idiot. I deleted it. Anyway...I'm ready to have some fun!"

"So am I!"

They both put money on their cards to play the games after Gloria and Aleida have dropped them off. "When they get old enough, I'll take my kid siblings here, along with their friends! I'm sure they'd love to go," she tells Adarsh.

"Yeah, it's a pretty cool place."

"It looks like Chuck-E-Cheese for adults. I only say that because it's got a bar, plus all the arcade stuff."

"That makes sense. Do you usually go here with your friends, you know, the girls?"

"Not really...it's expensive. We just go rarely. Uh...when Piper was...still here, she'd cover the cost."

"Oh, nice. My condolences."

"Well, it wasn't much of a loss, 'cause most of the time, she wasn't a good friend. She'd call me _Daya the Dinosaur_...like, that was her nickname for me."

"I apologize, again...I never knew she would insult her own friends! Sure, she was rude to just about everyone, myself included, but...how come she would be mean to you guys?"

"It's the way she was...also, I was plump back then, so...I'm gonna be that again soon."

"I don't think of you as plump at all. What she said was bullshit, and she was wrong!"

Daya offers him a grin. "Thanks...but you never knew me in my chubby days. That's why you weren't sure who I was when we met."

"No, I just wasn't aware of your name."

"I was never, like, Piper's fat friend, to you?"

Adarsh shakes his head no. "Maybe one of her followers, but nothing to do with your appearance. For the record, though, and I'm really not trying to make a pass at you, especially given your recent breakup...I just want you to know that I thought you were cute, especially with your smile. You still are," he says bashfully.

Daya's cheeks get warm at his compliment and she can't help but beam. "To be honest, no dude my age has ever told me that before...but thank you."

"You're welcome! So, your ex was..."

"Mr. Bennett. Yep...I seem to only attract older male attention, and I've never had a crush on a guy in high school." At Daya's statement, Adarsh seems to be shocked. "What? No offense, man, but high school boys can be real immature. I'm glad you're not, though."

"Oh, I understand that, but...wow, I thought Mr. Bennett was a standup guy. He was a good English teacher, but such a lousy boyfriend to you!"

"I know. Let's just, uh, play the games."

"Of course, yeah!"

After about three hours of winning numerous tickets, doing a few rounds of air hockey, with Daya mostly winning and giggling about it while doing a victory dance, and eating cheese, pepperoni, and sausage pizza, they collect their prizes. They go up to the counter where Poussey is working and get multicolored lava lamps, glow balls, and disco balls with their power cards. "Quite a stash y'all got there," she comments, and they smile at her as they put their stuff into plastic bags.

"Mm-hmm...I'mma use these for my sweet sixteen birthday bash!" Daya says cheerfully. "You guys are invited, obviously."

"Awesome!"

"That'll be fun," Adarsh tells Daya, and they go back to the bar and restaurant area to buy virgin piña coladas. "Hey, just wondering, when would that be?"

"Well, my exact birthday is December third, which falls on a Friday, so I'll have it that night. I haven't thought much about it, but I'm getting real excited about it now."

"I can understand! Are you gonna have it at your house?"

Daya chuckles. "Nah...it ain't big enough! Come on, I'm poor and I live in an apartment. My mom's probably gonna rent a not-too-expensive but still nice looking dance hall or somethin' and ask her boyfriend and Gloria to chip in. That's what she did for my quinceñera last year. There's gonna be many Drake songs...you've been warned!"

"That's cool, it's your party. He's your favorite singer?"

"Mm-hm...but more like, I love his rock hard abs. I've always wanted him to actually come and serenade me. It's silly, and I know I'll never meet him, but...a girl can dream!"

"I'm the same way about Beyonce, Britney Spears, and Ciara."

"That's mostly girly music," she teases him, but at his smirk, she rolls her eyes. "You like 'em 'cause they're hot."

"Guilty."

"Too bad you don't have a chance of knowin' 'em in real life!"

"Their voices are good, too, though!" he protests.

"Yeah, they always wanna make me get up and dance! You should hear my friends, though...like Nicky, Flaritza-that's Flaca and Maritza, by the way, Maria, and Pennsatucky...now they got such great pipes. Like, holy shit...them singing in harmony or by themselves, literally takes you to another world. I wish I could sound just as amazing."

"I'm sure you do-"

"Nah, I suck...I'm better at art, trust me...but I have sang my little brother and sister to sleep many times, and belted lyrics to my music out loud in the shower, but nothin' more than that."

They sip their drinks and sometimes glance at each other while smiling. "How old are they...your siblings?"

"Christina's gonna be five next Wednesday, and Emilio's three. Do you have brothers or sisters, or both?" Daya begins to sketch Adarsh on her napkin, just to show off her talent, but she stops when her drawing starts looking like John, and crumples it up before he can see it.

He shakes his head no. "It's just my parents and I. My dad's a doctor, my mom's a nurse, and I've always admired their choice of profession."

"Cool...well, you know my mom and Gloria are the lunch ladies. Uh...Gloria also runs a bodega...have you been there?"

"I think so."

"Ma's also searching for jobs in cosmetology and taking a college course in it...she's good at nails, like painting 'em."

"I guess art runs in your family, huh?"

Daya grins. "Yeah, it does. Oh...her boyfriend is building us an ultra-neat backyard! We might even get a pool!"

"That's nice of him!"

"It is!"

A couple walks by them while kissing and when they separate, Daya comes to the awkward realization that they're Claire and Paolo. "Aw, fuck, hide me!" she whispers while covering her face with both hands and peeking out at him between her fingers. "I was friends with 'em since the first grade, but we lost touch when I...when I made a bad move on Paolo, Claire was hella mad because she like-liked him, and I knew this, too...but Aleida told me to just go for him, because he acted as if he was diggin' me by bein' polite to her. I just saw 'em pass us..."

"I don't think they noticed you...look, they're not even here anymore!"

Daya breathes a sigh of relief since he's right, and she puts her hands back down on the table. "I tried to apologize, but they non-verbally told me to fuck myself, basically. It was so embarrassing, sitting alone at lunch...until I met Piper in seventh grade, of course. She got me some real friends, so she was good for that."

"I didn't have anyone to eat with either back then. I was kind of a nerd...I still am, I suppose."

"I'm the exact opposite. Like...stupid in school and I've been called a slut numerous times."

"I don't think of you as either of those. You're so brilliant and extremely talented-"

"Yeah, with art and English...but I can't get at least a B in anything else to save my life!"

"Also, you've just had really bad luck with guys. I think being street smart is more important than academically intelligent, to tell you the truth. Daya, I don't care if you get F's-"

"C's," she corrects him. "The lowest I've gotten was a D...I completely failed Spanish last year, but I maintain a C average. Ma says that's all I need to go to college."

"Well, she's right. The point I'm trying to make here, is you're amazing in so many ways. You're going to school while pregnant and working as hard as you can. However, if you'd like me to tutor you in subjects you're struggling with, I wouldn't mind doing it."

Daya smiles at him. "Thanks."

"Welcome."

"Careful with that one...she'll jump your bones the minute you act all sweet to her," Paolo mutters.

"Excuse me?" Adarsh demands. "You need to go... _now_!"

"It's okay," Daya mumbles and flips the bird at them.

"Fuckin' ho," Claire adds.

"You know what?!" Daya hollers at them while jumping to her feet. "I'm glad you two bozos showed me what true friends _aren't_. I didn't even know that he liked you back and three years have passed, get over it!"

"Whatever," they say while leaving.

"I'm sorry," Adarsh begins to apologize, but Daya shakes her head.

"I deserved to lose 'em, I made a huge mistake. I'm better off without 'em, though."

"This wasn't all on you...they don't understand forgiveness."

"I know. Hey...I had a blast tonight, even with them showing up!"

"Same here! By the way, I'll help you with your baby, if you ever need it."

"Sure, thanks...but I'm giving him or her up for adoption when he or she is born. We gotta start looking for nice people who wanna adopt, like a gay couple, or a woman who can't have kids. I'll make sure they're not too far from me, like I wanna visit 'em and everything."

"I wish you luck on that!"

"Thanks."

A bit later, Aleida picks them up, accompanied by Leon. "So, Adarsh, this is my mom's boyfriend, Leon," Daya introduces them. "Leon, Adarsh." She and Aleida exchange a smile when the guys shake hands. Aleida takes Adarsh to his house and then drives her and Leon back home, where Gloria and the kids are waiting.

"How was it?" Aleida wonders out loud.

"Awesome! He's sweet...like, as a friend!" Daya responds as they go inside.

"That's great to hear!" Gloria exclaims.

"I'm glad I don't have to kick his ass...yet," Leon tells her, and Aleida hits him jokingly. "It's unfortunate that John took off before I could hurt him."

It's weird, because Daya knows that's what dads say when their teenage daughters go out with boys. "Adarsh and I aren't a couple!" Daya protests but then chuckles.

"I'm aware of that, I'm just teasing you!"

* * *

After Lorna takes her first dosage, she locks her pill bottle in a cabinet so P can't get to it and mess with her medication. She opens the anonymous package and the clothes Piper had been wearing that night, are inside it and covered in blood. She jumps back in shock and plucks a little note out of the jeans pocket. _Admit to the cops that it's yours, unless you want me to tell everyone that Franny did it with Mendez because you beat up Vinnie's car! I've already called them to comb your place for evidence. love, P_

Lorna drops the box on the floor and takes a wobbly step back, panting heavily as her phone chimes. "No...that can't be mine...how'd they get my..."

 _Okay, let me help you out, Lorna. You did witness Suzanne bashing Piper's face in, but she wasn't the killer...so don't you and your little friends interrogate her yet. If you finished the job, congratulations! Anyway...you're welcome! He's about to drop if I spin him one more time!_ There's a attached photo of a dead Eric, literally strung up to a ceiling fan by his balls. It's grotesque, but Lorna's happy that he can't hurt her or anyone else again. She begins to wonder if P is actually a frenemy of hers.

She's also logged into MySpace on her computer, as she'd been searching for people who have the same troubles as herself, and a message pops up. It's from a Mexican guy named Juan. _Oh I know bullying and rejection...first off, I was always called a beaner in middle school...and my fiancée broke up with me and is never gonna talk to me again...and I'm very lonely. We have lots in common._

Her reply is fast. _That's awful! I'm so sorry to hear!_

 _I'd like us to meet in person and become friends. It's not like I'm a stranger-I babysat you and your sister when you were children._

Lorna doesn't remember him, but she still wants to get to know him. _Sure, how about a fast food place or the movies?_

 _Tomorrow, let's see one of your absolute favorites in theaters and have hot dogs and popcorn!_

 _Okay, are you good with_ First Daughter? _It's real romantic!_

 _Of course, whatever you want!_

 _Yay! I can't wait!_

Someone taps on her door from the outside and she closes the window, kicks the box under her bed, unlocks the door, and opens it. "Hi, Lorna...what's wrong?" Nicky asks.

"I just can't believe that Maritza's mom lied about her age!"

"Yeah, that's really weird...hey...do you wanna go to the mall tonight?"

"Like, right now?"

"Sure, it's a Friday night!"

The girls take the bus to the mall and start picking out clothes to try on. "Oh, that would look cute on you!" Lorna comments when Nicky takes a dark blue skirt and black blouse from the rack.

"Thanks, kid! I really love that dress you got...it kinda reminds me of the one you already have."

"Yeah, well it became too small for me, the pink was fading, and um...I gotta replace it, so...it's prettier, right?"

"Mm-hm."

"Ooh, and I got these high heels, too!" Lorna holds up the pair of Platform Pradas in purple.

"Nice!"

They go into the dressing room and it's empty except for them and the woman in the front. Just as Lorna is taking her clothes off in the mirror, Nicky casually walks in with her potential outfit. Lorna shrieks and quickly hides herself with the curtain, but it's too late.

She's already seen everything.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMiley1fan and A Star In My Universe!**


	33. My Sweet Girl

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, talks of being held hostage and animal abuse.**

"Get the fuck out!" Lorna screams hysterically, clutching the curtain in her hands. She sounds as fragile and broken as she looks, and it cracks Nicky's heart inside.

"What the hell...who gave you those, Humps?" she asks quietly, referring to the harsh bruises around Lorna's upper thighs.

"No...just give me privacy...please, I'm begging you!" Her brown eyes shimmer with tears and then they roll down her cheeks.

"I can't leave you alone, Lorna...not when you're falling apart." Nicky takes slow steps closer to her, but the brunette turns away and hides herself even more. "Hey...I know what sexual assault looks like on someone, so you don't need to say much...just allow me to hold you, same as always, yeah? You've been limping and flinching at any sudden moves people make ever since Monday night...those are obvious signs. Besides, now that I think about it...I've heard shit around school...that you were...violated. I'm ashamed of myself, really, that I never wondered before...I just assumed it was the usual...the three monsters harassing you."

"Don't force me to tell you..."

"It wasn't Humps?" Lorna shakes her head no. "Dickman?"

"Not him either...although, he...he did it...anally."

Nicky slams her hand on the wall so hard that her palm stings. "What the fuck?! That's still horrible-"

"Shh, Nicky, please...don't...don't get angry..." Lorna whimpers and faces her while biting her trembling bottom lip. Streaks of mascara are littered under her eyes and on her cheeks, and it hurts Nicky so much.

"I'm not...I ain't mad at ya, kid, I promise. Come on, I'm not a victim-blamer here. I'm just so...furious at the whole goddamn situation! Ya know, the predicaments you were put in. Since Monday, you've been...bullied...and it's so nauseating, what they're doing to you!"

"It was only 'cause he wasn't part of the...the gang rape."

"The _what_?" Nicky demands. It's becoming increasingly harder for her to keep her cool. "Come here, baby...I'll help you get dressed and you can talk to me about it, only if you're comfortable. Bits and pieces or every single detail, I don't care...I just wanna know who to tell CO Ford about. I won't mention you, if that's what you want...I only need those perps in prison, or better yet, dead and gone! I'll beat 'em up, every single one of 'em!"

Lorna glances up at the ceiling while blinking a few times. "It was my fault...if I hadn't-"

"Uh-uh!" Nicky interrupts her sharply, but softly, too. "Don't say that...you're not to blame." With the curtain still wrapped around her, Lorna picks the pink dress up off the floor. She steps into it and almost collapses, but Nicky grabs her before she can crash to the ground and puts the rest of it on her. "I got you, babe."

"Thanks...but yes, I am." Nicky starts to protest, but Lorna shushes her. "Christopher lured me into a trap...he asked me out on Monday night, and I stupidly believed him! He and Joey planned the whole thing...I never saw Christopher, but Joey was there with a fuckin' camcorder, trailing after me, Eric, and like, nine of his friends...as they all..." Lorna breaks off sobbing and sinks to the floor while hugging her knees to her chest. Nicky goes down with her. She collects the other girl in her arms and kisses her temple and then her cheek, right where a tear is falling, and strokes her hair soothingly. "I can point 'em all out to you in school...but not Eric, he's...he's dead...P killed him, but that night...Flaritza and Maria saved me...Flaca rolled right over that fuckin' asshole...the others had left, he was the only one there, so they think it was just him who..." Lorna trails off and gasps shakily. "I'm...I'm so sorry I believed him...Christopher, I mean...I thought...I thought we were just gonna have a normal date!" She lets out a high-pitched hiccup and wails a few times.

"He's not that kind of guy. All he wanted was for you to get tortured. That's what he lives for."

"I know that now," she blubbers.

Nicky takes the small brunette's hand in hers and rubs circles on it, and she seems to relax. "I love you, Lorna."

"I know," she breathes.

"For real...I would do anything for ya. Those dick-fuckers are getting their necks slashed...you're not gonna be traumatized by seeing 'em every day anymore."

"They were under Christopher's rule...and if I didn't bother him, he woulda never found a reason to...to have 'em terrorize me! You don't gotta slay these dragons, I ain't some damsel in distress in this case. I brought it upon myself."

"I literally give no fucks about that. Those jackasses still did it, and that's a crime! If they flat-out refused, they'd be good people, but they didn't...they're rapists, pure and simple. As for Christopher...well, he's a snake! You did nothing to him..."

"I almost killed Angela...so I deserved what I got...I did feel like dying when I was...ya know...just like her."

"Don't compare it to that! You have _erotomania_ , and they got revenge on you...they don't have mental illnesses! Those pieces of shit were well aware of what they were doing! I'm sure Angela has no clue of this...it would probably turn her off if she knew her boyfriend plotted the multiple rapes of another girl! I'm gonna tell her-"

"No! Don't...she won't believe you! It's pointless."

"Okay, I guess you're right...so...wanna just stay here?"

"Mm-hm." Lorna nods her head yes and buries herself further into Nicky's embrace. She continues quivering, and Nicky rubs her back in calming, circular motions.

* * *

While picking through family movies that Gloria had rented from Netflix for them all to see tonight, a lump grows in Daya's throat and only gets bigger as she watches Leon making special treats for her and the younger kids, which consist of brownies, vanilla and mint ice cream, strawberry syrup whipped cream, and rainbow and chocolate sprinkles; the little ones pull out blankets from the cabinet bigger than themselves with Aleida's help, and Gloria pours wine for the adults. Daya gulps down her Coke as she reads the summary for _The Haunted Mansion_. "This one sounds good!" She tries to keep the thickness out of her voice.

"Oh, fantastic, thank you!" Gloria says and smiles at her.

"Yummy!" Benny exclaims when Leon passes out the desserts, which will go on trays he built to prevent spills on the couch. He shakes a can of whipped cream and sprays it into the little boy's mouth. "Mmm!"

"My turn!" Julio announces while jumping up and down. Aleida's boyfriend does the same thing to him. "Duwishious!" Then, Leon gets to Christina and Emiliano, who take it happily.

Leon goes over to Aleida. "Now you, baby." She squeals as he lets a stream of it into her open mouth. "Tasty, huh?"

"Mm-hm!" she responds through a giggle while leaning her head back and pushing the rest of it in that had previously been dripping down her chin.

Gloria brings over the wine as Daya and the small children are chowing down. She hands one glass to Aleida and the other to Leon, and the couple clink their glasses and start drinking. Gloria then gets her own and takes a few small sips. She takes the whipped cream and holds it out to Daya. "Want an extra bit?"

"Sure!"

"Okay, open up!" Daya does so, and Gloria presses the nozzle to let out whipped cream into her mouth, causing her to giggle.

As soon as the toddlers are finished with their food, Aleida begins to get their dishes, but Leon does it instead and washes them. "It's fine, sweetie, go relax," he tells her.

"I believe it's time for two little boys to get into beddie-bye, right?" Daya asks in reference to the toddlers.

"Oh, I'll put 'em down for the night," Gloria offers after swallowing her wine hard.

"It's okay, Gloria, I got it."

"I wan' say nighty-night," Julio says, and he and Emiliano kiss their mothers on the cheeks. "Night, Mommy!" he calls out to Gloria as Emiliano hugs her and Aleida. "Love you!"

"I love you too, buddy! Sweet dreams!"

He tugs on Leon's pants. "Night, mister!"

"Good night, little man!" Leon ruffles his hair and they grin at each other.

Daya takes her brother and Julio by their hands and walks them to the nursery room. As she's doing so, she notices that after Leon has dried the dishes, he sits on one end of the couch with Aleida snuggled into him, and Benny on his other side. He drapes a blanket over the three of them and tosses the rest of it to Gloria. Christina is in Gloria's lap, holding her dolly, and they're next to Aleida, but there's a space in between Gloria and Aleida, which Daya assumes is reserved for her. She stands back and smiles while sniffling. It's been twenty-four hours since Arturo had been near all of them, and now, seeing them as a family, it really sinks in how lucky she and Gloria were at the bodega and Aleida, Leon, and the little kids had been at home. She breathes in and out, trying to calm down and not let out tears, but it's difficult. "Um...hold on a second...I need to...use the...the bathroom. Sorry."

"It's okay," Gloria and Aleida murmur in unison.

"Go ahead," Leon says.

Daya hurries to her bathroom and locks herself inside. She texts Alex while wiping a tissue underneath her eyes. _God, I'm crying right now and I don't know what to do...help a sister out?_

 _What's wrong? Problems at home?_

 _No, everything is perfect here. We're all in our pajamas, about to watch_ The Haunted Mansion _, we just had a brownie sundae, courtesy of Leon, Ma helped the kids get everyone blankets, he's spritzing whipped cream into their mouths and doing dishes like some loving husband and father who spoils his family! Gloria's giving wine to herself, my mom, and Leon, mostly. The important thing is that we're all fuckin' alive and together...and I've never felt so grateful, and I'm so close to sobbing because this is all I've ever wanted, and Arturo almost ruined that, but he wasn't able to last night! Don't get me wrong, I hate that he attacked you and scared the shit out of you, your mom, Blanca, Maria, and other customers at Friendly's, demanding to know where Gloria was! It's just...we're safe and happy._

 _Aw, that's great! I cried last night and slept with my mom after I got hurt, but I didn't tell you guys since I wanna be strong for you. Just relax and enjoy your time with your loved ones. Keep counting your blessings, exactly like I'm doing._

Daya beams while tears make their way down her cheeks. _Thanks_ , _girl._ She returns to the living room, puts her phone into her pocket, and takes her spot between her mother and the woman who may as well be her aunt. She wraps her arms around Gloria and Christina tightly, pecks Aleida's cheek while hugging her, tousles the children's hair, and bumps fists with Leon.

"What was all that for?" Gloria questions her as she squeezes the older woman's hands and leans into her while propping her legs up and across Gloria's lap while bouncing Christina on her knees.

"Nothin'...I'm just real happy to be here...in this moment. Let's get to the film!" She lays down and rests her head on Aleida's feet.

"Yo, if these fall asleep, I'mma tickle you!" Aleida warns her playfully and skims her fingernails along the back of Daya's neck, making her giggle.

"Ma!" she complains, but she loves it. Aleida stops when Leon presses play, but then she runs her hand through Daya's hair, as far as she can reach.

* * *

"Does your mother know where you are? What did you tell her you were doing?" Fahri questions Alex after Kubra has taken them to a bus station to go back home.

Alex rolls her eyes. "She thinks I'm with friends! I hope I don't look high...because I certainly feel it."

"Jesus Christ," he mutters. "You appear to be tired, at the most."

"Oh, good...I could blame it on a long day, since it was. Fuckin' Healy the misogynistic and racist homophobe tried to rip us all away from each other, and then I found out that the girls don't even...they don't give two shits about Piper. I know she was a bitch sometimes, but she's _dead_ , man...she's unable to do anything now!"

"I'm sorry to hear that. I can understand why you'd want to leave your body for a while...trust me, I've felt the same way. It's just...you shouldn't work with Kubra. He's dangerous as fuck and he could get you into so much trouble."

Alex snickers. "Dude, Flaca's mom is dating him. He's like the cool uncle type! You guys didn't even act like you knew each other last night. Would you stop with the telling me what to do kick? You're not even my older brother, much less, my dad!"

"He has to hide that part of himself. If Kubra does anything to you...even looks at you funny...you tell someone. Your mom, me, your friends, the cops...you understand, kid?" Fahri asks her in a serious tone, but she just shrugs off his silly warning and snorts.

"Yeah, sure, of course!"

"Do not take this lightly. I don't approve of you being in the drug business, but Kubra threatened me not to say a word, otherwise, I'll get killed. I can't even let Theresa know..."

Alex raises her eyebrows over the rims of her glasses. "That sounds a bit melodramatic. He's not a bad guy...in fact, he was so eager to have me work for him that he paid me double the usual amount!" She pats her purse. "Forty bucks in this motherfucker. I could buy us an apartment when I get up to fifty grand, but I don't want my mom to get suspicious. Everyone says that...spill my dirty little secret and I'll end you. They're not being literal...they just don't want you to blab. Obviously, he wouldn't want to be busted for his crime...but, like, everyone I know has also committed one and gotten off scot free or not much time in juvy. He should be able to do it, too."

Fahri sighs heavily. "It's not worth arguing with you or going against Kubra's rules. He's never touched you, so I have nothing to worry about."

"Yep! Really, no offense, but get over it!"

"Don't take that tone with me...I may not be your father, Alex, but you can't be rude."

"Why, because you're my _elder_? Okay...sorry. You _were_ my babysitter, after all, and you helped out my mom a ton, so...fine, I'll give up the attitude. Just stop treating me like a kid. I can handle myself. I catch red flags thousands of miles away!"

"You're right. It's up to you to see Kubra for the shady character that he really is."

"Thanks."

"Five bucks says whoever pisses him off is a goner."

Alex scoffs and shakes his hand. "It's so on."

He glances at her warily. "It really scared me when that asshole knocked you into the wall at Friendly's-."

"Good thing my glasses didn't come off!" She's trying to downplay it.

"If you really value your life, _please_ be careful around Kubra."

"Okay! I will!"

* * *

"I was kidnapped from the time I was twenty, to when you were three...so four years," Juliana begins gravely as she sits at the other end of the table from Flaca and Maritza, and they gasp softly. "I was able to escape to a hospital so I could give birth and get the certificate...but then he caught me and took me away again, with you in tow. I kept it in my pocket, then a desk drawer...until you found it. You were a preemie...one of the tiniest babies they'd ever seen." At this, Flaca puts her hand over Maritza's in support and gazes at her sadly. "He kept us both locked up in a tiny room...I had duct tape over my mouth and chains binding my wrists behind my back, so I couldn't speak to you or hold you, only have you snuggle in my lap...you never developed until we were rescued." Maritza's eyes narrow in confusion and fear, and Flaca pulls the smaller girl into her arms, practically on her lap, and rubs her back in soothing circles. "You grew physically, but you were still extremely underweight and malnourished, so thin that I could see your ribcage. Mentally, you were an infant at age three. You couldn't walk, talk, sit, stand, read, or control your bodily functions. You only had my breast milk, and in dog food bowls, water, and soggy meat. It took...extensive therapy...to grow you up a bit and get you to eat more than what you were used to. I was always your mother, though. I raised you, my sweet girl. Yes, you're seventeen...but you're always gonna be three years younger than your real age." By the end of Juliana's explanation, both Flaca and Maritza have tears sliding down their cheeks.

"Dios mío," Flaca whispers and then sniffles. "I'm real sorry..."

"Mama...why don't I remember anything that horrific? I only have happy memories of us when we used to live in Miami. I'd have like, flashbacks...of dark, dank rooms and bad, smelly food or whatever...maybe only certain things trigger it." Maritza gasps. "No wonder I had a panic attack when I was locked in that closet...long story, I'll tell ya later. Um...so, was I in kindergarten when everybody else my age was in the third grade or somethin'?" She groans. "No wonder I'm stupid...I'm special needs."

"There's nothing dumb about you or anyone else with disabilities," Juliana assures her. "You're just three years behind in school."

"Yeah," Flaca agrees. "Mari, you're super brilliant! Like...I never known anybody who knows as much about cars as you do...and you're real good at singing, dancing, and you got street smarts. Look at me, I get C's! I know a girl who once said grades are not that big of a deal." She gives her best friend a knowing smile.

"It ain't that...I'm totally fucked up now, the only thing that's changed is that I'm aware of it. I mean...did I eat fuckin' wall plaster or my own shit or piss? Was I layin' on the ground, rollin' around in vomit, both yours and mine? I wish I never discovered that damn thing! I'm just garbage...may as well 'a been thrown in the dumpster." Maritza whimpers as she buries her face into her hands.

"Come on, bebe, don't say that!" Flaca murmurs and then kisses her forehead. "You were born and had to suffer through disgusting conditions, yes, but your mom didn't want any of it for you...she wishes things were different! We don't think of you as gross! It's that evil abductor who destroyed a part of your lives!"

"I know, it ain't her fault..." Maritza raises her head and looks at her mother. "So...would I still have my quinceñera, or an eighteenth birthday bash? They're both pretty special!"

"I'd say quince. You're still my baby...I'm not ready to send you off to college or have you live alone! However, you can sign up for driving lessons."

"Okay...why you ain't never told me any of this?"

"I didn't want you to know and have it haunt you forever. It was just too disturbing!"

"Well, at least a lotta things make sense now...like why I'm afraid in small, dark spaces and the fact that my blood pressure's low...who saved us?"

"The cops...that awful man was already in trouble for some other crime, so when I heard the door open, I made lots of noise, and they found us. You were also crying of starvation...you always did, because neither of us were well fed."

"Did you know him...the perp?"

"Not one bit...I was on my way to a meeting and when I was in the back of the building, he knocked me over and took me to his basement. When we were finally free, one of the first things I taught you was stranger danger and to watch your surroundings."

"How did you feel comfortable sending me to camp or leaving me home alone all the time while you're at work?"

"Many years had passed, and you really wanted to go...and I know you won't open the door for anyone unless you fully trust them, and you're with friends all the time. There's safety in numbers."

"Alright, then..."

* * *

 _Where'd you go? I haven't heard from you in a while..._

Lorna opens the notification with a smile. _Oh, sorry, I was out shopping!_

 _What'd you buy?_

 _A dress._ Lorna quickly turns off her phone when Nicky walks up to her with her purchase. "Who were you just talking to?"

"Um, just a friend!" She has to think fast, since there's no way Nicky would be fine with her talking to someone she barely knows.

"Who's still up at this late hour?"

"We are..."

"Touché."

* * *

"Ma...can you sleep with me tonight?" Daya asks.

Aleida is puzzled as to why Daya would want this. "You think you gonna have nightmares? We're safe, nena." She pats her daughter's cheek and smiles at her. "I promise."

"Well, I kinda broke down in the bathroom...Arturo could've found me and Gloria at the bodega, and you guys at home...Alex told me she did the same thing that night and she had to sleep with her mom."

"Okay...I'll comfort ya. I'll just tell Leon that you and I are spending the night together."

"Cool, thanks...I'll set up the bed!"

Aleida goes into her room which she shares with Leon. "Hey...my daughter needs me, on account of being freaked out about Arturo being so close to us. It's understandable...if he'd gone into the convenience store, I would've lost my best friend and quite possibly, Daya. I'd be hella devastated! I gotta hold her tight and all that. If he'd come here, at least we'd have you for protection. He didn't have a gun or nothin', so you'd take him down easily!"

"Yeah, of course I'd defend you and your family, to the end! Go ahead, honey, you're being a great mother in taking care of Daya!" Leon praises her.

"Thank you."

"First, though, come here." He opens his arms and gestures for her to come forward, so she does. They kiss good night passionately.

Then, Aleida goes back to Daya's room. She crawls in bed with her daughter and hugs her while kissing the top of her head. "Night, baby, I love you."

"I love you too, Ma!"

She doesn't toss and turn as much as Aleida thought she would, most likely because they're together. She simply nestles into Aleida's arms and grins cheerfully.

Leon makes deviled eggs, toast with cinnamon and honey, and a strawberry and banana smoothie for breakfast the next morning, and the meal is scrumptious. Aleida loves a man who can cook and everyone gobbles it down fast. They let Gloria sleep in, and she gets downstairs last. "It's officially been a month since you moved in! This calls for a celebration!" Daya says to Gloria excitedly as Leon hands her a plate full of food.

"Oh, that long? I haven't really been counting! What should we do?" Gloria asks.

"Your choice, girl," Aleida responds.

"Hmm...you guys could take me out to lunch or dinner...and we can drive through New York City, maybe go to a street fair!"

"That sounds fun!" Leon tells her.

"Family road trip!" Daya announces and does a few fist pumps. "Fuck yesss!"

"Road trip, road trip, road trip!" Benny chants happily.

Christina jumps up and down while giggling. "I'm gettin' my sillies out!" she shrieks at Daya.

"Yaaaay!" Julio and Emiliano shout.

The children are very shrill, but Aleida tries hard not to let it get to her. They're allowed to be enthusiastic about this.

* * *

"Oh, get that one!" Lorna urges Red when they, along with Nicky and Tricia, are at the pet store. "It's yellow and fluffy, like an animal version of Nicky!" She pokes Nicky's side playfully, and the blonde rolls her eyes. "What a cute kitty!"

"Yeah, you're right!" Tricia says. "It _does_ resemble you, Nicky!"

"You guys are weird," Nicky mutters, but she chuckles anyway.

Red peers closer at the cat. "Well, it's the most adorable thing I've seen so far! I'll get it."

About fifteen minutes later, it's determined that the cat is female. Red chooses to name her Melanie Rose on the way home, and the girls squeal about how much they love that decision.

"Aww, I'm gonna call her Melly-belly!" Lorna gushes.

"I'll sneak her into school to attack those clowns, the asinine teachers and students," Nicky murmurs.

"How, if they check everything?" Tricia wonders aloud.

"Don't kill my buzz, dude," Nicky mutters while punching her shoulder teasingly.

"Now, you won't be doing that...they'd confiscate Melanie and throw her out on the street!" Red exclaims.

Nicky sighs in disappointment. "I know. Cats are just great at protecting you! They can hiss at an enemy and totally kick the person's ass!"

"That's part of why I bought one!"

* * *

"She's faking it, making my job even harder!" Charles complains to Diane while they drive to the train station, and she frowns. "No offense, I know Lorna is your daughter's best friend, but now we have to search her house, her room, especially, because we got an anonymous call that she was Piper's killer!"

"She can't have murdered one of her friends...there must be a mistake! She really _does_ have erotomania! It affects her romantic relationships and potential ones, too!" Diane tells him off angrily. She has no idea how he can't understand such a simple thing as mental illness.

"I don't...what even _is_ that? Some lousy excuse for an unrequited crush going haywire?"

"No, not at all! It's fuckin' real, she has it, but now, she's taking medication to manage it!" She raises her voice with each word.

"Oh...I'm sorry, then," he says, seeming to be embarrassed.

"Good!"

Once they're maneuvering through the crowds, Diane sees a homeless guy laying on the dirty ground with a comforter covering him and he's holding up a sign that reads _I_ _was a drummer in the band called Death Maiden; I have now lost all my money because of a debt that I owed to my drug dealer. Need to shoot up...will drum for cash._ She just bursts out laughing at her pathetic ex. "Fuckin' has-been loser!"

"Is that really Lee Burley?" Charles asks.

"Oh, yeah! I always wished he'd hit rock bottom!" Diane kicks his sign and he looks up at her, appearing to be slightly bewildered. "How's it feel, asshole? You got nothin' now!" She doesn't let him answer, and then, she and Charles just get onto their train to Manhattan, where they are going to visit the Empire State Building. Diane wishes Alex could've come with them, but she's occupied with washing cars along with the cheerleaders, then she has a school project and her band club has to practice for the upcoming game on Friday.

* * *

"How are your pills working for you so far?" Ms. Rogers asks Lorna.

"I ain't sure...I'm upset because I don't have as much power while I'm on 'em...but on the other hand, at least I'm not unleashing my inner monster."

"It sounds like you're very conflicted."

"Yeah...when I'm stressed out, it just bubbles at the surface...but I can't do nothin' about it! It feels as if...I have two people inside of me. When I'm in my erotomania mode, like when I was yelling at Vinnie, I felt like he deserved it...but when things are somber, or basically when I wasn't talking or thinking about Vinnie or Christopher, I feel like I may have gone a little far. Like at Piper's funeral, right, I was calm until I mentioned that she helped me get a boyfriend- so I tensed up-but as soon as I went into the next thing Piper helped me with, friendship, _Good_ Lorna replaced _Evil_ Lorna."

"I see, and is it more controllable when you're taking your medicine?"

Lorna nods her head yes. "Mm-hm."

"What do you do to calm yourself down when you have thoughts of jealousy or anger?"

"I squeeze a stress ball, count to ten, breathe in and out until the tremors stop...I get shaky when I'm real mad...or punch the palm of my hand, or if I'm at home, scream into my pillow."

"Those are excellent solutions. Have you considered getting a punching bag?"

"Yeah...I was also thinking of doing yoga with my sister, my friend, Alex, and her ma, Diane."

"That will definitely relax you! Sometimes, talking to a friend could help you, or having a good cry, and someone could also take you somewhere like an empty place and you can scream as loud as you can, because you can't just let rage bubble up inside you or you'll blow up, and that's the last thing anyone wants you to do."

"I don't wish to, either! If I feel it in class, I'll have to leave the room."

"True...and also, dancing, jogging, any sport with a ball could work...it uses up a lot of energy!"

"If I'm using a tennis racket or a baseball, though, I'd need to be alone so I don't accidentally hit the other person with the ball."

"There's an idea! Holding babies can be helpful, too."

"Hmm...like, my nephew, Tommy, when he's born. My sister's pregnant...but I'm thinking that Franny would be worried that I'm too furious to have her son in my arms and squeeze him accidentally!"

"You would focus on not hurting him or her, or you could ask Franny to watch you carefully and take him at any time."

"Okay, but I'm so afraid I'll forget what I'm doing. I'm...I'm scared of myself."

"Just let everyone know if you're gonna hold an infant or toddler, then, alright?" Nicky murmurs to Lorna while soothingly rubbing her thumbs along the brunette's hands.

"I will," Lorna replies.

"Something else is bothering you," Nicky points out when they get home.

Lorna closes her eyes and then opens them. "P...they're thinking I actually killed Piper, and they're getting the police here to search the house. I thought...I didn't do nothin'! Nicky, I swear...I never..."

"I know you didn't." Nicky pulls Lorna in for a hug and kisses the top of her head. "It's gonna be okay, kid. I mean, sure, they'll look around, but they're not gonna find a single thing that links you to her murder!"

"Yeah, they will..."

Nicky appears to be confused. "Huh?" Lorna gulps and pulls the package out from beneath her bed. Nicky's eyes grow wide. "Holy shit! Did you really-"

"No! It came from her...not me! There would be bruises on my knuckles and stuff...and there weren't, the girls would've said something." She sighs exasperatedly and buries her face into her hands while whimpering and shaking. "I actually dunno anymore! Would you stop being my friend if I...caused her death?"

"Absolutely not! I never knew her, and from what I've heard about her, she seemed like an asshole. I think P is only trying to frame you like the bitch they are, and you, having a mental illness, are the perfect target. Just throw this out!"

"No..."

"Why?"

"I can't walk through here with bloody clothes! What if Franny came through the door as I was taking it out to a random dumpster, because you know the cops will rifle through ours!"

"You can always hide 'em in a pile of garbage when taking the trash out...I'll retrieve a bag from the kitchen."

"Uh...I can't...P's gonna spill one of my secrets otherwise...to the other girls, that um, Franny had sex with that fuckin' Pornstache to prevent me from landing in juvy when I smashed up Vinnie's car with my baseball bat! It's gonna be so humiliating if they find out...Nicky, I gotta take the fall for this."

"No! Lorna, come on, they're not gonna judge you for that...they know Pornstache is disgusting, and you were having an erotomaniac episode, but it hadn't been discovered yet. They'd understand."

"Okay..."

Nicky walks out of the room and returns with a plastic trash bag already filled with some garbage. Lorna watches in awe as the blonde dumps Piper's clothes into it, shakes it up, and continues emptying trash bins in the other rooms, like she's doing a regular chore. The front door closes and then opens after a minute. Nicky comes back upstairs and Lorna hears her washing her hands. "All done!"

"Whoa, you're amazing! Thank you!"

"No problem!"

Five officers comb through Lorna's room and her whole house for evidence, but they don't ransack either place. CO Ford controls them. He's the most respectful of them all, and only does the bare minimum he has to. Thankfully, Nicky had done such a wonderful job fixing the situation, that they don't suspect her anymore.

"I'm sorry, Miss Morello," CO Ford apologizes. "I should've seen this before, that you really did need help."

"Thanks…I'm taking pills and going to therapy now, so that should stop my outbursts. I'm not completely cured…I know that, but it's being managed."

"That's great! Have a good day!"

"Thanks, you too! Bye!"

"Goodbye."

When he and his co-workers leave, Nicky shuts the front door. "See, kid? Easy as pie!"

"I'm best friends with the right girl!"

"Mm-hm!"

Lorna's Saturday becomes busy all of a sudden, so she has to cancel her plans to hang out with Juan. She sends him a message on MySpace that she won't be able to do anything until next Friday, and he replies instantly. He's disappointed, but he understands.

* * *

"Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O…" the kids sing happily in the van while also teasing Leon, since his last name is McDonald, which is very close. He's driving, Aleida's in the passenger seat, Gloria and Daya are in the middle seats, and the small children are in the back, in carseats, except for Benny, who's using a booster. Everyone laughs as they continue the song. Gloria had pushed Julio in his stroller as Aleida and Leon swung Benny back and forth between them, and Daya took hold of each of her brother and sister's hands, as they all explored and then walked to Carmine's Italian Restaurant for lunch. They'd taken many pictures in New York City and at the restaurant. Gloria had tried to pay, but Aleida and Leon hadn't let her, since it's her day and they're treating her. Daya beams fondly at the Polaroid that their waitress had taken of the eight of them.

"Such a nice, blended family," she'd said, and then they'd toasted to Gloria being free for an entire thirty days now. Leon's arms are wrapped around Aleida's waist, Gloria is on the other side of Aleida and carrying Julio with her free hand on top of Benny's head as he looks up at her in childish wonder, and he's hugging her legs, and Daya is in front of her mother and psuedo aunt, kneeling down just enough so that she doesn't appear to be taller than them, and holding Christina and Emiliano close to her. Meanwhile, Aleida is flipping through the cute photos that are on Leon's EOS Kiss Digital camera, when they'd visited Times Square. She shows the others which she comments are her favorite pictures, ones of only the women, Daya, and Christina-with the little girl in Daya's arms and the two of them between Gloria and Aleida; then just Leon with Benny on his shoulders and Emiliano and Julio with their arms around each other in front of Leon and Benny; and finally all eight of them, Leon, Aleida, Daya, and Gloria, standing next to each other in that order, with a little tyke sitting atop each of their shoulders and holding hands. Leon had Benny, unsurprisingly so, Aleida took Christina, Daya with Emilio, and Gloria scooped up Julio and put him up there.

"Twinkle twinkle traffic light, around the corner, shining bright, red means stop, green means go, and yellow means go very slow!" Benny and Christina belt out in unison.

"Very good!" Aleida praises them.

"What's the baby's name?" Christina asks while brushing her Barbie doll's hair.

"I don't even know if it'll be a boy or girl yet!" Daya responds, handing the photo to Gloria for her to look at. She turns around to face the children.

"I want a girl!" her younger sister exclaims, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"No way! Boys are better!" Emiliano insists, and Christina sticks her tongue out at him.

"I'd say the same, 'cept Chrissy's the nicest girl I ever met!"

Christina grins shyly. "Thanks, Benny. You're the only boy in Miss Stacy's class who doesn't have cooties! So...I like you."

"I like you, too. We could...share my banana!" He breaks it in two and offers her half.

She eats it. "Thank you," she mumbles while chewing.

"Welcome!"

"Aww, you guys are adorable," Gloria tells them, and everyone else beams.

* * *

"I've never lived alone before, my roommate in college was my good friend, Nadezhda, then Dimitri and the boys...it's quite nice, actually," Red lets everyone know. She's invited the girls and her friends to her new place for dinner and to pick out songs they want to hear at her housewarming party next weekend. Lorna, Nicky, Tricia, Alex, Theresa, Flaca, and Maritza are the first to arrive. They're in wonder of her apartment and squeal over Melanie right away.

"I'm happy for you, then!" Nicky answers her.

"Yeah, same...and oh my goodness, I love your kitty, she's so adorable!" Lorna gushes while petting her. The others follow suit, but then Melanie gets sick of the attention and runs into another room, only to come back and curl around Red's legs.

"Aww, she's super timid!" Maritza comments.

"Yeah, maybe let her get used to you all!" Red advises them. "Oh, I have an idea...why don't you girls just have Gloria and Fahri meet at my housewarming party?" she asks.

"Thank you for the offer, Red, but we wanna stick with the original plan!" Lorna replies.

"Yeah, it's more fun!" Flaca agrees.

"One little problem, guys...I got into a small argument with Fahri and it was my fault," Alex confesses. "I was being a bit snappy...so I feel kinda guilty asking him for a favor like giving me a ride now...I apologized, but...I dunno if it was sincere enough."

Flaca is insulted that Alex would risk ruining things by being a brat, something she could do any other week of the year. "Dude, why the fuck would you go and spoil shit like that?"

"Sorry!"

"Damn it, Vause," Nicky mutters. "Lorna and Flaritza mapped it out perfectly, you had one job!"

"Chill out, I can fix this! How about...you write him an apology note from your favorite actress?" Lorna suggests. "Instead of signing your name, use Cate Blanchett's. He'll find it cute and endearing!"

Alex grins. "That's clever, I'll try it!"

"I hope to hell it works," Maritza grumbles.

When Blanca, Maria, Diane, Charles, Leon, Aleida, Gloria, Daya, and the small children arrive, Alex pulls Nicky, Flaca, and Daya aside. The adults are busy talking, Lorna is playing with Melanie and the kids, Tricia is helping Red in the kitchen, and Maritza is explaining to everyone that her mother isn't here because of another case. When Diane, Charles, Leon, Aleida, Gloria, Daya, and the small children arrive, Flaca greets Aleida and Leon with, "What up, McDiaz?" She and Maritza giggle and hi-five.

They get confused stares until Maritza quickly explains, "We just combined your last names, Diaz and McDonald," and laughter ensues.

Alex pulls Nicky, Flaca, and Daya aside. The adults are busy talking, Lorna is playing with Melanie and the kids, Tricia is helping Red in the kitchen, and Maritza is explaining to everyone that her mother isn't here because of another case.

"I hate myself for asking or even thinking this, but do you think that possibly...Lorna could be, you know?" Alex questions Nicky when Lorna isn't in hearing distance. "P or Piper's-"

"She has a mental disorder! Leave her alone!" Nicky interrupts her.

"Yeah, we're aware of that, but even with that condition, you could've still hurt someone without meaning to or you can't remember if you did," Flaca says.

"Ladies...she's innocent, alright? She's just got a mental illness, and as her friends, we need to always make sure she takes her antipsychotics."

"We just don't understand why Lorna would beat up Piper over a guy...it's really no big deal that she was flirting a bit. It's not like he went for her!" Daya replies.

"I get it...Piper was pushing Lorna's buttons, probably knowing full well about her mental state. Even if she's not in love with a boy, she can still show it by displaying mood swings, like getting angry over something small or acting very offended!"

"Ohh..." they murmur altogether. Nicky, Alex, Daya, and Flaca rejoin the rest of the group.

"How'd therapy go?" Maritza is asking Lorna.

"Ms. Rogers said I have something called erotomania! You can Google it if you'd like. I'd never heard about it until she told me, but it sounds like me, so...I'm taking pills for it!" Lorna announces, and Nicky moves to be next to her and rubs her shoulders in support. "It's where the person who has it, believes that someone of a higher power like a celebrity, or tycoon, or a popular classmate, like Christopher, is deeply in love with them. I wanted to tell y'all at once so I don't gotta explain it to each person individually."

They seem to accept this, and the girls, Red, Diane, Gloria, and Aleida give her hugs.

"We'll help you with whatever, yo," Tricia says, and the others agree.

"Thanks," Lorna responds.

Then, Maritza waves Flaca over and pats the area beside her. Flaca sits there, and then Maritza speaks out about the traumatic event she hadn't ever known about up to today. Everyone but Flaca gasps in horror and the women and girls wrap their arms around her.

"How awful!" Nicky comments.

"What a nightmare!" Lorna chimes in.

"I can't even imagine!" Daya adds.

"I'm so sorry you and your motha had to go through that, _mija_ ," Gloria tells Maritza.

"Yeah, it makes my heart hurt," Aleida says.

"Mine, too," Diane agrees.

"I'm with you on that," Alex puts in.

"We won't judge you or Lorna any differently!" Blanca lets Maritza know.

"I appreciate it!" Maritza chirps.

* * *

"Hey, Fahri, you've got mail," Alex lets him know as he lets her into his apartment on Sunday morning. She gives him the letter she'd written and watches him open it with interest. "You can read it out loud."

"Okay...Dear Fahri...Alex is genuinely sorry for being rude to you. She knows you're just looking out for her. You're an excellent male role model in her life, and way better than her own father was. She hopes you can forgive her. Sincerely...Cate Blanchett?"

"Yeah, she handed that to me, to give to you," Alex says with a straight face.

He laughs and pulls her in for a hug while also giving her a noogie. "Of course I forgive you, kiddo!"

"I'm glad! I really mean it...I was on drugs, but it doesn't excuse nasty behavior. You're like an uncle, and I respect you a lot! I only say that because you're my mom's friend, so..."

"I get it."

"That's settled...so do you mind giving me a ride to Friendly's after school tomorrow? I usually meet my mom at Friendly's by taking the bus, but I wanna save money. Besides, if you're looking to work at Martin Van Buren High, you should see it."

"Sure, Al. I'm actually touched...I'd love to!"

"Thank you!" she squeals, almost too loudly, but she makes sure not to blow her cover.

"Anytime."

* * *

Clouds of cream swirl in Red's coffee as she lifts the cup to her lips, preparing to take a sip. Melanie starts meowing. "What is it?" she asks her cat after downing some coffee. "I already gave you food...and you graciously took a dump twice on the carpet. Thanks for that hour of cleanup time! It's a good thing you're cute, or I'd throw you out!"

The meowing grows more intense, and Melanie claws at the front door while hissing and arching her back, as if she's in attack mode, so Red sets down the hot beverage. She peers out the window, but sees nothing threatening except for a few pigeons perched on the grass. "I'm not going to let you out to eat birds and bring them back in here! It's just not happening, Melly."

Right after she says this, though, there's a thumping at her front door. Red looks through the peephole and nearly has a stroke. "Let me in, Reznikov!" the gruff voice commands. "Do it, or you'll be in more trouble!"

"I have a knife!" Red informs Piscatella. She grabs the biggest and sharpest one she owns and grips it so hard that her fingernails dig into her palm, and opens the door. As soon as he stomps in and punches her to the ground while stepping on her knife, Melanie lunges at him with her hair raised, claws at his cheeks, and not even five seconds later, he rips her off him and throws her across the room. "Your fucking feline scratched me, Reznikov!" he bellows. "Get me bandages, I'm bleeding!"

"Don't touch her!" Red growls and then gasps for breath. Melanie whimpers, but then, gets herself up from behind the couch, jumps over it, and stretches before jumping on Piscatella again and digging her claws into his eyes. He makes another attempt to escape her, but she's not letting him go this time. She makes more bloody lines down his neck and all over his face as he stumbles around the room, banging into the walls, counter, and finally, tripping over the coffee table. Red stands up shakily. "Is that how you want to go? Frankly, I've always imagined your death being a little...neater...but this works for me!" She finishes him off by stabbing him in the back of the neck, and then, just like Claudette after a successful murder, she cleans her knife and puts it away.

* * *

"It's October eleventh, which was the date of the twins' birthday in _The Parent Trap_ , and the exact same day we're setting up Gloria and Fahri!" Lorna says excitedly when school is over. Since Piscatella wasn't here, she and Nicky were finally able to skip Biology class. The students are still being rude, but it's not as bad as it was when Piscatella was around. Things are really looking up for her.

"That's like, such a neat coincidence!" Flaca points out.

"Yeah…it's perfect!" Maritza squeals.

The three of them are standing watch by the cafeteria, but slightly hidden so Fahri doesn't see them as he walks in to pick up Alex, and they know Daya will keep Gloria from noticing the girls. Nicky walks by them, taps her nose, and points to where Gloria and Daya are. It's their cue that Alex has told her Fahri is on his way and that Red, Aleida, Norma, and Claudette have left. He'll arrive in about five minutes, so Lorna hurriedly goes into the kitchen's backroom, just to freshen up Gloria's appearance. She knows that slaving over a hot stove all day wearing a hairnet will make a person's hair flat and their forehead and hands sweaty. Daya and Gloria are sat down on the stools, chattering away. "Hey, Gloria! Let me just…"

"Whoa, what you doin'?" Gloria asks as Lorna digs her lipstick out of her purse.

"It's kinda faded. You can't go wrong with a little lipstick!"

"Um, okay…thanks…"

Lorna swipes a coat of red along Gloria's top and bottom lip, fluffs out her hair, and pushes her headband back further so her side bangs fall out and frame her face beautifully. "There! Doesn't she look great, Daya?"

Daya nods with a toothy grin. "Very nice."

Gloria raises an eyebrow at Lorna. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you're always pretty, but it's fun to primp yourself after a hard day of work. See?" Lorna holds up a compact mirror in front of Gloria. "I'm bein' honest, you're lookin' fab!"

"Oh yeah…wow. You certainly boosted my confidence! I never styled my hair like that before."

Lorna spritzes perfume into the air around Gloria. "I wonder why. Rub that in! Oooh, I gotta go to cheerleading! Bye, you two!"

"Bye!" Daya and Gloria call out to her.

Blanca and Maria take Lorna and Maritza's places since they don't have any after school activities.

* * *

"What are we waiting for?" Gloria claps her hands a few times rapidly. "Let's go!"

Daya glances out the backroom's window nervously, but neither Alex nor Fahri have shown up yet. "No, you can't leave..."

"Where's Aleida? I gotta pick up-"

"Leon's taking her to get the kids, so there's no hurry."

"Why would we wanna stay longer in this damn place?"

"Alright, we can go." Daya stands up, staggers over to the counter where a dish is, and purposely brushes it off. It crashes onto the floor and breaks into numerous pieces.

"Dayanara Diaz, what the fuck?!" Gloria shouts. "You gonna help me clean this up now."

"Shit, Gloria, I'm so sorry! I got clumsy."

"Nah, I don't wanna hear it! Get a broom and dustpan, and then we vacuum up the rest."

"Okay..."

By the time they finish cleaning up the mess while music plays, Daya can hear Alex and Fahri arriving. Gloria isn't able to since she hadn't been listening for them, plus, she's not close to the door like Daya is. "Here's the famous cafeteria's backroom, where we girls go to feel safe!" she's explaining to him in the entryway. "Hey, I think your tie's a bit crooked...lemme fix that."

"Thanks, but how come-"

Alex's voice gets louder. "Oh, man, I forgot something...in art, and I need to get there before Ms. Fischer goes home! Hold on, I'll be right back! Just wait in there for me, if you don't mind!" Alex rushes off, and Daya gasps sharply while holding her stomach in feigned agony.

"You got cramps or somethin', honey?" Gloria asks her in concern.

"Mm-hm," Daya groans. "They really hurt...so bad..." She rolls her eyes all the way back into her head and collapses dramatically, but Gloria prevents her from hitting her head.

"You need me to take you to the hospital?" Daya doesn't respond, but instead, writhes around on the floor, whimpering so much that she's actually able to get some tears to fall out of her eyes. "Oh, my baby!" Gloria takes Daya into her arms and holds her upright.

"What happened?" Fahri asks, alarmed.

"My niece fainted," Gloria answers him emotionally.

"Help me," Daya sobs out, clutching Gloria's hand and reaching for Fahri's. "I need...I need both of you...to stand...I'll be fine...just need water."

"Alright, that's a good sign, isn't it?" Fahri takes Daya's other hand, and together, they assist her to her feet. She makes sure to bring their hands closer together, on her stomach, acting as if she's struggling to get up and her hands are shaking.

"Yeah." Gloria flinches when she and Fahri touch hands accidentally. "Sorry, my bad. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay, neither did I...so I'm the one who should apologize." He smiles at her while his eyes seem to travel up and down her face. She blushes at his gaze and grins shyly.

"Thanks, guys," Daya mumbles while letting go of them and wiping her eyes with her sleeves.

"You're welcome," Fahri says.

"Yeah, anytime. You sure you're okay?" Gloria wonders aloud while massaging Daya's back. She leads her to the fridge and hands her a bottle of water, which she starts drinking.

"I am now."

"Good!" Daya watches Gloria turn to Fahri while hugging herself around her waist, and probably seeing that she wants her space, he keeps his distance. "Not to be rude or nothin', but where'd you come from?"

"Oh, uh, I'm Fahri. My friend's daughter goes to this school, and she was showing me around. She left to get something from Art." He shrugs. "I'm not sure where she is now. Do you work here?"

"Yeah, I'm one of the kitchen ladies...I serve food."

"Cool! I'll be a janitor soon enough somewhere...I hope my interview with Mr. Caputo this morning went well."

Gloria waves away the thought. "Don't worry about that...he hires just about everyone."

Fahri beams. "Fantastic!"

"It isn't always...that way," Gloria mumbles.

"What do you mean?"

"He lets the worst animals get jobs," she informs him in a brisk manner. "Anyway...my name's Gloria, in case you were wondering," she introduces herself timidly. Daya beams inside at the fact that he'd let her tell him who she was instead of pressuring her for personal information.

They exchange a fast handshake. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"You, too."

While they're not paying attention to her, Daya sneaks out and finds her friends to tell them it had gone extremely well.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, Hannah1Mileyfan and A Star In My Universe!**


	34. You Win Some, You Lose Some

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!** **Hope y'all don't have too much bad luck this Friday, October 13th!** **Warning: violence, mutilation, gore, and sexual harassment.**

The kitchen's backroom is so silent that Gloria almost forgets that Daya is still in hers and Fahri's presence. "Funny thing is, Daya here ain't really my niece, but she's like one to me, so I'm also close to my friend's daughter."

"Aleida's, right?" he guesses.

"Yeah...who's yours?" she asks awkwardly, wondering how he knows Aleida, yet she'd never seen or heard of him before.

"Diane. I was Alex's babysitter for a dozen years when she was younger."

"Interesting." Suddenly, it clicks inside Gloria's head. Knowing the girls, she senses they're up to something huge. Lorna had touched up her lipstick and hair, Daya made a huge fuss about not wanting to go home yet, when normally, she wants to leave as fast as she can, and Alex had Fahri come directly to where Gloria was. Her face flushes with embarrassment and nerves fill her entire being once she realizes exactly what they're trying to do. " _Ay d_ _ios mío_ , I'm sorry...um...I gotta talk about somethin' private with Daya..." She searches around for the girl, but she's no longer here. "Daya!" she calls out. "I need to speak with you!" There's no answer. After gritting her teeth and letting out an annoyed sigh, she goes to find Daya. "You can stay there," she tells Fahri over her shoulder.

"Okay."

The only place where Daya and her friends would be, is in the gym for Lorna, Nicky, and Maritza's cheerleading practice, so Gloria powerwalks there. She opens the door and the eight mischievous girls are giggling together as the three on the squad stretch. "You sneaky bitches!" she yells, making everyone look up, startled, and stop talking.

"Ooohhhh, shit!" Tia says.

"Someone's in _trouble_!" Brook sings. "Watch 'em get away with it, though, if it's who I think it is!"

"You know who you are...so join me outside and explain what the fuck is goin' on here!" Maritza, Nicky, and Lorna apologize to Ms. Jones and excuse themselves to go with Gloria, and Flaca, Daya, Alex, Blanca, and Maria reluctantly trail after them.

"Yeah, she loves them too much to stay mad at 'em for long," Ella agrees.

"Mm-hm," Caitlin and Tiff mumble in unison.

"Who's idea was this to have me in a room with some stranger?" Gloria asks sternly while folding her arms across her chest as soon as the door shuts behind them.

Lorna, Flaca, and Maritza silently raise their hands, but then, the others follow suit.

"He's basically like Alex's tío, just like you're a tía to Daya! You have shit in common already!" Maria informs her.

"We waited a month! Those three wanted to do it earlier, like September twenty-eighth, but the rest of us told 'em to not do it 'til now!" Blanca protests.

"Yeah!" the girls chime in.

"For what? Why did you get me alone with Fahri?"

"You weren't _alone_ , Daya was there!" Flaca tells her.

Gloria quirks up an eyebrow. "Uh-huh...barely! I don't even know him, what if he was an ax murderer?"

"Do you really think we'd stick you in an empty area with some dude if we had no idea who he was?" Maritza asks.

"What'd you think of him?" Lorna wonders out loud.

"He's handsome and nice, but so was Arturo at first, and you see how well that turned out!"

"You guys were having a great first conversation, and I was gonna come right back!" Daya insists.

Gloria sighs heavily and rolls her eyes. "When did you girls meet him?"

"Since that day we all skipped school, but Alex and Diane have been friends with him for fifteen years! If he was a terrible person, they'd be dead or have extreme PTSD!" Lorna points out.

"You're comfortable with Leon, how long has he been in your life?" Daya questions Gloria. "One fuckin' month, and you're basically siblings."

"That ain't fair. He's Aleida's boyfriend, not mine. I don't got nothin' to worry about."

"The point Daya's trying to make, Gloria, is that he's a good one. We wouldn't have let you be by yourself with him if we didn't trust him, and Alex definitely would never have brought him in there!" Nicky exclaims.

"Yo...you can ask Diane if you don't believe us," Flaca says.

"We just...we wanted you two meeting and striking up a romance," Lorna confesses. "You deserve to be loved by a wonderful man."

"Yeah, we were aiming to make you happy by being like those little white twin matchmakers in _It Takes Two_ ," Flaca adds.

"Thank you for the sentiments...but I felt uncomfortable and flustered," Gloria admits. "He told me his name, and I felt like he expected me to say mine back, so I did, a while later. All men are like Arturo, but Leon is an exception. I barely speak to Charles, but I guess he's fine, if Diane adores him so much. I don't trust the male species. I'm fine bein' single...I don't need a man to complete me!"

"We don't expect you to hook up with him or nothin', honest!" Maritza assures her.

"We respect you a ton," Maria chimes in.

"That's right, and if you wanna, like, see if you two are compatible by going out on a friendly date with him, you can," Blanca lets her know. "He can just be your friend."

"Do I have to?"

"No, but we thought you'd work well together...you could go out with your friends," Alex suggests. "I promise you, Gloria, Fahri is incredibly sweet. He would never dream of hurting you, even if you turned him down."

"Yeah!" the others agree.

Gloria can see how badly the girls want this, and she doesn't want to disappoint them. After all, they'd clearly spent time thinking about each detail and preparing for today. "Okay, I'll compromise...I like the safest option best, chillin' as a group."

"We really ain't tryin' to force you," Blanca tells her guiltily. "You don't gotta..."

"It's fine. So, once you met him, you wanted to pair him up with me?"

"Nah, more like, we went to his apartment two days later, saw what he was like, and we just knew he could be the one for you," Flaca responds.

"Wow, a week and a half of such careful planning! I think that's great, such a short time, but you made sure it was a person you knew well, which was very considerate." Gloria smiles. "I'm proud of you girls."

"Thank you!" they reply in unison.

"I can't make him wait too long. I'm gonna go back."

"I'll come with you," Daya volunteers.

"Me, too," Flaca chimes in.

"I should as well...Fahri's probably getting worried about me," Alex says.

"I wish I could, but Nichorello and I got cheer practice," Maritza adds.

"We can go!" Blanca tells Gloria, gesturing to herself and Maria.

"That's alright, but I'm good on my own. I don't wanna look like a baby. Stand outside the door if you'd like!"

"We understand, you're traumatized!" Lorna says.

"Yeah, and you're not a baby at all! You're a grown woman who's been through something horrible, but came out of it with a lot of strength." Nicky lets Gloria know.

"Thanks."

Gloria returns to the cafeteria's backroom with Daya, Alex, Flaca, Blanca, and Maria. She goes inside to see Fahri in the same spot he'd been in when she'd left him, but he's sitting down. "I'm sorry to have kept you," she apologizes. "Um...so yeah, we were set up, to date," she explains sheepishly.

He appears to be perplexed. "Really? I _knew_ Alex was acting weird when she was straightening my tie! She never cares about appearances."

"Those girls are always scheming, but their plans come from their hearts, so they must have thought it would be a good thing to have the two of us alone together."

"Do you?"

"Well, I just got out of a...toxic relationship, so I'm not looking to date right now...maybe we could do somethin' Thursday night, like dinner and drinks, and have our friends join us? Like, adults' night away from the kids and everything else."

"Sure, I'm up for that. I've got coupons to La Fontana's Italian Restaurant."

"That's hella expensive! It's beautiful there, but I could never afford it, and you know Diane..."

"Don't stress, the night's on me."

Gloria's jaw drops to the floor. "Seriously?"

"Of course. I don't mind at all taking you guys out."

"It's cool, I just...I've never known a rich guy before, or at least middle class. Anyway...I assume you know Aleida's boo, Leon, and Diane's guy friend, Charles?"

"Yeah, I met the whole bunch on the seventh, Aleida, Leon, Charles, Theresa, her boyfriend, and Red. I should've figured out what was going on right then!"

"It's fine, I was totally gullible, too. They knew about it, I can't believe the girls told 'em!" Gloria and Fahri chuckle at the same time, and she keeps her eyes on the floor. He's attractive, she must admit, but she doesn't want to stare at him, since that leads to falling in love and then getting hurt. "Oh man, I just realized most of the girls are right outside, and could be listening to every word. They might spy on us! I wouldn't mind, but do you think you'd care?"

"No...I mean, they must have better things to do with their time, but it's their choice."

"Mm-hm."

* * *

As Gloria walks Fahri out, the girls press their lips together to keep from giggling. Even though she doesn't want to be with him romantically, it had semi worked out, since getting to know each other could lead them to becoming a couple in the next few years. This is the first time Alex had really come close to the backroom because she'd felt awkward facing Gloria after her ex knocked her into a wall at Friendly's. Gloria had asked what happened when they were both at Red's place, and Alex had just said Piscatella made her slip and fall down in gym class.

"Come with me, young lady," Fahri instructs Alex and leads her away. She waves at her friends and Gloria as they leave. "You'll be happy to know that Gloria and I struck up somewhat of a friendship, or we will, this Thursday. It's too early to tell, but she's kind and beautiful. She also seems shy...and since she doesn't want a boyfriend at the moment, I won't push her into anything."

"I know. It could always be like that, though," she warns him.

"That's fine. Hey...I noticed some small burn scars and marks on her arms and wrists, like she'd slashed-not poked-herself with a knife a few times, and the first thing that came to mind, is that it was from working in the kitchen and cooking for so many years. I didn't want to ask her about them, since it's too personal."

"There's bound to be accidents," Alex lies.

"Of course, yeah."

He drives them both to Friendly's and orders himself and Alex ice cream. Since it's rock hard, they don't have it right away. Diane is smirking when they appear, and Charles, Aleida, Leon, and the kids are there as well. "Hi, Alex!" Benny greets her, and he and Christina run over to wind their arms around her legs.

She bends down and embraces them. "Hey, you two!"

Emiliano and Julio simply look at her and grin. "Hi!" they call out in unison while waving at her.

"Hi!" Alex responds.

"How'd it go with Gloria?" Diane wonders out loud.

"This Thursday, La Fontana's Italian Restaurant, be there. I'm treating you guys," Fahri answers her.

Aleida beams. "Oh, sounds fancy...like a triple date?"

"Kind of, but she doesn't want to be anything more than friends, and that's okay with me."

"Awesome!" Leon replies.

Alex tiptoes into the backroom and sneaks the money she'd gotten from Kubra into her mother's purse while Diane is busy talking with everyone. She comes back out and eats her treat, acting like she's not hiding anything.

"Hey, whatcha doing stealing my uncle?" Allison asks as she comes into the restaurant, carrying Farah, who's pulling on her mother's hijab.

"Oh, I'm sorry, take my place," Alex mutters and stands up.

"I'm just teasing you, it's fine that you're close to him and all. I totally get it. Mind if we sit with you guys, though?"

"Nope!" Alex says as Fahri moves over to make room for her and pats the spot beside him.

Farah squeaks adorably while reaching her arms toward Fahri, so he takes her instantly and bounces her on his lap. "Hey, little kid!" he says in a funny voice and then taps her nose.

She giggles. "Unca Fahri!" she squeals while pointing at him.

Alex grins at them and begins to tear up, seeing how good he is with children. She'd formed an attachment with him from birth because of it. "Your daughter's really cute," she compliments Allison. "Is it cool if I hold her after his turn is done?"

"Thanks! Yeah, go ahead. She loves the attention, so..."

"I bet! Hey, where's Hassan?"

"He's with Sahar," Allison responds casually.

"That really doesn't bother you?"

"Not at all. It was a mutual agreement between the three of us."

"Huh." Alex nods in understanding. "Hey, I just, uh...I came up with this...you know Julio Mendoza and Emiliano Diaz are in Farah's class, right?"

"Yeah, they play with each other in there, along with Dina. It's parallel play, though...they _are_ quite young!"

"Mm-hmm. I was thinking your uncle could bring her on the days that Gloria and Aleida take their sons. Daya, Flaritza, Lorna, Blanca, Maria, and I want them to form some sort of connection."

"He _does_ need a girlfriend," Allison whispers and then snickers to herself. "He can be dorky!"

"You're telling me! It would be sweet if he had one, but Gloria's not interested in seeing anybody for now. It could change, though, but we're not sure about the if or when."

"Are you two gossiping about me?" Fahri asks.

"Maybe some joking around, but we mean no harm," Alex confesses. "Besides that, we were wondering if you can take Farah to preschool on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Gloria will be there then, dropping her son off, and it's an awesome way for you to get used to seeing each other regularly."

Fahri hands Farah to Alex, and she wraps her arms fully around the small toddler while slowly rocking her from side to side. "I don't want it to look like I'm stalking her, though."

"Just say that Farah is your niece's daughter, and you're helping your sister, saving her time from having to get Farah ready, along with preparing to teach the children. You can maybe always bring her and act surprised when you see Gloria on Wednesday," Allison suggests.

"Okay!"

Farah leans up and hits Alex's glasses as she wiggles around, and then she grabs them, but Alex takes her tiny hands off them. "Kiddo. Yeah, hi. You can't touch my glasses! I can't see without 'em!" She puts her index and middle fingers on either side of Farah's nose. "Got your nose!" she says in a silly tone, and Farah grins up at her. Alex pokes the little girl's belly a few times and she giggles. Alex can't resist giggling either.

"Aw, she loves you!" Allison taps her daughter's cheek. "Don't you, baby girl?"

"Allie!" Farah answers.

"Hey, cutie," Diane coos as she comes up to them. Pretty soon, Alex gives the child to Diane, and then Farah is passed around between Aleida, Leon, and Charles. The kids give her hugs.

"'Milo 'n' Julio!" Farah points them out when she's back with Allison.

"Those are your friends, huh?" Allison wants to know.

"Yeah, Mama!"

"They're adorable, too!" Fahri comments and Alex nods in agreement.

As soon as the restaurant is empty for a while, Fahri takes Alex into the backroom where Diane is. "I wish I offered earlier, but you two can live with me and share the guest room, which is comfortable enough to fit two people."

"Oh, no, we couldn't," Diane replies. "Thank you, though."

"We'd rather not mooch off you, and we're so broke that we can't even pay a third of your rent," Alex tells him guiltily.

"It's okay, you're like family. You can pay me back if you want, but you don't have to."

* * *

"He told us about the dinner comin' up on Thursday, he was at Friendly's with Alex," Aleida lets Gloria know as soon as she and Daya get through the door. "That'll be fun!"

"Yeah...but don't get too excited. We keepin' things casual. He's suave, but I'm waiting for the evil to rise out of him. It only took Arturo one month before he snapped."

"He said he's willing to be patient until you're ready, basically, and it won't bug him if you never are," Aleida assures Gloria.

"Ah, see? He respects your wishes," Daya points out.

"It's day one, honey. He's gotta be a gentleman and show that he's a real friend for the next couple of months."

"Alright. On another note, it's our one month anniversary," Aleida informs her family while hugging Leon. Gloria cheers and hi-fives them both. She hadn't stopped smiling all day. In fact, being with Leon has made her become a lot more cheerful and light, rather than forever in a bitter mood. He's really changed her for the better. Of course, Gloria has helped, but she seems to listen to him more.

"Yes, and what an excellent month it's been with you!" Leon tells her and then kisses her while holding her, making her weak in the knees. "We should pull out the champagne after you get home from college!"

"That's a great idea!"

"Well, congratulations!" Daya exclaims.

"I'm real happy for you," Gloria agrees.

"I wanna ride the horsey-horse!" Benny announces while tapping Leon.

"Okay, little man!" Leon gets down on all fours so Benny can climb on his back. He pretends to gallop all around the room with Benny holding on tight to his shirt. Gloria, Aleida, and Daya start laughing and clapping, and the other kids also look amused.

Christina points at them while giggling. "He looks funny!"

"Yeah, he does! You wanna try having a turn?" Daya asks.

"No..." Christina replies almost silently.

"Who's next?" Leon wants to know.

"Me, me, me!" Julio hollers while jumping up and down, and they watch Leon give Gloria's youngest son a ride. When he's finished, he tosses Julio in the air, but not too high, and catches him. Still though, the women and Daya freak out.

"Ah, be careful, my heart just stopped!" Gloria shouts.

"Yeah, you don't wanna drop him!" Aleida says.

"Jeez, man," Daya puts in.

"I'm always extra cautious of the children!" he assures them.

"My turn!" Benny informs Leon.

"Alright, bud." Leon scoops up Benny, spins him around a few times as the five-year-old giggles happily, and then he throws him up, barely lets go, and grabs him within five seconds. Emiliano and Christina then go over to Leon and jump up and down while begging him to play with them, too. Daya and the women have the same reaction as before, but at the same time, it's cute, since they trust Leon never to drop the kids.

* * *

After her second to last day of community service, Lorna is feeling kind of sad. She'd grown close with Anita and Miss Rosa, and after tomorrow, she'll no longer see Miss Rosa. She'll try to visit Anita as much as she can, though.

She treads upstairs to her room and reaches inside her purse for her key, but starts to panic when she can't find it. "Where's my..." she mumbles to herself. "No, no, no..." She dumps her purse upside down, shakes out the contents, and rifles through it. Her key is still missing. "Fuckin' shit!" She hopes that she hadn't locked it in her room, because that leaves only one bed for her, Nicky, and Tricia to share, and they all don't fit. If she'd left it at school because she was distracted and on Cloud Nine all day, she can still sleep in her room and get a spare key tomorrow.

She sighs with relief when her door opens easily, but then she shrieks bloody murder when she sees Christopher laying on her bed in just his jockstrap as he masturbates. "I guess we like each other's beds, huh?" Christopher stares at Lorna while smirking. "We're gonna be high school sweethearts, you and me. After college, we'll get married and have four children. That's my dream." He snickers. "I'm just reciting exactly what you said to me before, on our first and only date."

"That happened so long ago...why are you repeating it, and what made you remember?"

"It's only three sentences. I'm not a dumbass who repeated English like you. Besides, people can recall their traumas perfectly. Don't you? Or, maybe not, because it wasn't rape...they know you wanted it, since you're a dirty slut."

"Just leave," she orders him tiredly. "I'm not in the mood...I'm so sleepy."

"Maybe you need some coffee, then. After all, that's what started us!"

Lorna runs halfway down the stairs, screaming, "Christopher's in my room!" but her father completely ignores her.

"Stop that girl, she's waking me up!" her mother hollers.

Christopher grabs her from behind and drags her back into her room as she's hyperventilating. "Why are you in here?" He takes off his jockstrap and Lorna covers her eyes. "Oh, jeez! That's gross!"

"I'm aware you lust after me, so I'll put on my jeans so you can't see how erect I am, and it isn't for you. If I wanted to fuck a crazy chick, I'd go to an insane asylum, exactly where you should be, by the way!" He grabs her upper arms and jostles her. "I'm decent, be alert!" She gasps sharply while removing her hands from her eyes. "No woman has ever tried to overpower me...but if one does...make an attempt, she will fail. You think you're big and tough against me? In your dreams, sugar tits. You're tiny. Your legs dangle off bar stools. You look like a fucking child next to me." He's looming over her now. He's not using his size to protect her like she'd wished he would. He's doing this to intimidate her. "You're so frail that you couldn't even leave bruises around Angela's neck."

"Good, I...I didn't want to hurt her...but I'm...I'm getting better, I swear."

"We heard the ticking noise right away, you amateur. You tried to blow up Angela's car and kill her, huh?"

"No...no, I was just mad at her then...I-I wanted to mess it up like I did with Vinnie's...but now I know that what I did was wrong..." Lorna's voice is soft and wavery. It keeps catching in her throat and she's trembling. Her legs are shaking so bad that it's difficult for her to stand. These damn pills prevent her from blowing up and talking stronger than she really is, but at least they keep her out of trouble. The only part she despises is her anger boiling inside of her and the way her hands clench into fists at her sides, and they're not even tight because they're sweaty and her fingernails slip around on her palms. Her stance has always been unthreatening, but she's now just noticing it.

"Stop your stammering, it's pathetic. Are you actually going to try to fight me?" He chortles and cages her in against the wall with his arms. "Let's see what you got. Land a punch. I rejected you, so whatcha gonna do about it? Ooooooh, I'm hoping you don't have a weapon or a date rape drug that you'll trick me with! Come on, you disgusting little bitch!"

Lorna tries to push him away but it's not hard enough. He doesn't budge and there is no fear in his eyes. "Just get the fuck out of my way!" she screams and he lets out a guffaw. She can't stand how her voice is so squeaky when she raises it, but his is booming. She tries to maneuver around him, but he simply won't let her.

"That's a nice potty mouth you got on ya. Use physical force only. Make me have flashbacks and nightmares and panic attacks and look behind me like Angela always does." She's so small that her knee can't reach his crotch. She can't whack him in the face because he's standing tall at six feet, one inch.

"How...how'd you..." she tries to ask, but she can barely get the question out.

"Your dad let me in, but after a quick conversation we had about football and wrestling, he didn't pay much attention to me. He went back to watching the game. Your brother and sister aren't even here! You're abandoned at home, too. That must suck!"

"Franny's bartending all night long and Mikey's at a friend's house...he'll come home and tattle on me to her, but she'll take my side!"

"You made your bed, you lie in it!" He opens her door so fast that it hits the wall and drags her to the top of her stairs. Eventually, he throws her down them, and each step she tumbles over hurts so badly. She attempts using the railing to help herself back up, but he kicks her in the face like he's a wild horse, causing her almost-healed cut on her lip to bust wide open again and she can barely feel the inside of her mouth. She also gets a bloody nose.

"Ow..." she sobs, pressing her fingers to the damaged parts of her face. She tries crawling away from him and she's dizzy with tears. Through her blurred vision, he pulls her keys out from his pocket and throws them at her. "You stole..."

"Yeah, good thing I know your locker combination. You texted it to me plenty of times." Christopher spits into her eyes and she wipes at them while blinking furiously.

"Women, right?" Lorna's father asks from the couch. "I'm sorry she was giving you a hard time, Chris."

Christopher sits next to him on the couch and Joe claps him on the back. "Yeah, at least she's good for one thing, if you just do a sixty-nine with her, she can't even talk nonsense."

Lorna picks up her keys and goes into the kitchen to get ice and then vomits into the sink. There are traces of blood in her puke. She's whimpering and quivering violently, even after she's locked herself in her room and sits on her bed. She tilts her head forward, takes a Kleenex, and pinches her nostrils together for a total of ten minutes, to make sure the bleeding has stopped. After that, she gets into her pajamas and prepares for bedtime. By the time she's finished, Nicky taps on her door from the outside and Lorna allows her to come in.

"Holy shit, what happened?"

"We need to get outta this house," Lorna cries. "I can't...I thought I could deal with it, but I can't..."

"Okay...well, I'm here now, baby." Nicky gathers Lorna into her arms. "Come on, I'll take you to the beach tomorrow night and we'll have a picnic, but tonight, we'll just sleep."

Lorna sniffles. "Christopher creeped into my room and...and he attacked me. He came from outta nowhere..."

"You're kidding! Who the fuck let him in?" Nicky asks gruffly.

"My fuckin' dysfunctional father...I hate him. Why couldn't _he_ have gotten cancer, huh? He don't understand nothin' about me...he lectured me about the Healy thing...that's the only time he's ever talked to me in the last few years." She takes in a shuddering breath. "I actually listened to him, Nicky...he seemed real genuine and concerned about me, but then...then came the criticism...and makin' me wanna kill myself and shit!"

Nicky presses her lips into Lorna's hair and continues to hold her as she tucks them both in. "It's one of the many unjustified parts of life...the kindest people have awful things happen to them, while terrible monsters get to live normally in society."

"I only have myself to blame, though...all I talked about before was Christopher, so I understand why my dad would let him in..."

"He's an idiot, though. I'll go speak to him for ya."

"It's fine, you don't have to-" Lorna starts, but Nicky heads downstairs anyway. Lorna watches her kick the couch to wake him up. "You need to converse with your daughter more often, like a real dad would do. Lorna despises Christopher now...she didn't want to see him at all, and he was so brutal with her recently! Did you even notice when she stopped talking about him?"

Joe scoffs. "She's always out with you, when would I notice?"

"Oh, how about when she comes home at almost nine every night? I'm not here for a whole hour!"

"She holes up in her room."

"Think about why she'd do that."

"What exactly did you do to those assholes?" Lorna asks when Nicky returns.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't do much physical damage since weapons are forbidden at school...but uh, I recorded them discussing you in the boys' bathrooms and locker rooms, through a chip that Taystee installed in my St. Joseph's necklace, and sent that, and the YouTube link of you being...raped...to every female family member they had on Facebook...sisters, cousins, mothers, aunts, grandmas, you name 'em." Lorna gapes at Nicky in astonishment and she starts giggling. "Yeah, I can be just as vicious...those fucktards are gonna be grounded for years and probably kicked out of their houses and banned at family reunions. They didn't even confront me about it, they're so embarrassed. Sure, I had to deal with stark naked guys wolf-whistling at me, but I got what I needed, and you're so worth it. Also, Pennsatucky heard the rumors at school and told Boo, who scared 'em off, and I got 'em all arrested, but never mentioned your name."

"Wow...thank you," Lorna murmurs, beaming.

"Anytime, sweet girl." Nicky smiles at her and kisses her cheek. "Now I'm gonna call the police on Christopher again!"

* * *

During the time that her mommy has had Leon in their lives, Christina has grown accustomed to how much better of a daddy he is than Cesar. He doesn't do anything bad to hurt or scare her or the other kids and he's even spoiled them with dessert and dare she think it, love. For years, she'd been hearing about all kinds of things her peers' daddies had done with them and she's always been sad since she'd never experienced it before Leon. She asks Benny to tell Leon what she wants for her fifth birthday, since if she says her wish out loud, it won't come true. Benny is one of her best friends, and they share everything with each other. So, it makes her excited when Leon is kissing Benny good night and he sits up, prepared to talk. "I need to say something _big_!"

"Okay, buddy, what is it?"

"Chrissy and I are really happy that you don't play with not-sugar, because it makes people be mean, like Cesar, so we hope you don't start to!"

"I have no interest in doing that. You kids are more important!"

"Yay! She's my bestest friend in the whole wide world, and I want her to have a nice daddy. Sooo...can you _please_ marry Tía Aleida? You helped her to not do bad stuff anymore!"

"One day, maybe in the future," he answers.

"Why not on Chrissy's birthday? It's her special wish!"

"I'm sorry, Benny, but when grown-ups are in love, they don't always marry right away," Leon explains, and Christina is slightly disappointed, but she accepts it. She just hopes he and her mommy can get married sometime in the next year, at least. He lives with them now, and that's good enough for her. "Wouldn't a fun backyard party or the newest Barbie doll be her real special wish?"

"Yeah..."

"Alright, good night, buddy!"

"Night-night!"

When he leaves, Christina gets out of her bed and makes her way over to Benny. "Thanks, Benny! You're my bestest friend ever, too!" she exclaims while they hug each other.

* * *

"Yo, whatcha doin' back here, Amanda?" Poussey asks as Taystee strolls down the halls of her old school. She senses something different about it, probably because Piper is no longer here and she hasn't yet noticed Piscatella lumbering around. "Not that I ain't glad to see you or nothin'!"

"Hey, McKenzie!" They exchange their secret handshake and hug while giggling. "I failed English! Only Caputo found out, and Fig couldn't bother dealing with all the paperwork to have me stay one more year," Taystee mutters, rolling her eyes. "Bright side is, I get to see my peeps again!" She notices Brook walking towards them. "Oh, there's your boo! I'mma go find my sister and her crew. They probably with the lunch ladies! That's where I saw 'em last."

"Alright, see ya 'round, Tays!"

"Peace!" Taystee does an exaggerated, fancy spin, which gets Poussey and Brook to chuckle, and then walks away, while also keeping an eye out for Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps. She hums to herself as she goes to the cafeteria's backroom. "Oh, Miss Claudette!" she sings.

The older woman turns around and immediately smiles at her and embraces her. "Taystee, how nice of you to visit us! Don't you have work soon, though?"

"Uh, about that...I'm actually...retaking a class, since I flunked it."

Miss Claudette appears to be confused and she releases Taystee. "How come?" A stern expression crosses her face and she puts her fists on her hips.

"Well, you thought I was so smart last year, right?" Taystee sighs guiltily. "Not in English! Apparently, you can't use _ain't_ and curse words in essays. Man, I'm lucky I got Alex's mama this time around. She's more lenient and kind! I should have you proofread 'em, too, since you're like, brilliant in stupid grammar!"

"I will, as long as you promise to work hard and pass! Senior year is _not_ the time to be a clown!"

"I know...and I'll take English serious this time."

Miss Claudette's frown disappears. "Good!"

"Now where the girls?" She quickly catches a glance of them sitting on the counters. "Hey, y'all!" she greets them.

"Taystee!" Nicky hollers and throws her arms around her. "We heard you talkin' to Miss Claudette. Sucks, dude..."

"At least you can protect us, huh?" Lorna asks.

"Hell yeah, but I'mma switch between you and my other homegirls!" Taystee points at Flaca. "You owe me a King Cone, girl."

"Oh, right! Thanks for the reminder. I'll get ya one after my band practice! We'll go to the place together."

"Sounds cool. Daya...I heard about what went down with Cindy. Sorry 'bout that...she can get bitchy!"

"It's okay. We worked it out."

"So, what's changed lately at ol' Martin Van Buren since I been around?" Taystee rests her elbows on Nicky and Maria's shoulders.

"First of all, Ratman and now, Piss-cuntella, are mysteriously gone," Blanca reports.

Taystee snickers. "I hope they both dead!"

"Me, too! We got a new cook...Aleida, Daya's mom," Maritza chimes in while pointing her out. "She's super good!"

"Gracias, cariño," Aleida says in passing, squeezing Maritza's shoulder fondly.

"De nada," Maritza responds. "So, that's about it."

"Yo, it's been a long time since we hung out, us two and Stephanie," Maria tells Taystee.

"I know, you wanna have us three chill soon?"

"Mm-hm."

Red, Gloria, and Norma file in and wave at Taystee, so she returns the gesture. They quickly get to work, helping Claudette make breakfast.

"I didn't know you guys were all friends," Alex says.

"Yeah, we was a tight-knit clique in elementary school and real close with Sanka before she turned into a dirty white rag in sixth grade!" Taystee explains. "You see, what we had in common was social justice, even at an early age."

"You'd think, with such a diverse group of friends, she'd never become a racist cunt," Blanca mutters. "You musta been too embarrassed to tell me about having sleepovers with her and shit, huh, Maria?"

"I was! Sorry I never talked about it."

"It's alright."

"What made y'all grow apart?" Flaca wonders aloud. "I didn't see you with each other or anything. For me, Daya, Lorna, and Alex, it was 'cause of Piper's disappearance. We came together again when she died."

"I dunno...after Stanky-pants was kicked out, we made other best friends...like for me, Poussey, and Maria found Blanca, and as for Stephanie, she and Alana were more suited for each other," Taystee replies. "The three of us ain't exactly sisters no more, but it don't mean we can't be pals."

The girls nod in understanding.

* * *

"Guess what, Christopher?" Nicky begins as she stomps up to him. "Lorna has a serious mental disorder that makes her act the way she does, and she doesn't mean any harm. I'm doing my damn best to get Lorna some help, and she's willing to make herself better. She'll leave you and Angela alone from now on. Could you cut it out with the creepy shit, like crawling into her room when you know that's wrong?"

"You won't even give me a smile or a wave...in fact, Joey and I had to spend a night in jail because of you, so why would I do anything you demand?"

"Would you rather stick your dick in crazy or get your ass fucked by a dude?" Brent asks Christopher, and the guys around them snigger. The girls glare at them and Lorna holds Nicky and Alex's hands tighter.

"Either way, that'd be cheating on Angela, but at least I'd do that nutjob so hard that she wouldn't be able to talk and it would be quick! She's fuckable if she just doesn't open her trap...also, I ain't no faggot!" Christopher replies, and he and his friends laugh boisterously.

"Oh, if I wasn't angry enough!" Nicky shouts at them.

"You fuckin' assholes are so disgusting!" Alex chimes in.

Christopher spits at Lorna, so she does it back to him. "You gonna go _Fatal Attraction_ and boil bunnies or chop his dog's head off, push it through the doggy door, and hold his family hostage in their own home like in _Fear_?" Jody asks meanly, and Flaca and Maritza push her far away from Lorna.

"You could pour acid all over his car or pretend you're pregnant with his child!" Tammy suggests, and Daya, Blanca, and Maria force her out of the hallway and into another one.

As they're coming back, Lorna opens her locker. A bloody dog head with a knife stuck through it falls out, and she, along with the other girls, start shrieking and backing away. Lorna wants to puke, and her friends appear to be queasy as well. Christopher disappears and returns with Humps. The girls hide Lorna and Maritza behind them, but he finds them anyway. "Our class could dissect this! Wow, neat, nothing to lose your marbles over!" Humps picks it up, jiggles it in his arms, and leaves.

"That's how Benardo went down in _West Side Story_ , right?" Joey asks with a sneer.

"What sick fuck did this?" Nicky hollers.

"Oh, please, she was saving that for her dinner tonight!" Angela insists. "Serves her right...this was the second time I've had to bail Christopher out of jail on account of her! If he gets arrested again, I'll make her pay for it!"

"I gotta throw up before I faint," Lorna mumbles.

"Me, too," Maritza says, and they both run to the bathroom together, holding hands. They're relieved when their friends catch up and take care of them.

* * *

"Yo, we gotta ask you some questions about your whereabouts on Labor Day of last year," Flaca lets Suzanne know as she, Daya, Lorna, Nicky, Alex, and Maritza sit at her table. They're across from Suzanne, Maureen, Taystee, Poussey, Brook, Cindy, and Janae.

"Brook and Cindy told you already, she was working!" Maureen says.

"Let Suzanne answer the question," Lorna snaps. "So, what time exactly did you finish your shift...around nine, ten at night?"

Suzanne claps her hand over her forehead a few times. "I don't remember!"

"Were your usual hours the same back then?" Maritza asks.

"I guess! I dunno!"

"Suzanne, try to think, alright? Lorna has memories of you...punching Piper-"

"That bitch is crazy, man!" Cindy interrupts Nicky, earning a glare from the blonde. She points at Lorna, who looks hurt. "Yeah, you don't know shit, so shut yo pie hole!"

"You're at risk of not being invited to the teen mom sleepover after Red's housewarming party on Saturday," Daya warns her. "Lorna's our friend!"

"Ain't the first time a couple 'a crackers blamed a crime on us black people!" Janae piles on, giving Lorna and Nicky death stares.

"Hey, no, that's not it at all!" Alex says, holding up her hands. "We're just seeing if Suzanne was around during the time Piper went missing!"

"You're like, the worst person to ask her...and a whitey shouldn't be defending themselves if they're told they're being racist," Brook points out.

"Mmm-hmm!" Cindy and Janae agree.

"Whoa, don't bring race into this," Poussey mutters.

"Yeah, they're just trying to figure all this out," Taystee adds.

"Suzanne, do you recall anything about that night?" Alex questions her calmly.

"Shut the fuck up, you weed-lovin' ho!" Suzanne yells. She stands up and bangs the table. The girls jump. "Stop interrogating me! I didn't touch that piece of shit that you're so enamored of! Maria and her people stopped me before I could! I'll take a knife to your fuckin' throat!" Everyone in the cafeteria gasps and turn to face their table.

"Ohh, you dumb bitches done did it now," Cindy murmurs and Janae snickers.

"Girl, for the love of all that's holy, settle down!" Taystee orders her, and she and Poussey try to subdue her, but it only causes Suzanne to get angrier and transform into Mara a bit more. The girls start to move away from her so the others can stop her from completely blowing up, but without warning, and just like she'd done to Piper last year, Suzanne throws her blueberry pie at Alex. It takes all six of Suzanne's friends to calm her and restrain her from attacking anyone else with more food.

"You wasted my good pie!" Red yells.

"I'm fine now!" Suzanne announces.

"That was not acceptable!" Diane scolds her. "You need to apologize to my daughter."

"No, she doesn't, you ugly white bitch!" Janae snarls.

"Excuse me? Do you need a detention for talking back to a teacher? That was a reasonable request. I understand you have a mental illness, Suzanne, but actions have consequences. You also threatened to kill Alex! Just say you're sorry."

"Well, I didn't mean it," Suzanne grumbles.

"Ugh," Alex complains, picking it off her shirt and out of her hair with a napkin. "I've been through worse."

"She's a fuckin' idiot!" Maritza exclaims.

"We're totally getting her back!" Flaca decides aloud. The two of them start tossing their beans and rice at Suzanne, and pretty soon, the students in the cafeteria are having yet another food fight.

"I'm sorry, Taystee, but Suzanne needed to get help from a proper mental health facility, and it didn't seem like she was listening to any of you guys," Daya tells her after school.

"It's alright. Vee's gon' be pissed, though. She'll get her out...but I hope after you turned her in, they're able to get a clear statement out of her. At least, then you'll know."

"Lorna's right...I'm sure of it. Suzanne just has the...personality, you know?"

"Yeah."

Flaca grins at Taystee as she hands her a King Cone. "Here ya go...chocolate vanilla cookie crunch, just like you asked for."

"Thanks. It might seem silly to you, but it means a lot to me."

* * *

"Alex can't be here today...she's working," Lorna tells Ms. Rogers as she, Daya, and Flaca walk into the therapist's office.

"That's okay. I'll have to see her individually another time. Do you girls want to talk to me about anything?"

"Yeah, actually," Daya lets Ms. Rogers know as they put their purses down and take their seats. "I'm just really tired of thinking about Piper and I wanna move on. I know the other two are as well, but Alex wouldn't take too kindly to this."

"It's like, we stopped missing Piper," Flaca chimes in.

"She's dead, and I'd rather just let CO Ford figure it out," Lorna confesses.

"Oh, wow." Ms. Rogers sighs. "In that case, I have an exercise for you all. I'd like you to, one at a time, imagine Piper is sitting in this chair and talk to her." She pats the chair.

"That's hella weird! Ain't you supposed to _prevent_ people from interacting with inanimate objects, rather than encouraging 'em to do it?" Flaca asks.

"Why don't you try this and see if it works."

"I'll go first," Daya volunteers.

"Okay."

"You made me feel rotten about myself, and I'm honestly better off without you around. Sure, yeah, you helped me with my brother and sister and got rid of a pedophile PE teacher for me...but Cesar was real good with the kids and protecting me and my ma, too, until he pulled out his gun as a warning. You were the same way...repeatedly calling me _Daya the Dinosaur_ or a cow, and picking me apart for everything I ate or wanted to eat...that was your gun. It stabbed me in the fucking heart...not even the back, because you said it to my face. Therefore, you're nothin' to me. I'm relieved he's in prison and you're fuckin' six feet underground. I'm so done with you, it ain't even funny." She sits up a little taller and tears slip down her cheeks. Flaca's heart swells with pride for her friend and she and Lorna both put their hands on each of Daya's arms.

"That was wonderful," Ms. Rogers praises her. "Did it feel great letting that out?"

"Yeah, it did."

"I know I'm supposed to have a big hole in my heart with you gone, but I don't, because you were awful...manipulative, like a fuckin' snake. You had those assholes wrapped around your little finger...and you made me beg for your forgiveness so I could be accepted back into the clique."

In Flaca's mind, Piper turns around. "It wasn't my fault that my parents were friends with Mr. Humphrey, Mr. Piscatella, Mr. Dixon, and Mr. Stratman...and that was your choice to be so rude to me."

"Mm-hm, but guess what, bitch? You're an airhead! You so stupid that you don't realize that they only were nice to you 'cause of your parents and also, the fact that you weren't in any of their classes! Also, I was defending myself. What, you can't handle criticism? You were incapable of apologizing whenever you took a step too far?"

"I was being honest and giving you advice. Goth girls turn boys off. Tone down the makeup, possibly?"

Flaca laughs bitterly. "You're so wrong. My look is hot, and you ain't even here no more, so I don't gotta deal with your nasty ass! You're dead." She flips Piper off and chuckles when she's finished.

"Okay, excellent job! Wasn't that like a breath of fresh air?"

"Yeah," Flaca murmurs while nodding.

It's now Lorna's turn. "You lied to us so many times that we never knew the real you, so therefore, it didn't feel like we lost a close friend. For me, personally, you weren't someone I wanted in my life. Most of the time, when I was with you, I'd hear _Looney Tunes Lorna_ come out of your idiot mouth, or you'd try to get a reaction out of me for everything you did that you thought would make me overreact, and I was like putty in your hands. You were afraid of me, yet you purposely aggravated me...why? It's dumb...it's like, when someone puts their hands in the lion's cage, they're gonna get eaten. You gave me a boyfriend, but you would toy around with him...what kind of friend _does_ something like that? You're like that kind of abuser who slaps the person but then apologizes shortly after so they'll be forgiven. You're flimsy and fake...and I wish we'd all dumped you at the same time."

"Wow, good!" Mrs. Rogers compliments Lorna. "Did you enjoy the activity?"

"It was fun!"

"I'm glad."

* * *

"I enjoyed getting to know you both," Lorna tells Anita and Miss Rosa while giving them warm hugs and lollipops. Tears are in her eyes. "I think of you like my moms, too."

"Aww, you're sweet, hon. Thanks," Anita says while brushing a tear off her cheek. "You don't gotta cry over us."

"Yeah, I do." Lorna sniffles. "I'll miss you!"

"We'll miss you as well, kid. So...who's gonna be my daughter, hm? I can't wait to get outta here!"

"It's my best friend, Nicky, and she's coming at eight-thirty!"

"Tell her thanks for her help!" Miss Rosa says.

"I will!" Lorna snuggles into her. "I wish you won after your battle with cancer!"

Miss Rosa shrugs. "You win some, you lose some." Before leaving, she hugs Anita and places a kiss on Lorna's head. "Goodbye, shitpots!"

"Inside joke," Anita quickly explains through laughter.

Lorna smiles at the squeal of tires that's heard from out the window, and she just knows that's Miss Rosa escaping this dreary place. She wraps her arms around Anita one last time and then bolts after signing out.

* * *

Throughout the rainstorm that night, the trees are still bending back and forth madly and even though the window is closed, a strong chill sweeps throughout the small space Diane and Alex call home. Alex tucks herself so deep under the covers that her head is barely peeking out. She has just started to calm herself down so she can sleep when she feels some water dripping onto her forehead. She brushes it off, thinking it might be a stray tear that she had mysteriously wiped across her moist face in her sleep, but when more come and Alex had stopped crying from yet another dream about Piper, she discovers something is up. _Literally_ , she thinks, as she glances at the ceiling and sees a tiny, hardly there hole right above her. She groans as she realizes they now have a leak in the roof because of the stupid storm. What had started out as just a light drizzle had become a total flood in only a few hours. Alex can't believe it, but as she gets out from under the covers, she rubs her eyes, puts on her glasses, and staggers to the window in a stupor. Huge puddles are in the street, making cars skid on the road with water splashing high over them. It's a dangerous situation to be in. Now, there's a huge wet spot directly in the middle of her pillow. "Oh great," Alex mumbles hopelessly to herself.

There's a loud gushing sound, and as she lifts her head up to where it's coming from, water bursts through the cracks in her ceiling. She screams as the thick stream knocks her down, sprawling to the floor. It just keeps coming and coming, like a waterfall, right in her bedroom. She's up to her ankles in freezing water. She gets everything she can on top of her bed and then races into her mother's room, where Diane is speaking to Charles on the phone. "Mom! There's a...a huge rainstorm...my room is a pool, and it's only spreading...I think we're gonna be homeless tonight-"

"Not if I can help it, baby. Hang on, Charles..."

There's a noisy banging sound on their front door and Alex is terrified. "Who is it?" Diane asks.

"I'm your landlord, here to inform you that you have an eviction notice. You haven't paid any of your bills..." he drones on and on, and then Diane opens the door just a crack. They see a stocky man in all white, in contrast to the horrible weather outside.

"Look, I'm sorry sir...I'm poor and I thought I could afford this place since I work two jobs..."

"You were very wrong, miss." He points at Alex, who keeps wiping her glasses and squinting. "You're wet as well."

"Please, we can't lose this place or we'll be homeless!" Alex begs through her tears. The water is now up to their knees as she goes into her bedroom and Diane's to gather up everything they owned that was valuable, such as the flowers, the framed picture of the two of them, a few outfits, her favorite CD's, and her phone, which had been thrown onto the night table. The vase has fallen to the side and the flowers float on top of the water. A huge wave crashes against the table, making it fall over as well.

"Sorry, sweetheart, that's how the world works...but you can make your money by walking the streets and taking off that sweatshirt you got on. You both look really hot, by the way," he's saying as Alex returns with the things she'd grabbed.

"Don't do this to us. I'll do anything, just please leave us alone!" Diane says desperately to make him stop advancing towards them.

"What're your names, girlies?"

Suddenly, an engine rumbles and a car barrels through their front door, completely wrecking the front of their trailer park, and they both shriek while hugging each other.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe!**


	35. Surprised

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: Torment, racial and sexist slurs. Happy Halloween! Have a safe and fun night!**

 **Ms. Basara is still Allison's mother but I changed her last name because I had it as Hassan's previously, forgetting that he and Allison aren't actually married for this fic!**

 **tetas de azucar-sugar tits**

"We're not interested!" Diane shouts once they're outside in the freezing, foggy air. They're getting chilled to the bone and soaked to the skin, but at least they're away from that pervert. She notices one of the big trees on their barren lawn was leaning on their trailer park, and a few cracks later, it had finally made the biggest hole she'd ever seen right on their rooftop. Their old place is completely filled up with water, and that disgusting creep who was staring at their chests, is now stuck in there, under the tires, unable to move.

Alex looks up at the sky and blows it a kiss. "Thank you!"

"Diane? Are you okay? What was-"

"Our trailer park was destroyed by both this fucking rainstorm, and then, a car!" Diane explains to Charles frantically, on the verge of sobbing.

"A car?"

"Yes, a car...there was no driver...and it just...drove into our trailer park!" She claps her hand over her mouth as soon as she realizes what she's just said. There's no way he'll come close to being completely involved with any part of her life now. "I guess we gotta rent a motel now..."

"I'll come and pick you up."

"No, that's okay-"

"There's no way you're spending money on some shitty place like that. I've got plenty of room for you two at my apartment."

"We'll come over in our car," she says, dumbfounded.

"Drive safe out there!"

"I will, thanks!"

Thunder booms and lightning flashes. The heavy rain pelts on their faces, but they don't care. "Alex, come on," Diane urges her daughter, who had found a soft spot of wet grass under a tree and is just laying there with her arm covering her eyes.

"I'm too tired! It's what, one in the morning?"

"Ten at night."

"There's no difference!" Alex grumbles.

"I know, but the faster we get to Charles' place, the sooner we can sleep in a comfortable, dry bed."

"Alright," she mutters. "I've got goosebumps anyway and the tree leaves provide no shelter...the raindrops slip off them." They both get into Diane's car quickly and she turns up her heater at it's highest temperature. "I was having trouble keeping myself warm!" Alex tells her while breathing into her hands, making her glasses fog up. "Even my breath is cold."

"Same here." Diane examines her own hands in the dim light and finds that her fingers are getting wrinkled and a little bluish tint is appearing on them.

"I was able to curl my toes, but I feel frozen solid, like an ice cube." Alex takes her arms out of her sleeves and puts them inside her sweatshirt. "I thought I would freeze to death."

"My poor girl!" Diane is very careful of the wet pavement that her tires are threatening to skid on. She drives through puddles and gets nervous of suddenly flying off the road.

When they arrive at Charles' place, they get out of their vehicle. Diane leads Alex along since her glasses are dotted with specks of water. They're already dripping wet and their hair is sticking to the sides of their faces after walking a little ways in the rainstorm. The winds are so strong that even after being in their warm car, they start shivering all over again. Diane rings Charles' doorbell and he lets them in immediately. The gust of heat that sweeps over them is so relieving. He closes the door behind them as they're rubbing their hands together. Charles envelopes Diane into a hug and runs his hands up and down the goosebumps on her arms. "I've got the bed all set up for you two."

"Thank you. We'll be outta here as soon as possible," Diane says.

"You're welcome to stay for as long as you'd like," Charles responds, and Diane's heart lifts.

"We appreciate it," Alex tells him.

"No problem!"

"Are you sure? Don't you have guests here?" Diane asks.

"People rarely come to sleep over. My family sometimes comes for Thanksgiving, but we'll figure something out by then. Never worry about taking up space."

Diane smiles. "Okay, then!"

"Your room is across from the bathroom, and I'm down the hall," Charles informs them. "When your things are ready, I'll get 'em from the laundry."

"Thanks," Alex tells him.

He puts the clothes they're carrying into the dryer and Diane changes into one of Charles' red long-sleeved pajama shirts that come down to her knees, and a pair of black and white flannel pants. Alex slips into gray sweatpants, a matching hoodie, and a purple top, apparently belonging to Charles' niece, CeeCee. Alex gets into bed and closes her eyes before her head hits the pillow, and Diane kisses her daughter's cheek while running a gentle hand through her hair.

She wanders into Charles' room to tell him good night. He comes out of his bathroom topless, and Diane lets out an embarrassed giggle and blushes furiously. "Sorry..." she murmurs while turning away. She can't help but sneak a peek at him from out of the corner of her eye.

"It's alright," he responds while putting on a thermal shirt. "Are those okay for you? I apologize that I don't have a blazing fireplace for you to relax in front of!"

"Mm-hm, I'm starting to feel better. I'm fine, really." Diane sits on his bed next to him. "I just wanted to say good night."

"You know, as soon I heard that boom, all I could think about was you. What if you were caught in that terrible storm that was brewing?"

"It killed my trailer park, as you may have guessed. The place was flooded!"

"I'm so sorry."

"No, I am...that I didn't tell you about our living condition...but I was humiliated."

"It wouldn't have stopped me from liking you."

"We're going to this elegant restaurant on Thursday, and I don't have a nice dress to my name," Diane mumbles and then chuckles bitterly. "I'll look weird..."

"I'll buy you one...I'll take you shopping tomorrow and you can pick it out. In fact...you and Alex lost almost everything, so I'll cover the cost of replacing your stuff until you've got enough." Charles puts his arm around her and rubs her back in soothing circles. "You can be strong and a badass mother, but still need help."

Diane beams at his kind offer and leans into him. She knows she shouldn't turn it down since she's at rock bottom, in every department but a job and a car. "That's...really sweet of you. I'll let you buy our shit until I get my next paycheck."

"It was my pleasure." When she yawns, he takes a beige blanket off the end of his bed and wraps it around her, making her feel snug and warm. "You can sleep with that if you'd like."

"Sure. I'd love to. Well...good night!"

"Good night to you, too. Sweet dreams!"

"Thanks, same goes to you."

As soon as Diane bundles herself in Charles' blanket beneath the comforter next to Alex, she holds her daughter close to her and kisses her cheek.

* * *

During the whole time they'd been in the car on the way to dropping Lorna off at home, Nicky had been suggesting things that she could do with her father, even watching mindless television with him so they don't have to talk, but the brunette had gotten annoyed with her since she wants to give up on hoping that her dad actually cares about her. Still, Nicky expects Lorna to be hanging out with him when she walks through the Morellos' door because she knows the girl inside and out-she doesn't quit on love. To her dismay, though, instead of Lorna sitting next to her dad on the couch, it's Healy. They're discussing Lorna in the most inappropriate way-or rather, Healy is, and Joe allows it.

"She'd be better off in a mental health facility, Joe. She's extremely sick in the head. It's a shame, she's such a good-lookin' gal."

"Yeah, I know. I'll have to send her away as soon as possible."

Nicky makes sure to slam the door extra hard so it makes a loud noise, causing both men to look at her with stern expressions on their faces. "Lorna takes medication, for your information! Ms. Rogers is being so helpful to her. You two have no right to speak about her in such a rude manner. How the fuck do you sleep at night, knowing how ableist you are...not to mention, repulsive! Look, Mr. Morello, a bit earlier this evening, I was giving Lorna ideas on how she can be closer to you, but I can see that you're a lost cause!" Nicky points to Healy. "You're letting this asshole make suggestive remarks about her, and you agreed with what he said! I don't want either of you near Lorna! You don't _deserve_ her. In fact, you don't even know her." With that, Nicky leaves the room. "Goddamn motherfuckers," she mutters under her breath.

"Thanks for trying," Lorna says as Nicky meets her at the top of the stairs. "I truly meant it when I said not to bother, though!"

"I know, I should've believed ya. Sorry."

"You were just being a good friend." They go into Lorna's room and close and lock the door. "Do you ever think about reconnecting with your mom, like if she showed up someplace-"

"Nope! I hate that cunt. Jesus fuckin' Christ..." Nicky sighs exasperatedly. "My god, Lorna, please, don't do this."

"What? She could've changed, like Aleida did..."

Nicky rolls her eyes. "She didn't, alright? I know you don't take my _I hate my mom_ rants seriously, but you should. I really do loathe her. She made my life so miserable that I had to run away."

"Everyone deserves a family."

"I have one...me, Tricia, Taystee, you, the other girls, and Red."

"Why don't you reach out? She has no way of knowing where you live."

"No. Have you ever considered that I don't want a relationship with her?" Nicky laughs humorlessly. "She's cold and distant...that's not a relationship! Red acts more like a real mom than Marka ever could!"

"Well, I'd be like that, too, if my rebellious teenage daughter ran away! I'd feel like she doesn't love me. Of course, I'd try to bring her back home..."

"Exactly! She did, once, but I kicked her out of my life permanently. She's finished."

"She's your mother, Nicky...she could be missing you terribly. You must miss her...she's probably worried sick about you and doesn't know where you are!"

"Drop the subject, Lorna! Look, it sucks we can't go to the beach because of the storm, so we'll do it tomorrow night, if the sky is clear."

"Fine," Lorna responds stiffly.

* * *

The shower water is running and the heat is fogging up the mirrors as Lorna uses the bathroom and washes her hands. "Sorry, I'll be out in a sec."

"Take all the time you need," Nicky responds as she steps out in all her glory and hotness. Lorna gapes at her and her cheeks start burning. "You like what you see, princess?" Nicky teases her and winks in her direction while wrapping a towel around herself. "You're blushing bright red!"

Lorna immediately stops staring. "Whoa...uh...I've just never seen ya with your...goods out before!"

"Oh, no big deal...we're just girls, right? I guess this makes us even, since we've fucked and I got a pretty good view of your-"

"Yeah, but I...I can't talk about this," Lorna says quickly and runs out. She's so mortified that she plans to avoid Nicky until things stop being so awkward between them. She will, however, do some research to find Marka just for the girl she cares about so much.

It doesn't take long, and the woman emails her back right away.

 _Lorna, hello, thank you for contacting me with Nicole's whereabouts. I can see that she does well at singing and cheerleading, but unfortunately, all that talent went to waste when she ran away. Instead of making me proud of her, she just had to leave home like a stupid, ungrateful brat. I will come to your school where you practice cheerleading at four._ By her message, Nicky's mother sounds hurt by her daughter's actions, and Lorna feels sorry for her. She hopes their problems can be fixed this afternoon.

* * *

The sunrise wakes Alex and Diane up about seven hours later. "Oh my god, five after seven! Fuck! We gotta go to school! It starts in forty minutes!" Alex freaks out as she bolts out of bed, grabs her glasses, puts them on, and stumbles to the bathroom.

"Hey...I'm gonna call them and say I need to miss first period for personal reasons...I've been working there a while, so I can. Ms. Jones is your sub, and she won't mind if you miss gym because of this...she'd understand!"

"Okay..."

Later, they go into the kitchen when Charles lets them know that he's prepared breakfast. It's coffee for him and Diane while Alex gets orange juice, and then eggs and bacon for all three of them. It makes Diane think of what life could've been like had Lee stayed in the picture.

After they brush their teeth and get dressed, Charles drives them to Martin Van Buren High and says he'll do the dishes when he gets back home.

* * *

"¡Feliz cumpleaños para ti, feliz cumpleaños para ti, feliz cumpleaños querida Christina, feliz cumpleaños para ti!" everyone belts out while showing Christina the pink-frosted chocolate cupcakes that she'll bring into class.

 **Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Christina, happy birthday to you!**

She cheers and claps her hands. "Yay! I'm five!"

"Happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo, you look like a monkey, you smell like one, too!" Benny sings teasingly and Christina blows a raspberry at him.

"Benny, that's not nice," Gloria scolds him.

"Sorry! I was just being silly! I hope I didn't make you sad, Chrissy."

Christina puts her hands on her hips and cocks her head to one side while widening her eyes like saucers. "No, you're just a weirdo!"

"Hey!" Benny whines.

"That's right, give him some attitude like I taught you," Aleida encourages Christina playfully.

Daya beams at the cuteness of her baby sister and Benny joking around, and the adults chuckle. "Ready to go, troops?" Leon asks.

"Yeah!" the kids scream, jumping up and down excitedly.

"I think they're more than ready!" Daya points out.

First, Gloria, Aleida, and Leon take the youngest children to preschool, with Daya, Benny, and Christina in tow. When Fahri comes into the classroom with an adorable little girl, Daya nudges Gloria. "Look who just showed up!"

"Fancy running into you here!" Gloria softly tells Fahri as she puts Julio on the floor, kisses him goodbye, and slightly pushes him forward to play with Emiliano and their other friends. Staying near Aleida, Daya, Leon, and the two five-year-olds, and Fahri not being the first to talk, is making her brave enough to speak to him. The words flow out of her easily.

"Yeah, you too! I was just...dropping off my niece's daughter, Farah."

"Oh?" Gloria smiles as Farah toddles over to Dina, Julio, and Emiliano. "She's cute."

"Thank you." Fahri looks at Gloria for a second and then turns his attention back to the kids. "So's your son."

"Thanks."

"Friends, let's put the toys away and sit down for circle time!" Ms. Basara announces, and the children do as she asks, but with reluctance. "We'll start with the _Hello_ song!"

"My sister's great with them," Fahri points out.

"I can tell! My son and his friend just love her!"

"Farah does, as well."

"Hello, hello, hello, how are you? I'm fine, I'm fine, I hope that you are too!"

"That's an adorable introduction song," Gloria murmurs.

"It is," he agrees.

There isn't much else to say, but they just listen to the rest of the songs. "It's Wacky Wednesday! What's the weather like today, like today, like today...what's the weather like today...Julio, can you tell us?"

He toddles over to the door and peers outside. "Windy!" he exclaims as he sits back down next to Emiliano. Gloria beams at this.

Next, Ms. Basara has each of the kids come up to her and then she describes what clothes they have on as she dances with them a bit. Emiliano is up first, then comes Farah, and finally, Julio. "Emiliano is wearing a black shirt, a black shirt, a black shirt...Emiliano is wearing a black shirt...all day long! Farah is wearing a rainbow dress, a rainbow dress, a rainbow dress...Farah is wearing a rainbow dress...all day long! Julio is wearing a plaid green shirt, a plaid green shirt, a plaid green shirt...Julio is wearing a plaid green shirt...all day long!"

"Aww," Gloria and Aleida say at the same time. Just before they have to leave, they wave goodbye at their sons and then Fahri, who salutes them.

"That wasn't bad, right?" Aleida wonders aloud as soon as everyone is in the van.

"Nah. Thanks for bein' by me."

"No problem, girl!"

Then, they head to Christina and Benny's kindergarten class, where they start passing out cupcakes right away after Miss Stacy has the students sing her _Happy Birthday_. "How old are you today, Christina?" the teacher asks.

"Five!" she exclaims.

"Oh, wow, big girl!"

"Yeah!"

The next time Gloria sees Fahri is when he's sweeping up in the backroom of the cafeteria while the ladies are making breakfast. Everyone is hard at work, so no words are exchanged, that is, until a furious voice barks, "Mendoza!" Gloria freezes in action.

"Shit!" Red exclaims, and panic grows on hers and Aleida's faces. Claudette and Norma step forward, in front of the three women. Fahri appears to be confused, but he continues to do his job.

"Yeah, I guess you didn't kill me after all, Stalina."

It all happens in slow motion. Upon seeing Piscatella with his face all cut up, his beard shaved off, and Daya's rapist, Humps, and Dixon striding in behind him, Gloria drops the glass she'd been pouring apple juice into, shattering it fully. The sticky, sweet liquid splashes all over the floor and they're all soon standing in a puddle of it.

"I see we have some fresh meat," Pornstache drawls while leering at Aleida and licking his lips. She just flips him off and leads Gloria away from the mess. "I like it spicy."

"I'll slice you up," Red snarls at him and grabs a knife, but Piscatella snatches it away from her.

"Clean that the fuck up, raghead!" Piscatella orders Fahri while Dixon, Pornstache, and Humps push him aside like the bullies they are. "You can blame the lazy Mexican whore while you're at it."

Claudette and Norma glare at him and the other women give him sympathetic glances. "Stop wasting our time," Claudette snaps at Piscatella while holding up a knife, but he just scoffs and laughs.

"I'm...I'm so sorry," Gloria stammers, backing up against the wall, between Aleida and Red. "I didn't...I didn't mean to...I was...I was startled..."

"I know. It's okay, just an accident." She's shocked that there isn't a trace of anger on Fahri's face. He looks apologetic, strangely enough.

Pornstache yanks his pants down to his ankles and takes out his disgusting penis to relieve himself at the women's feet. They jump up on the counter to get away from the mess while wrinkling their noses at the stink of piss. "Eeeww!" the ladies cry in disgust.

"Ugh, that's gross," Fahri groans. "Are you shitting me right now?"

"Unfortunately not," Gloria mumbles.

"Fuck..."

"We never said you could have a conversation!" Dixon yells. "Shut up, Bin-Laden, unless you want me to break your mop! Don't be such a girl. Slap the shit out of that cunt for messing up the floor you _just_ vacuumed and wiped up. She's used to it anyway."

"I don't hit women, or anyone, really," Fahri says strongly. "I also don't appreciate the way you're talking to me or how you're treating us here. I believe your _friend_ there, actually-"

"We could tell Caputo that he's just hired a terrorist who's hiding a bomb somewhere in the school," Piscatella threatens him. "I suggest you do what my guys say."

"I don't care, since it's not true...I'll just quit. I am _not_ going to lay a cruel hand on Gloria. I won't do that to any of my friends."

"How noble he is," Humps mutters and then snickers. He points a small glass container at Fahri. "Sissy boy. You're just not worth beating up...you're boring, actually."

Dixon unbuckles his belt and winds it tightly around his hand. He rises it, as if to whip Fahri, and Gloria jumps. "Start mopping, loser, or you'll feel the sting. It's not just the niggers who are slaves, it's the seven-elevens, too."

Pornstache yanks his pants back up and winks suggestively at the women, who shudder and turn away from him. Humps stalks up to Gloria with an evil gleam in his eyes while showing her what's inside the cup. "Do you know what this is, _tetas de azucar_?" he whispers, sending horrible tremors through her.

"I didn't lose _that_ much," Red mumbles while touching her lower lip that has a severe cut on it, thanks to Piscatella's large fist.

" _Dios mío_ ," Aleida says quietly, nervously glancing from the cup to Gloria, and then back to the cup.

"You're right, it's not _your_ blood," Humps tells Red while patting her head like she's a dog. "However, one of our hot little sluts spilled a bit too much one night, and I was able to collect it all!" His voice still sounds so creepy, and it dawns on Gloria that he, in fact, does have a vial of her own blood in his hands. She gulps while clutching onto her friends' arms. "If any of you knock it to the floor, I'll just have to draw more from her." He gestures all around the room. "These knives make deep cuts."

 _Arturo uses Gloria as a punching bag again before she sends her boys upstairs that night. He's angry that she'd been twirling the kids around to music, and when she goes upstairs, she feels two hands on her waist, and she shrieks in terror, clutching her hand to her heart._

 _"Mamá, ¿por qué gritaste?"_ _Julio asks, looking up at her._

 ** _Mama, why did you scream?_**

 _"Solo queríamos decir buenas noche," Benny adds._

 ** _We just wanted to say night-night._**

 _"Oh, me sorprendiste, eso es todo."_

 ** _Oh, you just surprised me, that's all._**

 _After tucking the boys in bed, Gloria walks out to face Arturo. She's petrified of what he's going to do to her next. She mentally prepares herself for the worst-pushing her down the stairs for loving her children._

 _"Gritaste delante de los chicos," he says in such a menacing tone, that it makes chills run up and down her spine. "Eso los hará sospechosos." She looks down at her feet, unsure of what to say next. He kicks her hard in the shin and she almost falls over. "¡Mírame cuando te hable, perra!"_

 ** _You screamed in front of the boys. That will make them suspicious. Look at me when I talk to you, bitch!_**

 _Reluctantly, she glances up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. She shifts her weight to her unscathed leg and pretends not to limp in front of him. "Lo siento. Me sorprendieron."_

 ** _I'm sorry. They startled me._**

 _"No te asustes tan fácilmente. ¿Por qué eres tan débil?"_

 ** _Don't be so easily scared. Why are you such a wimp?_**

 _"¿Por qué eres un monstruo?" she asks very quietly, hoping he won't hear her._

 ** _Why are you such a monster?_**

 _"¿Qué acabas de decirme?"_

 ** _What did you just say to me?_**

 _Gloria races into their room and tries to hide in the closet, but she can hear his ominous footsteps coming toward her. His hand reaches out and grabs her wrist and pulls her out, slamming her against the bed frame. She feels the blood and the pain at once when her elbow hits the corner of the bedpost. She sinks to the carpet, clutching her elbow and her arm, which had hurt worse when he made her injure her elbow. The pain shoots up and down her arm and even goes into her shoulder._

 _"Ow," she croaks weakly. The tears are coming fast now. "¡Me haces daño!"_

 ** _You hurt me!_**

 _"¿A quién le importa? Soy el hombre de esta casa y tengo que hacer lo que me plazca. Si quiero hacerte daño, puedo hacerlo." He kicks her bottom hard. "¡Levántate, pequeña puta desagradable!" he yells, but not loud enough for the kids to hear him._

 ** _Who cares? I'm the man in this house and I get to do whatever pleases me. If I want to hurt you, I can. Get up, you nasty little whore!_**

 _She struggles to stand, but the pain is so unbearable that she stumbles and collapses again._

 _"Usted coño perezoso!" He pulls her up by the arms and punches her in the nose. She falls back on the bed, and he bashes her head against the bed frame again."Si tengo ganas de violarte, lo haré." He pulls her pants and undies down and unzips his pants. Slowly, he takes out his belt and she closes her eyes so she won't have to see it as it comes at her back. Now, she's in searing pain and dizzy with tears. He jerks her legs up and makes her touch his dick to put it into her vagina. He's on top as usual, and his dick seems harder. She's surprised she hasn't had any vaginal tearing yet. She's never wet with him anymore. When he gets tired of it, he takes off his shirt and makes her massage his back. One thing is for sure, he's a chauvinistic, sadistic misogynist pig. "Tómese una ducha y limpie," he demands, pushing her off the bed._

 ** _You lazy cunt! If I feel like raping you, I will. Take a shower and get yourself cleaned up._**

 _He rapes her in the shower of course, but she just endures the pain._

Gloria's own coughing and shaking wakes her up and out of her flashback. The blood she'd been forced to drink falls out of her mouth and makes a puddle on the floor. On either side of her, Piscatella has both of Aleida's thin wrists together behind her back in his large hand, squeezing them much too tight as she tries to struggle out of his grasp, and Pornstache has handcuffed Red. Dixon is hovering over Fahri, not letting him witness the situation they're in, and he's also chained Norma and Claudette to the stove, making them cook.

"Good, that's all you had to do!" Humps says brightly and then laughs eerily. "I would've rather you kept it down, but we're working on it. Shortstack, her dumb blonde friend, and my gothic princess threw it up, too. One day, you'll get to my level. I ate a whole cockroach!"

"You gave...my blood...to our girls...to drink?" Gloria rasps out. She'd already been sick to her stomach, but this is enough to make her want to pass out.

"That's horrific," Aleida mutters. "¡Déjame ir!"

 **Let me go!**

"Keep begging, you'll wish you were dead," Piscatella growls.

"You're all disgraces," Red chimes in and spits at the three men.

"What, you can't deal with a few minutes of captivity?" Pornstache frees Red from her confines as Piscatella releases Aleida. Humps throws Gloria down to the ground and she lands on her hands and knees. The sudden impact causes her to gasp sharply and she squeaks in pain. "Back to work, losers! Let's go, boys! Lee, my man, unbind them, all five mama bears should play Cinderella. Those bitches only having one hand to work with doesn't do the trick."

As the monsters finally leave, Gloria's still hyperventilating and close to sobbing. They all appear the same to her, and it's like Arturo won't leave her alone, even though he's in prison. "Are you okay?" she blubbers as she fumbles for Aleida and Red's hands so they can help her up. There's an extremely red handprint mark wrapped around Aleida's wrists and the indents of the metal handcuffs on Red's. "Damn it, of course you're hurt...all because of me again!"

"Yeah, girl, but we should concentrate on _you_ ," Aleida responds. "It ain't your fault, mama!"

"Can you stand, honey?" Red asks gently.

"Not well...I-I can't stop...trembling..."

"I swear to God, we'll kill those fuckers...we just need to talk to Frieda and bring back that plan you and Blanca had, Red," Claudette says, and Norma nods her head yes in agreement. They kneel down to where Gloria is sitting with Aleida and Red.

"How about...deep inhales in, and slow exhales out," Fahri murmurs while cautiously approaching her, as the ladies have their hands out. He takes a spot near them. "That usually calms me down-"

"Since when have you had a goddamn panic attack?" Gloria snaps.

"I've had some mini ones before, where my heart stops for a second and restarts...I'm sorry..."

"Nah, it's good advice, I apologize...the problem is, I really can't catch my breath," she informs him faintly.

"Why don't you um...think of anything that makes you happy...your kid? You'll see him after school..."

Gloria attempts to picture her boys running into her loving arms at the end of their classes and she grins fondly at the thought. "I have two angels," she murmurs while closing her eyes and rocking back and forth with her arms around her knees. She doesn't feel the need to mention her two daughters who had chosen to stay with their father and never speak to her again.

"Oh, and Santeria, you love doing that!" Aleida puts in.

"Yeah..."

Slowly but surely, her breathing turns normal. "You feeling better?" Fahri asks her warmly.

"I am, actually...thanks," Gloria answers quietly.

"Anytime."

* * *

At the beginning of lunch, Lorna pulls Daya aside. "I was thinkin'...what if Caputo fired John because he confessed about you guys being a couple and him being the father of your child like you told him to?"

"Oh, maybe...but even if he did, John still left me!"

"He could've been arrested and had to break things off with you so it wouldn't hurt as much when he was away. You should ask him, Caputo, I mean!" Lorna suggests brightly.

"Okay, then, I will!" Daya walks to Caputo's office and knocks on the door. He has her come in and sit down as he finishes up some paperwork.

"Yes, Miss Diaz?"

Daya clears her throat and switches between clasping her hands together on top of her jiggling knees and clutching the strap of her bag. "Um...did you...get rid of Mr. Bennett...'cause he informed you of our relationship and that I'm...pregnant...with his kid?" she asks nervously.

Caputo takes off his glasses and sighs. "No. Mr. Bennett left on his own. I recommend you do the same. Now move on! Get the hell out of my office with this drama."

"Did he even say anything about us to you, though? Man, I gotta know, at least," she mumbles while preparing to leave.

"Yeah, I should've fired him on the spot, but I didn't want anything like this getting media attention. Go enjoy your lunch."

"Alright, thanks. Bye." Quickly, she exits the room, but by the time she nears the cafeteria, she feels a lump in her throat and runs into the girls' bathroom so she can break down into tears. This was her last hope. It's really over. She allows herself to sob for a few minutes until she can gather herself back together. Once she finally stops crying and sniffling, she uses toilet paper to blow her nose and wipes her blotchy face with a water-soaked paper towel until it looks normal. She texts Lorna that it hadn't worked out the way they'd been hoping, but she's pleased that she had gotten an answer.

Afterwards, Daya finds Adarsh and explains why she's a bit late for lunch. He gives her a hug and she smiles into his shoulder while winding her arms around him.

* * *

"That was the worst fuckin' rainstorm we've had, like ever!" Flaca points out while she, Alex, Lorna, and Nicky are eating their corn and fried chicken. Alex notices that Lorna hasn't given Nicky eye contact all day, and this continues to be the case. She makes a mental note to ask Lorna about it later when they're alone in drama class.

"I'm sorry you got the worst of it, hon," Lorna murmurs and pats Alex's hand sympathetically.

"Yeah, well, it had to happen sometime." Alex shrugs. "In a way, P helped me."

"Still, it must have been awful," Nicky tells her.

Daya, Adarsh, Maritza, Blanca, Diablo, Maria, Yadriel, Taystee, Allison, and Poussey join their table. "What's goin' on?" Daya wonders out loud as they take their seats. Lorna instantly embraces her.

"I missed a lot yesterday, as well...I was retaking a test. Did Suzanne actually throw a pie at you, Alex?" Allison questions her incredulously. "That's what Cindy told me."

"She's right."

"Really, where _was_ Suzanne that night?" Nicky asks Taystee and Poussey.

"Honestly, after she went home from her job, we have no idea, 'cause we didn't follow her," Taystee answers. "I regret that!"

"So do I," Poussey says. "Y'all are probably right...Vee had always despised Piper, and she most likely manipulated Suzanne into beating her white ass into the dirt."

"Yo, just tie that loopy bitch up!" Ouija suggests as she walks by their table with her friends.

"Suzanne's in a psychiatric hospital, I think that's enough!" Lorna calls after her.

"What she did to me yesterday was so lame, but nothing compared to my mom and I going homeless because of the bad weather last night...thankfully, we were able to find shelter, but she's planning on getting a new job so she can afford a strong-standing apartment for us. I guess we never realized our trailer park was on its last legs and so expensive! We were about to get kicked out!"

"Wow, that sucks!" Maritza says.

"You know that Disney Channel movie that aired in two-thousand, where the girl has a Christmas toy, she presses a button, and it makes different weather climates happen right in her room?" Alex asks.

" _The Ultimate Christmas Present_?" Lorna wants to know. "I enjoyed it!"

"Yeah, I did too. Anyway, that looked so cool on television, but in real life, the flood was one of the scariest things I'd experienced...but apart from the fact that a lot of our shit's gone, my mom and I are okay. I'm grateful that we survived."

"Same," everyone agrees in unison.

"Two thousand, how old were we back then?" Maria asks.

"Eleven," Blanca replies.

"Oh, Tricia's age! I was twelve," Nicky lets them know.

"Ten...thirteen, really, but ten...yeah," Maritza chimes in.

"Fourteen," Taystee adds. "Your age, Blanca!"

"I keep forgetting I'm the youngest one here, technically speaking. It's so annoying...but my quinceñera's next month, and y'all are invited! It'll be huge."

"I'll be out of my wheelchair by then, so I can give my lady a dance she'll never forget," Diablo says and strokes his girlfriend's hair. Blanca smiles and leans down to kiss him. "Also, I can comfort her more effectively." He gazes at her. "I've got the best present in mind for you already! You'll be surprised."

"Oooh, so cute, and I can't wait for the party!" Lorna squeals. "You two are seriously relationship goals, besides Maria and Yadriel, of course!"

"Gracias," the couple responds together.

"Hey, guys, I don't know if I've formally introduced him to the group...but this is my friend, Adarsh, from English," Daya announces while patting his back fondly.

"Hi, everyone," Adarsh says while waving at them, and they give him head nods, waves, and grins back.

"Oh yeah, I saw y'all at Dave and Busters," Poussey remembers. "It seemed like you was vibin', like goin' for each other!"

"Nah, we're just friends," Daya says, but the girls giggle anyway.

"Yo, Flac...you never talk about Kubra...are he and your ma still together?" Maritza wonders out loud, and their friends focus on them. "He ain't around when I come over."

"Yeah, he's awesome! Maybe he doesn't wanna be there when I have guests, though, but that's alright, or he could be working. He plays video games with my brothers, helps me think up super cool songs for our band...and last night, I was teachin' him and Mama how to play the guitar. I don't trust Marco and Pedro, they could break my strings because of carelessness!"

"I get that. Oh, neat!" Maritza comments.

Alex snorts while glancing over her shoulder at Fahri taking out the trash. _He should hear this!_ "Kubra seems friendly! I think that's great."

"Mm-hm," Flaca says. Her eyes scan over something else behind Alex. "Would you say the matchmaking plan was a success?"

"Kind of, we got somewhere...we planted the seed!" Daya replies happily, and she, Flaca, Blanca, Maria, and Nicky appear to be as proud of themselves as Alex feels.

"I just keep thinking no! We didn't get Gloria and Fahri to fall in love at first sight," Lorna says glumly.

"Nah, I'm disappointed, too," Maritza agrees, and they turn to look at Gloria serving meals to the students in line.

"Hey, come on, it so _was_ a fantastic outcome!" Flaca assures them. "You know, when I was raped, I wanted a boyfriend to take care of me and shit, but it just so happens that it isn't the same with Gloria. We gotta respect that and at least be happy that we got the two acquainted and talkin', and they're basically going on a triple date tomorrow!"

"That's nothing, it's like all of us hanging out as friends!" Lorna protests.

"Yeah, not really our goal!" Maritza says.

Alex can't believe what she's hearing, and she buries her face in her hands and groans. "People cope differently with rape and abuse," Daya mutters.

"You should be more sensitive to this," Nicky tells them sharply.

"Okay, I was raped, but I still want someone's love!" Lorna blurts out, and half of the crowd is shocked. Daya hugs her in support. "I just don't get it."

"Yeah, and I was sexually harassed, but that doesn't stop me from seeking a girl to protect me," Maritza pipes up.

"That's _you_ guys! Gloria's doin' her best...and after what she's been through, I'm surprised that she even wants to _speak_ to Fahri, let alone be in the same space as him!" Maria insists.

"Word," Blanca says. "She's one brave woman."

"Okay," Lorna and Maritza respond at the same time.

Aleida makes her way over to their table and puts her hands on Daya's shoulders. "Your abuela's comin', so practice your Spanish," she says while pulling a face.

"That was last minute, I thought she was gonna be here Saturday."

"Nah. You know her, that bitch arrives whenever she feels like it."

"Well, it _is_ Christina's real birthday."

"Her party ain't today...look, I don't know what goes on in my mama's head, but we gotta spend family time with her." Aleida rolls her eyes. "I'mma go back to kitchen duty now, but I just wanted to warn ya."

"Thanks for letting me know."

"Yeah, it was nothin'." Aleida waves at Daya and her friends as she walks away from them.

"My little sister's birthday is today, she's five," Daya informs everyone.

"Aw, how adorable! Tell her happy birthday for me!" Lorna says.

"Okay!"

Later, as they're walking to Drama class and Lorna is chattering away about yet another romance movie, Alex rests her elbow on her shoulder. "Okay, snatch sister-"

That shuts Lorna up right away. " _What?_ "

"Well, we both fucked the same chick, Nicky...so, we're snatch sisters."

"Oh."

"What is happening with you two, may I ask? You haven't spoken to her all day. Are you mad at her or something?"

"No...I feel kinda weird telling you this, but, um...I was in the bathroom where Nicky had been finishing up her shower, and she got out...she was butt naked!" Lorna whispers. Alex's jaw hits the floor and she tries not to crack up or even let out a low chuckle. "With her...big boobs and...perfect ass...and beautiful physique...and I...I've been all... _holy shit_ since. She is seriously making me wonder if I'm really straight...she's been doing that a lot lately."

"You have a thing for her now? Like, an actual crush?" Alex questions her.

"Maybe? We sleep together a lot, but so does Flaritza. All I'm sure is that if she wanted us to be a couple, I'd be fine with it. We've already struck home...we just gotta kiss to see if there's somethin'. I can tell she's got feelings for me...by the way she gazes at me, it's like into my soul."

Alex raises her eyebrow. "Wow! Really?"

Lorna nods her head yes. "I'm on my meds, honest...and this is real. Only thing is, she's the only girl I'm attracted to, so I'm probably bi. I ain't comin' outta the closet until I talk about it with Nicky, though, and there's no way my dad or Mikey is findin' out, ever! I know they don't give two shits about me anyway, but they're homophobic, so..."

"I understand. I'll keep your secret." Alex pretends to zip her mouth shut and hugs Lorna to her side as they stroll along. "My lips are sealed, I swear on Piper's grave."

A pleased expression crosses Lorna's features. "Thank you."

"No problem."

* * *

"You will all be dissecting rats today!" Humps announces to the class, and they groan. He drops one on Lorna's desk, and she looks at it with disgust. "Yes, the same one that was about to snack on your skin and bones, but it's dead now."

"Oh, god," Nicky mutters as he plops a dead rat in front of her. "Fuckin' creepy...it's just staring at us with its beady eyes!"

"I can't touch this thing," Lorna mumbles, and she begins sweating and shaking from how grossed out she is.

"You have to, it's part of the lesson plan." Humps chortles and a few boys join in. "I'm the authority figure here, so do as I say." He picks up the rat and strokes her face and lips with its tail, causing her to whimper and Nicky tries to bat it away, but he just smacks her hands with a ruler. Lorna's sobbing and hyperventilating so much that she hiccups deeply a couple of times, gags, and pukes on him. She can't get the image of the animal alive and wiggling, waiting to attack her while she was extremely vulnerable, out of her head.

"Aaah, I like your germs."

Some of their classmates cheer for some weird reason and while he wipes his face clean, Nicky and Lorna prepare to leave.

"Crybaby, crybaby, dry your little eye, baby!" a bunch of students chant while leering at Lorna.

"Shut up and fuck right off!" the blonde yells at them as she takes Lorna out of the room. Nicky and Lorna don't speak until they reach the girls' restroom. Lorna washes her face quickly and rinses out her mouth. She drinks some water and Nicky holds her and rocks her until her panic attack goes away. It's so nice. She wonders why Nicky is still being sweet to her, even though she'd been ignoring the blonde since her shower. "Hey...after this morning, we haven't really conversed. Did I do something wrong?"

Lorna feels guilty for not talking directly to Nicky, but still accepting her comfort. "No, not at all! I'm sorry, it's just...when I saw you...underneath...it was awkward."

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hm...like I invaded your privacy."

"You didn't! Friends walk in on each other sometimes, it's okay, really. I kinda laughed it off when you left."

"Why?"

"Sometimes, kid, with situations like those, you can. It's not that serious. I'm comfortable with you."

"I am, too."

* * *

While she's finishing up the cheer that they're going to do on Friday, Nicky catches sight of a familiar woman with short blonde hair, a dark blue pantsuit, and black heels that clack on the floor of the gym. "Oh, shit, what the fuck is _she_ doing here?" Nicky hisses to herself, about to blow up any second, since Marka is a trigger.

Her anger intensifies when she notices Lorna practically running up to Marka and shaking her hand. "Have fun gallivanting in Brazil with Paolo?" Nicky asks loudly, and the rest of the squad must notice the budding tension in the room, because they leave instantly. Red and Lorna appear to be confused.

"Nicole-"

"Shut the fuck up, Marka, I don't give a shit what you have to say," Nicky growls.

"What is going on here?" Red wants to know.

"That is no way to speak to your mother!" Marka scolds Nicky.

"Maybe you should listen-" Lorna begins.

"I can't believe you did this!" Nicky harshly interrupts Lorna.

"I just-"

"Nuh-uh! Stop talking." She storms over to where Red is sitting on the bleachers. "You'll never guess what Lorna did! She invited Marka...my mom, who should've been infertile, to the school, and that bitch is here now!" Nicky points out Marka with her middle finger stuck up in the air. "She's trying to reunite us, but she doesn't fuckin' get that it can't ever happen, not in a million years! I've told her many times, but it's just not sinking in!" Nicky cries, feeling tears build up behind her eyes. She swallows the lump in her throat. "I hate her...not Lorna, but Marka is dead to me!"

"Okay...I'll get rid of her," Red whispers as she hugs Nicky and kisses the top of her head.

"I could get you on American Idol! You just need to work with me! Don't be difficult, Nicole!" Marka wags her finger at Nicky.

Red shoves Marka aside while still holding Nicky away from the bitch. "She's good enough to be on it, but even though she isn't famous, she's still someone to be proud of! We're just gonna go, and if she doesn't want you in her life, you need to stay out of it!"

"Maybe she was just stressed at the time..." Lorna mumbles.

"She wasn't," Nicky snaps.

"Oh, don't fall for this woman's bullshit, honey, she just wanted to exploit Nicky's talents for her own reputation!" Red tells Lorna, who now looks completely lost.

"Being famous would be cool, but I know that Marka's just offering that for her own benefit! She only wants to make herself look good by having a prodigy for a daughter instead of a rebellious teenager!" Nicky clarifies.

"You made yourself that way, Nicole, if you come back home-"

Nicky scoffs. "Home? It didn't feel that way to me. We just had a big house filled with fancy rich people shit. It's nothing without love. You may have given me life, but that was really it. I mean...the bond between us started fraying when you sent me away overnight when I was three, and it only got worse from there. You didn't take a second out of your busy life to even glance at the Mother's Day card I made you...I-I even _baked cookies_ for your fuckin' ass...and I wasn't even in kindergarten yet. Sure, I had Paloma, but when she left, I had to as well. You didn't even live with me...you bought another apartment for yourself and your child-hating boyfriend! Yeah, kids have germs, but you know what? You don't choose dick over your daughter, you deadbeat prick!" Nicky turns to Lorna. "Marka hadn't changed in ten years, and it's no different now...except for the fact that I stopped having a maid to care for me since I was thirteen and that's why I ran away-it would've been like living alone, anyway!" She faces Marka again. "I'd had it up to here with nobody celebrating my birthday or even acknowledging it, maybe once in a while, you gave me money and a Hallmark card. I was _thirteen_...my first year of being a teenager, and you just...brushed it off like I meant nothing to you. I waited for you at my eighth grade graduation, but you never showed up!"

Lorna gasps and gives Marka a death stare. "You tricked me! You really screwed up Nicky's life! How dare you?"

"That was never my intention, dear, you have to understand-" Marka begins pathetically, but Red cuts her off.

"Shut your filthy mouth, Marka, I'm sick of your voice. Her name is _Nicky_ , and she is more my daughter than she could ever be yours! Your presence is not welcome here. Get out! I'll make sure you never come near my little girl again!" Red pushes Marka towards the door, and Nicky beams at how Red is defending her. She enjoys the fact that Lorna was as well, but she's hurt that Lorna hadn't just taken her words to heart.

"All I wanted to do was reconnect this girl I care deeply for, with her mother, but now I got concrete proof that your relationship is too damaged to be fixed..." Lorna trails off when Marka finally goes away.

"Like I said!" Nicky shouts in Lorna's face, making the shorter girl flinch back. "Thanks a lot! I told you not to contact her!"

"I don't understand, I was trying to help!"

"Oh, and if you really gave a fuck about me, Lorna, you would've left it well enough alone!" Nicky stomps off to Red's car and Lorna follows her. It's hard to be mad at the brunette, especially since she gets tormented constantly, not to mention, Nicky loves her.

"Nicky, stop it, I can't read your mind! Marka wasn't around, so how would I really know she was that bad, huh?" Lorna asks while folding her arms tightly across her chest.

"I'm here for you and even get you goddamn help, yet you can't even hear me when I say _I hate Marka's fuckin' guts and I never wanna see that bitch again_!" Nicky hollers. "I have every right to be upset! You didn't listen to me about her or take me seriously...but I regularly protect you against your bullies and I never judged you once! I could've told you that you shouldn't have stalked Christopher in the first place, but I didn't, right?"

"No...and I'm sorry..."

"Wouldn't you normally not push a relationship with their parent on someone if you don't want them to do it to you?"

"With my father, it was obvious that you needed to give up! You see it right in front of your eyes, if you're not blind!"

"You really don't know the extent of the damaged relationship I have with Marka, huh?"

"No. I thought you were just being stubborn like usual! It's how you are!"

"Well, that was your big mistake, then! You have a distant relationship with your mom, too...so what are you doing encouraging me to reconnect with my mom when you're not even doing the same thing with your own?"

"Mine has an excuse, which is being sick. I couldn't think of any reason why you and Marka wouldn't be able to kiss and make up! Many years had passed, so..."

"Wow!"

"Girls, enough of this arguing!" Red intervenes. "Lorna, you shouldn't have brought Marka back here if it was expressly against Nicky's wishes, but Nicky, this is the kind of shit that happens when you don't let close friends in and open up to them."

"I let her know what a horrible idea it was!" Nicky protests. "She thinks I'm just being dramatic!"

"Explain _why_ you don't want to see your mother ever again. I get that you have a hard time expressing your feelings, but Lorna was honestly trying to be a good friend, she had good intentions, and how was she supposed to know exactly how much you hated Marka and the reason for it?"

"Yeah, like I even asked why, but you didn't want to talk about it!" Lorna tells Nicky. "I'm sure you've shared it with Red and Alex...I've let you in every aspect of my life, so why don't you tell me shit about yours? I know almost nothing about you!"

"Why should I have to bare my soul to you? Nobody else expects me to explain much about my past...like, it kinda just all came out with Taystee and Tricia since we're sisters, and Red's basically my mom, and Alex...well, she and I got close while I was still doing heroin!"

"I wanna know, too...I'm genuinely curious!"

Nicky takes a deep breath, preparing to spill. "Marka got rid of Paloma right when I finished eighth grade! She didn't go to my middle school graduation, nor give me a special birthday...she let Paloma do that. I turned thirteen in April, and when Marka let Paloma go the month after, I decided that if my cunt of a mother missed one more of my special events, I'd simply pack my bags and take off. So, after hours of waiting and searching for her while standing on that stupid stage in my cap and gown, feeling pretty fuckin' pathetic, by the way, I took the bus home." Nicky's voice starts to crack as the memory plays out in her head, but she keeps telling her story. "She wasn't there, obviously...she let me know the night before that I can be home alone now, so she'd purchased a separate place for her and her boyfriend. I left her a note...it said, goodbye, don't try to find me. One less thing for you to deal with, more money for you to spend on lavish vacations with Paolo, have a nice life, even though I don't give a shit." Nicky senses Red rubbing soothing circles on her back as she sniffles, and Lorna squeezes her hands and then wipes a few tears crawling out of her eyes. "I went off the grid for a few years...I took a train somewhere, then a bus...and I traveled cross-country and came back to New York when I got to be sixteen. Once, I took a taxi, and Marka happened to be in the same one...she was all, 'I found you at last, Nicole! Would you stop wasting my time and being such a baby, you're so ungrateful!' I just stared her dead in the face and said, 'Go to hell, Marka!' and left the cab without looking back!" She laughs through her tears. "I'm not crying because it's sad...I was more than happy to get away from her. It's just...before you and Red and the rest...I never really had a family. As kind to me as Paloma was, she was paid to be my nanny and get the job done." Nicky gulps hard and kicks the ground while staring down at it. "I blame myself for not telling you everything, Lorna..."

"Why did you not want to before?"

"You really wanna know?" Nicky asks loudly. "It's because I'm horribly in love with you, okay, and I probably just fucked it all up because you think we're friends, and you're straight, but I'm-" Lorna cuts Nicky off by pulling her head down, both palms on either side of her face and thumbs stroking her cheeks, index, middle, ring, and pinky fingers cupping Nicky's jaw, her warm breath and hands heating up Nicky's whole body, and out of the blue, her perfect red lips passionately touch Nicky's pink ones. She slides her hands up Nicky's sides and it kills her dead, but it's also the best thing in the entire world. Nicky kisses her back hard, sucking her bottom lip between her two teeth and nibbling on it. Lorna presses into her touch as their tongues tangle, and it's incredible. Nicky places her hands on the brunette's hips and slides her hands down the bottoms of Lorna's goosebump-covered thighs in order to lift her up and spin her around while mentally cheering. The smaller of the two wraps her arms around Nicky's neck. Excited sparks shoot through Nicky and she's so content that she could burst. She sets Lorna back down while they're still making out, but they only stop when Red clears her throat behind them. Lorna's softness is leaving Nicky tingling for more. She doesn't know what prompted Lorna to make the real first move, but she's on top of the world right now. She'd never expected anything like this. "Holy shit, did you just do that thing where the girl gets smooched in the middle of a rant? That was hot." Nicky grins from ear to ear and butterflies swarm around her belly. Red appears as if she's filled with pride.

"I love you, too. That's why I wanted to help you, hon! You're protecting me all the time, so I'm returning the favor...I'm doing my best to!"

Nicky smiles at her and pushes back the thought that Lorna had probably only kissed her to shut her up and make her feel wanted and desired, even though the petite girl doesn't, and could never, want to be more than friends. She'll talk to Red and Alex about this later, but for now, she's just reveling in the moment. It's a dream come true, and she doesn't ever want to wake up from it. "I know. You're a great girl, baby," she murmurs as she wraps Lorna into a romantic embrace and and pecks her cheek, very close to her mouth, practically on it. She's in so deep, and she just can't resist the sweetness of the pretty brunette Italian, nor take her eyes off her.

When Red is driving them home and focusing on the road, Nicky pulls Lorna almost into her lap, and they lock lips over and over again, not bothering to come up for much air and giggling the whole time.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe and HannahMiley1fan!**


	36. Shadowed by Darkness

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: rape, victim blaming**

From the moment Daya's grandmother had arrived, she'd done nothing but spoil Christina with presents. After that, she'd hugged and kissed Emiliano, Christina, Daya, and Aleida hello for a quick second, exchanged pleasantries with Leon as if she were being forced to, and barely acknowledged Gloria's sons. "I'm surprised it smells good here," she notices aloud while Christina is busy sharing her new toys with her brother and Gloria's children.

"Yeah, I got off drugs," Aleida reports proudly. "It's like I got a whole new life now."

"You don't wanna piss off your mother no more?"

Aleida ignores the comment. "I'm also studying for my GED and goin' for a cosmetology license."

Lourdes cackles. "Good one! You're a model human being for Halloween! You got a smiley face costume to go with that attitude? Where's Cesar, he'd shit himself if he heard you say that!"

"Nah, for real!"

"Yo, I had my doubts too, but Ma's really changed, Abuela!" Daya cuts in.

"You know, Ms. Diaz, people do grow and learn from their mistakes and strive to do better!" Leon adds.

"It's Mrs. Pearson now! My husband's coming over pretty soon." Aleida's mother switches her attention to Daya. "Your mother treated you just fine, but she put my life through hell ever since she started bloomin' into a pretty little flower."

"Oh, and that motherfucker's in prison," Aleida says bitterly.

"It doesn't give you the right to cheat on him..." Aleida's mother hisses. She lowers her voice as she glances at Leon. "¡Especialmente con un hombre negro! ¿Qué te he enseñado, eh? Él te frena! Idiota probablemente ni siquiera tiene un trabajo, es tan vago y estúpido...y probablemente va a apestar el apartamento en cualquier momento ¡Dios mío, es peor que Cesar!"

 **Especially with a black man! What have I taught you, huh? He'll hold you back! Idiot probably doesn't even have a job, he's so lazy and stupid...and he's probably gonna stink up the apartment any second now! My god, he's worse than Cesar!**

Aleida puts her hand up in her mother's face. "¡Amo a Leon, y puedes detenerte antes de abofetearte o patear tu culo fuera de mi apartamento!"

 **I love Leon, and you can stop yourself before I slap you or kick your ass out of my apartment!**

"Son solo hechos."

 **It's just facts.**

Daya folds her arms across her chest. She hates how racist her grandmother can be, which is the reason she's never brought up her liberal views in front of the older woman, but now she has to. "¡Abuela...es...rude...y no...don't say it. ¡Él está allí!"

 **Grandma, that's rude, and you shouldn't say it! Besides, he's right there!**

"¡Estamos susurrando, y él no puede entender el español!"

 **We're whispering, and he can't understand Spanish!**

"Me ofende porque es increíble y lo respeto...y mamá y el resto de nosotros estamos felices con él. Él es un trabajador de la construcción, por cierto."

 **It offends me since he's awesome and I respect him...and Ma and the rest of us are happy with him. He's a construction worker, by the way.**

"Don't try to argue with Mama Lourdes, Dayanara, her heart is cold like ice and hard as stone," Aleida mutters.

* * *

After Red had dropped Nicky and Lorna off at the Morello house, she brings Tricia to the store and has her pick out a bike, and Tricia just loves it. She had learned how to ride a bike from her stepdad while he was grooming her at the tender age of seven, and she's hoping that Red doesn't have bad intentions. Right away, she tells Red she knows how to ride a bike and thanks her Russian matriarch while hugging her.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Red answers.

"What do I owe you?" Tricia mumbles nervously.

Red appears to be shocked. "Nothing at all! Why would you ask me that?"

"I...I just thought you coulda been expecting me to do you a favor...like a chore. I've been forced into..shit...before."

"No!" Red sits on her couch and Tricia does the same while keeping her eyes fixed on the floor. "Tricia, will you look at me, please?"

Tricia glances up and Red twirls a lock of her blonde hair around her red fingernail. "Hm?"

"I bought you a bike just because...for the same reason I bailed Nicky out of juvy. Call it motherly love. I will never do anything to cause you pain. You and your sister are my daughters...my pride and joy. I just haven't adopted you girls yet. If anything I do or someone else does makes you feel uncomfortable, you can let me know."

"Oh...okay. Thanks, if you're really being honest, I'm holding you to it. I've never...I never heard that in my life. Means a lot, yo."

"I promise, honey." Red puts her hands on either sides of Tricia's face and kisses her forehead. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"You don't have to be that dramatic!"

"It's just a saying, kid." Red smiles at her and Tricia grins back. "Have fun with your girlfriend."

"Cool. Uh, we're probably gonna hang out with the whole gang, so..."

"Sounds good!"

They hug and Tricia loves Red's arms around her. It makes her feel safe and warm. Then, she takes herself all the way to Mercy's house, enjoying how the wind whips through her hair. It's much different than her first experience, with that child molester prodding her from behind and promising to give her something special that night if she didn't fall once while he was teaching her. Tricia and Mercy greet each other with a hug and kiss, and then, they gather all of their friends together and make an afternoon out of coasting along on their bikes through their neighborhoods. About thirty minutes later, they come to a small yellow house in the woods, since there were rumors at Marie Curie Middle, that it was abandoned and haunted with the ghosts of people who used to live there.

"Here it is, guys!" Cal announces as they brake their bikes and lay them down.

"Totally cool!" Neri exclaims.

"Yeah, perfect for Halloween!" Mercy points out.

"Nicky told me about this cottage," Tricia reports while gazing at it in wonder. "She warned me not to go near it, but whatever. It's October, and I'm in that mood."

"They say the spirits come out on All Hallows Eve at midnight," Allie mutters.

"I dunno, guys," Grace says warily. "This place gives me the creeps and I'm already cold! I get enough weirdness living with my sister."

Brad places his arm around her waist. "I'll protect you while we explore."

"Spooky shit always happens at midnight on Halloween," Marco tells her while rolling his eyes. "It's not like anything can get us now!" He hits his brother lightly on the shoulder. "Our sister's friends smashed in those windows, and they didn't get sucked in or nothin'!"

"Yeah, you been watchin' too many white girl horror movies," Pedro goes on.

"We're not gonna be stupid...we'll go in pairs, like me and Cal; Tricia and Mercy; you and Brad; Marco and Pedro...and Allie can be with Mercy and Trish." Neri squeezes Grace's hand. "It'll be fine, you'll see. Safety in numbers, duh! Plus, it's not like we're shadowed by darkness."

"That's still breaking in!" Grace protests. "Oh, and safety in numbers? Your boyfriend's sister was murdered while at a slumber party! I'm sorry to bring that up, Cal, but really...I would've thought you'd be way less risky now."

"Come on, don't be such a pussy!" Tricia fires back. "It's fuckin' daytime, and Piper was killed in the black of night. My sister says yours probably did it."

"She was obviously manipulated, stupid!"

"That's a pretty big thing to be lured into doing...idiot!"

"Could we please stop talking about my sister's death?" Cal snaps, and Tricia and Grace apologize to him in unison. They all go quiet for a moment.

"You don't gotta go in, but you'll be all alone out here," Mercy states after a minute of awkward silence.

"I'll stay with her," Allie proclaims. "We're not as streetwise or daredevilish as the rest of y'all, so we kinda don't know where we are right now."

"We're lost?" Grace worries aloud.

"No, Cal led us here, so he can make sure we get back home safely," Tricia assures her. "Sorry for suspecting Suzanne...she _was_ probably under Vee's rule."

"Who? Uh...she does strange stuff with nobody's help, so whatever..."

"Hello, children!" a male voice calls out. They turn to face a tall man in his mid-twenties with a mustache, who is stepping through the door with a box of cookies. "Would you like something delicious to eat?"

"Sure, dude! Thanks!" Neri answers him happily, and everyone except Grace and Allie, take a few. Brad hands one to Grace and Tricia gives half of hers to Allie. They wolf their treats down in seconds and then bike off, screaming at the top of their lungs since they've all been pent up with energy for some weird reason.

"Yahoooo! I'm on top of the world!" Tricia shrieks, and she, Mercy, Neri, Allie, and the boys start doing fancy tricks on their bikes. She's only felt like this once before. "Fuck, we're so high!" she exclaims and then giggles.

"What?!" her friends yell and then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Nicky's gonna kill me...but I'll worry about that later. Just say you got the flu when you start going down."

* * *

"Why did you and your friends want me to work at your school?" Fahri wants to know while he and Alex are returning from her secret job. "Some of those teachers are the worst...they don't act human!"

"I know...but it was the only way you'd meet Gloria when there was just the two of you, plus Daya, and let's be real, dude, it's your only legal job. You can always drop it if you want." Alex feels guilty for roping him into this. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'll stick it out. I want to keep an eye on everything, even though they torment me, as well."

"Okay."

"Another question...I'm thankful that you girls were trying to help me get a special someone, but I'm also concerned...how come you chose Gloria if she wasn't okay with this? She seemed nervous around me."

Alex plays with the red and black skull pendant on the end of her necklace. "Well, we figured she'd be okay with Daya in the same room, we wanted her to find happiness and true love, and you're the only gentleman we know that's available and her age. Those types aren't common around here, and she sure as hell isn't gonna do online dating."

"I feel like we're in an arranged marriage."

"No, just a blind date thing, sorta. Don't you like her?"

"Yeah."

"She's cool with you, too. Maybe she was wary at first, but that's how it is when you first meet a person. You have no idea what they're all about. She might not get used to you right away, but you're awesome enough that she will, eventually."

Fahri grins and shoves his hands in his pockets. "She's already starting to. We exchanged numbers...do you think I should call her tonight? She said she had a family thing, her niece's birthday, and I don't want to bother her."

"Aw, you're asking me for girl advice," Alex teases him. "Well, it's hard to be the one to start the phone conversations, but _someone_ has to. If it's you and she's busy and doesn't reply fast, don't take it personal, just leave her a voicemail and wait for her answer. However, if _she_ begins it, then get back to her as soon as possible, or respond right away if you're doing nothing, or she'll think you're ignoring her."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

* * *

"Yo...we should go to Friendly's and have Nichorello, Blanca, and Maria join us! We can all share the biggest ice cream they have!" Flaca says excitedly as she and Maritza are relaxing on the patio outside the huge Ramos house.

"Sure!" Maritza invites the girls by text. "Nichorello's busy so it'll just be us, Blanca, and Maria!" she reports.

"Alright!"

The girls take the bus to the restaurant and Blanca and Maria meet them there. Pepa is with them, since Yadriel is working. "This'll be her first time coming here," Maria informs them while jiggling her baby girl in her arms.

"Cool!" Flaca and Maritza exclaim at the same time. The four of them, plus little Pepa, take a table near Charles. Diane and Alex are busy taking orders, but they greet Blanca, Flaca, Maritza, and Maria with hugs and poke Pepa's belly and kiss her cheek.

Flaca notices the way Charles' eyes follow Diane wherever she goes. " _Ay d_ _ios mío_ , he's so smitten with her," she murmurs while beaming. "She's the same way every time she passes him...she lights up like a fuckin' Christmas tree."

"Yeah, they're _so_ boyfriend and girlfriend, even though Alex denies it every time," Maritza whispers back.

"Bueno, estoy feliz por Diane...finalmente encontró un buen hombre," Blanca says.

 **Well, I'm happy for Diane...she finally found a good man.**

"Yo también," Maria adds as she bounces Pepa on her lap.

 **Me, too.**

"Oh, hell no!" they hear Alex shout, and right away, they see that Mr. Bennett has entered the restaurant. Maritza gets up from her seat with fire in her eyes and Alex, Blanca, Maria, and Flaca give him the same vicious glare.

"¿Qué le da derecho a entrar aquí?" Blanca asks.

 **What gives him the right to come in here?**

"Él no pertenece," Maria grumbles.

 **He doesn't belong.**

"Yo, John!" Maritza yells at him, and she and Alex storm up to him. "Mm-hm, we know you by your first name, and we just wanna talk to you, buddy." They fold their arms across their chests and their faces darken with sheer anger.

"You're a bit too loud," he says, glancing around the room like a scaredy-cat.

"Yeah? Well, you're a bit too much of a loser!" Alex snaps back at him.

"Oooh, you go, girls," Flaca cheers. She turns on her video camera and hands it to Blanca. "Can you film this for our channel? We'll edit later."

Blanca smirks. "Gladly."

Flaca joins Maritza and Alex. Maria and Blanca stay behind with the three-month-old, but they're listening to every word. Diane and the other customers are, as well. She grins craftily at her former English teacher. "Whatcha gotta say for yourself, douchey?"

"I told Daya not to say anything, why would she-"

"Oh, please, we're her homegirls, and besides, Flac saw you guys kissing in your car. You really messed things up with her!" Maritza shouts. "How stupid can you get?"

"Knocking up a girl and leaving her...that doesn't sit well with us!" Alex chimes in furiously.

"Where are you living now?" Flaca demands. "We'll let Daya know, and she'll go over there with her mom and Gloria. They're gonna give you so much hell."

John frowns at them and wags his finger in their faces. "You three need to shut up. She refused-hey! Are you videotaping this?" he asks Blanca angrily, and proceeds to make Pepa shriek bloody murder and start wailing. Charles gets up and stands in front of their table protectively, but not in the way of the video camera. Maria soothes Pepa by rocking her back and forth in a soothing motion until the child is only letting out whimpers and sucking her thumb while hiding herself in her mother's shirt.

Diane blocks John from getting to Blanca. "Yes, she is, so the whole world can see what a fuckin' asshole you are." She glares at him darkly. "I had an ex just like you. I'm so embarrassed that you were once my co-worker."

"You're scaring my daughter, she's shaking," Maria snaps. "Just walk away, white boy."

"I'll have you arrested!" John yells.

"Oh, really, you will?" Maritza asks snidely. "I hope that means you'll also confess that you were a teacher when you had sex with a student, who is also a minor."

"She began the relationship-"

"See, that's still a crime..." Alex puts in. "Not only are we pissed with you for breaking our girl's heart, you also broke the law." She folds her arms across her chest. "So, what was it? You were only in it for the fucking?"

"No...we used a condom, and it broke. I told her to get an abortion, or we'd have to split. She chose teen motherhood. That's not my problem. She hurt me, too."

"If you really loved her, you would support her decision and be there for her," Blanca tells him.

"I'm done here. I will not be interrogated by-"

Charles walks towards him. "Mr. Bennett, I am a police officer, and you committed statutory rape. You are under arrest."

Flaca and Maritza hi-five each other and flip their hair while returning to Blanca. Alex and Diane go back to working, and Flaca takes her video camera from Blanca. She aims it at herself and Maritza. "So, that was dramatic!"

"Yeah, and fun!" Maritza chimes in. "You gotta go through us before screwing with our friends, you know?"

"Mm-hm, we're sooo satisfied now!" Flaca replies. "Everyone can learn from this shit."

"We end our vlog with a super cute infant all dressed in pink!" Maritza announces while pointing the video camera at Pepa. "Say bye, mini Maria," she coos.

Maria waves Pepa's small hand at the camera. "Bye!" Maria says in a baby voice, and they all giggle while Flaca switches off her camera.

* * *

There's a knock on the door and Aleida is desperate to answer it and eager to get away from her mother and the comments. "I'll get it," she snaps bitterly. She's expecting to see Gloria and starts smiling. When she opens it, though, her joyful expression falls and she's filled with despair, because staring back at her, is her mother's boyfriend and the bane of her existence, Jack. He's a white old man with hair matching the color of his wrinkled skin, and he'd been in and out of her life during her childhood and early teenage years. Aleida can feel the color draining from her face and she takes a few steps back when he comes inside. She wishes she could scream and sob out loud, but she doesn't want Leon or Daya to think she's overreacting like her mother had accused her of doing when she last encountered Jack.

"You haven't changed one bit, dearie."

His ugly voice is nauseating, and she can't even stand to look at him. She quickly bolts, but then trips over one of the kids' toys. "Ow! Who the fuck left their shit here? Stupid brats! Get it outta my way before I throw it in the garbage!" she yells, and Lourdes and Jack glare at her. Leon seems to be stunned and puzzled by her behavior. The children start crying and scooting away from her.

Daya is at her side in an instant. "Settle down, Ma! You okay?"

"I'm fine," Aleida grumbles and shoves past her daughter. Daya hurriedly picks up the Barbie motorhome and train tracks with tiny cars. Immediately, Aleida regrets her outburst, but she'd just wanted to get out as fast as possible. She continues running to her room and then, she slams the door shut behind her.

Her mother swings it open not a second later. She jumps onto her bed and curls into herself. "¡Aleida Díaz, sal con tu familia y deja de ser una mocosa!"

 **Aleida Diaz, get out here with your family and stop being a brat!**

"Sigues presionando mis botones, ¡y odio ese lloriqueo! ¿Por qué lo mantienes cerca?"

 **You keep pushing my buttons, and I hate that creep! Why did you keep him around?  
**

"¡Terminé esta discusión, pequeña perra!" the older lady growls.

 **I'm done with this discussion, you little bitch!**

"Hey...can I step in?" Leon asks as he pokes his head in the room.

"Have at it, but she's a stubborn one, like a mule!" Aleida's mother goes out as Leon makes his way to the bed and sits beside Aleida.

"Come on, baby, hang out with us, please?" he tries to coax her, but she just stares at the door blankly through her hair that's covering half her face. "We're having appetizers, nachos and salsa!"

"No thanks."

"What is it?" Leon moves her long bangs out of her eyes and strokes her cheek gently. "Hm?"

"Nothin'...me and Mama sometimes fight, but I guess we'll put our differences aside for one night. Sorry I got furious. I overreacted."

"It's okay." He presses a soft, swoon-worthy kiss to her lips. "Everyone has off days."

Aleida chooses to bottle up her emotions and she stays by Leon's side the whole time they're waiting for Gloria. She clings to him and holds his hand tighter when Jack speaks to her. Jack offers her a chip, and she shakes her head no while waving it away.

"I ain't hungry!" Aleida snaps. She doesn't want to eat anything that he's touched.

"You don't gotta be rude, Ma," Daya tells her. "You love nachos."

"Sí, escucha a tu hija," her mother chides her, but Aleida just scowls at them.

 **Yeah, listen to your daughter.**

"Oysters are better."

* * *

"Do you believe in angels?" Lorna asks while staring up at the sky. The clouds glow pink, making her think of Heaven. She and Nicky are laying side-by-side, holding hands, on a red and white checkered picnic blanket to watch the sunset before their dinner in front of the glittering ocean.

"Nah, just the one next to me." Nicky's lips mold onto hers and they stay like that, taking Lorna's breath away. She has to collect herself after swooning.

Lorna beams and her cheeks heat up at Nicky's compliment and body warmth. "You're cute."

"You're so adorable when you smile and scrunch up your nose like that." Nicky imitates the action and it makes Lorna giggle.

"Oh, you! Hey...lemme show ya somethin' before the sun goes down completely." Lorna bends her right leg and rests her foot on her left knee. She leans her cheek in the palm of her hand and her other arm is outstretched. It's how she'd attempted seducing Christopher, and she's seeing if Nicky's reaction will be different. "You like a good view, right?"

"Hell yeah, madame. You're the perfect mix of beautiful, cute, and hot, and you're makin' me wanna take you now, but you can be on top this time. I could just eat you up!"

"Let's do it in the tent while we're camping."

"Sure!"

Nicky puts her beanie on Lorna's head and it fits her snugly. "That looks great on you, Lorna."

"Thank you."

"Anytime. By the way, don't hate me, but I'm skipping my meeting tonight. Tricia's chillin' with friends, Aleida's celebrating her kid's birthday, and Alex is working with her mom. I can miss once, eh? I don't wanna be bored there!"

"Yeah, and I could never hate you, Nicky! Spending time with you is one of my favorite things to do."

"I love us hangin' out together, too." Nicky grins as she pulls out hers and Lorna's macaroni salads. "Who would've thought, huh, kid? Like, one month ago or whatever, we were at odds, but not anymore!"

"Mm-hm. The beach is so pretty at night, isn't it?"

"For sure, but under this moonlight, you are so exquisite, baby."

Lorna's heart melts at Nicky's compliment and general sweetness. "Why, thank you, darling."

Nicky pecks her cheek and then they lock lips. "It was my pleasure." Her kisses trail from Lorna's lips back up to her cheek, then down to her neck. Lorna's heart is beating so fast that she thinks it might fall out of her chest. Nicky is stroking Lorna's hair as she kisses her. "You taste so good, Lorna," the blonde says against her neck. Then, she kisses Lorna on the lips again.

"I've never felt so loved and desired before!"

Nicky runs her thumbs up and down Lorna's cheeks. "I promise to show you this kind of affection every day."

Lorna presses her hand to her heart as it skips a beat. "Oh, honey, I'm blessed to have you in my life!"

"I'm lucky I got you, too, doll!" Nicky kisses Lorna's hand and they cuddle while continuing to eat.

After dinner, they get a fire going and roast s'mores, which are delicious upon gobbling them. "Yummy! I haven't had these in so long!" Lorna exclaims.

"Me, neither!" They touch their marshmallow and chocolate filled graham crackers together and then continue eating.

* * *

Gloria comes home and Aleida stands back while Daya introduces Lourdes and Jack to her. They take a liking to her right away and compliment her mothering skills after she greets her sons with smiles, hugs, and hellos. Aleida knows they're just putting on a show, since they couldn't care less about Gloria's children. She hugs her best friend and then they separate.

"We're going to Roberto's for dinner," Aleida's mother announces.

"We don't need to spend that kinda money on a kid," Aleida responds bitterly.

"Honey, we just wanna spoil Christina, it's her fifth birthday!" Leon insists. "That's a special age for a child."

"It's too fuckin' expensive, I ain't payin'."

"Ma! Would you stop being so difficult?" Daya asks sharply.

"Aleida, what's with you, huh?" Gloria questions her. "You turnin' back to your old self, and ain't nobody around here likes it!"

"I'm over it."

During the drive there, it's silent. Her mother takes her, Daya, Christina, Emiliano, and Jack, while Gloria, her boys, and Leon are in a separate car. Jack gets them a huge square table, and Aleida sits between Leon and Gloria. Immediately, though, her bitch of a mom starts a conversation with Gloria and Daya at the same time, and the children start horsing around with Leon and Jack, and the men talk about the project. Aleida has never felt so alone since she was thirteen.

"Entonces, ¿por qué no tienes un hombre para que tus hijos admiren?" Aleida's mother asks Gloria. "Las madres solteras no pueden hacerlo por sí solas...solo estoy hablando de mi experiencia, cariño."

 **So, why don't you have a man for your sons to look up to? Single mothers can't do it all on their own...I'm just speaking from my experience, darling.**

"Si bien ese puede ser el caso para usted, no fue para mí. No me siento cómodo compartiendo por qué, pero estoy bien sin un compañero. No pretendo presumir, pero me considero un gran modelo para mis hijos. Esto no es los años cincuenta, Lourdes. Las mujeres son independientes hoy en día."

 **While that may be the case for you, it wasn't for me. I'm not comfortable sharing why, but I'm okay without a partner. I don't mean to brag, but I consider myself a great role model for my sons. This isn't the fifties, Lourdes. Women are independent nowadays.**

"Pareces muy educado y maduro, y eres encantador también...los hombres deben caer sobre tus pies por ti," Lourdes praises Gloria, and Aleida rolls her eyes inwardly and snorts. Of course, Gloria drinks in the compliment, since she blushes and grins widely.

 **You seem so polite and mature, and you're lovely, too...men must be falling over their feet for you.**

"Gracias, pero eso no significa que los quiera!"

 **Thanks, but it doesn't mean I want them!**

"Gloria acaba de escapar de una relación abusiva, por lo que no estaría buscando un hombre pronto!" Aleida blurts out.

 **Gloria has just escaped an abusive relationship, so she wouldn't be seeking a man anytime soon!**

"Aleida, what the fuck?" Gloria hisses. "That's my call if I wanna tell people!"

"Don't you want your second motha to know?" Aleida asks enviously.

"Huh?"

"Oh, don't act stupid. She's real sweet to you."

"Bueno, me alegra que me haya informado de esto," Lourdes says kindly while glaring at Aleida. She hugs Gloria. "Lamento haberte presionado."

 **Well, I'm glad she did inform me of this. I'm sorry for pressuring you.**

"Está bien, no tenías idea," Gloria mutters.

 **It's okay, you had no idea.**

"Creo que tú y Leon estarían mejor el uno para el otro ya que Aleida puede ser un puñado." Gloria frowns at Lourdes' statement and then shrugs.

 **I think you and Leon would be better suited for each other since Aleida can be a handful.**

Aleida gasps as a piece of her heart chips away at the possibility of Gloria and Leon hooking up behind her back. It makes her absolutely sick. "You're such a mean bitch!" she growls before Gloria can get a word in. "Why would you plant the idea of my best friend gettin' with my man into her head, especially now that she's mad at me?"

"Abuela, that'd be hella awkward!" Daya tells Lourdes.

"Yeah, we're just friends," Gloria says firmly.

"We wouldn't dream of doing that to Aleida," Leon adds.

"Don't let her get in the way of your happiness." Lourdes needlessly tucks a lock of hair behind Gloria's ear. "Look how good he is with your children, _mija_."

"Uh, eso es ofensivo! ¡Ni siquiera te gusta por el color de su piel, mamá, y no le has dicho una mierda a sus hijos!" Aleida cries.

 **Uh, that's offensive! You don't even like him because of the color of his skin, Mama, and you haven't said shit to her kids!**

"¡También odias a los negros! No conozco a esos niños."

 **You hate blacks, too! I don't know those kids.**

"¡Ya no tengo prejuicios!"

 **I ain't prejudiced no more!**

"Entonces, Dayanara, ¿cómo te va en la escuela?" Lourdes questions Daya.

 **So, Dayanara, how are you doing in school?**

"Muy bien, abuela."

 **Very good, Grandma."**

"Oh...y Daya no es perfecta...¡está embarazada!" Aleida snaps, and Daya widens her eyes in horror.

 **Oh, and Daya is not perfect... she's pregnant!**

"Ma, why would you spill that?" Daya covers her eyes and groans. "I didn't want her to know..."

"She does now. You are _no_ better than I was at your age."

"Jesus Christ, Ma!"

Lourdes puts her arm around Daya and kisses the top of her head. "Está bien, cariño. No te culpo, solo a tu madre." She gives Aleida the stink eye.

 **It's okay, darling. I do not blame you, only your mother.**

Aleida scoffs and ignores Lourdes from now on. Daya and Gloria won't even glance her way. The women and Daya eat their pizza and pasta in silence. Gloria feeds Julio while he's sitting in his high chair. The kids chatter away. Aleida catches a bit of what Leon is telling Jack. Apparently, he's bought Christina something she'll enjoy.

"You don't gotta get her shit. She's just gonna break it or take it scuba diving in the fuckin' toilet!"

"Aleida, where is all this negativity coming from?" Leon wants to know. "I've never seen you like this..."

"I'm warnin' you, dumbass! You know how those brats are!"

"Whoa, Ma!" Daya exclaims. "That's enough!"

"I gotta agree, simmer down," Gloria says.

"What am I, spaghetti sauce that's boiling over?" Aleida hollers at them, gaining attention from people nearby. She takes a huge drink of her wine, slams the glass down, grabs her purse, and storms off to the women's bathroom so she can try to relax. This is like living with Jack and Lourdes all over again, except for the fact that she has a bigger audience to humiliate herself in front of.

* * *

"You think she's bipolar?" Leon asks in concern.

"Maybe," Gloria responds.

"Nah," Daya tells them sourly. "She's just a bitch."

"You three, along with the other kids, make such an adorable family," Lourdes points out. "If things don't work out with Aleida, Leon, you could always go for Gloria, she's great."

"I know that you and Aleida don't get along, abuela, but I really can't picture Gloria with Leon, and they wouldn't betray Aleida like that!" Daya insists, and they nod in agreement.

"Gotcha, it was just a thing I been thinkin' about...since she's done nothing but give you trouble tonight, and I'm real sorry."

"We should check up on her," Leon suggests and starts to get up, but Lourdes shakes her head no.

"Give her space," she recommends. "It helped her a lot when she was growing up."

"That waitress is taking a long time to bring the bill," Jack grumbles. "Doesn't she wanna get paid? I'll go find her."

* * *

Right when she ends her shift at Friendly's, Diane leaves with Charles and Alex to get herself a dress for tomorrow evening, plus about a month's worth of clothes, shoes, and accessories. "What color are you gonna get, Mom?" Alex wants to know.

"Dark purple, if they got it."

"That sounds good."

"I used to work four jobs when I was pregnant with Alex, but now I only work three. Apparently, though, it ain't enough...you guys got any other ideas for me?"

"Well, I think you could be a dance instructor because you're amazing at it," Charles compliments her.

"Oh, come on, I am not!" Diane protests.

"I saw those fancy moves of yours a couple weeks ago! You do exceptionally well...you blew me away! I felt like I was with a professional that night."

Diane shakes her head while laughing a little bit to herself. His words of praise for her are making her fall deeper in love with him and she's finding it harder to keep her heart closed. "I dunno, I just let myself get lost in the music, and sway...I ain't sure if that's really a talent!"

"Of course it is." Charles glances over his shoulder at Alex. "Your mother can groove! You should've seen her."

"I wish I had. Mom, this would be great for you! We're flat broke, so please, take this opportunity, especially since you enjoy dancing _and_ have the skill!"

"Well, I _could_ use another career so I can afford an apartment! I don't wanna feel in debt of anyone. I was also thinking of working in clerical."

"Oh yeah, I'll get you a position at my office, for sure."

"Thank you." Diane wants so badly to open up to him about her background history. There are some moments where it's at the tip of her tongue, but then she gets nervous and backs out. She thinks it could be easier to do in front of Alex and when they're at his house, so she decides that she will bring it up when they return home from the mall.

While walking into Macy's, Diane passes the shoe department. "What a fuckin' ripoff! Over a hundred dollars for a pair of black embellished high heels? Look at this shit!"

"I see it! We can get those for thirty bucks at Payless!" Alex replies.

"Exactly, which is why I go shopping there frequently. It's just...I hate how things are so damn expensive." Alex nods in agreement at Diane's comment.

"I concur," Charles says.

"Yeah, but you can afford it!" Diane sighs wistfully. She knows there are many things that are way over his budget since he's middle class and not a billionaire, but he's still filthy rich to her and Alex.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes.

"You don't gotta be. Anyway...let's go to the dresses and everything else. We'll check out shoes later."

* * *

All of a sudden, someone clamps their hand over Aleida's mouth and she yelps. They drag her into a family bathroom and lock her in. She tries to scream, but it's muffled.

"Finally, I can plow into you. I've been wanting to do this since you were thirteen, but I didn't want to get arrested. You're no longer under eighteen, so I can force you to give me pleasure if I have to."

"No! Leave me alone, you creep!" Aleida shrieks and then hyperventilates as sobs rack her body. "Please, don't..." she begs him weakly, and her fear and self-hatred grow stronger. "My food is getting cold..."

"Shut up!" Jack swings his hand across her face and grabs her by her hair as she's whimpering and holding her now bloody lip in pain. "You'll have to redo your makeup when I finish my fun with you." He takes his slacks and underpants off and she shudders at his shriveled-up penis.

Aleida blinks rapidly and shrinks into the corner and away from him. "I-I got my...my period...it'll be gross."

"That's alright, I don't mind a little ketchup on my hot dog. You're my bitch now." He binds both of her wrists tightly together behind her back with his bow tie, pushes up the skirt of her dress to her waist, and rips off her underpants with his teeth while snarling like an animal. It makes sense, since he is one.

"Leon, Gloria, Daya, any of you, save me!" she calls out shrilly, but the bathroom is completely empty and it's extremely loud outside the door. He just sneers down at her and sniggers cruelly. She's helpless, and he knows it.

"Yeah, go ahead and scream pathetically all you want. Nobody's in here, you brainless cunt."

"They'll be searching for me," Aleida informs him shakily.

"I'll make it quick, then. How long do you usually take a shit for?" He digs his fingernails into her thighs as he yanks her to the ground and crushes her with all of his weight. "Three minutes, tops?"

He rams himself into her, and it triggers a past trauma.

 _"Él no me violaba ni me acosaba sexualmente o nada, ¡pero es posible que también lo haya hecho!_ _Él siempre está coqueteando conmigo, como soplarme besos y seguirme cuando no miras," Aleida explains while staring anywhere but at her mother. She feels so awkward having to report this, but it's gone on for too long. Lourdes has been dating this guy for a few years now, and Aleida doesn't want him around anymore._

 ** _He didn't rape me or sexually harass me, but he may as well have! He's always flirting with me, like blowing me kisses and following me around when you're not looking._**

 _Lourdes puts her hands on her hips and sets her mouth in a thin line. "Estás actuando demasiado amigable con él, y probablemente le esté dando una idea equivocada. Tienes trece años y te estás desarrollando, por supuesto que va a mirar tus tetas y tu trasero. Así es como son los hombres. No te atrevas a tentar a Jack de nuevo, ¿me entiendes?"_

 ** _You're acting way too friendly with him, and it's probably giving him the wrong idea. You're thirteen and developing, of course he's gonna look at your tits and your ass. That's how men are. Don't you dare tempt Jack again, do you understand me?_**

 _Aleida's heart sinks and she's trembling as she uses the counter to keep herself upright. She'd just wanted a hug and kiss and a promise that everything would be okay once Lourdes kicked him out for good. "No lo hice, mamá, ¡no quiero su atención! ¡Acaba saliendo con un chico normal, por favor!"_

 ** _I didn't, Mama, I don't want his attention! Just date a normal guy, please!_**

 _"Él piensa que eres lindo, eso es todo. Él nunca te ha tocado, ¿verdad?"_

 ** _He thinks you're cute, that's all. He's never touched you, right?_**

 _"Nah, pero-"_

 ** _Nah, but-_**

 _"Entonces superarlo. Use algo menos revelador, parezca una prostituta."_

 ** _Then get over it. Wear something less revealing, you look like a prostitute._**

 _"Mamá, no puedo! Él siempre viene a mi habitación y me mira dormir hasta que me despierto ... ¡tienes que protegerme y deshacerme de él como lo haría una verdadera mamá!" Aleida gulps in fear and flinches when she sees the fury in her mother's face._

 ** _Mama, I can't! He's always comin' in my room and watchin' me sleep 'til I wake up...you gotta protect me and get rid of him like a real mom would!_**

 _Lourdes slaps Aleida so hard that her face stings and she can't move or stop herself from collapsing to the floor because of the strong blow. She's going to need ice since she feels a black eye coming on. She doesn't cry until her mother walks out of the kitchen, and when she does, it's reduced to a quiet sniffling and heavy panting. She only scrambles to her room and hides under her bed when she hears loud footsteps enter the kitchen and sees Jack laying down on his side like she was recently._

The heinous act is finally over when Jack gets off of her, but Aleida still feels so dirty as she gets her outfit back on and straightened out. She wipes the blood off her vagina from where he had violently bit into her. She'd just had a real life nightmare. Her dress looks more uneven, low cut, and open than it was before, and her hair is disheveled. She rushes to the sink and attempts to control her breathing as she wipes the smudged eye makeup off from under her eyes, washes the blood off her mouth and chin, and reapplies her lipstick. She neatens up her hair and gets all the tangles out. No matter how much she cleans herself up, though, she's still a mess. She doesn't want to see her reflection a second longer, so she quickly leaves the bathroom.

A long line of people give her annoyed looks, but she hastily limps past them and doesn't bother to apologize. They don't know her story. She ignores the pain in her sensitive areas and proceeds to walk with the best grace possible. Aleida just wants to crawl into her bed and never get out of it.

"Aleida, just in time for the cake!" Gloria announces. "You finish your breakdown in there? I hope you're gonna be nice now."

"Yep," Aleida responds shortly. She tosses everyone a fake smile and sits down. They sing Christina happy birthday and eat while the little girl opens her presents and squeals about every single one of them. Seeing her own daughter, so little and innocent, makes Aleida want to be sure nothing bad happens to her or any of her children.

She jumps when Leon reaches for her hand and moves away from him. "Don't touch me," she mutters, and he doesn't try to anymore, but he does appear to be confused and insulted.

"I'm sorry..."

When they go home at last, Aleida takes a long shower, scrubs her skin raw, and shampoos and conditions her hair clean. She holes up in her room again under the covers, and a few minutes later, Daya finds her. "Why don't you chill out and join us? You've already ruined Christina's birthday with your verbal nastiness...we don't need you giving us the cold shoulder, too."

"Just let me sleep," Aleida mumbles. "We got an early wake-up..."

Daya rips Aleida's comforter off of her. "Why were you being so bitchy at dinner?" she demands to know.

Aleida tugs it out of Daya's hands and snuggles back into it. "Get the fuck outta here! I need my rest!"

"No! I need to understand this rudeness you're displaying! I know abuela Lourdes is blunt, but she's old, she doesn't get that times have changed, and I've told her...she understands now. Jack's done nothing to you, but you've been horrible, starting with when he came here. Are you really that petty, you'd act up once you find out your ma's married a guy she adores for life?"

"Yeah, I guess I am."

* * *

In the tent, when they're both bare naked, Nicky's lips latch onto Lorna's and then the brunette moans loudly into her mouth. She sucks on the skin of Lorna's collarbone harder than a vacuum on high power, leaving behind appropriately dark purple hickeys. "I guess you'll have to wear a scarf, babe..."

"Oh, God..." Lorna's faint words make Nicky come, hard and fast.

"Damn it, Lorna, you're killing me here," Nicky hisses. She bends down to rapidly lick up and down Lorna's g spot.

"Fuck...I should say the same for you." Lorna whimpers. "For the love of all that's holy... _Nicky_!" A series of moans and gasps come out of her lips as her eyes roll to the back of her head and strands of hair fly across her flushed face.

"You're blushing, darling," Nicky tugs on one of her curls.

Lorna glances down and put her hand against her cheek. "Oh, dear me," she giggles. "I always blush!"

"It's adorable," Nicky insists, staring into Lorna's eyes and smiling. Lorna gazes back at Nicky lovingly. After sex, they both have their arms over their foreheads and they're sighing contentedly and giggling a few times.

* * *

As Leon puts Benny and Julio to bed, Gloria kisses Emiliano and Christina good night. "Mommy doesn't love me," Christina tells Gloria tearfully and rubs her eyes. "She pushed me away and then went to her room."

"She adores you, baby...she's just in a real bad mood tonight. I think she was having issues with your abuela. I'm so sorry it had to be on your birthday, but on Saturday, you're gonna have the best party ever. I'll make sure of it, and I'll also have a talk with her if she doesn't listen to Daya. Now...try to close your eyes and drift off into a peaceful dreamland where there's magic and rainbows and butterflies." Gloria hugs Christina and pecks her cheek a few times. "Okay?" she asks while tickling Christina's belly to make her laugh.

"Okay," Christina repeats, and then a smile appears on her cherubic face and she squeals. "Love you, tía!"

"I love you, too!" After Leon is done wishing the children sweet dreams and giving Gloria's sons bear hugs, he exits the room, and Gloria covers her kids in kisses. "Good night, babies, I love you!"

"Love you back, Mommy!" Benny replies.

"Love you, Mama!" Julio echoes.

The doorbell rings and Gloria wonders to herself who could be coming to their house this late. She opens the door and is pleasantly surprised to see her aunt Lourdes standing in front of her. They'd been talking regularly over the phone for almost two weeks, so Lourdes knows everyone's names and what Gloria and the boys have been up to so far. The only thing she hasn't discussed with Lourdes, is Fahri or the group dinner tomorrow, but she will soon. "¡Tía Lourdes!" she greets her happily. They embrace and rock back and forth after being apart for a bit over a month.

"Hola, Gloria!" Lourdes holds Gloria's face in her hands. "¡Es tan bueno verte de nuevo, cariño!"

 **It's so good to see you again, baby!**

Gloria beams. "Mmm, ¡ha pasado tanto tiempo!" she murmurs as Lourdes kisses the top of her head. "¿Encontraste el lugar bien? ¡Espero que el tráfico no haya sido horrible!"

 **Mmm, it's been such a long time!** **You find the place okay? I hope traffic wasn't awful!**

"Sí, no hay problema ... de hecho, ¡estoy viviendo en tu complejo de apartamentos! Quería visitarte y ver cómo iba todo."

 **Yeah, no trouble at all...in fact, I'm living in your apartment complex! I wanted to visit you and see how everything's going.**

"Bien." Gloria sighs exasperatedly once she hears raised arguing voices coming from Aleida's room. "Espera, lo retiro."

 **Just fine. Wait, I take that back.**

"¡Quienquiera que esté en la puerta, me disculpo por mi hijo de treinta en el cuerpo de un niño!" Aleida's mother shouts from the living room.

 **Whoever's at the door, I apologize for my thirty-year-old in a child's body!**

"Aleida y Daya están peleando porque esta noche fue el cumpleaños de Christina y Aleida estaba siendo inmadura y grosero," Gloria explains tiredly while rubbing her temples. "Voy a detenerlo porque me está dando un dolor de cabeza."

 **Aleida and Daya are fighting because tonight was Christina's birthday and Aleida was being immature and rude.** **I'mma put a stop to it 'cause it's givin' me a headache.**

"Buena idea. ¿Dónde están los chicos?"

 **Good idea. Where are the boys?  
**

"Están durmiendo, ¡puedes verlos mañana por la mañana!"

 **They're sleeping, you can see them tomorrow morning!**

"Yo, Leon, let's talk to your girl," Gloria tells him in the living room, where he's watching a Knicks game with Aleida's mother and Jack. "This is my aunt Lourdes, by the way. _Tía_ , this is Aleida's boyfriend, Leon, her mother, also named Lourdes, and her stepfather, Jack."

"I doubt she wants to speak to us. I didn't want to bother her...she firmly stated that she wanted to go straight to bed when she got home, and I respect that. A peaceful night of sleep could do her good," Leon replies after handshakes and pleasantries are exchanged.

"It seems like Daya needs backup! They got fuckin' world war three goin' on in there! Thank Dios they're too far away for the children to really hear, but any louder...we gonna have cryin'!"

"Okay, then!" Leon gets off the couch. Gloria's aunt begins wandering around the apartment.

* * *

"I just got the little ones to sleep, would you keep it down?" Gloria asks harshly while opening the door. Leon is right behind her and Aleida checks twice to see if his hands are near her butt. Thankfully, they're not even that close to each other.

"This is more important," Aleida snaps.

"Alright...what's up?" Leon asks. He takes a spot next to Aleida.

"He raped me!" Aleida yells at them while sitting up.

"What? You're a liar!" Daya shouts back.

Leon's eyes flash with anger. "Who did such a thing to you? I'll make him regret it!"

"Later, just stay here," Aleida orders him and clutches his hand. "I need you guys."

"Hey, who you talkin' about?" Gloria asks. She takes a spot next to Aleida and rubs her back soothingly. Aleida leans her head on Leon's shoulder and stretches her legs across Gloria's lap. She never knew how much she was craving for their comfort until now.

"Jack, Lourdes' husband." Daya rolls her eyes. "Aleida's accusing him of this unspeakable crime, when it's clear that he didn't do shit to her."

"Yeah, he did, tonight, in a family restroom, so nobody would walk in on him doing these...unimaginable things to me. I know I said and done fucked-up shit, Daya, and I'm sorry...but what I'm tellin' you is true! We were gone at pretty much the same time."

Daya scoffs and folds her arms across her chest. "I don't believe you, 'cause you would've been sweet as pie 'til then. He went to get the waitress, she was takin' forever and a century with our bill."

"You should hear her out, Dayanara," Gloria says.

"We've only met him today," Leon puts in.

"Right, which is why we can't just make judgements," Daya argues.

"The thing is, he's lusted after me from the time I was thirteen and Mama Lourdes was just dating him...he kept making passes at me-" Aleida begins.

"Yeah right, Grandma would never let that happen to you, she would've kicked him out a long time ago!" Daya exclaims while pacing the room.

"Honey, your grandmother seems to have a mean streak, and you never realized it and now, you don't wanna believe it. This woman victim-blamed your motha when she was only a young teenager. Jack was a grown-ass man who came onto her...no wonder she's traumatized and was acting out once he came over!" Gloria replies.

"That bitch is very much like how I was back then, like, when I got pissed with you for Cesar letting you kiss him. Only thing is, I ain't never made moves on Jack...he was gross all on his own. He wanted to wait until I was legal, and I ain't never seen nor heard from him 'til now."

Daya sinks to the end of Aleida's bed. "I just don't understand..."

"This enough proof for ya?" Aleida wipes off her lipstick, revealing the cut, and shows them the harsh red handprint-shaped bruises on her thighs. Gloria's eyes widen and she gasps. Tears immediately glimmer in her eyes. Their reactions occur all at once.

"Oh my god!" Daya practically shrieks.

"I'm gonna kill that monster!" Leon decides aloud.

" _Ay dios mío_ ," Gloria says in a hushed tone. "Damn him for doin' this..."

"I'll...I'll get you something, okay?" Daya chimes in.

"You can in a minute," Aleida mumbles and then breaks down sobbing into Leon's chest while clinging onto his shirt. He wraps his arms around her and lets her cry. "I'm so sorry, baby, I was havin' a real hard time tonight, you're not a dumbass at all, that was just me spewing word vomit and bein' a bitch! I'll never call you that nasty word again, I promise!"

"I know. It's okay," he murmurs and presses his lips into her hair.

"Ma, you need ice...a-and...we gotta...we gotta call Charles on that...that asshole!" Daya is sounding choked up at this point, by the way her voice keeps cracking. "I for...forgive you...for tellin' Grandma that I'm pregnant, 'cause I-I didn't buy that this really happened to you."

"Thanks..." Aleida wiggles out of Leon's arms and allows him to go and beat up one of her abusers. She sniffles as she squeezes Gloria's and Daya's hands. "Gloria, listen...I...I only told Lourdes about your abusive relationship so she'd shut up about you taking a dive into the dating pool!"

"I appreciate you stickin' up for me, then."

"I'm really trying to be a better motha and friend, but it still takes time and effort," Aleida lets them know.

"We get it," Daya responds.

"Now help me outta bed so I can see my man pummeling the shit outta that disgusting rapist," Aleida tells Gloria. "I'd love to witness karma."

"You sure?"

"Definitely."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, HannahMiley1fan, and a guest!**


	37. We'll Be Victorious

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: violence, ableist words and actions, racist and sexist language, sexual harassment, homophobia, and references to minors using drugs**

 **corazón-sweetheart**

"Are my brothers acting weird?" Flaca asks Maritza as Marco and Pedro do a funny walk down the hall, almost as if they're drunk, and keep chuckling for no real reason. It could be an inside joke they're sharing, but two people don't have the same thoughts at once if they're not even speaking to each other.

"Not more than usual," Maritza replies. "Why don't you try talkin' to 'em?"

"Okay." Flaca wheels herself to their bedroom door and knocks on it.

"Shit, Mom's home!" Marco says frantically.

"Nah, it's just me!" Pedro lets her in and tries, but fails, to kick an extra large pizza box and a bunch of junk food under Marco's bed. "Yo, what's goin' on? How come you need all that? You gonna get, like, super full!"

"We kinda have the munchies, Tricia told us about this part," Pedro confesses.

Flaca gasps and shakes her head in disappointment. "You're both fuckin' twelve years old! Nicky's sister really got you stoned?"

"No, it was just...a random guy, we didn't know the cookies would be laced with heroin-"

"Heroin?!" Flaca hisses. "Somebody gave you-"

"Shut up, we thought it was just weed at first, and we were interested in finding out. Don't tell Mom, or...we'll let her read your diary with all your juicy secrets!" Marco threatens her.

Flaca rolls her eyes. "Fine, whatever. Deal. Just don't let this shit happen again. Don't you idiots know not to take shit from strangers? Mama taught you about that when you were four!"

"Sorry," they mumble sheepishly.

"Get Kubra to take care of you," Flaca instructs the boys as she leaves the room. "Ma's busy sewing!"

"So, what was up with them?" Maritza wonders aloud as Flaca sits next to her best friend, who is laying on the couch.

"They were stoned," Flaca mutters while turning on the television. "Hopefully, they learn a lesson from this!"

"Oh, wow...okay."

* * *

While shopping, Diane attempts not to worry about the prices, but she also ensures that the dresses and shoes only cost up to sixty dollars and everything else is less than forty. She doesn't want to make Charles spend too much money on her. She picks some colorful, black, gray, and gold evening gowns off the racks so she can try them on in the dressing room. When she slips into each of them, she can't help but do a few little spins in the mirror, feeling like a princess as the skirt of the royal purple dress twirls around her. It's childish, but she's always been young at heart, and she's never been this extravagant. She rejects about half of them, but she shows Alex and Charles the rest. She does poses for the two most important people in her life as she shows off the different dresses on her figure.

"I think you look beautiful in anything," Charles tells her with a grin as his eyes scan up and down her body, but not in a perverted way. "The purple and red really bring out your eyes, though." Diane swoons at his comments and smiles at him.

"The sleeveless with the black and white checkered pattern, sheer blue, off-the-shoulder red, and strapless dark purple are classy and my very top favorites," Alex lets Diane know. "Which one are you gonna choose, Mom?"

"You can get them all, it's fine," Charles says kindly.

Diane beams. "Thanks, you guys. A girl can't really have only one dress to wear for her whole life. Um...for tomorrow night, though, red. Aleida's gonna be in royal blue with halter straps and Gloria, black, long-sleeved V-neck with silver sparkles, and she'll put on a black cardigan over it. That's what they told me."

"Cool!" Alex murmurs.

The three of them are carrying numerous shopping bags when they come to the shoes. Charles fits Diane's prospective purchased shoes on her feet so much that Alex comments she looks like Cinderella. While he's slipping a three inch high heel onto her bare foot, his calloused thumb and fingers touch the skin on her heel, and she giggles, loving the feel of his hand on her. "Sorry, I'm ticklish," she mumbles.

"Remind me of that later," he says, wiggling his fingers toward the bottom of her other foot.

"I can kick you, sir!" she teases him back as she pretends to do so.

"Yeah, you better watch out, Charles!" Alex chimes in.

"Oh, well, I don't wanna be on the other end of your wrath! Do you like those?" Charles gestures to the dress shoes, and Diane nods happily.

"I love them!"

"Perfect!"

"Hey, you little sluts are such white trailer trash, that you're only being taken in by a jigaboo!" Dixon taunts them from behind as they're going with Charles to the car. Diane jumps, not expecting him and Humps to be right there. He goes to tap Alex's butt and grab one of Diane's breasts at the same time, but Diane yelps and roughly slaps his hands away. Charles gets into a protective stance in front of Diane and Alex.

"Stay away from them, unless you'd like to deal with me and my fists. Just so you're aware, I'm a police officer-" he starts.

Humps snorts. "You're nothing but a security guard in a juvenile delinquent center, ape! As we were saying, nobody else wants you! Actually, Dixon and I do, because fuck, Mama Vause, those watermelons are about to grow out of your shirt, and Miss Vause, you are keeping our sexy librarian fantasy alive!" Diane's blood runs cold at his words and Dixon's first remark and actions. "Are you gonna follow in your mama's footsteps, whoring around for cash?"

"Shut the fuck up, I'm warning you!" Charles threatens them through gritted teeth. His hands start to ball up so tightly that Diane notices the whites of his knuckles.

"Or what? You'll beat us up?" Dixon asks snidely, and Humps sniggers. "Go ahead, but we'll get you fired if you cause us harm. We have ourselves a lawyer who hates the darkies."

"I can always get another job, fuckheads!" Charles punches them both in their stupid faces. Alex's eyes and mouth pop open in astonishment, and while Diane is blessed that he's defending them, she'd never wanted nor needed him to risk his career for her and Alex.

Humps spits out blood. "She's dirty, she's fucked so many men that her cunt's wide enough to fit a basketball into. I would know...she did my dad and brothers. So, congratulations...you two are great for each other. You're a black retard, while she was a tramp...she probably still is!"

Diane races off to her car with her purchases, ashamed and trying to hold back tears. She gets into it shakily before she starts bawling at the wheel while holding her stomach. There are doors opening and closing, and then she sees that Charles and Alex have now caught up to her.

"Hey...those creeps are nothing, Diane...they spread lies-"

Diane sniffles and lets out a few more sobs. "It's the truth...I'm a hooker...or, I _was_...um, when I was pregnant...with Alex." She glances at his reaction out of the corner of her eye. He simply appears to be sad for her. "I worked as a stripper and a prostitute until Alex was ten...Humps and Dixon are right. Even if it was to support myself and my daughter, I'm nothing but a fraud...I'm not squeaky clean with an excellent record." Diane leans back, swallows hard, and squeezes her eyes shut, allowing tears to leak out and drip down her cheeks. "I'm...I'm exactly the kind of girl you'd throw into the slammer."

She senses him swipe his thumb underneath one eye and then the other. "I would never arrest you. I'd help you out like I'm doing now...because I really like who you are," he soothes her softly. "You're so smart, pretty, strong, clever, and unwaveringly kind...not to mention, the best dancer I've ever known. Diane, you amaze me, every day. I'm so happy that you're in my life. You make everything better and brighter with your cheerful spunk and spirit."

Diane opens her eyes to find that his sweet words match the expression on his face. "You're a real confidence booster, you know that? Sometimes, though, I feel so broken...and like, Alex deserves a better mom, someone who could give her everything...someone she could be proud of. I had to tell her to brag to her fifth grade bullies about her loser piece 'a shit dad 'cause of his fuckin' band."

"You have so much love for her. If some cruel elementary schoolers wanted to poke fun at you and her for being poor without trying to get to know either of you, that's their loss. You're great, and such an awesome mother." Diane sighs while smiling a little at her lap. Her heart is light and fluttery now. "You are, I promise."

"Thank you."

"Sorry, I was shaken up, but I agree with everything Charles said, Mom. You did all that you could, and more, to ensure that I had the best life possible. Never doubt yourself, alright? You're like, Super Mom!" Alex cuts in. "You're my role model...I wanna be like you when I grow up in every way, except straight."

Diane chuckles and brushes the wetness off her cheeks. She twists around in her seat, cups Alex's cheek, and kisses her daughter's temple. "Thanks, sweetie."

* * *

While she's collecting ice and putting it into baggies, Daya watches Leon catch Jack off guard and flip him onto the floor. It's easy, too, since Leon not only has an inch on him, but he has way more muscle than the wiry raisin-like subhuman. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" her grandma screeches at him as Jack groans in his deserved pain. "Where's a damn phone when you need one..."

"I can kick your ass any day, old man!" Leon hisses and delivers a powerful blow into Jack's ugly face. "You hurt my lady, then I cause serious harm to you!" He continues hitting Jack with his fists. "Is this how you sat on her and punched her in the face?"

Jack grunts and attempts to roll over, but Leon doesn't let him. "She wanted me, she was desperate! She's only with you for your large cock, she said!"

This makes Leon even angrier, and he jams his knee into Jack's crotch a few times. "You like that, huh? You asked for it!"

Daya's grandmother dials a number right away once she finds the portable landline. "Hi, this is Lourdes Diaz...Pearson. My...my daughter's boyfriend is attacking my husband out of nowhere!"

"Abuela, he sexually assaulted Ma tonight in Roberto's bathroom, and Leon is defending her honor!" Daya shouts and tries to grab the phone from her grandmother, but the elderly woman hurries into Daya's room. "Abuela, no...¡detener!"

 **Grandma, no, stop!**

"¡No faltes el respeto a tu abuela! ¡Tu madre está enferma en la cabeza, ha estado buscando a mi marido desde que estaba en la escuela secundaria! ¡No era una violación, estaba muriendo por rebelarse contra mí! ¡Calla, estoy en el teléfono!" Daya's grandmother scolds her. "Sorry, my granddaughter was acting up. What were you saying?"

 **Don't disrespect your grandmother! Your mother's sick in the head, she's been after my husband since she was in middle school! It wasn't rape, she was dying to rebel against me!** **Shush you, I'm on the phone!**

"How...how could you...do that...to-to my mom?" Daya asks in tears. "You dismissed her feelings when she was a girl..." She trails off when her grandmother slams the door in her face.

"¡Me encargaré de esto!" A woman who Daya's never met before, but recognizes from pictures with Gloria and her kids, pushes open the door and wrestles the phone out of the other Lourdes' hands. Gloria's aunt must have come to see the Mendozas while Daya was with Aleida and Gloria wasn't able to introduce her just yet because of all that was going on. "Escuché todo. ¡Eres un apologista de violación!" Gloria's aunt tells Aleida's mother coldly.

 **I'll handle this! I heard everything. You're a rape apologist!**

"No fue violación," Daya's grandmother insists as she rushes back to Aleida and Gloria.

 **It wasn't rape.**

"Here." Daya hands Aleida the bags of ice, and Aleida rests them on her wounds.

"Gracias, nena."

"De nada. Uh, so there's like, two showdowns out there. Not only is Leon bashing Jack's face in, your mom and some other lady are bustin' up each other's asses. Gloria, that's your aunt Lourdes?"

Gloria nods while smiling. "Yeah, I gotta formally introduce you two to her. She lives near us now."

"Well, she's on your side, Ma. Grandma...I don't even know if I wanna call her that anymore...she's the mean Lourdes. She tried to get Leon arrested, but the _nice_ Lourdes stopped her!"

Aleida smirks through her tears. "She wouldn't have been effective anyway, since Charles is on his way with several cops behind him."

"I called the police," Gloria clarifies.

"Oh, thank god!" Daya says gratefully.

The sirens get closer to the apartment, and the three of them go into the living room, where Leon is pulling Jack up to his feet. Aleida hides behind Gloria and Daya, but peeks out at the scene between her fingers. There's pounding on the door and Aleida's mother opens it. "Good thing you're here-"

"Now leave, and don't come back!" Leon tells Jack warningly as he pushes the beast away from him. Aleida's mother wails as Charles explains that Jack is under arrest for rape and informs him of his Miranda rights.

"Don't worry, man, your secret's safe with me," Charles tells Leon.

"Thanks, dude." Leon and Charles bump fists.

"Aw, they're bros!" Aleida comments as Charles clips Jack's wrists together in handcuffs and takes him away.

Daya's phone buzzes in her pocket and she jumps. It's Alex. _Hey_ , _we're at your house with Charles...who is that beat-up old guy police are dragging out of your place?_

 _We're fine, just family drama and it got too loud. You know how my mom and grandma are always at each other's throats, I've told you and the girls before...well, the asshole who married my grandma tried to get between them, and got himself injured in the process._

"¡Seguro que te mueves!" Daya's grandmother snaps at Aleida.

 **You sure do get around!**

"Get away from my girl, Lourdes!" Leon steps in front of the women and Daya. "You made her life hell."

Aleida removes the ice from her mouth. "We gonna speak English since two members of my family ain't fluent in Spanish. As of now, you're forever banned from this apartment! Gloria and I were discussing it."

"You can't just separate me from my grandchildren-"

"Actually, I don't give a fuck!" Daya hisses. "That's right, I swore since I'm so mad at you. Because of you, Aleida learned how to be a shitty mom and give me and my siblings a bad childhood 'cause she thought that shit was normal. I'll never let you meet my baby, either. Emiliano will forget about you in a few weeks and Christina will understand once we explain it clearly that you are no longer allowed in our home."

"That's correct. If you come around here again, we will place a restraining order on you," Gloria says.

"If you attempt breaking in here to kidnap the kids, the security alarm I installed will go off, and you'll get arrested immediately," Leon adds.

"It looks like it's a unanimous vote of yes!" Gloria's aunt announces while stepping out from Daya's room. "I hate your ass too...you let this poor child get raped by your monster of a boyfriend, and you blamed her for it!" Lourdes comes up to them and puts her arms around both her niece and Aleida. "Nice to meet you in person, Daya and Aleida, I'm Gloria's Tía Lourdes."

"¡Hola!" Aleida and Daya greet Gloria's aunt.

"If I had actually been Gloria's cousin and grown up in her tía's care, I'd be better!" Aleida realizes aloud. "Upbringing has a lot to do with everything. You ain't my motha no more!"

"I'm disowning you as a daughter then, you selfish bitch!"

"Yeah, pack up. Bye!" Aleida says cheerfully while flipping her off.

* * *

The guilt of being temporarily unloving to everyone is eating Aleida alive, so she makes sure to act extra nice from now on. As she goes into the nursery when Gloria is just getting into bed, she feels a sharp pang in her chest just glancing at her sleeping children with their thumbs in their mouths. "Oh, nena," she murmurs as she kisses Christina on her cheek while stroking her hair. "Happy birthday, sweet girl...I'll make it up to you, I promise. I love you." Aleida sniffles and a tear rolls down her face and onto Christina's. She brushes it off. and moves on to Emiliano. "I'm sorry, buddy...I only said mean things to you and your sisters, didn't I? None of you deserved it." She pecks his cheek and runs her fingers through his hair. "Love you, little man." Aleida gives Benny and Julio's hands gentle squeezes. "Good night, boys!" She hugs Gloria before leaving the room. "Night, Glo."

"Night, Lei!"

"You picked that up from Leon, huh?"

"Yeah, it's a cute nickname."

"I wonder what else you got from him," Aleida mutters to herself, too low for Gloria to hear.

She stops at Daya's room and goes inside of it to hug and kiss her oldest daughter good night. "How you doin'?"

"I'm okay, Ma. Thanks for asking," Daya mumbles tiredly beneath the covers.

"You sure? That must have been quite the shocker..."

"It was, but I'm fine. I'm relieved we got rid of them both for good."

"Me, too."

"Are you positive you don't wanna go to the hospital to get a rape kit?"

Aleida shakes her head. "Nah, I don't wanna be touched by strangers no more. I told y'all this already...I'm takin' this to court, and Juliana's gonna be my lawyer. He's goin' down."

"Okay! Yo...could we go to the movies, just the two of us, like Sunday, maybe?"

"Sure!"

Aleida crawls into bed with Leon and snuggles into his side. His arms wrapped around her make her feel safe and loved, and his lips and hands are so warm against her cold skin. "My human space heater," she mumbles into his chest, and it vibrates with his chuckle. "I've been freezing ever since..."

"I'm always glad to help."

"I never wanted you to see that side of me." Aleida sighs heavily. "You'd be better off with Gloria since she's never a bitch like I was, and she has a better ass!"

" _What_? Sweetheart, I would never leave you!" He trails his knuckles up and down her cheek in a soothing motion. "Your mother was cruel to suggest that!"

"Maybe she's right about that part. You get along so well with Gloria's kids, but my own don't talk to you much. Really, I get it if you're considering her-"

"That doesn't matter, since your children are used to a bad man dating their mom, but Gloria's are fine with me because I'm not going out with her, or even thinking about doing so! If the situation were reversed, your kids would like me, but Gloria's would be wary of me!"

"Lemme stop ya right there and tell ya somethin', okay? You ready?"

"Yeah."

"When I had problems with Lourdes and her...partner, I'd run to people I thought were my friends, and I started swearin' and doin' drugs 'cause I got in with a bad crowd. I had Daya at fifteen, but two years later, my boyfriend left me because he couldn't deal with my emotional baggage. It was too much for him. I'm giving you this chance to walk away."

"I'm not taking it." He combs through her hair and she melts into him. "I'm not some wimp who takes off when things get hard."

"Why?"

"Oh, baby...I love you so much," he mumbles against her lips, and she's not sure she'd heard him correctly, but her heart does a flip. Her chest tightens with shame because she isn't allowing herself to commit to him fully, but she pushes that feeling away.

"Me too," she says through a giggle. They pull back and he strokes her hair while gazing at her lovingly.

"You're just so pretty."

"Well, you're real handsome! We make a hot couple!"

"We sure do!"

He hums to her until they both drift off to a calming slumber. Her night isn't peaceful, though, since she has a nightmare of Leon humping Gloria while they suck each other's faces off in front of her and then, a flashback from a few hours earlier. She decides she doesn't want to go to the bathroom alone ever again, and she's always going to be watching her best friend and boyfriend from now on. She keeps her sobbing to a minimum and tries not to be too loud so she won't interrupt Leon's sleep.

* * *

After getting back into their clothes and leaving their tent for some fresh air, Nicky and Lorna intertwine as starlight drips and pools around them. Lorna gasps as she points at the sky. "There's a shooting star! Make a wish!"

Nicky smiles as she thinks for a second. "I wish we could stay like this forever, kid. I don't mean away from our friends and role models, but like...no drama!"

"Me, too!" Lorna murmurs while closing her eyes. "I also wish...we can be girlfriends for our whole lives."

"Seriously?" Nicky raises her eyebrows in disbelief. "I didn't know you ever thought of me that way."

"I do now. I mean, I was raised assuming I was straight...until we really got close. You're the first and only girl I've ever loved romantically. I've dreamt of you a few times, actually."

"You have?"

Lorna nods her head yes. "Mm-hm! I got lotsa fantasies about you and me fucking wildly...like tearing clothes off and you pulling my hair...I get real horny!"

"Whoa, there, tiger! So, this comforting each other...wasn't a romp?"

"No, of course not! It's part of our relationship, honey. I don't wanna be just friends no more." Lorna reaches up to lightly drag her fingertips down Nicky's cheek. "I look into your eyes and see nothin' but love...for me. I don't get jealous 'cause you always tell me how worthy of love I am and you make me feel beautiful. Vinnie didn't do that, Christopher didn't return my affections, but third time's the charm with you."

Nicky scoops Lorna into her lap and gives her a passionate kiss. "You sure know how to make a girl swoon, babe!" She wants to scream in happiness while doing cartwheels on the tallest mountain in the world and then fly high into the sky, she's so overwhelmingly ecstatic.

"Yeah, so do you...and also, you're wearing my lipstick now."

"Thanks for sharing it, Lorna! God, it's smeared all over your mouth and chin now, and it's fuckin' hot."

Lorna bites her bottom lip and gazes up at Nicky through her eyelashes. "Mmm...wanna give me another pussy rub while massaging my big tits and chewing on my nipples? You're real good at that, baby." She licks her top teeth suggestively.

"Damn, talkin' dirty, huh?" Nicky runs her tongue along her lower lip and smirks at her girl. "I like it!"

As soon as Nicky gets Lorna off, they snuggle, until the brunette's phone vibrates. She sighs with annoyance and picks it up. Her eyes widen and she groans. "Shit!"

"What is it, doll?" Nicky wants to know.

"Uh...we gotta go home immediately. Franny needs you 'cause Tricia and Mercy were making out and saying they could do whatever the fuck they wanted when our dad tried to lecture them. He was threatening to throw 'em out, but Franny told him that we just needed to talk your sister down. They were cursing and slapping each other's butts and everything, just to rub it in his face! Franny had to drive Mercy to her house and he sent Tricia to her room. His next step is to toss her to wherever the hell she came from, in his words, exactly."

"They...oh, Jesus!" Nicky throws her head back and groans. "I should've warned 'em he was an asshole who hates lesbians. Fuck!"

"It's okay, Nicky...you didn't know they were together."

"I was aware of them being flirty." Nicky rolls her eyes and thumps herself on her forehead. "I'm an idiot."

"No, you're not! Come on, let's just leave, even though I don't wanna."

"Yeah, me neither. I'm sorry."

"We'll come back another time," Lorna assures Nicky. They gather up their things and return to the Morello apartment.

"You tell your severely confused sister that a man who lieth with a man as he would a woman is an abomination in the eyes of God!" Joe instructs Nicky as soon as they come inside. "That's directly from the Bible!"

"I thought God doesn't make mistakes and He loves everyone," Lorna mumbles to Franny as they go into the older girl's room. "We're all His children..."

"That's what I told him!" her big sister responds.

"She's not a man, she's an eleven year old girl, and you had no right yelling at her!" Nicky snaps. "I'll speak to her."

Joe gives her a stern stare. "I was teaching her, but she doesn't listen. Eleven is old enough to learn about sins."

"I get it, alright? I'll handle this." Nicky goes into hers and Tricia's room, where the younger blonde is resting on their bed while wearing headphones and not paying attention to her. "Hey, Trish!" She slams the door closed and the preteen looks up in alarm as she takes off her headphones and presses _pause_ on her mini iPod.

"Yeah? Yo, would you get a load of that guy? He's a hard-ass!"

"I know, but I shoulda told ya before, he's homophobic, and you can't do shit with Mercy in front of him, ever!"

"What the fuck, man?" Tricia laughs hysterically. "Mercy's my girl! We're in love, yo!"

"Don't show him that! Hide it!" Nicky sees that Tricia's eyes are red and she's slightly shaky as she's walking around. "Wait a minute...did you take something?" Nicky hisses while pressing her hand against her heart.

"No!" Tricia mumbles, glancing around nervously.

Nicky folds her arms across her chest firmly. "Yeah, you did. I know high when I see it. Who the fuck gave it to you?" she demands quietly.

"Calm down, sis! Me and my pals and gals went by the forbidden cottage in the light of day and a cool guy there offered us heroin cookies."

"Oh my-" Nicky practically hollers as her blood boils and her hands clench up. "Why?" she growls. "Why do you do this shit? He coulda killed you!" Her great mood is completely gone now.

Tricia rolls her eyes. "We were fine! Stop!"

"What'd he look like?"

"Uh...tall, black spiky hair, and a matching mustache."

"Mendez, perfect," Nicky mutters sarcastically. "I don't know whether to tell Red or yell at you myself!"

"Don't snitch on me!"

"Alright, then I'll give you a good lecture. You're grounded for deliberately disobeying me and putting yourself in danger-"

"Hey, I was with my friends and it wasn't even slightly dark out!"

"I should've made myself more clear, then, that's on me...but Tricia, that place is abandoned. Night or day, if you guys were screaming for help, nobody would be around to hear you. I have these rules for a reason...to protect you. Do _not_ go there _ever again_ , do you understand me?"

"Okay, fine," Tricia grumbles.

"I need you to promise me. I love you too much for you to die."

"I promise." Tricia whimpers as she starts sweating and jerking around. "Can you get me orange juice? I'm in so much pain..."

"Yeah, be right back."

* * *

"Why is there a police car parked out front?" Franny wonders aloud.

"I don't...oh shit, it's Pornstache!" Lorna replies. "I need to borrow these." She takes Franny's keys off the coat hanger without another word.

"Lorn, I'll talk to him...what are you doing with my-"

"I need your tire iron from your trunk for self defense. You stay put, Franny! I got us into this situation where he knows our address, so I'll fix it! He's not even a police officer anymore!" When she exits her apartment, she no longer sees Mendez, but his vehicle with flashing red and blue lights is still in sight. She takes a few shaky breaths and keeps glancing over her shoulder since he is clearly prowling around the Morello property. With trembling hands, she unlocks her sister's trunk and gets out the tire iron while shoving the keys in her pocket. She holds it in front of her, prepared to fight back. "Hey, I ain't scared 'a ya! Show yourself! I know you're here!"

"Good, although you should be terrified," his creepy voice responds when he steps out of the shadows. Lorna hides her weapon behind her back before he notices it. He chuckles evilly. "Because of you and your little friends, I was fired as a correctional officer...by my own co-worker! That's embarrassing!" he hisses. "Nobody wants to hire me now!"

"Who's fault is that?" Lorna retorts. "You're a fuckin' animal!"

"In bed, yes, I am, but out in the real world, I'm one of New York's finest!"

She chuckles bitterly. "You ain't. You actually came to our school to do what...play with your nauseating buddies and have an accident in the cafeteria's backroom like a toddler?"

"It was fun locking up Red..."

"Leave her outta this!"

"She's not the only one who lathers that whore lipstick on her mouth." Pornstache grabs her arm roughly and attempts forcing his dirty lips on hers, but she hits him where it counts with the tire iron.

"You just enjoy blaming women and girls for your problems, huh?" Lorna scoffs. "That's pathetic. Stay the fuck away from all of us!" she screams as he howls in pain and hops up and down, holding his crotch. She runs back inside her apartment and Franny is already on the phone with nine-one-one.

* * *

"We got an unread P message for just the three of us," Flaca announces glumly the next morning outside of school. They made sure to meet early, before Maritza got there. "They sent it yesterday, but I guess none of us got the chance to read it. I was with Mari the whole time and we saw Blanca and Maria at Friendly's, and Alex and Diane were there too, of course."

"I couldn't look at my phone during family time," Daya informs them.

"Me neither," Alex chimes in.

Flaca, Alex, and Daya open it at once. _I know something you don't know!_ Under the text is a picture of Nicky and Lorna kissing. The caption reads, _See what happens when you're the nicest?_ "Whoa!" they exclaim in unison.

"I'm ecstatic for 'em!" Daya comments.

"Ditto!" Alex says. "They're awesome together."

"I'm with ya there, but... _the nicest_? P didn't need to say that! We already know they love her more than us," Flaca points out. "I ain't jealous or nothin', but we do deserve to find true romance with someone!"

"I know!" Daya scoffs. "P's an idiot!"

"Damn right," Alex murmurs. "Let's wait for 'em."

A while later, Lorna and Nicky walk to school, holding hands. Maritza is getting out of her mom's car, not far behind them. "Awww, you two make such a cute couple!" Flaca squeals.

"Yes, simply adorable," Daya agrees. She draws an invisible heart in the sky aimed at them.

Alex gathers the blue stripes in her hair into a messy half pony bun with strands framing her face. "Well done, Nichorello! I should've predicted that coming ever since I walked in on you." She winks at them.

"How'd you know, Vause?" Nicky asks while smirking.

"Probably 'cause I put us in a relationship on Facebook," Lorna answers, and both girls giggle while exchanging a smile. "We are officially girlfriends." Nicky pulls the petite brunette closer to her and kisses her hand. Their friends beam.

"Congratulations!" Maritza cheers. "We gotta do somethin' to celebrate!"

"Yeah, like what?" Nicky wonders aloud.

"Flaritza, you two and Maria could make up a romantic song for us to dance to, or you can talk about us in your next vlog," Lorna suggests.

"We'd love to do both!" Flaca and Maritza respond happily.

* * *

"I heard from my mom that Ms. Fischer is getting fired," Alex reports to the girls solemnly as they're strolling to where Taystee, Poussey, Blanca, Maria, Stephanie, and Alana are all laughing together in the courtyard. "Today's her last day. She came to my mom's classroom all choked up."

"No!" Lorna cries. "She's one of my favorite teachers!"

Daya frowns. "Well, that's upsetting. Why?" she wonders aloud.

"I'm so glad she's getting out of this damn place!" Nicky tells them.

"Apparently, Caputo asked her out and she turned him down. Therefore, she lost her job," Alex lets them know.

"What?!" Flaca shouts.

"Ugh, change needs to happen, straight white men are disgusting," Nicky mutters.

"Can they just stop being in charge of shit?" Maritza asks. "Yo, what's so funny?" she asks when they reach the clique of giggling girls.

"We totally threatened those stupid bitches into never touching Blanca again, and then called a truce!" Maria turns to her best friend. "I don't think Skinhead Helen and Jennifer wanna risk harming you anyway, since you're super popular and you got Diablo and your whole crew on your side!"

"Yeah," Blanca murmurs and then laughs.

"Awesome!" Lorna says as her group joins them. Her smile doesn't reach her eyes, and neither do the other girls'.

"Yo...why so down?" Poussey wants to know.

"Ms. Fischer is getting fired because she rejected Caputo!" Nicky informs her, and she and the rest groan in unison.

"Aw, man, that's extremely unfair!" Alana replies.

"So fucked up...we should do somethin' about it, though, not mope around like sad little bitches!" Taystee announces. "That's the only way we'll be victorious."

"I know...when does she leave?" Stephanie asks.

"Today...so probably after school," Alex replies.

"We already skipped classes, and it didn't do shit but get us in detention," Lorna mutters.

"Yeah, we don't have power, we're students," Daya agrees dejectedly. "You saw what happened when Diane reported the fuckin' hairless gorilla to Caputo...he was only punished for a week. If Caputo didn't even take her, a teacher, seriously, what makes you think he'll do anything for us?"

"It's gotta be somethin' huge, much bigger than just one person going into his office," Blanca says. "The whole school needs to be involved if we want this to be effective."

Maria grins at her. "Now you're talkin', my homegirl!"

* * *

"How'd you get Maritza out of Humps' class? Why ain't he bothering her no more?" Lorna asks Flaca on the way to their Yearbook and Journalism class.

"She's a freshman, and Fig thought she was a sophomore. That's literally it," Flaca responds sourly. "I ain't sure why he ain't buggin' her...probably 'cause she's never in his class and we always protect you two. I'm sorry you still gotta suffer."

"It ain't for long...I got Nicky there. We rush out like, five seconds in."

"Why can't Caputo get his head on straight?" Daya mutters to herself. "He's such a coward...only willing to get rid of the easy ones, like Gloria last month, and now, Ms. Fischer!"

"That was Fig, with Gloria," Flaca reminds her.

"I know, but they were the main two in charge, and they agreed on it," Daya replies. "He doesn't really respect the lunch ladies, anyway. He's said before that Gloria was replaceable and he can't stand that Red has some power over everyone except the assholes."

"I hope whatever we all do to try to prevent Ms. Fischer from being given a pink slip, works," Lorna comments. "How did Gloria and Red avoid it?"

"They did their jobs correctly and Gloria worked harder, even though she was hurting inside," Flaca answers.

"Yeah, and he never had a romantic interest in them," Daya tacks on.

"That makes sense."

* * *

"There's this rule I learned a long time ago, you _cannot_ fall in love with straight girls, like, ever. I taught myself that when Piper rejected me," Alex tells Nicky in the locker room as they're changing. "How exactly did Lorna just suddenly develop feelings for you?"

"She saw my tits," Nicky answers with a cheeky grin, and Maritza snickers next to them. "We've both seen each other in the nude now! Besides that fun shit, we're deep and accepting with each other. We sleep together every night that her sister isn't home. There was nothing sexual about it, but she loves how protective I am of her."

"Aww!" Alex and Maritza coo in unison.

"Hey, that's awesome for you two, but Piss-cuntella's gonna get on your asses if you're chatting," Allison interrupts them.

"Right, we forgot he's back to ruin our lives again," Nicky grumbles.

Maritza sighs and then a terrified look grows on her face as she gulps. "Behind you," she whispers to Alex, who's in the middle of putting her shorts on. Alex turns around, takes a few steps back, and pulls Nicky and Maritza along with her.

Allison stands in front of the frightened girls, but he knocks her aside. The blonde and the Latina shriek as he yanks Alex's hair, snaps her bra, and grabs her _Love is pain_ tattooed forearm in a vice grip. She was so courageous before, but now, she's trembling and wanting to cry because the pain is so intense. "You stupid cunt! You're just like a teenage Reznikov, pathetically defending your friends! That's your immediate reaction to seeing me, huh?"

"Ow...stop..." Alex whimpers, but he just forces her to get down on the floor, creating bruises on her knees and a stinging in her hands from her palms slapping the hard surface. This is the most vulnerable she's ever felt. At least with Lee, she was fully clothed and not being violently roughed up.

"Let go of her!" Nicky hollers.

"My mom can sue you for physical abuse to students," Maritza adds.

"We're not afraid anymore," Allison chimes in.

A low growl emits from his throat, making Alex shiver and the others freeze up. "That's where you're wrong. I'm about to be principal, which means I can make the rules and put your meddling mama bears out of their jobs for good." He rips Alex's glasses off her face and gives her a hard kick into her semi-healed shoulder, causing her to fall flat on her back. "You can have these back after class."

"Oh, shit! I...I can't see! It's all blurry!" she shrieks and breaks off sobbing while squeezing her eyes shut so she doesn't have to suffer through her uncomfortable and partial blindness. "Noooo..."

"Come on, Vause, it's _our_ turn to help _you_ ," Nicky says strongly, and three pairs of gentle hands help her up to her feet.

"It hurts, like all over." Alex sniffles. "He's relentless...and now he's...he's gonna be...head of the school..."

"Nah, he won't, okay? Our plan's gonna work," Maritza assures her soothingly.

"I can't do this without my glasses, he's probably already broken them like he wanted to do to my arm, and my mom can't afford to buy a new pair for me," Alex wails as she runs a sweaty hand through her hair. "This is fuckin' illegal!"

"We'll be with you," Allison murmurs.

She senses them pulling her bra up and over her head and then replacing it with her sports bra and physical education shirt. They guide her to the gym and Alex tries her best to run with her extremely low vision. It's nauseating to go fast, so she jogs and only focuses on Nicky in front of her. Allison and Maritza aren't far behind her, to catch her if she loses her footing.

Her eyes are aching by the end and she's completely dizzy. Piscatella throws her glasses at her and they land on the cement outside. She feels around for them and picks them up. When they're back on, she pushes them up on her nose and it's not so bad anymore.

"Are you alright now, kid?" Nicky asks softly.

"Mm-hm."

"That's good," Maritza says.

* * *

"Okay, it's time, Susan," Caputo is saying as he briskly walks up to where she, Diane, Frieda, and the other harmless teachers are sitting for lunch. Flaca turns around to see the poor woman sighing while staring at her food sadly. "Pack up your things. I wish you luck in future-"

"Can she at least finish her lunch and say her goodbyes?" Diane interrupts him.

He rubs his forehead. "You got fifteen minutes."

"This is absolutely heartbreaking!" Lorna says from beside Flaca, and the others nod in agreement. Flaca gets an ache in her chest.

"Fuck this shit," Blanca murmurs. She stands up, moves her tray to the center of the table, and climbs on top of it. Everyone glances up at her at once, confused.

"Sit back down immediately, Miss Flores!" Caputo commands her, but she stays in her place and smirks at him while raising her eyebrow. "Shoes don't go on the-"

"Why not?" Ouija asks. "Stratman was fine with it last year!"

Before he can answer, Taystee drops her tray onto the floor, making food splatter. She hoists herself onto the table where she's with Poussey, Brook, Cindy, Janae, and Allison and stands there while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Miss Jefferson, come on, not you too..." Caputo practically begs.

Stephanie just about hops on her table and spins around to face him. While Nicky touches her St. Joseph's necklace, Alex pushes her tray next to Blanca's and steps onto their table just a few feet away from Blanca. Her mother glances at her with amazement and pride.

"Ohh, I think it's starting!" Flaca points out excitedly to Maritza. Nicky helps Lorna onto the table and they both rise to their feet, tall and strong, holding hands and exchanging a smile. Caputo is too stunned to say anything anymore. He probably knows he's done for.

From across the cafeteria, Pennsatucky, Leanne, and Angie follow along. Diane and Frieda hold Ms. Fischer's hands as the three of them stand on their table at the same time. The lunch ladies come out from where they were serving food and join them while Fahri tosses his mop aside and comes up as well. Aleida links arms with Diane and Gloria. Red loops her arms through Gloria's and Norma's. Claudette and Frieda are flanking them. Fahri is behind Gloria and Diane, but closer to the latter. Adarsh takes Daya's hand, squeezes it, and both of them go up on the table. They share a grin. Maria takes a spot between Blanca and Daya, and Yadriel is directly behind his girlfriend. Flaca grabs her crutches and stands with them on the floor while Maritza and Diablo take their places on the table. Flaca beams up at Maritza with tears swimming in her eyes. Then, like a slow clap that turns into thunderous applause, Cindy, Gina, Janae, Allison, Poussey, and Brook start moving to stand, and all at the same time, Ouija, Zirconia, Pidge, Michelle, Alana, the other cheerleaders, and Ms. Jones, are followed by the rest of the students and kindhearted teachers of Martin Van Buren High. Even the douchebag bullies and Nazi girls stand. The kids who are permanently in wheelchairs either sit up as best they can and raise their hands, or have friends holding their body weight up, and glare at the principal. Aides in the special ed classes sign to those with hearing losses and guide the visually impaired pupils to stand on the table. The only sound is trays clattering on linoleum. Someone walks in from the bathroom, catches on, and stands with the Dominican girls.

"How's the view down there, Mr. Caputo?" Nicky asks after a minute of dead silence and Caputo just staring, baffled at the situation that is occurring.

"It's great from up here, you look like a teeny weeny ant, unlike the kids who unfortunately really ain't able to jump on the tables!" Lorna points out.

"Why are you doing this?"

"You're getting rid of one of the best teachers at this school, just because she rejected you, and we're peacefully protesting that," Stephanie explains.

"It ain't fair that you let monsters work here, but not Ms. Fischer," Taystee goes on.

"She's too nice and lenient with students, that's all it is." He walks closer to where Ms. Fischer is. "Susan, it's like you're their friend rather than their teacher!"

"You know what, Joe? So am I!" Diane says. "You didn't fire me." She doesn't wait for his response. "You never had a crush on me or whatever, so you had no reason to. Do not try to weasel your way out of this one. We caught you!"

"My mom's right," Alex says.

"We're only gonna get off these tables when you let Ms. Fischer stay. She's good people," Maria tells him, and everyone cheers.

"Would you rather have bigoted monsters who make students fight each other to the death, have a history of murdering inmates, forcing a student to stand on the table 'til she wet herself, sexually assault and beat up female students and teachers just because they can, and not respecting mental and physical limitations?" Gloria asks. "There are plenty more descriptive examples written in the girls' bathroom near the auditorium...go in there if you don't believe us."

"You are seriously messed up in the head if you think Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps are positive examples for the kids and allow them to still work here. Yet, you wanna drop Susan like she's a hot potato, 'cause of what, your fragile male ego?" Aleida scoffs. "Y'all old straight white men make me sick."

"Mm-hm, and somethin' else that's really stupid, is that you let Mr. Bennett get away with not only having a relationship with me, but also putting a baby inside me, which is both against school rules and the law! Ms. Fischer didn't hurt nobody! You allow these scoundrels to do whatever they want, even walk all over you...Piscatella is tryin' to take over as principal, by the way...but if _one_ woman personally disappoints you, your reaction is to fire her. That's just not okay, Mr. Caputo," Daya lets him know firmly, and Aleida, Gloria, Diane, and the girls beam at her.

"Alright, you made reasonable points. I'm terribly sorry, Susan, please forgive me. I'll just...find someone else...to date."

"Thank you," Ms. Fischer responds, breathing a sigh of relief, and Diane and Frieda give her supportive hugs.

Flaca can see that he's starting to cave, and she's bouncing inside. Even when the most malicious teachers come into the cafeteria, nobody budges from their spot.

"What is this insanity, Mr. Caputo? This is why I want to be principal!" Piscatella yells.

Everyone cups their hands around their mouths and starts booing at the repugnant men. "You can't break us down!" Flaca calls out while giving them a thumbs down. Humps and Dixon are peeking up skirts as they prowl around. "Exhibit A, Mr. Caputo!"

"That's inappropriate-" Caputo begins.

"Hey, Vampiress, Dumb Blonde, and Shortstack, your mommy figure or whatever, she knows that you drank her blood!" Humps announces.

"Hot Pants is really mad at you, too!" Dixon booms.

 _I'm so sorry, girls,_ Gloria mouths at them, and they give her sad smiles in return.

Without warning and before she can reply to Gloria, Piscatella knocks Flaca's crutches out of her hands. She lets out a squeak as she collapses halfway onto her seat and then to the floor. The pain is excruciating when she moves her bad leg to attempt reaching for her crutches. Almost everyone gasps in horror. Maritza quickly jumps down and assists her in sitting on the table. "I got you," her best friend assures her.

"Thanks, Mari." Flaca beams at her but then scowls at Piscatella. "Abelist shitfuck," she mutters. She's reminded of what he'd done to Alex earlier today, and now, her. She and Maritza hook their fingers together.

"See what we mean? This abuse is intolerable!" Alex states.

"I didn't need you to do that, Piscatella!" Caputo says roughly. "I will speak to you and your men later, but you are _not_ going to take my job." He shakes his head and gestures towards the pupils and staff members on the tables. "They told me everything."

"Fire that big turd and his cronies!" Maritza shouts. "They're all effin' bigots, killers, and rapists!"

"None of us deserve their mistreatment, and we've been through enough!" Blanca adds. "Just do it, Mr. Caputo!"

"Yeah!" everyone on the tables holler in unison. "Whoo!"

"My office, now!" Caputo directs the evil bastards angrily. "I've gotten too many complaints! March!" He pushes them forward, and they glare at the crowd and Caputo. It's only when they leave, that the cafeteria erupts into loud cheers for joy and claps. The students and teachers jump down and chatter amiably while cleaning up the messes they made with their food.

Maritza squeals and throws her arms around Flaca. "We did it!"

Flaca chuckles. "Yeah! We really did."

"I'm so proud of you for starting the whole thing, corazón," Diablo tells Blanca and kisses her.

"Gracias, it was no problem at all!" Blanca answers proudly.

"Oh, we should do a toast...to Blanca!" Lorna announces, and they all raise their water bottles to tap them together. "Cheers!"

* * *

"Hey...I think that girl's staring at me," Alex whispers with her eyebrows narrowed.

"What? Who?" Daya asks.

Alex tilts her head towards a cute Latina with wide eyes and a grey beanie, who's sitting with Ouija, Pidge, and Zirconia. "She might be in mine, Lorna, and Daya's Spanish class. We've worked with her once before, but I can't put my finger on her name."

"Michelle Carreras...and I happen to know that she's into girls," Maritza informs Alex. "Pidge confirmed it. Maybe she likes you."

"Yeah, she's sapphic alright," Nicky murmurs.

"Ooh, why don't you ask her out?" Lorna suggests.

"Get it, girl!" Flaca encourages her.

"She's never talked to me...besides, what if she has someone already? That'd be embarrassing!"

"Joey's creepin' up next to her...go be a hero," Maria advises Alex.

That's enough motivation for Alex, so she stands and heads over to where Michelle is. "Being a lesbian means you're going to miss out on dating gents like me," Joey is telling her as she rolls her eyes and gives him the hand with her palm upwards.

"Want me to stab you with my karate trophy that I won in eighth grade?" Ouija asks him viciously. "My cousin used that as a weapon on me before, and it hurts!"

"Pain is sexy. Michelle, you sure you don't wanna try this hunk of meat?" He points his index fingers toward his crotch and waggles his eyebrows while grinning. "You can't know you're truly a cunt-banger until you make an attempt at riding my dick." Michelle flips him off.

"You're an idiot, Joey," Alex mutters and pushes him away from her. "Fuck off!"

"What about the rest of you hot tamales?" Joey asks, but he receives three middle fingers along with death glares in return. The girls laugh as he walks away.

"Thanks...I thought he'd never leave," Michelle says. She pats the spot next to her, and Alex plops down. "So...what brings you to this side of town?"

"Oh, I just saw him, and I thought I'd be your white knightress," Alex teases her, and Michelle giggles while resting her chin on her fist. "He did that to me and my friend, Nicky, a while ago, and we're lesbians, too, so he wanted us to hook up while he watched."

Michelle wrinkles her nose and shakes her head in disgust. "Ew, gross!"

"I know."

"Are you guys a couple?"

"No, I'm a single pringle!"

"Me, too. Um, I gotta be honest, I admire you for being one of the first to stand up!"

Alex beams. "Thanks! It was amazing, all of us up there!"

"Fuck yes!"

Alex sneaks a peek at her friends, who are urging her to move on to the awkward subject of seeing if Michelle is interested in going out with her. She pushes her long hair back from her forehead and brings it over her shoulder. "Hey...I was wondering, do you wanna chill sometime...like go to a free outside concert or whatever? I love rock and heavy metal, as you can probably tell by my shirt and blue tips, and some of the gals are in a band, so we could listen to their songs! They're not famous, but they're really talented."

"You want me to hang with your crew?"

"Is that alright?"

"Yeah, I'm totally cool with that. Sure!"

Alex lowers her glasses as the girls are motioning for her to do. "Awesome! Why don't we exchange numbers?"

"Okay!"

After putting each other's contact information into their phones, Alex returns to her clique and she can't help but grin. "She shoots, she scores!"

"Nice job! You got some smooth moves!" Blanca compliments her, and the girls snicker and hi-five her while Michelle isn't looking in their direction.

"Thanks."

* * *

As Diane is returning to her classroom, Piscatella and Humps stride along on either side of her down the hall. "Your daughter's smokin' hot, you know that? I wanna get into both your cunts," Humps drawls snidely.

Diane shivers at his creepy words. "You need to stop."

"That bitch thinks she's strong and brave, but she isn't! For one thing, she needs glasses! She's fucking disabled! Why don't you get her a cane while you're at it? You could smash her face in and she wouldn't even know where it came from!" Piscatella shoves her into Humps, but she keeps herself steady. She only stumbles once.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about Alex that way!" Diane attempts walking faster, but they can easily keep up with her and even jog when she does. Dixon is hot on her heels and she's able to smell their rancid breath as they get closer and closer to her personal space. She feels completely trapped and she's trembling.

"That sexy librarian is mine, but so are you, I'm okay with being shared," Dixon informs her crudely.

"We'll both do those little sluts!" Humps tells Dixon.

"You're horrible, please just quit harassing me!" Diane shrieks and begins bolting to the women's bathroom, preparing to lock herself in a stall until they finally give up on tormenting her. She ends up running into Charles' arms since she'd called him for protection right after lunchtime and he's off for a few hours.

"Diane, what's wrong?" he asks her in alarm. "Are you okay? I'll make sure these fuckers never get a glimpse of the light of day again!"

"They won't leave me alone!" she cries while clutching onto his shirt. "They were saying such nasty things about Alex, and I can't...I refuse to listen to it..."

"Alright, Mr. Caputo is getting them arrested, but I hope those SWAT guys from Max come soon! You're safe with me, I promise." He guides her to her classroom and she closes and locks her door once all of her sixth period students are inside.

Her day gets better when she spots Blanca pouring liquid soap and then scattering marbles outside the door that Piscatella is going to walk out of. Frieda shoots him in the neck with a dart from behind a bush as soon as he's in sight. Flaca sits in her wheelchair and Maritza, Daya, Lorna, Nicky, Alex, Maria, and Blanca stand back, smirking, and watch him slip and crash to the ground.

"Ms. Vause, what you peerin' at out the window?" Taystee asks.

"A bunch of the most badass chicks I've ever met," Diane answers.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, HannahMiley1fan, Johanna-002, and LindaAndrewsfan! Almost 200 reviews, whoa!**


	38. New Beginnings

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, minimal bullying.**

 **pequeño-little one**

 **nada más que amabilidad-nothing but kindness**

 **I have two shoutouts: Happy Birthday, Caitlin (A Star In My Universe)! and congratulations to Jo (Johanna-002) for being my 200th reviewer! I'm baking two virtual cakes as we speak lol!**

All through the remainder of sixth period, the girls help Fahri scoop up every single marble and wash the floors with the soap. Freida, with the assistance of Blanca, Diablo, Yadriel, Maria, Boo, Red, Norma, and Claudette, had dragged an unconscious Piscatella all the way into the gym so it doesn't look like they'd tried to purposely kill him, and it would instead appear as if he'd randomly fainted.

"Ugh, my leg is killing me," Flaca groans as she takes Advil and swallows it with water. She's also collecting the marbles that her friends and Fahri hand her and putting them into a plastic bag.

"Aw, I'm hurting for you," Maritza sympathizes with her.

"So are we," Daya chimes in and gestures to herself, Nicky, Lorna, and Alex.

"Thanks! Yo...we gotta do a vlog about this soon, and there must be people who missed it, since they eat alone at lunch, sadly, so we'll deliver the good news!" Flaca says.

"I know, girl!"

They get on their hands and knees and start scrubbing. "Flac, toss the marbles before any SWAT members see and suspect...Blanca just informed me that they've cleaned him off," Maritza instructs her, and she does so.

"I just gotta say, I was the highest I'd ever been up on that table, besides when I'm with Nicky!" Lorna tells them. Her whole face lights up with joy. "It gave me a sense of power."

"That was the idea, kid," Nicky responds, and the others nod in agreement.

"Hey," Alex starts in between pants. "It's a good thing that nobody's really around...to topple over on the slippery floors!"

"Yeah...I love how it appears as if we're just wiping up a spill," Fahri comments.

Flaca carefully wheels herself away from them since she can't be of much more use. Michelle and Adarsh join them. "I figured you guys might need us," Michelle says as she and Adarsh kneel down beside Alex and Daya.

"Yeah, thanks, grab a sponge and go," Alex directs them.

"Jesus, fuck my shit!" they hear Caputo yelling as he goes into the girls' bathroom. He comes out, holding his head in his hands, his face beet red and his eyes widened. "Shouldn't you kids be in class?" he asks when he notices them all on the ground with Fahri. "I swear to God, those morons will not be teaching anymore and causing problems here, if only I could find 'em! They better be collecting their supplies and ready to go to prison shortly!"

"Uh, Mr. Caputo, careful around this area, Fahri toppled over a huge bucket of liquid soap and we're helping him clean up for the good of the school," Daya lets him know.

"Also, you can take pictures of the comments in the girls' restroom, you know, for evidence, and check the boys' near it, too. They had no problem beating us up, either! Piscatella even raped some of the gay guys," Adarsh tells him.

"Christ Almighty! Thank you, son. You kids will go places."

"We done good," Maritza whispers brightly.

* * *

"Imagine if Crazy-I mean, Suzanne," Flaca corrects herself. "That's a habit I'm tryin' to break...so like, what if she was there?"

"It would've spelled disaster!" Alex points out. "Last year, she was completely freaked out about fighting Maureen and landing her in the hospital and she kept repeating that she did a bad thing."

"Yeah, she's got worse mental issues than me, unfortunately," Lorna adds. "She wouldn't have been able to handle seeing Humps...I mean, I can't, either, but I just focused on you guys, not him or those other hateful douchebags!"

"So did I, to prevent a flashback or panic attack from coming on," Maritza says.

"I was hanging out on the computer by myself in my photo class at lunch, but I heard that the beasts have been overthrown, is this true?" a girl with high pigtails, huge glasses, and buck teeth asks Blanca.

"I hope so, Ingrid. I'm a loner too, I ate in a classroom..." a boy with a speech impediment chimes in.

"Good news for you both, they will never work here again, and they're also gonna be locked in a cage of steel bars like the animals they are!" Blanca answers them, and they seem so happy about this.

"I cannot believe the Blanca Flores is talking to us!" Ingrid gushes. "Do you just wake up like this every day?"

"Well, I'm no Regina George-"

"I know, you're one of the nice popular ones," the guy mumbles.

"Blanca here made it happen," Daya informs them.

Maritza takes out her video camera and films the girls and guys reporting exactly how it all went down to anyone who wasn't there. "Ms. Fischer, one of the nicest teachers at our school, was about to be fired simply over turning down a date with our principal. We stood up on tables and Mr. Caputo is good with a peaceful protest, so it worked out!" Lorna explains.

"Then, we spent all of sixth period cleaning up since we threw down our trays filled with food in the cafeteria and it made a huge mess!" Alex finishes.

"Way to go!" Ingrid says.

"Thank you!" the group replies in unison. They continue milling about the now danger-free school, searching for anyone to talk about this with. They come up to a brown-haired white girl doing her homework.

"Hey, we're Flaritza and-" Flaca begins.

"We're comin' to you live!" Maritza finishes before they begin their segment.

"Huh? Sorry, I didn't hear you!" The girl points to her ear which has a hearing aid in it, and Maritza feels silly. She lifts up a small microphone that is hanging around her neck. "I'm Rose. Speak into this if you wanna talk to me."

"Nah, I should be the apologizer!" Flaca bends close to it and reports the events from lunch.

"I don't mean to toot my own horn or nothin', but I started the protest!" Blanca tells Rose into her microphone.

"Yay!" She hugs Blanca with joy.

Next, they go into the special day class. Alex signs to the students about what happened as the girls spread it around. She knows the language since some of the homeless people her mother serves at Thanksgiving are deaf. They have the whole thing on the tiny camera that had been installed in Nicky's St. Joseph's necklace to document abuse, and they add it to their vlog.

"Those repulsive creeps always called me fatty or preggers, but I didn't let it bother me since I didn't have it as bad as any of you," Daya informs them as they're going to their seventh period classes, and the girls and Adarsh give her sympathetic back rubs. "I'm sorry..."

Flaca is about to say something, but she's interrupted by a boisterous guffaw. "You'll never find a dude, so you settled on a chick, you must be hella desperate!" Pete jeers at Lorna. Nicky leads her away from him. The couple in their group are still swinging their joined hands in between their hips.

Alex rolls her eyes while the girls all flip him off. "Really, asshole? That's the best insult you could come up with?"

"Yeah, I'm perfectly overjoyed with Nicky...what's your problem?" Lorna asks rhetorically.

Larry's behind him with Polly. "I've got an idea, Supercunt! Your mom could sell herself and Pete and I would stuff her bra with thousands of dollars and make her super rich!" Larry snickers and Polly attempts to fight back a grin, but turns around once Daya's eyes are on her. Alex is now beyond pissed. The rest of them are livid, too.

"Cal refers to you as Bloomer, which reminds me of underpants!" Alex shoots back at him. "I know you guys hate me because of Piper, but to bring one of my best friends and my mother in on your rude jokes is fuckin' sick!" Alex yells at them as her nostrils flare. "Oh, and call me that one more time, I dare you!"

"Whatcha gonna do about it, Supercunt?"

"Mr. Bloom! We do not allow this nasty language here, young man!" Ms. Fischer scolds him sharply. "This is a place for learning, not bullying!"

With that, the clique leaves the area. Michelle squeezes Alex's arm sympathetically. "Hey...you're not...what he said."

"I know. They're jerks, all of 'em."

"Yep..."

* * *

"Holy shit, me and Ms. V just witnessed a fuckin' murder!" Taystee announces as she heads towards the posse.

"He ain't dead, just weakened to the point that the ambulance picked him up," Flaca explains.

"Oh, well good...he needed a taste of his own medicine!"

"I know, right?" Nicky chuckles. "I talked to Luscheck about the thing we all did at lunch, and he laughed at Caputo finally being told off and the idiots finally being in trouble! So, out of curiosity, what do you do all day here besides have lunch with your peeps and go to English class?"

"I'm a math tutor, an aide in the special day program, and Mr. C's secretary! That's why I was told to come in the morning on my first day!"

"Oh yeah, I was like, holy crap, how does she do huge calculations in her head like that and remember the first fifty-six digits of pi?" Maria gestures to Taystee. "You're a freakin genius in not only math, but science, too! I mean, the periodic chart, yo...that's complicated!"

"Thanks! The rest of y'all are, too."

Maritza frowns. "Not academically."

"That's alright, as long as y'all pass, you're good! Man, I'm so proud of us...not only for standin' up to those who were seriously in the wrong, but also, it was funny when we all pissed in water bottles and Piss-cuntella, Humps, and Dick-son of a bitch drank 'em!"

They howl with laughter so hard that they run out of air.

* * *

"Emiliano was crying about his abuela leaving for two hours straight," Mrs. Basara reports to Aleida when she and Gloria pick him and Julio up from Little Stars Three. Daya is waiting in the car.

"That's 'cause she was a bitch and she married some motherfucker!" Aleida snaps. "I ain't gonna apologize for that, it's her fault!" She scoops her son off the floor and Julio practically jumps into Gloria's open arms.

"Well, in his point of view, she just suddenly left!" Gloria adds. "We gotta explain it to 'em in the car after getting Benny and Christina."

"Yeah..."

They walk out of the classroom and return to their vehicle. Daya helps them put the boys in their car seats and sits between them in the back while Aleida drives them to Highland Elementary. Once they get there, she asks Miss Stacy about Christina.

"She was kind of upset, talking about how she missed her grandmother-"

Aleida sighs impatiently. "She gotta just wipe that bitch outta her mind!"

"Mommy!" both Christina and Benny shout together and run up to their respective mothers. The women wrap their arms around their children.

Aleida kneels to Christina's level. "You remember I told you this morning? Abuela did somethin' not nice to Mommy," she whispers to her little girl. "We don't like her no more."

Christina pouts and the look on her innocent face breaks Aleida's heart. She wishes her children didn't have such a corrupt grandmother. "Yeah, but she went bye-bye without sayin' adios to us! I woke up and she was all gone! It made me really sad."

"We'll explain it to you and your brother, alright?" Gloria lets her know.

"¿De qué manera van a entender la violación?" Aleida questions Gloria.

 **In what way are they gonna understand rape?**

"Solo di que Jack te dio Owies y Lourdes lo permitió."

 **Just say that Jack gave you owies and Lourdes allowed it.**

"Okay."

* * *

"Tía Lourdes!" Benny and Julio call out at the same time when they all get home. Gloria's aunt greets them with big, warm hugs.

"Hey, kids, you listenin'?" Gloria asks after a while. She, Lourdes, Aleida, and Daya sit on the couch with the kids propped up on their laps.

"Yeah," they mumble in unison.

"Your abuela was really mean. Her husband, Jack is a bad man, he gave Mommy boo-boos, and touched her private parts, even when she said no...and Abuela was okay with that!" Aleida informs the kids in a slow and clear tone. "Not just one, though, he hurt her too many times. Abuela got mad at me!"

"Why?" Emiliano asks and then puts his thumb in his mouth.

"I got that same question, but I guess because some people are just...like the Boogeyman, or the monster under your bed...my bed. When Mommy was a girl, Abuela gave her owies...she would hit Mommy, and Jack...he didn't act right with me. That's why I don't like her no more, and you shouldn't, either."

"That's not nice!" Christina points out.

"Don't wike owies," Julio says.

"She's s'posed to protect her like my tía did for my mama!" Benny tells Gloria.

"Yeah I know, but she didn't, so that's why she can't come back here!" Lourdes says, and Gloria nods in agreement.

"Did they say sorry?" Christina wonders aloud.

"That makes everything better," Benny comments.

"No," Daya responds somberly. "Even if they apologized, they could do it all over again."

"That's true, Arturo would always want my forgiveness but then, he'd give me more boo-boos," Gloria chimes in.

"Oh, okay..." Christina turns around in Aleida's embrace. "Can I kiss your boo-boos to make 'em all better?"

"Sure, nena...then I'll do somethin' special for you and let you play with my old makeup."

"Okay, Mommy!" Christina pecks Aleida's jean-covered thighs and her bottom lip quickly. "I love you."

Aleida smiles down at her and taps the dimples on her cheeks. "I love you too."

She busies herself in the kitchen baking a chocolate cake for Christina while Daya, Gloria, and Lourdes hang out with the children in their room. While it's in the oven, Leon arrives home. She doesn't even notice until he announces himself, and then he wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her cheek and the corner of her mouth. She giggles and he twirls her around. He puts his hands on either side of her face and they make out for a few seconds. He's so gentle with her that she melts.

Leon hoists Aleida up and sits her on the counter so her legs swing around and they're gazing straight at each other. "What are you doing in here all by your lonesome, baby? You alright?"

"Yeah, just makin' Christina her birthday cake. I just told 'em why their abuela is gone. They understand, but we'll probably have to keep remindin' 'em 'til they stop giving any fucks."

"That's right..."

Aleida glances at the floor. "Hey...will you go to the bathroom with me tonight, as in stand outside the door like my bodyguard? After last night, I...I don't feel safe goin' there alone."

"Sure, I'll do anything to protect you, my love."

"Thank you," Aleida murmurs while beaming. "Babe, you can say hey to them if you wanna...they're in Gloria's room with the bunk beds. I gotta check on the cake anyway. I think it's done. I'll come back to y'all shortly!" She doesn't want to leave him and Gloria alone together for too long.

"Okay!"

She takes it out with oven mitts and sticks a toothpick in the middle. When it comes out clean, she lets it cool for a good amount of time while she joins her family. She comes in just when Gloria and Leon are both laughing about something together that she knows nothing about.

"What y'all talkin' about?" she asks.

They stop long enough to explain that Benny had done some cartwheels in class today and kept saying he was wasted since his mama also does unusual things when she's trashed.

"Oh. Okay!" Aleida says through a chuckle. It's harmless, so she doesn't have anything to worry about for now. She then decorates the white frosting on top with pink flowers, yellow swirly designs, and Felíz Cumpleaños, Christina! in purple cursive writing. She sticks five candles in it and lights them. Gloria has everyone gather around the table and put on birthday hats. Aleida walks towards it with the cake in her hands. They sing happy birthday to Christina in Spanish and Aleida places it in front of her youngest daughter.

"Yummy!" Christina squeals adorably.

"Make a wish," Aleida instructs her lightly while playing with one of her pigtails.

Christina closes her eyes and blows out the candles not even a minute later. After they have some cake, Aleida brings Christina upstairs and gets out her old makeup. She dumps it out on newspaper and sits down with her.

"I'm pretty, Mama!" Christina exclaims, showing off her made-up face. Aleida giggles since it's all smeared.

"Yes you are!"

"I wanna go to school like this, those bitches won't even know what hit 'em!"

Aleida laughs out loud. "You are so cute!" She holds Christina's wrists gently and kisses her cheek. "Mommy's very sorry about what she did and said yesterday. Can you forgive me?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Alright, nena."

She then goes out to buy Christina her very first pink scooter and matching helmet. Christina loves it so much that she doesn't stop playing with it all day long.

* * *

"I love the fact that our moms are best friends, just like us!" Flaca tells Maritza as Theresa is fixing the ladies' dresses. Diane preferred less cleavage showing, Aleida wanted hers to be more slim-fitting, and Gloria's was way too low cut. Due to the fact that the women hadn't wanted the men to see them all fancied up before the big triple date, they'd come to the Ramos home to get ready. They'd already showered and shaved their legs and armpits.

"I do, too!" Maritza replies happily. She takes clumps of Diane's hair on either side of her head and joins them together into a half pony braid, and then shows her the result in her bedroom mirror. "Beautiful, huh?"

"Very! I love this style!"

"It looks great on you," Flaca praises Diane, who beams at the compliment.

The girls then apply each of the ladies' makeup. When Maritza gets close to Aleida's mouth with a tube of lipstick, she notices a small cut on her bottom lip. "What's that from?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Nothin', whatever it is, hide it. It must be from one of those motherfuckers!"

"Alright...I'm sorry." Maritza blows her side bangs out of her eyes and dots the dark red lipstick on, careful of Aleida's injury.

"Yeah, so am I," Flaca says.

"I hope you're alright," Lorna murmurs, patting Aleida's hand fondly.

"I am."

Nicky puts the finishing touches of mascara on Gloria's eyelashes and Lorna pats blush on her cheeks. They let Gloria do her own lipstick and have Alex give Gloria winged eyeliner. Maritza dabs glittery eyeshadow on Gloria's eyelids. "Your faces and hair are good to go!" Lorna announces.

"It was a good idea for y'all to go with mostly down and curly!" Flaca comments.

For jewelry, the ladies wear hoop earrings and Diane has on a silver necklace with a fake diamond as the pendant. She's the only one who is wearing light pink shimmery lipstick while the Latinas have on a bolder shade of red.

"They're ready!" Theresa announces, gesturing to the dresses, and the ladies thank her while gathering her into a group hug.

"You sure you and Kubra can't go with us?" Gloria asks.

"Sorry, we both gotta work," Theresa answers.

"It's okay," Diane tells her.

"Another time!" Aleida chimes in. Everyone waves goodbye as Theresa leaves the room.

After they get into their evening gowns, Alex zips up the back of Diane's skin-tight dress and Daya ties the halter straps on Aleida's. The girls stand back and admire their work. Flaca gasps with awe and snaps a candid photo of them.

"Yo, we weren't prepared!" Gloria complains.

"Shit, don't post that on Facebook!" Aleida mutters.

"It ain't elegant if we ain't smilin'," Diane adds.

"You're super glam anyway," Flaca insists. "I'll take another one!"

"Such beauties," Maritza gushes, clasping her hands together and bouncing up and down in place.

"Oh my gosh, yes, they're gonna fall over their feet when they see you!" Lorna squeals while fanning herself.

"I feel like you're sending 'em off to prom," Alex says teasingly.

"Yeah, same," Nicky agrees.

"Can we kinda tone down this excitement for Gloria's sake, please?" Daya asks. "I don't want her to feel weird about this."

"Mm-hm, and my mom and Charles aren't official...it's really just a fun night out at a semi-formal restaurant," Alex puts in.

"Okay, sorry..." Lorna, Flaca, and Maritza seem to simmer down.

Aleida does their nails and then her own. They all decide on French manicures and pedicures that match their dresses perfectly.

"Hey...when the guys come, would you mind if we had them watch us slowly walking down the steps from down below, almost like gliding?" Diane asks. "I've always dreamed of doing that on my prom night."

"Alright, that sounds fan-fuckin'-tastic!" Aleida exclaims. "I don't remember going to mine..."

"I just went with friends. Sure...you two can be in front, though," Gloria says. "I'd feel safer that way."

"Gloria...if this situation had never fallen into your lap, would you have ever thought about wanting a boyfriend after...you know who?" Daya wonders out loud.

"It's not on the top of my list, but what you girls did is a blessing in disguise. Now, I don't have to waste time trying to get to know someone who may or may not be awful-I already know he's good, according to everybody I've talked to, but I'm just takin' baby steps! I wanna try seein' somethin' evil in him that y'all don't."

"What if you find nada más que amabilidad?" Flaca asks.

Gloria cups Flaca's cheek and pats it while smiling. "Then I'll be very relieved. I'll tell y'all this, though. When those immoral creatures slunk into the cafeteria's backroom, causing me to spill a whole gallon of apple juice on the floor, Humps terrorized me, so I had a panic attack. Fahri helped me out of it, and when prompted to hit me for ruining his hard work, he flat-out refused to."

The girls beam at this. "I can't resist saying this, but he seems perfect!" Lorna chirps.

"That sounds like Fahri," Diane puts in.

Maritza has the ladies walk through a mist of her perfume and gives their wrists an extra spritz. "Rub it in!" she instructs them, and they do.

The doorbell rings and Maritza runs to get it while Flaca slides down using her uninjured leg and two hands, palms out behind her. Daya and Lorna follow them while Alex and Nicky stay with the women. "They're here!" Maritza sings.

"Look, if you don't bring Gloria home in one piece, you don't wanna know what we'll do to you," Daya warns Fahri as soon as he arrives through the door.

"You better treasure our girl, she's like an aunt to us, so give her the respect she deserves...she's been through more hell than you know..." Flaca informs him.

"Yeah, be a gentleman, or you ain't the guy for her!" Maritza adds.

"I know, and I will. Girls, it'll be alright. I take you all completely seriously. You have huge hearts, looking after Gloria like you do. I have never desired to cause her or anyone else just as good-natured, pain."

Lorna gives him a once-over. "He's bein' honest, I can see it in his eyes, and I know I'm correct since I'm on my meds. We'll give him that."

* * *

"How do I look?" Diane asks worriedly.

"You're a goddess, Mother!" Alex assures her. "Now, go!"

Gloria peers over the railing as she, Diane, and Aleida, ascend the staircase. She spots Fahri, Leon, and Charles arriving through the door with hers and Aleida's children in tow. "Whoa, this is the biggest house I've ever seen!" Benny exclaims cutely as he and the other kids run away from Leon and press their hands to a glass window and gaze all around.

Christina giggles. "It's a castle, and I'm the queen! You can be the king."

"Our baby bros can be the princes."

"That's a duh!"

The men look quite dapper with black suits and ties that match the ladies' dresses. They stare up at the women in awe. The scent of cologne wafts through the air. Daya and her friends are babysitting the little ones since Lourdes is taking over Gloria's shift at the store. She had briefly explained to Lourdes that she was going out with friends, but she never mentioned Fahri. She's not sure how to approach the subject. Her aunt is even more protective of her than Gloria is of herself. She beams when Aleida and Leon embrace romantically and share an adorable kiss and Diane and Charles wrap their arms around each other in an affectionate, more than friends, but not yet lovers way. She lives vicariously through her girls. The couples' first exchanged words overlap.

"Wow," Charles says slowly while taking in Diane's appearance. "You're just so...strikingly exquisite. I love you in red. Are you wearing perfume?"

Diane flashes a huge smile at him as her face flushes pink. "The three of us gals are. Thank you. I've never seen you in a suit and tie before, but my god, you're handsome!"

"Aw, you're sweet, thanks, babe!" Aleida shows Gloria and Diane a shot glass with Te Amo painted in black cursive writing on a red heart. "Yo, check out what Leon got me, besides red roses, of course!"

"Nice!" Diane comments as she takes a bouquet of pink roses from Charles. "Thank you," she tells him. "Aleida, we gotta find vases..."

"Mmm, I know, girl...y'all stop at the same flower shop or somethin' on the way here?" Aleida asks, looking between Leon and Charles.

"Yeah, I wanted to get you some special things, honey," Leon tells Aleida while skimming his knuckles along her jaw. "You are stunning, by the way, mi amor. Blue is your color."

Aleida beams. "¡Gracias!" Maritza quickly takes the bouquets from her and Diane and disappears with them.

Fahri hangs back, and so does Gloria. He waves at her with a grin and she returns the gesture, but she doesn't know if any of it is real, on her end or his. She can't help but think back to how genuine he seemed for the past few days since they met, but she wonders how long it'll last and why she has such rotten luck in love. "Hi," they mumble in unison. "Um...so this is you all dressed up? You look nice!" he compliments her.

She blushes and watches where her feet are going so she doesn't trip. "Thank you. My hair's not usually this neat and pretty, but the girls made us over."

"They did a great job."

Once Gloria comes all the way down the stairs, though, Benny runs to her and hugs her legs tightly. "Don't go!" he begs her almost tearfully.

She can see that he's starting to cry, and her heart shatters for her oldest son, who is still her baby and shouldn't have to be this terrified of her going out with a man. Before she left for Maritza's, Benny had asked Gloria where she was going, and she'd told her sons that she was preparing herself for a grownups' night out, and that the girls want her to be with Fahri because he's a nice man, way better than Arturo. She kneels down to his level and wipes his tears away with her thumbs. She holds him close, shushes him gently, and kisses his cheek and forehead a few times. "Pequeño, I'm gonna be back later tonight, okay? I'll be with Aleida, Leon, Diane, and Charles, and Fahri is coming with us so I can see if I like him as a friend. It's gonna be okay, baby, he won't hurt you! I promise that I will not let him near you or your brother when there ain't nobody else around until I know for sure that he ain't a mean guy." He continues sobbing into her black cardigan sweater and she isn't too sure of her own words. She glances up at Aleida and Leon for help while rubbing his back in soothing circles.

"Mama!" he wails and doesn't release his grip on her when she begins to get up. "Mama, no..."

Leon crouches down beside him. "Hey, there, little man...what your mother is saying is true. Fahri will not treat her badly in any way. He's never hurt a woman in his life. I even had a talk with him before we all came over here...he's a good guy. He's been an excellent friend to Alex and Diane for fifteen years!"

Benny sniffles. His eyes grow wide and his mouth forms an O shape. "Whoa, that's a long time!"

"You bet it is, buddy. You know what else?"

"What?" Benny snuggles into Gloria while sucking his thumb.

"Apparently, when Alex was around your age, he built pillow forts with her, exactly like you and I enjoy doing! He's like her uncle, just as I am to you."

Alex nods in affirmation. "He's right, kid."

"They even let me join!" Diane adds in enthusiastically.

Gloria looks at Fahri curiously and he simply shrugs. "It's the truth."

Aleida sits next to her boyfriend and pats Benny's knee, getting his attention. "You know, Christina was real scared of Leon at first, too, so it's okay to be afraid of someone you don't know, who's goin' out with your motha, but we all gonna be with her!"

"Yeah, it's gonna be okay, Benny!" Christina assures him while hugging him sweetly.

"Umm...alright." He then jumps into Leon's arms. His uncle figure squeezes him tightly and then flips him upside down to give him a raspberry on his belly, making him giggle.

"See you when you're fast asleep in your bed, squirt!" Then, Leon sets him on the floor and the adults stand to their full heights.

Christina grabs his hand and jumps up and down. "Let's have fun now with our brothers and my big sister!"

"Okay!"

"Benny, one last hug and kiss before we go?" Gloria asks while opening her arms wide. He leaps into them and she spins her son around a few times. "I love you, mijo."

"Love you too, Mama, as big as the sky!"

"Don't forget the oceans, too!" She pecks his cheek, leaving behind a lipstick mark, and puts him down. Then, she and Aleida give the rest of the children the same goodbye. "Be good for Daya and her friends, please!" she instructs them. The women hug the girls and Diane and Aleida kiss their teen daughters' foreheads. "No wild parties! Y'all start makin' dinner, and the littlest tykes need to be in bed between seven and eight-thirty. Benny and Christina can go down at nine."

"Yes, ma'am!" Daya says.

Aleida blows kisses at the kids and teenagers before they go. "Too bad Theresa and Kubra couldn't join us because of their jobs," Diane mutters, and Fahri sighs, appearing relieved for some reason unknown to Gloria.

"Don't be a fuckin' asshole like Mama's last boyfriend!" Benny orders Fahri sharply.

"Benito Mendoza! Those are adult words," Gloria hisses through gritted teeth, but she can't stop herself from snickering under her breath. "I'm sorry, he's just...real defensive of me."

"I understand," Fahri says while smiling.

* * *

"If me and Mommy get boo-boos again, then it's all your fault!" Benny hollers at the girls while pointing at them and then he stomps his foot. Apart from Flaca, they get down to his level.

"Benny, we wouldn't put your mommy in any danger," Flaca assures him gently.

"Exact-a-mundo, we love her as much as you do!" Daya chimes in.

"We told her it was her choice and suggested she could be with her peeps," Maritza adds.

"Remember what the grownups told you, kid?" Nicky asks. "Fahri's not scary."

"He's the complete opposite of Arturo," Lorna puts in.

"Yeah, and when I was your age, he was my babysitter!" Alex lets him know. "He's awesome with women and children especially, and he really hates mean people!"

"Really?" Benny asks incredulously, finally starting to relax after his small outburst.

"Oh, definitely!" Alex confirms.

"I want pasketti!" Emiliano calls out while tugging on the bottom of Daya's jeans.

"Pasketti!" Julio echoes.

"Yay, pasketti!" Christina and Benny cheer at the same time.

"Alright, comin' on up! Who's gonna help us set the table?" Daya wonders aloud.

"Meeee!" all four children volunteer in unison while jumping up and down.

Maritza gets everything they need out of the cabinets to make spaghetti. Lorna fills a pan with water and Flaca wheels herself over to the stove and brings it to a boil. Nicky pours in the rigatoni noodles. Alex and Daya begin to work on the sauce, but the others assist them. The meal comes out delicious and they all gobble it up.

* * *

Before they go inside the restaurant, Charles squeezes Diane's hand and it eases her nerves instantly. She gets excited tingles down south when he continues to hold her hand as they walk in together. Lee had never done something as sweet as this. "Ladies first," Fahri says as he holds the door open for Gloria and then Leon does the same when Aleida walks in front of him. The guys pull out chairs for the women like the gentlemen they are, and then, they sit across from the ladies, who are scooting themselves in. Gloria is between Diane and Aleida.

"I can't stop admiring this place," Diane murmurs, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I've never been to a fancy restaurant! Hey...a Good Samaritan gave me five hundred dollars in cash...I found it in my purse. Was that you, Fahri?"

"No...but I'm happy for you!"

"Charles?"

He shakes his head no. "What Fahri said."

"Huh. How weird, but pretty awesome, too!"

"I just love these candles...reminds me of my Santería," Gloria says, fiddling with one of the red petals on the flowers that are in the middle of the table. "I'm a santera, like my aunt." Her dress sparkles as she removes her cardigan.

"How exactly do you do it?" Fahri asks her.

"It's like a religious practice...Catholic plus. You light candles to pray to a saint for good luck, basically. You gotta have a lot of faith, though. Like...whoever or whatever you're praying for has to be near it, such as a picture of a loved one, or a job application, but don't forget to fill it out and hand it to the prospective boss. One of my customers didn't quite get that part!" Everyone at the table chuckles.

"That's interesting!" Fahri comments.

"I know it's not rational to associate candles and flowers with romance, but it appears that way," Gloria mumbles. "I'm trying to keep my mind off that. They just decorate the restaurant like that to make it fancy!" Diane nods in understanding.

"Why don't you tell him about your kids as another icebreaker?" Diane whispers to her.

"Okay." Gloria takes a deep inhale and long exhale. "Well, the truth is, I actually got four children. My two daughters are like, a decade older than my youngest baby. They're estranged and I miss 'em, but there ain't nothin' I can do about it since they're old enough to resent me...I had 'em at eighteen and tried to give 'em up for adoption once they were born so they could have a better life, but their dad kept 'em instead. They were unplanned, and I wanted to focus on college, not motherhood just yet. My boyfriend tried to make me wrong for it...I suppose I was, I mean, I felt so awful...but...it takes two to tango!" Gloria scoffs. "I remember that he used a broken condom on purpose after senior prom, the asshat..."

"That's terrible," Fahri mutters.

"Yeah, but anyway...my sons came much later, and I was ready that time. I had my life all set, with a college education and a bodega job that would get me by. Those first years...Benny didn't have teeth 'til he was one and a half, and we had to crumble up his Barney cake." They laugh softly at what Gloria had just said. "All those teeth he'd been waiting for just sprouted out of his gums at the same time, and I stayed up all night with him as he sobbed his poor little heart out. Julio had it a lot easier."

"Aw, you seem like such a terrific mama," Fahri compliments her.

Gloria sighs while resting her chin on her fist. "Not even close...but I guess I'm good enough. They love me, so I'm satisfied."

A waitress comes up to their table and asks what they'd like to drink. Diane and Aleida order white wine in a bottle, Charles and Leon get beer, Gloria chooses a piña colada, and Fahri decides on scotch. When she leaves, the conversations continue.

"How was work? I was so focused at my job that I lost track of time and missed lunch!" Leon gestures towards his girlfriend. "Sorry I couldn't visit you today, sweetheart."

"It's okay, but we had one of the greatest days ever! We finally got rid of the three motherfuckers!" Aleida exclaims. "You see, first, Caputo was gonna fire Ms. Fischer for turning him down, but then, we all stood on tables until he agreed to keep her, and then we rallied for him to throw those ugly monsters out forever! When people were talkin', their voices echoed since we were in the cafeteria and it was pretty much quiet if somebody was sayin' somethin'. It was so cool!"

Leon beams at her and runs the back of his hand down her cheek. "That's amazing! I wish I could've been there with you."

"Yeah, so do I," Charles says, stroking Diane's knuckles and gazing into her eyes, like Leon is doing to Aleida. "Is this okay?"

"Mm-hm." Of course it is, she thinks to herself. Strange things are happening in her lower region, and she tries not to giggle.

He skims his thumb across her French tips as they're holding hands over the table. "Who did your nails?"

"Aleida, she can make a free manicure look like it costed a million bucks!"

"Hell yeah," Aleida confirms proudly. "I also did Gloria's and my own. I can just see it now...me owning a nail salon in about five years!"

"You can do it, baby!" Leon encourages her, and the others agree. The drinks come shortly.

"Let's make a toast," Diane suggests, holding up her wine. "To...all of us being able to go to such a high-class restaurant, finally having time to hang out, and being free from the assholes! So, a fresh start!" They clink their glasses together. "Cheers!" they say in unison and then take a few sips of their alcoholic beverages.

"Class is canceled tonight, so luck is on my side!" Aleida announces.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you, how's your teacher?" Gloria asks Aleida. "Damn, this is good," she murmurs while stirring her piña colada.

"He's okay, except for his subtle sexist jokes in his lectures, but I catch him every time and it makes him embarrassed to be shut down by a woman, so he stopped for now! It made me quite popular! Like, the last time I was there, Mr. Blake was talkin' rude about his wife. He was all, 'I tell her to go in the kitchen and make me a sandwich-' but I cut him off with, 'Well aren't you just a big hunk of turkey meat?' to make him uncomfortable!" Everyone cracks up at this. "Every time a woman speaks, he interrupts her, so I go, 'Umm. She was talking!" When he does that to me, I just say, 'I'm answering your question and I'll keep doing so, anyway...'"

"Whoohoo! Go, Aleida!" Diane cheers and they all hi-five her.

A while later, they're eating tortellini and ravioli while sighing in contentment. "Leon...I gotta use the little girls' room," Aleida says softly when she's almost finished, and they both stand up. He puts his arm around her and takes her there. Diane has no idea why she needs him for this.

"What's up with that?" she asks Gloria.

"I ain't got a clue."

Diane attempts to read Gloria's facial expression to see if she actually does know something, but it's just neutral. "Maybe she's drunk...she was kinda tipsy. She wouldn't wanna fall or anything."

Gloria nods, swallows a mouthful of food, and pats the area around her mouth with a napkin. "Yeah, probably."

"So, what's everybody gonna be for Halloween?" Aleida wonders out loud when she and her boyfriend return within five minutes. "Leon and I are gonna be a hot doctor and sexy nurse!" She plops into her seat and Leon pushes her into the table. He takes his spot across from her.

"Cute! I'm going as a cowgirl," Diane says. "Hey, Charles, you could be a cowboy to match my costume!"

"Alright!"

"Aleida, are you feeling okay?" Diane asks her in concern.

"Uh-huh. Yo, Glo...what about you?"

"A witch!"

"I'll be a knight," Fahri tells the group.

"Cool," everyone murmurs.

* * *

While sharing an old school round pie with everything they want on it at Angelo's Pizza, Taystee, Maria, and Stephanie catch each other up on their lives. The trio of childhood friends have also invited Poussey, Blanca, and Alana. "Yeah, so last year, me and Poussey met in the library...I was showin' her around and shit, and we poked fun at each other for our names...and we both love books, her favorite is-"

"Alice in Wonderland," Poussey finishes for Taystee, and the girls grin while doing a fist bump. "Yo, Amanda, you try out that yoga class yet?"

"Yeah, it's like, so much fun, Mackenzie! Hey, you should do some wine tasting with me and our husbands!"

The other four crack up at their exchange. "That was hilarious!" Maria exclaims after wiping her eyes because of crying a bit from laughter. "Well, I was pregnant last year, as y'all know, and Blanca-"

"Ay dios mío," Blanca interrupts Maria while giggling. "I told her she was cursed because she had a baby in her, and she disagreed, of course."

"Oh, but then, I was throwing up in the bathroom with the stall door opened...and nobody had the audacity to close it for me and give me privacy, except her." Maria hugs Blanca close to her. "Not only that, but she bent down to her knees, got my hair out of my face, and...I didn't feel so lousy about myself when she was there. She said I wasn't a slut just because of what Chapped Lips said, and I thanked her and advised her to ignore whoever called her a beast, 'cause she's got such a pure soul, and that's like, everything."

"Mm-hm, but now, I'm beautiful on both the inside and outside."

"Aw, so sweet," Stephanie comments, and the rest of the girls smile and agree with her. "I was in the cafeteria's backroom with Piper because she and Red were fighting and she needed me as a bodyguard, when I heard this loud snoring sound in the cabinet." She points at Alana and chuckles. "This one fell asleep 'cause that's what she does when she's nervous, and lemme tell ya, Red and Piper verbally arguing tends to make a person quite anxious!"

"I was hiding 'cause I thought things were gonna get violent...I'd only gone back there to follow Mr. Stratman." Alana puts her hands up when the girls crinkle their faces in repulsion. "Don't judge!"

"Red opened the cabinet and she and I tapped Alana until she woke up and proceeded to bump her head on the shelf above her. Piper left, but I never noticed until she later ranted at me about ignoring her. Alana and I hung out a lot that day and we had a blast talking shit about Piper."

"Did you plan ways to kill her?" Blanca asks and she and Maria smirk.

"No, I mean, we joked about her death sometimes, but that's just 'cause we hated her," Alana replies. "We just needed her gone from our lives forever, like to move away or whatever."

"We did, too," Maria says. "I say she got more than what she deserved."

"Hey, I know she was a bitch and all, but murder?" Taystee asks incredulously. "Come on, she was not as bad as that fuckin' Coal Miner's Daughter!"

"Oh yeah, Sanka was worse," Maria agrees. "Now, we really wanted her dead."

"Whoa, y'all didn't-" Poussey starts to ask.

"Nah, she in college, but I ain't seen her active on Facebook lately..." Taystee begins. "This a massive case of 'careful what you wish for' or what?"

"Shit," Blanca mumbles as she bites her nails. "Maybe karma got her permanently." She looks straight at Alana. "Dios mío, what if I...with you...?" she asks quietly.

"Okay, you have to calm down!" Alana responds.

"Are you sure it was..."

"Yeah...I think so...I don't know."

"Y'all are bein' secretive and nervous, why?" Poussey wants to know.

"It's nothing," Blanca and Alana mutter in unison.

Stephanie lets out a huge exhale. "We used to be in a band, the four of us...me, Taystee, Maria, and Kasey...er, Stanky. We participated in the talent show. Maria and I were in first grade while Taystee and Stanky were in fourth. We became close in an after school program with mixed ages because we either didn't have the best parents, or they were working." She frowns. "What happened to us?"

"Well, I think it was that Nazi ho," Maria answers her shortly. "We dumped her once Taystee told us that after a lesson about the Mayflower in ninth grade, Sanka was sayin' the pilgrims should've let the Indians suffer and die out."

"Well, duh...we didn't believe Taystee at first," Stephanie remembers out loud. "I thought we could reason with Stanky, but she's too fucked up."

"I wanted to toss her in the dumpster right away, so at lunch, I was all, 'Go ahead, tell 'em what you told me!', she opened her nasty mouth, and garbage spilled out. There is no reasoning with that confederate bitch!" Taystee says.

"That sounds like her," Alana mutters.

"Alright, well, this convo has taken a dark turn, so could we maybe turn it back to a light one?" Poussey asks.

"Sure!" Taystee answers her brightly. "Man, I wish I could drink a Sex on the Beach with maraschino cherries on top, like, ten of 'em!"

"Ditto, and hey, I'm really loving these new beginnings since this afternoon!" Stephanie exclaims.

"I hear ya both," Maria replies, and the other girls toast to the entertaining night they'd all had.

"By the way, everyone at this table is invited to my quinceñera I'm hosting next month!" Blanca announces, and they cheer gleefully.

* * *

"We finally got 'em to sleep!" Maritza whispers to Daya in relief, and they tiptoe out of the guest room where Julio and Emiliano are nestled in their cribs. "We're like, naturals."

"That's a good thing since I'm gonna be a mom in eight months."

"I can't wait to be a mom someday. I love babies, except for when they wail away at the top of their lungs and leave disgusting shit or piss in their diapers or spit or throw their food at us or on the floor, makin' one hell of a mess!"

Daya wrinkles her nose. "Yeah, me too!"

"All we had to do was pat and rub their backs to get them to calm down and rest their tiny bodies!" Maritza announces as they return to the kitchen where their friends are cleaning up after dinner.

"That's super excellent!" Flaca comments. "Yo, Alex, why you keep smilin' at your phone for?"

"I'm texting Michelle, and yes, we are flirting," Alex replies and her cheeks turn red. This amuses the girls.

They spend an hour with Benny and Christina, exploring Maritza's place and when they go into the guesthouse to look around, Flaca and Maritza stay behind since the two of them need to be there for Daya's baby brother and Gloria's youngest son. Later, the girls return and Daya is holding the children's hands.

"I'm gonna read 'em a story, then they're gonna go night-night," Daya says.

* * *

"How'd you get to be such an awesome dancer?" Charles asks Diane.

"I was everything my folks didn't want me to be, they forced me to take dance classes for years, but it was the only thing I actually enjoyed out of all the shit they made me do. I worked hard until my feet hurt with callouses. It was worth it, so the joke's on them!"

"Oh, good, though I'm sorry they didn't appreciate you for the sweet girl you are."

"Same here! Seems like you were the only one of us girls with an outstanding mom and dad, Glo," Aleida comments. "Don't even get me started on mine!" Leon and Gloria appear to be sad about this.

Diane lifts her shoulders up and down. "I ain't in contact with 'em no more. My older brother was the only one who supported me, but he died from an aneurysm when I was in college. I speak with his wife sometimes, and she's met Alex once or twice."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Charles tells her while squeezing her hand in comfort.

"Thanks for your condolences."

"My parents ain't around anymore either. I'm just lucky I got my tía...that's aunt in Spanish," Gloria mumbles. "I was ten when they passed...car crash."

"I'm really sorry to hear that, too," Fahri says sympathetically.

"Thank you. To lighten up the topic, though, they taught me how to dance...from the waltz to the salsa. If there's real good music playing, and I'm alone, I groove like there's no tomorrow!"

"Ah, no wonder you got a speed skater's calves!" Aleida points out and the group chuckles. "So, one question for you, Fahri...how are you so rich, but you only work as a janitor? You from a wealthy family or somethin'?"

"Well, I actually have another job, but I wasn't comfortable sharing at first...I'm under this extremely strict boss and he has me sell drugs." Diane blows out a huge breath. Gloria and Aleida twitch in their seats. A hard look crosses the other men's faces. "I do it out of obligation and business, not for enjoyment, and I swear I'm not an addict. I smoke every once in a while...a bump. I'm not going to force any of you into anything, I promise."

"You best not be lying, boy," Leon warns him.

"If I had a Bible, I'd put my right hand on it...I'm not playing any tricks, honest to God."

"That's right, he isn't," Diane assures the rest of them.

"Good," Charles says.

Aleida takes her last swig of wine. "You seemed too nervous admitting that, so I believe y'all. I was worse than you once."

"I smoke too, sometimes," Gloria pipes up and a small smile graces both hers and Fahri's features.

"It feels good to get high on occasion, huh?" Fahri asks her.

Gloria nods. "Yeah, sure does...all the stress just melts away."

"Hey, just to let you know, you can text me anytime you want...even if I'm sleeping, if you need me for anything, I'll be there," he says warmly, not taking his eyes off her.

"Okay. I will," Gloria responds.

Aleida pulls an empty water bottle out from her purse and begins to pour her leftover wine into it. "What?" she asks when everyone raises their eyebrows at her. "I ain't gonna waste a good, expensive bottle of white!"

* * *

"How's your abuela?" Flaca asks Daya as the six girls are lounging on Maritza's red L-shaped couch and watching mindless television. "I'm just wonderin'...how come she couldn't care for the kids tonight?"

Daya exhales loudly as her heart clenches for her mother, who was so violated. "We disowned her for being so shitty!"

"Oh, wow, what'd she do?" Maritza asks.

"I remember that your ma didn't seem too happy about her coming to visit, so that kinda makes me suspect somethin' big happened!" Lorna says.

"She's just...extremely rude and unreasonable. I'd rather not talk about it...too personal." Daya wishes they wouldn't be so nosy.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Alex murmurs. "Now that I think about it, my grandma was a snooty bitch, too."

"I can only recall Marka saying she hated her mom, so I have no idea if she was good or not," Nicky says.

"I loved my Nonna, but she passed," Lorna adds. "Let's discuss happy stuff, shall we? For example...I released Rosa on her last day so she could go out with a bang!"

"I helped," Nicky chimes in. The others are pleased about this and they're giving Lorna and Nicky hi-fives.

"Sure! Oh, that's so daredevilish of you, and also, pure-hearted!" Alex responds. "As for me, my mom and I spoke about it earlier in the afternoon, and we decided to tell our friends that Charles was nice enough to take us in." Flaca and Maritza squeak at the same time while holding hands, and it makes Alex chuckle.

"What?" Lorna shrieks softly and she grins so wide that it appears as if her face would burst. "I thought you were living with Fahri!"

"Nope!"

"Have they made out yet?" Flaca wonders aloud.

Alex rolls her eyes. "No! They are strictly-"

"Don't you dare say the word friends, they got sexual tension between 'em, we seen it ourselves!" Maritza insists.

"Oh, shit, be careful, Vause, you may wanna wear earplugs when they come home tonight, if they ever do!" Nicky jokes. "He's a police officer, he's got handcuffs, bam, instant role-play!"

"That's not funny!" Alex groans and smacks her with a pillow. The girls laugh quietly. "I don't wanna think about it!"

"Nicky, leave her alone, nobody wants to picture their mother having sex!" Lorna scolds her between cackles. "I'll let you arrest me tonight, if you catch my drift," she whispers into her girlfriend's ear.

"Yeah, babe, I do!" Nicky winks at Lorna.

Daya is the closest to them, so she can hear every word. "Ugh, the same goes for friends! Keep that shit in the bedroom!"

"We don't...always do it in the bedroom," Lorna admits with a straight face.

Nicky smirks. "We'd do it all over the house if we could."

"You two are so dirty!" Alex complains, and they all snort and stifle giggles behind their palms.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, HannahMiley1fan, and Johanna-002!**


	39. So Adorable

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Happy Birthday, Jo (congratulations on being drinking age! Now you can have a piña colada like Gloria ;) and all other alcoholic beverages!) and LindaAndrewsfan!**

 **Happy Holidays!**

 **Warning: references to traumatizing experiences**

 **To the guest who reviewed, you'll be happy to know that this story isn't even close to being over...it's gonna be 70 or 80 chapters in total! so 30-40 chapters left haha**

 **mi princesa-my princess**

"I feel like I'm being watched," Gloria mumbles as she closes her cardigan tighter around herself. They're leaving the restaurant now, and it's dark, especially by the mouth of the alley nearby-she won't dare to look too closely. She's certain that she's heard bushes rustling, but it could be just the wind. The trees and people around them are making shadows on the ground.

"Why is that?" Fahri asks worriedly. He stuffs his hands in his pocket while he walks in front of her and glances over his shoulder at her.

Gloria shivers as the cool breeze flows through the fabric of her clothes. "I dunno...it's kinda creepy out here."

"We're lucky we got the guys to protect us," Diane points out, and she and Charles beam at each other.

"Always, Princess Di."

"You're a good man, Charlie Brown." Gloria chuckles to herself at this. "This dude has made me and Alex feel so welcome in his home since that rainstorm blew up our trailer park!" Diane announces to the group.

"Wait, you two are living together?" Aleida wolf-whistles lowly. "Damn, time for them to get down and funky!" she whispers to Gloria, and they share a giggle.

"Yeah!" Diane and Charles reply in unison.

"That's great news you got a safe place to be!" Gloria comments.

Their hands are still joined and they're strolling along together in synch. Aleida and Leon are too, except that Leon is hugging Aleida from behind as they amble down the sidewalk. She looks so cozy in his arms, and both she and Diane, plus the men they're with, have cheerful expressions on their faces. Gloria yearns for this kind of happiness, but it seems too unlikely. There's something wrong with every man she's been with so far. There has to be a catch with Fahri.

"Yeah, she's right!" Aleida says. "Ain't nothin' or nobody gonna get us when the boys are around!"

"That's so true, Lei. God, you look bangin'!" Leon compliments her.

Aleida closes her eyes when they stop to kiss for a few seconds. "Mmm, you're _soooo_ my Mr. Mackadocious! We gotta fuck soon..."

Since they were all drinking, they'd asked Red and Frieda for a ride back to Maritza's so they can collect the children. Daya, Flaca, Nicky, Lorna, and Alex are sleeping over at Maritza's guesthouse. The two older women pull up to the curb and Gloria crawls into the backseat of Red's car right away with Aleida and Leon. Fahri sits in her passenger seat. Diane and Charles go with Frieda, and Gloria is fully aware of why they want to be alone, or as much as they can be. She can sense enough heat emanating from them that they'll probably be making love later tonight. Aleida snuggles into Leon and Gloria yawns while she rests her head against the window, removes her heels, and pulls her knees up to her chest.

"How was your time?" Red wonders aloud.

"Great!" Leon responds.

" _Dios mío_ , the best!" Aleida exclaims from her man's arms that are wrapped snugly around her.

Gloria nods in agreement. "Mm-hm! We had so much fun!"

"Hell yeah, we did," Fahri says, turning around in his seat to face them. He flashes another grin at Gloria, which makes her automatically return it. "I liked getting to see Diane again, know you all a bit more, and Charles, too, of course!"

"That's wonderful to hear!" Red tells them. "I could guess you did anyway, by how you're all so drunk that you had to request rides from Frieda and myself!"

"You tease us, but even _you_ can't resist vodka every now and then!" Gloria shoots back at her playfully. Everyone has a chuckle at this.

"True, but I've never been intoxicated to the point of stumbling around! I'm Russian, vodka is our main drink! Oh...and aren't you just a bit concerned that Nicky and Lorna aren't actually babysitting since they can't keep their hands off each other?"

Aleida rolls her eyes. "¡ _Ay dios mío_ , Red! There's plenty 'a girls to watch the kids!"

"The ratio's six teenagers to four little ones," Leon adds.

"I know, I was joking. I like giving you guys a hard time, what can I say?" She rubs her red lips together and purses them. "Fahri, I'm pleased that you were part of making sure Gloria enjoyed herself, now Freida won't have to use her oleander leaves to poison you!"

Gloria sees him gulp in the rearview mirror, causing Red to smirk. "Of course."

"Red, don't scare him!" Gloria complains. "That's dark..."

"Well, I'm just stating facts," Red insists.

"It's alright, Gloria. She's protective of you, and that's sweet," Fahri comments.

"Damn right!" Red declares.

* * *

"You walked right into that one!" Nicky lets Alex know in a teasing manner. "You wanted us to stop talking about your mom and Charles, and we just moved onto me and Lorna!"

"Okay, fine. Change of subject, though...Nicky, Blanca, and I got two months of detention from that piss baby, but we skip it!" Alex informs the girls.

"Oh yeah, that's probably why he was always so mean to us, but then again, he was an asshole anyway! It feels great using the past tense when we mention him!" Nicky says happily.

"Yeah..." they concur in unison.

"I'm gonna go touch up my makeup," Lorna murmurs and goes into the bathroom.

The news report that comes on, shows a picture of Arturo on the screen. "A man in his early thirties broke out of prison last Thursday night and disturbed the peace once he came to a Friendly's in Queens. He was unarmed but intoxicated, and hurt someone in the process-"

"Ugh!" Maritza snaps it off. "I can't stand seein' his stupid face!"

"I agree...and I hope Gloria didn't watch this!" Daya mutters.

"I doubt it, since she wouldn't wanna look at him on the telly or read about him in the paper," Flaca assumes.

"Yep..." both Nicky and Alex murmur together.

Lorna returns and plops right into Nicky's lap so the blonde is cradling the brunette. "What was all the commotion about?" she asks.

"They showed that ugly Arturo on the news!" Nicky responds. "It was about the night he escaped and hurt Alex."

Lorna shudders. "Eeew!"

"Another piece of info that's disgusting, is John ran into us last night at Friendly's," Maritza lets Daya know bitterly.

"Blanca took a video of us...me, Mari, Alex, and Diane a bit, confronting his cowardly ass! Maria was there too, but she had Pepa with her. Wanna see it?" Flaca asks.

Daya lets them show her, and she just scoffs along with Nicky and Lorna. "What a prick! Pepa is too adorable, though, and I do appreciate that y'all stood up for me!"

Alex nudges her. "You're one of the girls, why wouldn't we?"

Daya's phone chimes and she grins when she sees that it's Adarsh, rather than P. _Hey, are you busy tomorrow night?_

 _I'm going to the football game...most of my friends are either cheerleaders or in the band. Wanna come with?_

 _Oh yeah, that. Sure, sounds awesome! I usually don't go to those school functions, so I'm not up to date on when they are, but with you, it won't be boring. I was also wondering if you'd like to go someplace to see the New York City skyline at night and take pictures...the Saturday after the dance, perhaps?_

 _Alright! I've never done it in my life, so it'll be a new experience, which I'm so excited for!_

 _Perfect!_

"Who is that, Adarsh?" Lorna asks just as Daya covers her phone with her hand. "Too late, I already saw his name!" She squeals. "Are you guys dating now?"

"No!" Daya's cheeks heat up.

"Yo, that blush tells us otherwise!" Flaca shouts, pointing at Daya.

Maritza giggles. "Yeah, it's totally obvious!"

Daya rolls her eyes. "Okay, if you _must_ know, Adarsh is gonna be at the game next to me in the audience, and we're gonna hang out on the twenty-third!"

"Aww! You should ask him to the homecoming dance," Lorna suggests. "Maybe things will get romantic there! Oh, I can't wait to see the cuteness..."

"I wasn't even planning on going...and shouldn't it be the guy-"

"What? Girl, you _have_ to!" Maritza insists.

"Mm-hm," Flaca agrees. "It's _the_ event of the fall for freshmen and sophomores! It's like, our pre-prom! Besides that, dudes find boldness in chicks hot."

"I wish I could go with John in secret," Daya admits sadly. "Since I can't...I decided not to bother being the only one there without a date."

"I'd be single, too," Alex reminds her. "I'm taking Michelle as a friend, and we're both very much looking forward to it! We're also going on a picnic on Sunday!"

"We'd go together, but as besties!" Flaca says, gesturing to herself and Maritza.

"You and Adarsh can do the same," Nicky tells Daya.

"Since y'all are gonna be in attendance, I'll talk to him about it in English class. It's weird if I do it over text."

Flaca, Maritza, and Lorna gasp happily and squeak while hugging her. Nicky and Alex give Daya hi-fives.

"Daya?" a small, sleepy voice pipes up, and they turn to see Christina standing by the doorway.

"Christina, what's wrong?" Daya asks while rushing to her side.

"Nothing...but I _really_ don't want Benny or Tía Gloria to get a owie again." Christina tugs Daya along with her to the couch and Daya sits the little girl on her knees. "Before we said night-night and when you left the room, Benny said he was sitting on his mommy's lap and the bad guy who hurt him yelled really loud at her and it was scary. He got a boo-boo 'cause he was protecting her. The mean man knocked him and his mommy down." The girls gasp softly.

"Oh my gosh," Lorna whispers while pressing her hand to her heart. "He's very brave, but that's still horrifying."

"I know how scary this is for him, angel," Daya says while rocking her baby sister from side to side. "Here's what I want you both to remember, though. Gloria is being very careful with Fahri, and he's a nice man...that's why we picked him. She's not going anyplace alone with him, but if she does, she'd bring pepper spray, which will give _him_ an owie if he does anything bad. She'll be okay with Ma and the other grownups. I promise."

"Okay."

"You ready to go back to sleep?"

"Yeah..."

* * *

The butterflies in Diane's belly are growing bigger than ever as she cuddles with Charles in Frieda's car. They're also playing footsie. Her head is swirling and she's weak in the knees, so it's a good thing she's seated. He traces circles on the inside of her wrist and her palm. His hand goes up and down her arm a few times. He's softly running his other hand through her brunette locks and down her cheek, making her moan a little bit. She still feels the amazing sensation in her body that she thinks will never go away, and the same one that she thought wouldn't ever show up again.

"Hey, are you kids suckin' face back there?" Frieda asks, interrupting their moment. She adjusts the rearview mirror and smirks. They both clear their throats while separating and adjust their wrinkled clothing. Diane smooths down her slightly messed-up hair and blushes deeply.

"No, ma'am," they answer truthfully at the same time and then snicker.

"We're not kids!" Diane reminds her. "I'm fuckin' thirty-nine, gonna be the big four oh next month!"

"I could be your mother, I got almost twenty years on you, honey. That's practically an entire generation!"

Diane rolls her eyes. "You make a point."

"It looks like you two had a blast, judging by your canoodling."

"Oh, we did," Charles says while rubbing his thumb around her hand and playing with her fingers.

"Yep," Diane murmurs.

"I'm pleased to see that you're charming Diane right and left, but if you're anything like her ex, I'll take a butcher knife to your-"

"Frieda!" Diane yelps, embarrassed at her overprotectiveness. "How does my daughter not throw up in your class with your graphic language?"

"My husband bled out that way."

"It's okay, Di. I understand completely, ma'am." His gaze stays on Diane the whole time and his face turns ashen because of Frieda's threat. "I'm not the same as him in the least."

"Good."

* * *

The girls flip through channels at Maritza's house and when the adults get home, Lorna is snuggled in Nicky's lap and Flaca has her head on Maritza's. Daya and Alex give them space. They all look so cozy. Cheerful hellos are soon exchanged, the women hug the teens, Alex embraces Fahri, bumps fists with Charles, and then Daya does the same with Leon. Alex had noticed how close Charles and her mother were as they came in the door and she could've sworn she'd seen them holding hands or him guiding her in, but she's not sure.

Apparently, their evening went well and they were drinking, so they'd requested rides from Red and Frieda. The girls give them a full report of their time babysitting. Both events were successful and everyone is pleased with that. They let the adults know the children were very well-behaved and decided they didn't need to tell them about Benny freaking out at first. Gloria, Aleida, and Leon are generous enough to offer each of the teenagers thirty dollars for babysitting, and they take it gratefully.

Christina walks out of the room she's staying in again. "What you still doin' up?" Aleida questions her. "Your sister put you to bed, I thought. You gonna be so tired tomorrow!"

"It's loud and I woke up." She points at Charles. "Are you a policeman? My mommy and auntie and sissy and Mister Leon talk about you being one."

"Yes I am." He pulls his badge out of his pocket while getting down to her level. "See? I put the bad guys in jail."

"Cool!" Christina peers at it in interest. "Did you take away the bad man who yelled at me and my brother and sister all the time and the one who was mean to Benny and gave him and his mommy boo-boos?"

"I wish I had, kid, but I'm glad they can't hurt you anymore."

"Are you gonna help my mommy? She said you would. We don't like the boogeyman."

"I will. I'll make sure she and the rest of you never see that evil monster again."

"Thank you." The grateful smile on Christina's precious face is so heartwarming. She looks over at Alex's mother and back to Charles. "Are you and her gonna get married?" she asks while pointing at them.

"No, no!" Diane and Charles say quickly in unison.

"It'd be _sooo_ adorable! Daya and her friends said you were in love! Oooh!"

"Snitch," Daya mutters and rolls her eyes.

It causes everyone to laugh. "We don't know that yet, squirt, they're not even dating like your mommy and Leon are!" Alex whispers into Christina's ear.

"Yeah, right! You need new glasses!" Christina retorts and sticks her tongue out.

"I've just been sassed by a five year old," Alex mutters. "Get over here, you!" She tickles Christina's belly until the tiny girl giggles.

Later, Aleida carries a groggy Christina in her arms while Leon has Benny. Gloria is holding Julio and Daya takes Emiliano. All of the children except Christina are sleeping peacefully. The other men and women help with the cribs, carseats, and booster seats.

* * *

"How did you know you were knocked up?" Lorna questions Daya after the adults and kids leave.

"I didn't, my mom told me. Why?"

"My period's late, my breasts are growing bigger by the second, I'm super horny, I got mood swings up the ying-yang, and I've been puking a lot. I was raped very recently..."

Flaca and Maritza's eyes widen in concern. "Shit, you think you're pregnant?" the taller one of them asks.

"No! I can't be...that's the worst-case scenario." Lorna shakes her head. "I ain't..."

"I would get a test, just in case," Nicky advises Lorna.

"Oh, goodness, I'm terrified!"

"I know, but we'll support you, no matter what," Alex says.

Nausea comes over Lorna and she rushes to the bathroom sink. She claps a clammy hand over her sweaty forehead and forces the bile to come out by pushing on her tummy. She's throwing up so violently that her body is shaking and she feels extremely weak. She squeezes her eyes shut and tears leak out while she whimpers in agony. Nicky is by her side in a flash, gathering her hair up while she's bent over the sink. The others surround them.

Lorna washes out her mouth afterwards and sniffles as she wipes her eyes. "What if I really am...I ain't even big enough for a baby! I'm pint sized!"

"Fun sized, you mean?" Nicky tries to joke.

"Whatever!"

"Okay, you're sensitive at this moment...I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

Nicky sighs. "I'm not particularly fond of kids, but if you have one, I'll get parenting tips from Red and help you in any way that I can."

"Thank you, honey." Lorna smiles and hugs Nicky.

"No problem." Nicky wraps Lorna in her arms and it's like home.

"Can we go to Maritza's guest house for our own sleepover?"

"Sure!"

Lorna's phone buzzes from her pocket and she takes it out. She notices that she'd received a message from Juan, whom she hasn't talked to in a while, and she feels bad for ignoring him, but she'd been extremely busy this past week. "Oh, but first, I gotta sit on the toilet for five minutes or so. I wanna see if my period comes or whatever."

"Alright, see you in a few," Nicky tells her and she and the rest of their friends leave her be. Lorna closes and locks the door while hurriedly reading what he'd typed to her.

 _I just saw my ex with another man, they were chattering away...how could she do this to me? She's acting like I never even existed! I'm so angry I could spit! I wanna kill him...and even her, but I wouldn't. That's violence towards women._

 _I know just how you feel, dude! It's so fuckin' sad! I'm sorry you gotta deal with that!_ she texts him back quickly. _My friend's ma has a motto, bitches come and go. She might have meant friends, but it's the same for girlfriends, fianceés, and wives, too. You'll find the right lady, don't worry, she's out there. I moved on from the bastard who I thought loved me. I'm dating the best girl in the entire world!_

Lorna jumps and nearly drops her phone in the toilet when someone raps on the door from outside. "Are you almost finished? It's been ten minutes, what'd you do, fall in?" Maritza asks.

"No, no, I'm fine, just...nothing's come yet." Lorna washes her hands, dries them on the towel, and shoves her phone into her pocket.

"That sucks!" Maritza calls after her as she scrambles around to get her things for her stay in the guesthouse.

* * *

"Hello, there." Charles is shrugging off his suit when he hears _her_ beautiful voice. She sounds sultry, and he turns around to find that Diane is seductively leaning against his doorframe and holding onto it with her arm stretched high over her head. She's still fully dressed, from her hair all the way down to her high heels. She gives him a once-over while licking her bottom lip ever so slowly and then biting it. "You looked extra spicy tonight, Charlie." She winks at him.

He knows he has to keep himself in control. They're both slightly drunk with their heads fuzzy and he doesn't want her to do anything she wouldn't feel comfortable with if she wasn't in this state. From the moment he'd met her, he thought she was attractive and fantasized about holding her, kissing her soft mouth, touching her satin-like skin all over, and drowning in those baby blue eyes. Not only that, but he also wanted them to get to know everything about the other. He's so happy that wish came true. "Thanks, Princess Di, and you could seriously stop traffic in that dress...your whole look, actually."

"Oh, really?" Diane comes closer to him and she pushes him down to a sitting position on his bed while giggling. She trails her fingers up and down the stubble on his cheeks and he puts her hands over hers, prepared to slow things down. He feels himself growing bigger the longer he gazes at her voluptuous figure above him, but he's not going to give into temptation. He just needs a cold shower. "Thank you. This is what I think. You are the sexiest man _ever_. You should be on a fuckin' magazine cover with your shirt off, because _damn_!"

Charles suddenly feels like he's in a teen movie where the hot, popular girl comes on to the nerdy or slightly overweight guy. He's never been proud of his appearance, and he's shocked that she's actually into him. Their faces are inches apart and her hair tickles his jaw. He can smell wine on her breath and the sweet perfume she'd used. It takes a lot of strength for him to fight the primal urge, but he does. "Thank you, Diane, but...let's both wait until we're sober."

She pouts cutely. "You're a better man than Lee, you've stuck around all this time...and I really wanna lock lips with ya. I wanna feel your tongue on mine as we make out for hours and hours and never, ever stop." She continues stroking his freshly shaven face and hooks her fingers into his hair on the nape of his neck as she plops down on his lap. "Don't make me kiss and suck on a cucumber again...Alex ain't here and we're finally alone together...take advantage of it!"

"Diane, I'm sorry, but not tonight." He removes her hands from his face and holds them like they're delicate flowers. "I personally would love to, but you and I are both too vulnerable, what with us being intoxicated. When our minds are clear, we can try this again."

"Okay...I'll just fuck myself..." she mumbles while getting off him. "It looks like you gotta rub one out, too." Diane sways her hips as she leaves and then pauses while looking back at him and beaming. "Good boy for not letting me down!"

"That was a test?" Charles groans inwardly at his blue balls. He wasn't expecting to get any, but it's not like he can jack off with her present. He feels guilty about having a boner at such a time like this.

"Yeah," she admits. "I meant every word, though. I...I really like you."

"For real?"

"Of course! You're a perfect gentleman."

"I have no reason not to be."

Diane sighs while giggling. "Awesome! Good night, Charlie!"

"Good night, Princess Di!"

* * *

"Ian left me a long voicemail...tellin' me that he'd heard about me being in a wheelchair and havin' to use crutches, and that Piss-cuntella caused me to fall. He wants to get together with me again 'cause he feels bad about how things ended between us." Flaca shrugs, and her friends cringe.

"Ugh, I hope you said a big _hell_ _no_!" Maritza says.

"That loser is a victim-blamer!" Alex reminds Flaca.

"Yeah, you're so much better off without him," Daya mutters.

"I know, but he's changed a lot. I ain't answered him yet. He asked me to the homecoming dance next Friday, or rather, wants me to take him to ours. He apologized real good, too...like, enough for me to consider takin' him back." Flaca's statement hurts Maritza. Her heart breaks and she gasps when it does.

" _Ay dios mío,_ Flaca _,_ how could you do this?" Maritza bursts out. "He's a fuckin' liar and he's messin' with your head. He _knows_ this and he's enjoying every single bit of you fallin' for his tricks!"

Flaca shakes her head firmly. "Nah, not this time, Mari, he's really-"

"You know how many women swear to themselves the man's _changed_?" Alex laughs humorlessly. "Flaca, in case you haven't noticed, my mom thought Lee did the second time around, but he ended up being worse, and Gloria assumed the same thing about Arturo _after_ he beat her to a bloody pulp a few times! Those are empty words from Ian's stupid mouth!" she points out. "He's a damn fuckboy!"

"Yeah, and what happens when he hurts you again? One moment, you think you're gonna marry him or whatever, the next, you're standing alone in front of a New York City bar, watching as he walks away for good," Daya adds.

"I ain't pregnant, we always use condoms, I make sure he has one on, so havin' a baby wouldn't be a problem for us. Ian's not an abuser or a creepy player...he just said somethin' stupid and is regretting it."

"I cannot believe you!" Maritza tells Flaca bitterly. "I...I thought we coulda been gettin' somewhere...'cause we're touchy-feely and shit and sleep in the same bed every night!"

"What?" Flaca crinkles her face in confusion. "Besties do that..."

"Oh, never mind, if you don't get it by now, I ain't gonna bother no more!"

"Mari-"

"Don't! Go to Ian, get fucked over. I couldn't give a shit less!" Maritza's extreme sadness takes over and her voice begins to crack. "I don't want any of you here no more, so go someplace else!" She runs upstairs, two steps at a time, and burrows herself in her bedsheets. Flaca texts her a few times, asking why she's reacting this way, but she ignores the messages and sobs herself to sleep.

* * *

 _Hi, how are you?_

Gloria smiles at Fahri's text and types a response. _I'm fine, just going to bed. You?_

 _Yeah, I'm exhausted!_

 _Me, too. Good night!_

 _Night!_

Gloria puts her phone face down on a side table. "Debo confesarte algo, pero prométeme que no te asustarás ni de mí ni de nadie más," she tells Lourdes cautiously while twiddling her thumbs. They're in their pajamas and Gloria has already washed her makeup off. She'd felt like someone else before, a more confident woman than she really is.

 **I gotta confess somethin' to you, but promise me you won't freak out on me or anyone else.**

"¿Qué?"

 **What?**

Gloria takes the hot cocoa from her aunt and sits down next to her on the couch. She sets the drink on the coffee table. "Es un mal momento para tener algo como esto en tus manos. Necesito que estés calmado y que no derrames nada."

 **It's a bad time to have anything like this in your hands. I need you to be calm and not spill anything.**

Lourdes frowns in concern. "De acuerdo, ahora me tienes preocupado."

 **Okay, now you've got me worried.**

"No te enojes con las chicas, Daya y sus amigas, quiero decir, pero planearon que conociera a alguien nuevo y esperaban que eventualmente tuviéramos la felicidad eterna." Lourdes gasps and she narrows her eyes. "Su nombre es Fahri, y se hizo cargo de Alex desde que era bebé hasta los doce años. Había conocido a su madre, Diane, un poco antes de que ella naciera, por lo que confiaba en que él cuidaría a Alex. Um...luego, él y yo salimos a cenar esta noche con Aleida, Leon, Diane y Charles...y en realidad fue divertido."

 **Don't be mad at the girls, Daya and her friends, I mean, but they sort of, uh...planned for me to meet someone new and they were hoping that eventually, we'd have everlasting happiness.** **His name is Fahri, and he took care of Alex from when she was a baby to age twelve. He'd met her mother, Diane, a bit before she was born, so she trusted him to watch Alex. Um...then, he and I went out to dinner tonight with Aleida, Leon, Diane, and Charles...and it was fun, actually.**

Her aunt gives her a stern look. "Florecita, no. Eres demasiado ingenuo por tu propio bien, ¡mira cuántas trampas has caído! No te vas a dañar de nuevo, no bajo mi cuidado."

 **You're too naïve for your own good, look at how many traps you've fallen into! You ain't gonna get damaged again, not under my watch.**

"Estoy muy consciente de esto, Tía, y tengo miedo de saltar a una nueva relación. Es solo que...veo a mis amigos y cómo...están enamorados, incluso Diane y Charles, que no son pareja, pero están llegando. Aleida y Leon, han estado juntos durante un mes y son tan lindos, lo juro por Dio...y yo...o quiero tanto. Anhelo lo que tienen. Sin abuso, sin fetiches extraños, sin condones rasgados a propósito...solo afecto puro el uno por el otro." Tears prick the corners of Gloria's eyes and she wipes them away. "Me han quemado tantas veces...¡mierda!" She sniffles while she curls up against a pillow, under a blanket, and lets out a choked sob into the cloth. It's moments like these, when she's a frightened little girl inside. She'd really needed Lourdes all this time, and she's glad her aunt is here now.

 **I'm well aware of this, Tía, and I'm scared of jumping into a new relationship. It's just...I see my friends and how... _in love_ they are, even Diane and Charles, who aren't a couple, but they're getting there. Aleida and Leon, they've been together for a month and they're so cute, I swear to God...and I...I want it so bad. I crave for what they have. No abuse, no strange fetishes, no purposely torn condoms...just pure affection for each other.** **I've been burned so many times...fuck!**

Lourdes sighs and hugs her. She places a kiss atop Gloria's head. "Haz lo que tu corazón desee, y si aún no te sientes cómodo saliendo con él, no tienes que hacerlo. Sé que lo anhelas, bebé. Verlo pasar a tus chicas te hace sentir solo..."

 **Do whatever your heart desires, and if you don't feel comfortable going out with him yet, you don't have to. I know you're longing for it, baby. Watching it happen to your girls makes you lonely...**

Gloria throws her hands up in the air exasperatedly. "¡Incluso los malditos adolescentes están obteniendo más acción que yo! ¡Los adolescentes son más maduros que estos hijos de puta que he tenido hasta ahora! Adarsh, Diablo y Yadriel con Daya, Blanca y Maria...todos menores de dieciséis. Ah, y Benny y Christina...mi hijo de cinco años es tan bueno con ella. Él obtuvo esa dulzura de mí. Quiero ser tratada como una princesa por un hombre, también. Es solo que...ya no tengo fe en el noventa y nueve por ciento de ellos."

 **Even the damn teenagers are getting more action than me! _Teenage boys_ are more mature than these motherfuckers I've had so far! Adarsh, Diablo, and Yadriel with Daya, Blanca, and Maria...all under sixteen. Oh, and Benny and Christina...my five year old is so good to her. He got that sweetness from me. I wanna be treated like a princess by a man, too. It's just...I don't have faith in like, ninety-nine percent of 'em anymore.**

The elder woman runs a comforting hand through Gloria's hair and brushes her knuckles against her cheek. "Tienes todo el derecho de sentir de esa manera."

 **You have every right to feel that way.**

"¿Que debería hacer? Solo parezco atraer a los imbéciles o bichos raros. Soy un jodido...imán chico equivocado!" Gloria says hopelessly. "Es como si estuviera destinado a terminar solo...sin ofender."

 **What should I do? I only seem to attract the assholes or weirdos. I'm a fuckin'... _wrong guy_ magnet! It's like I'm destined to end up alone...no offense.**

"Ninguna toma. No es del todo malo, ya sabes." Lourdes gestures to herself. "Estoy muy bien."

 **None taken. It's not all bad, you know. I'm doing pretty great.**

"No quiero ser así. Tengo treinta...y quiero la chispa, el fuego...¡pasión!"

 **I don't wanna be like that. I'm thirty...and I want the spark, the fire... _passion_!**

"¿Crees que este hombre puede darte esas cosas?"

 **You think this man can give you those things?**

"Es demasiado pronto para decirlo, pero parece diferente a los demás...como cuando nos vimos por primera vez, estábamos ayudando a Daya, se había desmayado, o pretendido, supongo. Él no hizo un movimiento en mí o nada...y todavía no lo hizo. Le dije que no quería ser más que amigos, y él respeta eso. Él no espera nada de mí...y tuve un flashback en la cafetería donde ambos trabajamos...ahora es conserje...y me consoló con palabras tranquilizadoras. Aleida, Red, Claudette y Norma también estaban allí, y también quería asegurarse de que estuviera bien. Le conté sobre mi Santería, y él pensó que era interesante."

 **It's way too early to tell, but he seems different than the others...like, when we first laid eyes on each other, we were helping up Daya, she'd fainted, or pretended to, I guess. He didn't make a move on me or nothin'...and he still hasn't. I told him that I didn't want to be anything more than friends, and he respects that. He don't expect nothin' from me...and I had a flashback in the cafeteria where we both work...he's a janitor now...and he comforted me with soothing words. Aleida, Red, Claudette, and Norma were there, too, and he also wanted to make sure I was okay. I told him about my Santería, and he thought it was interesting.**

Lourdes raises an eyebrow. "Quiero conocerlo."

 **I want to meet him.**

Gloria waves it away. "¡No puedes...todavía!"

 **You can't...yet!**

"Voy a hacerlo muy pronto si ustedes dos se acercan. ¿Cómo se familiarizó Diane con él?"

 **I'm going to very soon if the two of you get closer. How'd Diane get acquainted with him?**

Gloria shrugs. "No estoy seguro, le preguntaré mañana."

 **I'm not sure, I'll ask her tomorrow.**

"Bueno. Entonces, ¿todos tus amigos y las chicas jóvenes tienen la idea de que tú y él tengan un futuro de algún tipo?" Lourdes wonders aloud.

 **Okay. So, all of your friends and the young girls entertain the idea of you and him having a future of some kind?**

"Sí. A todos les gusta mucho. Incluso tenemos cosas en común, por ejemplo, fumar por diversión, y tenemos a alguien que es como una sobrina para nosotros. Para él, es Alex y yo, Daya. Nuestros mejores amigos son las madres de las chicas." Gloria beams, just thinking about it. She also remembers that dreams can turn into nightmares in a heartbeat, so she keeps her head out of the clouds as she's discussing this with Lourdes. She needs to be smart from now on.

 **Yes. They all like him a lot. We even have shit in common, for example, smoking for fun, and we got somebody who's like a niece to us. For him, it's Alex, and me, Daya. Our best friends are the girls' mamas.**

"¿Qué piensan Benny y Julio de esto?"

 **What did Benny and Julio think of this?**

"Benny lloró," Gloria admits. "Pero nosotros...yo, Aleida y León, quiero decir, lo consolé. Cuando Leon le contó sobre las cosas divertidas que Fahri hizo con Alex cuando era pequeña, ella y Fahri lo respaldaron. Julio estaba distraído, jugando con Christina y Emiliano."

 **Benny cried, but we...myself, Aleida, and Leon, I mean, consoled him. When Leon told him about fun things Fahri did with Alex when she was a little girl, she and Fahri backed him up. Julio was distracted, playing with Christina and Emiliano.**

"Salga con usted solo y traiga una forma de protección con usted. Continúa haciéndolo durante aproximadamente un mes o cuando te sientas seguro. Ábrete a él, haz que le transmita sus más profundos secretos también a ti. Quieres ser su amigo, ve por ello. Simplemente no te vuelvas vulnerable en su presencia. Muéstrale que no tomas mierda de ningún hombre," Lourdes advises Gloria.

 **Go out with him by yourself and bring a form of protection with you. Keep doing so for about a month, or whenever you feel safe. Open up to him, have him air his deepest secrets to you, too. You wanna be his friend, go for it. Just don't make yourself vulnerable in his presence. Show him that you don't take shit from no man.**

Gloria swallows hard. She's truly afraid of what could happen, but she wants to try following her aunt's suggestion at the same time. She'll have to carry mace, a knife, or even a gun, but she'd need to practice self-defense and using those things. "Eso fue lo que causó que Arturo me golpeara. Me defendí, y él simplemente...¡se enojaría tanto!"

 **That's what caused Arturo to hit me. I stood up for myself, and he'd just...get so angry!**

Lourdes holds Gloria's face in her hands. "Escúchame, Gloria. ¡Ese hijo de puta con labios de lagartija no tenía ningún motivo para lastimarte! Mira si Fahri lo hace cuando te defiendes. Atrévete a hacerlo, tienes un arma para defenderte."

 **Listen to me, Gloria. That lizard-lipped son of a bitch had _no reason_ _at all_ to hurt you! See if Fahri does when you defend yourself. Dare him to, you got a weapon to defend yourself with.**

"Le espeté a Fahri antes, acusándolo de nunca tener ataques de pánico...y él no hizo nada. También estaba frente a las damas, así que..."

 **I snapped at Fahri before, accusing him of never having panic attacks...and he didn't do nothin'. It was also in front of the ladies, so...**

"Sí, eso no significa nada. Un restaurante abarrotado o un pequeño restaurante con el dueño mirando tampoco funcionaría. Pruébalo cuando apenas hay alma, como en tu bodega."

 **Yeah, that doesn't mean anything. A crowded restaurant or a small diner with the owner watching wouldn't work either. Try it when there's barely a soul around, like in your bodega.**

"Estuve a solas con él durante un tiempo en nuestro primer día de reunión...estaba ansioso, pero no me presionó para que no hiciera nada como Arturo y cómo se llama en la escuela secundaria, así que eso es una buena señal, ¿derecho?" Gloria asks.

 **I was alone with him for a while on our first day of meeting...I was anxious, but he didn't pressure me into doin' nothin' like Arturo and what's his name back in high school, so that's a good sign, right?**

Lourdes smiles. "Es positivo, definitivamente."

 **It's a positive one, definitely.**

"Muy bien, y en cuanto a ese tipo con su enamoramiento de pies...simplemente me asustó un poco, pero lo mantuve cerca de él durante dos años, ya que creía que podía manejarlo, era al menos mejor que la cara número uno y dos. Él me dio a mis hijos, después de todo, pero la peor parte fueron los calambres en los pies, así que tuvo que irse...¿y si Fahri tiene algo así?"

 **Alright, and as for that guy with his feet infatuation...he just kinda creeped me out, but I kept him around for two years since I thought I could handle it, he was at least better than fuckface number one and two. He did give me my sons, after all, but worst part was the foot cramps, so he had to go...what if Fahri's got somethin' like that?**

"Bueno, si te molesta, díselo. Si él es el hombre correcto, no hará una mierda para hacerte sentir dolor o incomodidad. Él te escuchará y respetará tus deseos. Las parejas tienen desacuerdos y peleas, pero nunca deberían escalar a la violencia entre ellos. Esa es la verdadera definición de una relación de cuento de hadas, ¿entiendes lo que quiero decir?"

 **Well, if it bothers you, tell him. If he's the right man, he won't do shit to make you feel pain or awkwardness. He'll listen to you and respect your wishes. Couples have disagreements and fights, but it _never_ should escalate to violence towards each other. That's the true definition of a fairytale relationship, you see what I mean?**

Gloria nods her head yes. "Mm-hm."

The sound of wailing causes them both to glance toward the kids' room that they share with Gloria. They walk in together and find Benny sniveling and bawling at the same time. "Oh, baby, what is it, huh?" Gloria asks him softly as she places herself beside him and takes him into her arms. She rocks him like he's a baby and pecks his cheek a dozen times. "Why you cryin'?"

"I had a bad dream, Mama."

"Well, I'm right here. So is Tía Lourdes."

He puts his thumb in his mouth and starts sucking on it. "Another bad man gave me a boo-boo and Arturo laughed at me!"

Gloria hugs him just like she had for what seemed like hours after Arturo struck him across the face. He'd left a faint bruise, but it was enough to scar Benny for life. "That ain't gonna happen again, okay? I'll make sure of it!" she assures him while gently combing her fingers through his hair.

"Tu mamá va a ser más cuidadosa esta vez," Lourdes puts in.

 **Your mommy's gonna be more careful this time.**

Benny grabs Lourdes' hand and buries his face in Gloria's shirt. "Mama, can I be with you and Tía?"

"You mean in my bed?" Gloria wants to know.

"Yeah, we can't all fit in my big boy bed!"

Gloria and Lourdes chuckle quietly at him stating the obvious. "Okay, cariño," Lourdes says.

"I'd love to have you with us, _mijo_!" Gloria taps his nose and he giggles through his tears. "Come on, up you go." She lifts him from his bed and he wraps his arms around her neck tightly as she's carrying him. She and her aunt get under her sheets. They put Benny in between them and he snuggles with them.

"Te amo, Mama and Tía!"

"Nosotros también te amamos, dulce niño," Lourdes replies.

 **We love you too, sweet boy.**

"Yeah," Gloria agrees. "You're our little prince."

"No way! I'm the king!" he proclaims, making his mother and aunt laugh under their breaths.

* * *

They're both sitting on a bed in Maritza's guesthouse, and Nicky's arms are around Lorna's waist and her girlfriend is in her lap as she plays the guitar she'd borrowed from Flaca and sings to the small Italian. Lorna isn't feeling well because of cramps, so she takes Advil with water, and she doesn't want to do anything else but relax with Nicky.

"My beautiful brown-eyed girl,

With the vintage styled hair,

I fell in love with you a bit after we met,

Doesn't matter where.

I'd do anything for you,

You cheer me up when I'm blue,

And that's exactly why my heart belongs to you.

My heart belongs to you, my dear,

So don't you shed a tear,

Everything's all right, I'll hold you through the day and night.

With you by my side

I just can't deny,

That my heart belongs to you."

Lorna glances up at Nicky and smiles. "Aww, thank you so much, honey, your singing voice is real pretty!"

"What can I say, you inspire me to write songs! You light up my life, baby."

"Nicky, you opened my eyes to the world." Nicky lifts Lorna's chin up with one finger and places a soft kiss on her plump red lips. "Now, you're making my heart soar!"

"You got the same effect on me, Lorna." Nicky grins down at her and sets the guitar down. "Hey, I almost forgot...you're under arrest!"

"What'd I do this time, Officer Nichols?" Lorna asks innocently.

"You've been a real bad girl! Or, should I say...inmate?"

"Sure-"

"Shut up, Morello!" Nicky says authoritatively, but keeps it playful. She loosely ties Lorna's wrists together with a long sleeved shirt, being careful of her girlfriend's cast. "Your crime was stealing my heart, and you're gonna be punished...for a long-ass time! Holy shit, you're _so_ fucked!" Nicky lays Lorna on the bed and kisses her everywhere while the brunette giggles and grips her shirt once Nicky unbinds her. The couple flips while making out heavily, with Lorna on top. It's silent and Nicky loves it. They break apart while gasping for air and bask in the quiet as they rest next to each other.

"I'm so relieved I got my period!"

"Same here! I'm happy for you."

"All that sucks is we can't have sex."

"I know."

Suddenly, the doorbell rings from downstairs and they both jump and sit up at once. "Who's that?" Lorna asks.

"I think we're about to find out." They answer whoever is out there.

"Sorry to interrupt, girls, but Flaritza's having a crisis and Maritza kicked us out. It's too late to ask our moms' designated drivers or Theresa for rides back home, so we gotta stay here and share the room with you," Daya reports as she, Alex, and Flaca come inside with their overnight bags and Flaca's wheelchair. They plop down on the blue sofa and Flaca sets her crutches against the arm of the couch. "How you feelin', Lorna?"

Nicky and Lorna sigh in annoyance. "It's our first night away from my dad when we can sleep together in a comfortable bed and make all the noise we want...I don't have a bun in my oven, so that's the good news!"

"Congratulations," Alex says.

"Yeah, you don't want a baby at fifteen," Flaca murmurs.

"I'm _right here_ , guys!" Daya tells them. "I know it ain't the ideal age to have a child, but it ain't that bad when you got support."

"Not if it's from rape. You'd always be reminded," Nicky lets her know.

"Oh, right...I apologize. It's just...I'd keep it no matter what, but every girl for herself."

"Why?" Lorna wonders aloud. "You've never been sexually assaulted, so you don't really understand what it's like for me. Statutory with John doesn't count since it was consensual."

Daya nods and her face turns pale. "Okay. I gotta vomit." She gets up quickly and rushes to the bathroom.

"Anyway, uh...what is your issue with the girl who's platonically your other half, Gonzales?" Nicky wants to know.

"While you and Lorna were busy, I told her and the others that Ian wants to reconcile with me, and she...she freaked! It was like she thought I'd run off with him and leave her behind in the dust, which I'd never do! Alex and Daya hated the idea of me with Ian, too, but she seemed...jealous, or like I'd cheated on her or somethin'."

"Maritza likes you, idiot!" Nicky thumps Flaca's shoulder with the back of her hand. "You never saw that before? You fuckin' crushed her!"

Flaca's eyes grow as round as saucers and she shakes her head quickly. "Nah...I didn't mean to...and I wasn't sure that there even _was_ anything between us. I've always felt like we were girlfriends, but without the kissing and sex...we even hold hands occasionally. If she'd said somethin' earlier, I would've said no to Ian right away! I wanna try a romantic relationship with Mari. Like, she's super cute and pretty...so why the hell not, ya know? I thought more about what the girls said, and Ian doesn't deserve me...I'm way too good for him."

"You totally are! Well, now you gotta fix it with Maritza," Lorna advises her.

"I dunno...I've already fucked shit up by rubbing Ian and other boys in her face...she'll never speak to me again."

"Flaca, we've all been stupid at one time or another. She was probably shy to take the plunge, afraid it would ruin your friendship, and that was dumb on her part, but whatever. She's not as bold as me or Nichols. Do something sappy for her that makes her forgive you, don't repeat mistakes, and keep your promises, and only make ones you're gonna follow through with," Alex suggests.

"I got the most romantic idea!" Lorna squeals while clapping her hands excitedly.

* * *

Flaca is going to sing four songs she's memorized by heart to Maritza on her guitar outside the smaller girl's bedroom window. That's what Lorna had advised her to do. She begins playing her guitar and wishes she had a beach chair to sit in, rather than her wheelchair, but she'll make do. She sees Lorna lead Maritza up to the window. She begins to turn away, but Lorna forces her to stay there. Maritza has her chin propped up in her hands while Lorna sits on the bed. Flaca starts to strum her guitar and croon away.

"There's a yellow rose in Texas, that I am going to see,

Nobody else could miss her, not half as much as me.

She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart,

And if I ever find her, we nevermore will part.

She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew,

Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew;

You may talk about your Clementine, and sing of Rosalee,

But the yellow rose of Texas is the only girl for me.

When the Rio Grande is flowing, the starry skies are bright,

She walks along the river in the quiet summer night:

I know that she remembers, when we parted long ago,

I promise to return again, and not to leave her so.

She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew,

Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew;

You may talk about your Clementine, and sing of Rosalee,

But the yellow rose of Texas is the only girl for me.

Oh now I'm going to find her, for my heart is full of woe,

And we'll sing the songs together, that we sung so long ago

We'll play the bango gaily, and we'll sing the songs of yore,

And the yellow rose of Texas shall be mine forevermore.

She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew,

Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew;

You may talk about your Clementine, and sing of Rosalee,

But the yellow rose of Texas is the only girl for me."

Maritza's eyes are glistening, so Flaca plays some more for her.

"Once in every life

Someone comes along

And you came to me

It was almost like a song

You were in my arms

Right where you belong

And we were so in love

It was almost like a song

January through December

We had such a perfect year

Then the flame became a dying ember

All at once you weren't here

Now my broken heart

Cries for you each night

And it's almost like a song

But it's much too sad to write

Now my broken heart

Cries for you each night

And it's almost like a song

But it's much too sad to write

It's too sad to write."

Maritza's wiping her eyes now, and Flaca has two more songs to go.

"Maybe I didn't treat you

Quite as good as I should have

Maybe I didn't love you

Quite as often as I could have

Little things I should have said and done

I just never took the time

You were always on my mind

You were always on my mind

Maybe I didn't hold you

All those lonely, lonely times

And I guess I never told you

I'm so happy that you're mine

If I made you feel second best

Girl I'm so sorry I was blind

You were always on my mind

You were always on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died

Give me, give me one more chance to keep you satisfied, satisfied

Little things I should have said and done

I just never took the time

You were always on my mind

You were always on my mind

You were always on my mind..."

Maritza shakes her head and turns away. Lorna pushes her forward. The brunette holds up one finger for Flaca to continue and to make Maritza listen to one more song.

"Every time our eyes meet

This feeling inside me

Is almost more than I can take

Baby when you touch me

I can feel how much you love me

And it just blows me away

I've never been this close to anyone or anything

I can hear your thoughts

I can see your dreams

I don't know how you do what you do

I'm so in love with you

It just keeps getting better

I want to spend the rest of my life

With you by my side

Forever and ever

Every little thing that you do

Baby, I'm amazed by you

The smell of your skin

The taste of your kiss

The way you whisper in the dark

Your hair all around me

Baby you surround me

You touch every place in my heart

Oh, it feels like the first time, every time

I want to spend the whole night in your eyes

Every little thing that you do

I'm so in love with you

It just keeps getting better

I want to spend the rest of my life

With you by my side

Forever and ever

Every little thing that you do

Baby, I'm amazed by you..."

Maritza is frozen by the window, her tears falling down her cheeks. Lorna gives her a comforting hug and holds up a finger for her to wait. Maritza nods and sits on her bed. She looks so beautiful, even when sad.

Lorna runs outside just then. "Flaca, you gotta make up a song and then ask her to kiss you. Those songs are by other people, not by you. She'll love ya more if ya make it up yourself. I'll help ya with the lyrics if you need me to. Go back in the guesthouse, I'll see ya in the mornin'," She pats Flaca on the back to show she isn't mad. Flaca will begin Maritza's song tonight.

* * *

"How did the kids feel with Charles and Fahri in the front two seats on the way here?" Aleida asks Leon when she's nestled into him.

"It wasn't a problem. Christina and Emilio were in the middle while Benny and Julio were in the back with me. I told the little ones who Charles and Fahri were." Leon kisses the side of Aleida's head and she looks up at him adorably through hazy eyes.

"That's good."

"Yeah, I always wanna be sure they're comfortable."

"You're such a pro at that...and you make me feel safe and secure, too."

"Hey, you're my girl, I'd lay down my life for you." He threads his fingers through her hair and strokes her cheek continuously.

"Really?"

"Of course, beautiful."

"So would I! Leon...I'm real scared to close my eyes, 'cause if I do, I'mma wake up shrieking in the middle of the night and disturb everyone in this quaint little apartment! You can tell me _sweet dreams_ and hold me all you want, but I can't stop that evil sadistic fuck from entering my mind. I hate it so much!"

His heart snaps in pieces at how broken she sounds all of a sudden. "I'm so sorry, _mi princesa._ Try to sleep and only think happy thoughts. _"_

"That don't help!"

"I'll stay awake all night with you if you'd like me to."

"Nah, I can't ask that of you. I also overheard some of the conversation Gloria and her tía were havin', and it made me cry 'cause they got such a good relationship...Lourdes is like Gloria's ma more than anything. I've only known her for a day and like, an hour last night...but I really wish I had somebody like her growin' up."

"I know...I do, too."

"Thanks for takin' care of me like you always do. I've only been trashed as shit one other time since I met you, that very night, actually, and Gloria held my hair back from my face while I puked, just like you did when we got home. At least I was more alert this time...but I guess what I'm tryin' to say, is you got some real balls. I'm real grateful for ya."

"You're welcome, Aleida." He tenderly kisses the multiple bruises on her wrists that are in the shapes of handprints.

"Here, too," she mumbles and slides down her pants, revealing more of her injuries. Leon gives them the same gentle treatment with his lips.

"Can you get my tattoos...the one on my ass and shoulder?"

"Sure."

"Ohh, you're such a man!"

"It's all for you, baby!"

* * *

Upon getting home, Taystee sees Vee and her drug dealing partner, who's name she can't quite remember, swapping spit on the couch. "Y'all tryin' to turn each other into Popsicles or somethin'?" she asks after a minute of Vee not realizing that she's just walked in the door.

Vee chuckles and pulls the man up with her. "Taystee! We have a guest with us-"

"Yeah, I can see that! Who are you again, sir?" Taystee wants to know.

"Arturo."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, HannahMiley1fan, A Star In My Universe, Johanna002, a guest, and LindaAndrewsfan!**


	40. Come to Me

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe and yay for Johanna-002 catching up!**

 **Happy birthday, Elizabeth Rodriguez (Aleida)!**

 **Note, this may be the last chapter I'm posting for free, because of our stupid American government, but don't worry, I'll still be here to write more and pay extra!**

 **To the guest who asked about Bennett, he'll make an appearance (probably his last) but he's never going to be with Daya in this story again, sorry! He was a deadbeat dad in canon and I really can't stand him, he hurt her!**

 **Warning, bullying.**

Doubt and confusion sweep over Taystee. She doesn't know why Vee would want to double the amount of drugs coming into their apartment by bringing in another connect. "Oh, cool, nice to meet you," she says politely while shaking Arturo's hand.

"He escaped prison, and I don't want him getting busted, so you need to keep our relationship a secret," Vee instructs Taystee.

"I'm turning my life around, and I'm gonna help Vee do the same," he adds, pulling Taystee's foster mother in for a hug.

"Wow!" Taystee beams. "I'mma have the perfect family if y'all make it! We all gotta go to Narcotics Anonymous meetings and shit, though!"

"That much is clear, Taystee Girl," Vee says and grins widely while patting her cheek. "Now, tell me, what'd you girls do at the pizza joint?"

"Oh, we just talked and ate...it was fun to reconnect with Maria and Steph and have all our best friends kick it with us!"

"I'm glad."

* * *

"Nice jacket!" Michelle compliments Alex once they see each other at school. "Is that pleather?"

"Yeah. Thanks!" Alex beams at her. "Are you sure the white doesn't make me look too washed out?"

"Mm-hm, some white girls can pull it off, and you're one of 'em. I love the fringe, too, by the way!" Michelle threads her fingers through the material. "It's so cute, I might just have to buy it off you!"

Alex chuckles. "It's not for sale!"

"I know, I was teasing you."

"My friend, Lorna, white's her color, according to her mom. I tend to agree!"

"Oh yeah, I know Lorna, she's a nice girl."

"Right, you're in her gym class!"

"You were the only one I hadn't met out of your gang, up until yesterday, probably 'cause I'm Latina. Anyway, I'm glad we're going to homecoming together. I'll be at the game tonight, too."

"Same here! Oh, that's awesome! Hey...since we're starting to become acquainted with each other, I oughta share some tidbits about my life that the other girls are aware of. Uh...as you may have already guessed, Diane, or Ms. Vause, is my mom...and up until Maria's quinceñera, I never knew my dad. You ever heard of Lee Burley?"

"Not really...am I supposed to?"

"Well, he _was_ famous...he played the drums for this washed-up rock band, Death Maiden...before they all got addicted to drugs." Alex gestures to her jacket and puts her hands in the pockets. "I was gonna wear this if I ever met him...like go to a concert of his or something and have it on. I planned it all out, I'd do this in my late twenties. I've reached my full height, so it would've still fit. I guess my mom didn't know he was such a loser...or, I should say _still_ an asshole, since she gave him another try, because that's how good she is. The son of a bitch hit on me in front of all my friends, and he was so gross about it, too...saying if he'd never discovered I was his daughter, he would've tried something with me because of my _rack_!" Alex rolls her eyes. "Motherfucker...thank god I didn't waste this jacket on him!"

Michelle wrinkles her nose and sticks out her tongue. "Wow, what a creep! I'm sorry that happened to you."

"I know. At least he's out of our lives forever, and we've moved on completely. I just wanted to open up to you about that."

"Oh, I see...and I thought my worst story was this ugly, painful scabbing on my forehead that I'm currently covering up by having on a beanie every day! You can always feel free to come to me about anything."

"Thanks for listening! I hope you're okay."

"I am...just trying to ignore it. I thought it was shingles or spider bites at first, but now, I'm sure it's the latter."

"Have you gone to see a doctor?" Alex wonders aloud in concern.

"Yeah, I've been taking medication. It should take a while to go away, who knows how long...but I hope before homecoming! I'll have bangs if they're still there."

"That's a great idea."

"I'm full of 'em!"

Alex feels her phone buzz in her pocket, so she takes it out. Seeing that it's from P, she quickly covers up the message. "You can walk in front of me if you want! It's kinda crowded here, and I wanna make sure no one bumps into you!"

"Oh, okay...thanks."

Once Michelle isn't able to see the P text, Alex reads it. _My, how we move on so quickly in good old Queens! One girlfriend's dead, the other one's missing, I wonder what's gonna happen to this one? People will start to wonder why your lovers keep disappearing...you're just not watchful enough, bitch! Blind as a fuckin' bat..._

A chill runs up Alex's spine and she shoves her phone into her purse. She hurriedly takes a protective hold of Michelle's hand, and sparks shoot up her arm, probably because of how warm and soft the other girl's skin feels. "Hey...hope this is alright! I just...I think you're pretty and sweet, and I'm so comfortable with you. I know it's fast, but...yeah," she ends awkwardly.

"It's more than alright. You're awesome and totally fine!" Michelle grins up at Alex and squeezes her hand.

* * *

After getting permission from Caputo to paint a mural for the homecoming dance, Daya and Nicky get to work. They don't let their friends see it until they're done. In the middle of their project, Daya is just dipping her paint roller into the can of blue when she hears her last name mentioned.

"Yet _another_ Diaz family member was arrested!"

"What else is new?"

"Isn't that like, the third one now?"

"It's always drugs with them...but why would an old fart need to shoot up?"

"God, no wonder Daya's pregnant, she grew up with criminals! I wonder who the father is..."

"Would you idiots stop spreading rumors and talkin' about me?" Daya bursts out at the gossipmongers. "I'll make it easy for y'all so you can finally shut the fuck up! It ain't your damn business!" She steps off the ladder. "You can continue it, Nicky!" She heads to Diane's classroom quickly and lets herself in. "Hi...can I speak to you?"

Diane pauses in her writing today's lesson on the board and turns around with a pleasant smile. "Yes. What's up?"

"Okay..." Daya takes a deep breath and lets it out. She takes a seat in the front and laces her fingers together on her lap. "How did you deal with it...being pregnant and alone? I'm the new topic of the school now."

"I have so been in your boat, although I was twenty-four and not fifteen. Everything hurt from the heartbreak...I only listened to sad songs, I didn't eat or leave my bed, except for to visit the Williamsburg Waterfront, I couldn't sleep, I felt drained and sick, like physically...and that was just before I found out I had Alex inside me. My parents ditched me because I had, in their viewpoint, fucked up my life and they wouldn't allow me to stain their precious upstanding reputation. I was having a baby out of wedlock, and her dad wasn't even in the picture, so what good is a single mom, right?" Diane scoffs while taking the chair next to Daya. "I basically had to start over. They said it was my fault for chasing my dreams and being stupid in the first place. While that's true-"

"It's not, they were rude to say that to you!" Daya insists.

"I know...and my advice to you, is ignore anyone trying to bring you down, or just give 'em the middle finger. Single mothers don't get enough appreciation as it is, and if they're young like you and I, forget it."

"Did people call you a whore?"

"Yeah, I've heard that delightful word a time or two," Diane mutters. "You gotta remember that people don't know the whole story and they're being ignorant little shits. You're better than them, though. You're doing the best you can, so keep your head up high, and let those nasty words go in one ear and out the other."

"Thanks. It's just...I wanted John to stay," Daya says wistfully. "If only he wasn't a deadbeat..."

"Who knows? You could find a real man later on in life."

"I hope so. Uh, somethin' else...you've heard it going around that somebody else in my family was taken to prison...well, he's not related to me at all, by blood or love."

"I know, honey. Alex told me it was just some dumbass who tried to break up an argument between your mom and grandma."

"Yeah, but people outside of my social circle and you...don't need to know that!"

"I understand. You wanna stay in here 'til the bell rings?"

"Nah, it's alright. I was actually busy with Nicky...it's a surprise, so you and the rest of the school will see it later next week!"

"Oh, cool! I'm looking forward to it."

"It was nice talking to you!" Daya and Alex's mother hug. "Bye!"

"Bye!"

* * *

"You can't just split up!" Lorna protests. "You're Flaritza!"

"Well, Mari says she needs space, and I can't say I blame her." Flaca sighs sadly. "Why am I _so_ blind? She's gonna have lunch with Blanca, Maria, Ouija, and the rest today...she's with that crowd as we speak. I feel like such a fuckin' jerk!"

"Don't beat yourself up, hon. I didn't know Nicky was into me, and I talked about Christopher incessantly...like, I was aware that she loved me, but I thought it was as a real close friend. You remember what I told ya?"

"With a voice like mine, singing is the best thing I can do to win a girl back. I tried that! It didn't work, dude. I even wore my favorite plaid skirt and eyeliner she likes, and nothin'. She ain't even talkin' to me or lookin' my way."

"She's probably embarrassed. I think the song we're writing together is cute...maybe Kubra could host an open mic night at the Sparrow Tavern and you can serenade her. She can't say no in front of a huge audience! At least get her to forgive you, but be real romantic about it."

"Dios mío..."

"I know you're emo, but you gotta have some hope. I miss that light in both of your eyes."

"Me, too."

The warning bell rings, ending Flaca's heart-to-heart with Lorna. Daya meets up with Flaca and wheels her into their English class. They say hello to Ms. Rendon, a Latina who appears to be in her young twenties and has replaced Mr. Bennett. Flaca gets out her materials needed as Daya goes up to Adarsh's desk and taps it, getting his attention.

"Oh, hey, Daya!" He stands up and they hug. Flaca beams to herself and tries not to giggle at how adorable they are together.

"Hi! Um, so I was wondering if you wanna go to homecoming? Like, the two of us?" she asks. "With all my friends, of course!"

Adarsh beams and Daya grins back at him. "Sure!"

"Okay, we'll get tickets at lunch!"

"Alright!"

When Daya returns to her seat, Flaca gives her a hi-five. She stiffens when her phone chimes on top of the table and a text appears. She scans it discreetly. _Well, the good news is if Maritza doesn't ever forgive you, that's one more person on my side! You just can't stop losing friends, huh? Maybe you got some kind of disease. Kisses, P_

Maria and Blanca stroll in and sit behind her and Daya. Flaca turns around quickly. "How was Maritza? I know she's mad and depressed and everything, but...could you just tell her I'm real sorry? I've tried to say it to her face through song, that I love her, but she won't listen to me."

"We can't get her out of her slump, no matter what," Blanca responds.

"Yeah, and you didn't exactly apologize, fool!" Maria puts in.

"It ain't like she said shit!" Flaca defends herself.

"She gave you so many hints!" Blanca mutters.

"That's what she said!" Maria says.

"Yo, don't make me feel worse than I already do! What is this, gang up on Flaca day?"

"You gotta keep trying different things to get her to forgive you. That's what true love's all about," Daya lets Flaca know.

* * *

"How do you know you're in love, Diane? You see stars and all that?" Lorna wants to know as she walks into English class with Maritza.

"I'm not quite sure, since I'm just learning myself," Diane answers.

"In my experience, you don't really see stars, but you just feel happy and light inside, you smile more, and when you see the person, it's the best part of your day. They're the number one priority, and the first one you come to when you got somethin' to share, whether it be good or bad. You also get a tingling feeling, and your eyes could sparkle like stars! At least that's how it is in mine and Diablo's case," Blanca tells Lorna just before leaving the classroom and waving goodbye to Diane.

"It's like that with me and Nicky, as well!"

"Yeah, basically like a best friend, but with romantic feelings attached. That's why it hurts so much when they don't think of you the same way," Maritza whispers bitterly.

Lorna squeezes her hand in support and then wraps her arms around her slightly taller friend. "She does, hon. She's mentally kicking herself over it!"

"Nah...you can't help who you're in love with." Maritza shrugs. "It was worth a try, believing we had a chance. Like, I don't hate her or nothin'...but I'm keeping my distance until I calm down. I basically set myself up for failure." Her voice cracks at the end of her sentence and she hiccups. "I'm sorry...I need a breather," she squeaks and then sniffles. "Girls can mess you up, too."

"It's okay, go ahead," Diane responds, glancing at her in concern.

"Thanks."

Lorna shakes her head as her heart shatters for her friends, who have serious communication issues. When Maritza comes back, appearing blotchy-faced, she wipes her eyes, gives her nose one last honk, and takes her seat. "Don't you wanna fix your makeup? It's kinda running," Lorna points out while handing Maritza a tissue.

Maritza dabs at the corners of her eyes with it. "I also came to school in sweats, so I don't give a shit how I look. Besides, Sophia can give me a makeover for tonight. I feel more comfortable without anything tight around my waist anyway. At least I'm showing school spirit by wearing red and blue."

"True."

"Just let me wallow, okay? I know you're like, all about the romance, but you can't force shit between people when one of them clearly doesn't want it. We may have been the masters of putting Gloria and Fahri together, but she never outright said she didn't want anybody...however, Flaca was totally upfront with how she felt about me, and that's nothin' more than a homie. Those songs didn't come from her heart...she was just tryin' to make me feel better. You got it?"

Lorna blows out a large gust of air defeatedly. "Alright." Her phone pings as she goes to turn it off. The students' eyes are all on her, and she hates being on the spot like this.

"Could you put that on vibrate and put it away, please?" Diane asks. "I don't wanna take it, but I will if it's gonna distract you."

"Sorry, Diane! I was just about to!" Her face flushes in mortification as she hurriedly looks over her new notification. _It's always funny when some idiot disrupts the class with their phone's volume all the way up! Sure you're still the teacher's pet? Love ya, P_

"Thank you, Lorna. I also apologize...Caputo's been on our asses to be more strict! That felt so weird coming out of my mouth. I hate my stern voice."

Lorna grins. "It's fine."

* * *

At the beginning of lunch, Diane finally has time to once again check up on Aleida, since Daya had reminded her of what happened at their apartment. The ladies are cooking up something delicious while Fahri is sweeping crumbs into a dustpan. "Hey!" she greets them, and they hug her while smiling.

"Whatcha doin' back here?" Gloria questions her.

"I thought your man was comin'!" Aleida chimes in.

"Don't even bother to correct her, he's given you a little bounce in your step!" Claudette notices aloud when Diane starts to protest.

"Yeah," Diane admits through a laugh. "Well, Charles is working...he's got a month-long case ahead of him! He wants to come to the game, so he's doing tonight's tasks right now. We haven't kissed yet, though!"

"Oh, but you will!" Red predicts, and Norma nods cheerfully.

"He better not do anything without your permission!" Fahri says and then exits the backroom.

"He won't, dude! I ain't gonna let him!" Diane chuckles and shakes her head at his overprotectiveness, but she enjoys the fact that he's like a brother to her. "Anyway...how'd you really cut your lip, Aleida? Even after those three monsters were sent to live in prison, you still seem troubled...and someone _was_ taken out of your place. I saw it with my own two eyes when Charles arrested him."

"He's nobody, okay? Emiliano hit me with one of his toys by accident," Aleida mumbles as she scrubs a pan.

"Why'd you blame it on the pig fuckers?" Red asks.

"I don't...I don't know, it seemed easier, I guess. Kids can be a pain, literally."

"Are you alright, dear?" Claudette wonders aloud.

"Yeah. On another note...I dunno who to pick between Leon and Cesar."

"The fact that you mentioned Leon's name first says it all!" Diane points out.

"I didn't wanna get mushy about it, but he told me those three little words. _I love you_."

"Aw, cute!" Gloria squeals.

Aleida smiles, but she appears to also be a bit sad for some reason. "Only thing is, I never said it back. How can I? I love both men."

"When was the last time you even thought about Cesar or visited him?" Diane asks.

"Like last week, and we had a fight...but that don't mean nothin'! We was bein' jealous of each other's new partners and shit. If he wasn't in prison, we'd be having makeup sex all the fuckin' time!" Aleida sounds almost desperate to get them to believe her.

"Do you think you still would've met Leon?" Red wonders aloud.

"I don't wanna imagine him not in my life."

"Here's the thing, Aleida...you seem to be doing just fine without Cesar, and frankly, you've really become one of my best friends," Gloria tells her.

"Mine, too," Diane agrees. "See, I like my men loyal and compassionate...and Cesar just isn't either of those. Girl, he's got a woman here, there, and every-fuckin-where! If he weren't in prison, he would continue his pattern of putting babies in their bellies and making your children suffer! Sure, you're cheating on him...but he's a lot worse!"

"Yeah, trust what we're saying, we've been through it with guys like him!" Gloria adds. "All he did was use you!"

"He's like most men, he thinks with his dick," Aleida grumbles. "I know he got flaws, but we got history."

"I didn't wanna jinx anything by explaining the relationship between Charles and me, and I'm a teacher and I've been burned before, so I prefer to keep it on the down low. Lee and I are done forever, though. It was easy to choose Charles over that dumb fuck!" Diane exclaims. She puts a comforting hand on Aleida's shoulder. "Sometimes, old flames burn out for extremely good reasons, such as abuse or being incredibly inappropriate with your kids, and it's okay if you find a new person to relight the candle inside your heart."

"That's correct!" Red tells her.

"Yep! Well, it was nice talking to y'all!" Diane lets them know and waves goodbye to the women. "Welcome to the English department, Johanna!" she says excitedly when she comes to where Johanna and Frieda are at a table. "How's the new job treating you?"

"Great, thanks!"

"Awesome!"

* * *

"Isn't it a little too early for you to have such poor bladder control?" Artesian, Daya's History teacher, asks Aleida while they're both in the women's bathroom. "You've rushed in here three times now!"

"What the fuck?! Where'd you hear that?"

"Sorry, just, uh, through the grapevine..."

Aleida rolls her eyes. "Okay, well it ain't your business, nosy!"

Artesian puts her hands up in surrender. "I apologize. You wouldn't believe what the students are saying...like, you could be pregnant. I dunno."

"They're all talkin' about me?"

"Mm-hm. Look, I'm just concerned about my fellow co-worker."

"Well, don't be!"

"I'll speak to her, Ms. McCollough, it's alright," Daya cuts in, and the blonde woman finally disappears. "Ma, why you always waiting 'til the last second to go to the bathroom?"

"It's so nobody catches me like Jack did," Aleida whispers. "Shit, don't say nothin'!" She stomps away from Daya and back into the cafeteria. Everyone is staring at her like she's an alien from outer space.

"I think it's her fourth time going..." someone trails off.

"What's she in such a hurry for?" another person asks themselves.

She attempts to ignore the rumors that are circulating about her as she rejoins her fellow kitchen ladies, who are serving beef and noodles, but it's still like she's being suffocated. "I'm so fuckin' tired of this," she mutters to Gloria and Red. She leans over the counter. "I was fuckin' raped, everybody happy now?" she yells. It goes completely quiet, and she leaves to the backroom.

Diane runs up to her, alarmed, and hugs her. "Oh my god, Aleida..."

Aleida returns the gesture and feels Red enveloping both her and Diane in her arms. "I'm sorry..." the older woman murmurs. Claudette pats Aleida's back fondly and Norma and Fahri give her sympathetic looks.

"You don't got nothin' to apologize for! I just needed everybody to shut the fuck up, and now they finally did, so whatever." She slips out of their embraces and goes to hand out food again, but before she gets there, Leon walks up to her without a word and starts kissing her tenderly while cupping her cheeks. She stands on her tiptoes so he doesn't have to lean down so much. His calloused, strong hands run down her jawline, neck, shoulders, arms, and land around her elbows. She reaches up to hold his face in her hands. "Mmm..." she moans into his mouth and closes her eyes as the tension leaves her body. His breath is so warm and sweet. "When did you come here?"

"About three minutes ago, and the gossip reached my ears. How cruel of them all to drive you to say you were-"

"Yeah, I just wanna forget it."

Leon plays with a strand of her hair and brings her closer to him than before so that their waists are touching and they're in their own little bubble, with her buried in his muscular arms. "Aleida, I'm with you, okay? Always."

Aleida beams at his assurance and presses the side of her face into his chest. "Okay. I like knowin' that."

"Hey, I mean it, baby!"

"I believe you."

* * *

"We can still go to homecoming, Mari," Flaca lets her know. "I know you're mad at me-"

"Nah, you don't gotta take me. We ain't girlfriends, and we got our own friends. I thought when we kissed a few times, we really connected, but I guess I was mistaken." Maritza turns around to face Daya. "I feel so bad about what happened with your ma!"

"Yeah!" the others with them agree as they're buying tickets.

"Thanks," Daya replies. She really doesn't want to talk about it anymore, so she decides to take a break from her friends until she and Aleida are no longer the center of their conversations. It's bad enough that the whole school knows the Diazes' secret. She puts her hand on her still flat belly and strokes it affectionately as she walks away to be alone.

"Hey...where are you going?" Adarsh asks from behind her, attempting to keep up with her brisk pace.

"Everybody is fully aware that this is the generic sign for _leave me be_!" Daya sighs loudly once he catches up to her. They both lean against the fence separating the school from the parking lot.

"Well...why?"

She folds her arms across her chest. "You don't give up, huh?"

"Nope. You can tell me anything. I'm not trying to pressure you, it's just...I'm worried about you. It's awful, your mom went through that-"

"Yeah, my abuela was so bad with Aleida, in fact, she's so horrible that she victim blamed my ma and we had to kick her out of the family last night. The treatment that Ma got from her own mother, made her be terrible to me and my baby sister and brother until Gloria and Leon came into the picture, therefore, I'm gonna suck as a mom, too!" Daya snaps at him and then laughs bitterly. "I'mma need a Gloria to help me...and maybe a Leon!" At this, he puts his arm around her. She doesn't push him away this time. If he wants to be burdened with her, that's his choice.

"Daya, you're just yourself...you know your grandmother and Aleida were wrong, you know to do the right thing and what the right thing is, and if you ever feel like you're struggling with motherhood, I'll be there through it all," he tells her soothingly. She glances at him in disbelief and scoffs.

"Where have I heard that before? You've only been my pal for two weeks...dude, it's nine months! John couldn't even stay _one_!"

"Seriously, I'll stick around, and he's a snake. Your friends are positive influences in your life, too, and you have great role models in Aleida, Gloria, Red, and Diane, right?"

"Of course!"

"Well, maybe your grandma and your mom didn't have as wonderful of a group of supporters like you do, and I'm sure you'll be an excellent mother, you already take care of your siblings really well!"

Her spirits rise a bit more because of his kind words. "What if my kid asks me why I gave them up for adoption?"

"Just explain that you had them too young and you were still in school, and you wanted the best life possible for them."

"I'll keep that in mind." Daya's phone vibrates and she jumps and plucks it out of her bag. She swivels around to hide it from him. _Wouldn't it be a shame if your baby killed you?_ _Don't you dare give it up to a fucking stranger for adoption, you selfish slut! You're just like your gold digging mother! Xo, P_

"What's up?" he asks worriedly as she shuts her phone all the way off and doesn't let him read the P message. "You got a scared expression on your face just now."

"Nothin'...sometimes, I get harassed for bein' a teen mom, like cyberbullying." Daya shrugs. "I can deal."

Adarsh gives her a gentle smile. "Dayanara Diaz, life hasn't always been kind to you, but you got people, including me."

She hides a snicker beneath her palm. "Really, you used my full name?"

"I just wanted to say it, I think it's pretty," he admits shyly. "You ready to face the big, bad world again?"

Daya nods her head yes while grinning. "Mm-hm."

"Have I entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile for me?"

She pushes him to the side and giggles. "Shut up."

* * *

"Hey, goth freak, I bet you enjoyed that blood," Polly taunts Flaca as she and Larry sit across from Flaca, Alex, Michelle, Lorna, and Nicky. "Unfortunately, Ms. Bell isn't into it like the sicko she's replacing, so in that way, I feel sorry for you."

"Whatever, puta!" Flaca snaps while flipping her off.

"Why don't you just get lost, Holly Hobbie?" Alex asks roughly.

"No can do, Supercunt."

Larry guffaws. "I saw your mom in some porn videos! She was a real whore! All the guys wanna bang her now...even some girls. I bet you would, if she wasn't your mom, and Nicky, too, and Michelle!" Alex just grits her teeth at him and Nicky can tell she's trying to hold tears back.

"You're such an asshole!" Nicky grumbles.

"Joey wants to lick her mom's," Larry says while tilting his head in Alex's direction.

"Oh, you're disgusting! Fuck you, stupid pig!" Michelle hollers at him and whacks him over the head with a tray. "Get outta here, and take your dumb little girlfriend with you!"

"How dare you!" Polly shouts and inspects where he was hit. "You're lucky he's not bleeding!" She's about to slap Michelle, but Alex stands up and stops her by slamming her hand down on the table.

"Don't you touch her, bitch."

"Right...she's contagious." Polly smirks and switches her attention to Lorna. "Don't think I haven't forgotten about you, loser who belongs in the looney bin!" Lorna shows her the bird on both hands while sending her a malicious glare. "Nice! Stick those down your throat and see what comes up!"

"Good one, Pol," Larry tells her and snickers.

"Why are you two bugging them? Just go away!" Nicky commands. "I could report you both to Caputo! In fact, I'm going to!"

"It's _fun_! Come on, Nichols, you should know what that word means!" Larry hits her shoulder and she uses all of her strength to punch his upper arm hard. "Ow!" he whines, rubbing the spot. "Do it more playful!"

Nicky frowns. "We're not friends, idiot. Keep your filthy fucking hands off me. I don't take pleasure in tormenting people!"

"They deserve it, and you'd understand if you were supposedly friends with Piper but then fucked her over. We're only giving Daya a break because I'm in the same situation as her. There aren't a lot of teens who got pregnant and then had the guy leave them."

"We'll tell her you ain't trustworthy, and we'll let Maria in on it, too! She'll kick you out of your support group so fast your head'll spin! You're a horrible friend!" Flaca growls. "Sure, we got into fights with Piper when she was bein' a little cunt and shit, but you got with her boyfriend even before she was killed! That's hella disrespectful, and if she was here right now, she'd kill you for not realizing your big mistake! You totally broke the girl code!"

"Polly and I needed each other!" Larry protests. "We both lost someone we loved deeply!"

"Bull. Fucking. Shit!" Alex yells while pounding the table with her fist after each word. "The four of us loved Pipes too, but you didn't see any of us hooking up with one another! You didn't even wait for her to die!"

"None of you cared enough about her," Polly hisses. "This is how Larry and I are coping! Get over it!"

"You don't bother nobody else in this school," Lorna points out. "I hate to break it to ya, but not many people really liked Piper, not even adults."

"They weren't expected to, she wasn't friends with everyone!" Larry shoots back. He shoves Piper's friends' meals and drinks off the table. "Get the cooks to make you more lunch, you're their favorites anyway." He and Polly finally stomp off.

Alex, Lorna, and Flaca shake their heads while fuming, and Nicky and Michelle help them clean the mess. "We don't say nothin' bad about Polly to Daya," Lorna mutters. "Just Larry!"

"Why? She's as bad as him!" Nicky insists.

"Yeah, that bitch tried to smack me!" Michelle adds.

"Holly's a hateful piece of shit!" Alex chimes in.

"I ain't gonna let her get away with it," Flaca says.

"She's the only friend Daya has that is literally going through the exact problem of having the father walk out on her while she's got a bun in her oven. We can't ruin that for our girl!"

Alex groans. "You're right, but technically, my mom-"

"No hate towards Diane, but they're a generation apart. Polly is Daya's actual age!"

"That's true," Flaca agrees and rolls her eyes. "She's a cool thirty-nine year old, though!"

Daya and Adarsh join them not a minute later. "Oh my god, what the fuck..." Daya begins to ask.

"Polly wanted to say hi, but Larry was being a big asshole! He's such a bully!" Lorna explains. "I dunno how he's so much better than Pete for her."

"Probably since Larry didn't leave her to raise her child on her own," Adarsh says, and Daya nods.

Later, Nicky is standing outside Lorna's Drama class, about to walk to Biology with her, when she hears her girlfriend's voice from inside. "My honey's chocolate brown eyes sparkle like the sun's reflection spread across the ocean. Her dimples appear whenever she smiles so sweetly. She shows her teeth, and her grin is just so attractive. Her curly golden hair is soft as I glide my fingers through it. If you looked up _beauty_ in the dictionary, her picture would be right next to the definition." Nicky beams to herself, since she knows Lorna is talking about her.

"Very nice, Lorna!" Ms. Rogers praises her. "That, ladies and gentlemen, is how to show, and not tell in your writing. You'll see a lot of that when screenwriters are describing a character. Alright, see you guys next time!" The bell goes off shortly afterwards and Lorna exits the room with Alex.

"Aw, you're a true romantic, baby!" Nicky envelops Lorna and pecks the top of her head.

A faint blush passes over Lorna's cheeks. "You caught that?"

"Hell yeah, and I thank the good lord above every day that I have you." Nicky pulls her in for a deep kiss and they both chuckle into it. She gently pushes Lorna against the wall as they continue to make out with their hands running up and down each other's backs and sides. The only sounds out of them are gasps and soft moans.

"Jesus, honeymoon couple much?" Alex wonders out loud, and they pause.

"Don't you have Geometry to go to?" Nicky asks in an annoyed tone.

"Shoo, band geek!" Lorna chimes in.

"Ms. Bell is gonna eat your souls if you're late!" Alex calls out as she disappears from the hallway.

* * *

"The reason why you became a lawyer is that you put your kid in danger! It's always colored women who get kidnapped," Howard Bloom tells Juliana rudely while all the parents are walking to the bleachers for the game. "I should put you out of business! You only get Hispanic and poor white clients anyway!"

"That doesn't insult me! I can't wait to fight you one day!" Juliana fires back at him. "Mysoginist, racist creep..."

"We'll be against each other for that rape trial, and I just know I'll win!" By now, he has anyone's attention who's within hearing distance, and Aleida goes pale.

"Can it, asshole!" Daya yells at him and then runs off with Adarsh.

Gloria feels like shoving Larry's father headfirst down the bleachers and killing him instantly. Leon moves to get up with his hands balled up into fists, but Aleida keeps him next to her.

"It ain't worth it," she mumbles shakily.

"Howard! Stop it!" his wife, Amy, scolds him. "Sorry about him," she tells Juliana and pulls him away from Maritza's mother. "You can't get anything past me! Honestly, I'd be better off playing mah jong with my friends."

"Keep your spirits high!" Ms. Jones instructs the cheerleaders just as the football players are stretching on the field.

"Yes, we should, because we are in _high_ school!" Lorna tells her, and everyone laughs at her pun. The squad then dances to two songs for the audience, Britney Spears' "Toxic" and Usher's "Yeah". The crowd bursts into applause and whoops at their performance, and then the game starts.

"Go, Diablo!" Blanca shouts as she stands up on the bleachers and waves while blowing him kisses. "That's my man!" She's with a huge group consisting of Taystee, Poussey, Cindy, Janae, Alana, Stephanie, Ouija, Michelle, Pidge, and Zirconia. "Make me proud tonight, baby! Just try your best! If you boys don't win tonight, it's okay!"

He winks at her and then continues running after the ball. The sport has never interested Gloria, but she does enjoy being with her friends and people-watching. Besides that, she wants to watch Lorna, Nicky, and Maritza cheering and doing their stunts and Alex, Flaca, and Maria in band club.

"Sit down, girl, you're blockin' my view!" Michelle groans.

"Shawty, you just wanna see yo woman!" Cindy says and gives the small Latina a noogie.

"I totally get it! I want a full view of mine, too!" Poussey tells them.

"Too much information, dude!" Taystee puts her hand in Poussey's face and pokes her belly a few times, emitting a series of guffaws out of her.

Daya, Adarsh, Allison, Hassan, another girl, Yadriel, Polly, and Larry are talking down below as Pepa and Farah play together in their respective fathers' laps. Theresa and Juliana are a little ways away from Gloria, Fahri, Diane, Charles, Aleida, and Leon, and chattering away happily in Spanish. Franny is near them and pointing Lorna out to the college-aged boy she's with. Johanna, Susan, Red, Tricia, Mercy, Flaca's brothers, Shelly, Claudette, Norma, Frieda, Wanda, Scott, Wade, and even Caputo, are in attendance as well, beside Franny.

"Diane, Franny, hello...you look quite out of place, but at least you can stick together...or would you rather sit with Bill, his mother, Celeste, Howard, Amy, and I instead?" Carol Chapman asks, seeming very uncomfortable in the way that she has her arms folded tightly across her chest. "In case you forgot, Amy and Howard are our good friends and Larry Bloom's folks. We're all over there." She gestures to the far end of the bleachers, where it's crowded with stuck-up looking rich white people. "It's kinda...mixed...here."

"In what way?" Franny questions her.

"I'm wondering that, too," Diane murmurs.

"Carol, you don't need to do this by yourself, I know it's hard to face them," Bill says and puts his hands on his wife's shoulders. "What she is trying to say, Diane, is among the blacks and Latinos...and an Arab, you just don't belong there."

"I fear for your safety," Carol adds. "It's like being in the ghetto."

Gloria stares at the couple coldly. "Oh, you should've seen Diane last night, she was the only white woman on our friendly triple date, but we all beat her up, it was terrible!"

"I'm traumatized just thinking about it!" Diane pretends to whimper and shiver, and Charles grins at her act. She holds his hand and Carol appears as if she's about to pass out, while Bill would have steam coming out of his ears if he were a cartoon character. "The scars will never go away..."

"It's quite tragic," Charles adds in with a stoic face.

"A-lee-da, you have your large tattoo on display, and it's so disrespectful. I don't know how they let you even have a career here! Ugh!" Carol wrinkles her nose in distaste. "Scorpions are dangerous! It represents you and your lifestyle perfectly! No wonder your kids are so...damaged."

"Well, I'd show you the one of a wolf on my ass too, but it wouldn't be appropriate here!" Aleida snaps. "You so stupid, you can't even pronounce my name right! It's A- _lay_ -dah!" she says slowly. "How do _you_ hold down a job? Oh, wait, you're an _unemployed socialite_ with no cooking or cleaning skills!"

Leon smirks while kissing her cheek. "That's my girl."

"You're all bad influences on your daughters!" Bill states. "That's why one's pregnant, the other has tattoos, Franny, your sister let in a stray drug addict with your permission, and who allows their kid to go around looking like a Goth?"

"Ick! So repulsive," Carol puts in. "You animals should all be in prison!"

Gloria stands up quickly. "Hey, look who's talkin', bitch and her cheating hubby, somebody hated _your_ daughter so much they murdered her and it's all your fault, since the apple don't fall far from the tree, as you say!"

"You need cold water for that harsh burn?" Fahri asks while Carol and Bill just look on, stunned.

"That's right, walk away!" Franny hollers at them as they leave. The others around them appear to be pleased.

"So, Diane, Fahri..." Gloria starts out, and Diane lifts her head off Charles' shoulder to look at her. "How'd you guys meet?"

"I saved his ass, basically," Diane responds. "He was bleeding all over the fuckin' place, so I took him to the hospital. In return, he looked after Alex, and I totally was not expecting that favor!"

"Yeah, I was a drunken mess and being pushed around, physically, by these bigots...they were calling me every Arabian slur in the book, from _terrorist_ to _raghead_ when she stepped in with a can of mace!" Fahri explains further. "I don't think I'd be alive if it wasn't for her." He reaches over Charles and pats Diane's shoulder. They grin at each other. "I'm so thankful for my best friend."

"Same here, dude." Diane turns back to Gloria. "I'm not sure how I would've handled poor single motherhood without him."

"Oh, wow! You really helped each other out!" Gloria comments. "This is so interesting...you guys truly bonded, just like Leon and I do over you, Lei!"

Leon rubs soothing circles on his girlfriend's back and faces her. "We both deeply care about you, sweetie pie, but that's a given!"

"Mm-hm, and Benny too, you and Glo love that kid to pieces!" Aleida leans out of his embrace. For some strange reason, she seems almost bitter about this. "Of course, the rest of the family does, too, and Gloria also loves Julio and my children, but Benny is real close to Leon, and he's Gloria's son, so...Christina really likes you, Charles! It's the first time she wasn't scared of a man. How do you do it?" Aleida wonders aloud and grins widely at him.

"She probably trusts cops because they took away the bad guy who terrified her and Emiliano," Charles answers.

"Some people just have a way with kids," Diane says.

"I thought you said you don't like children, man," Leon mutters. Gloria thinks she can sense a hint of jealousy in his tone, but she's not positive.

"I'm fine with the well-behaved ones, and Christina and Emiliano are nice and quiet."

"Now that's one awesome pyramid!" Gloria points out. She gestures to where Lorna is at the very top and standing on Maritza and Caitlin's shoulders as the girls hold her shoe-covered feet. Ella, Nicky, and Brook are under them while Tiff, Tia, Liz, and Ines are on the bottom. "Whoa, what the fuck?!" she yells and a blurry red object zooms way over Lorna's head. It sails in her direction, and she, Aleida, and Diane all try grabbing for it at the same time.

The football lands right into Aleida's hands. "Yo, this mean I scored a touchdown?"

"Not exactly, babe, but congratulations on catching it!" Leon gives her a low-five.

"Oh, thanks!" Diane shouts while cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Sign this for the Gen-X-ers!" Charles adds, and the adults laugh hysterically in unison.

"How do you aim into the audience when the goal post for the Bumblebees is in the opposite direction?" Fahri asks, and Gloria chuckles at his rhetorical question.

"Ma, give it back to them, they can't play otherwise!" Daya tells Aleida. "What you doin'? Humiliate me more, why don't ya?"

"I don't mean to embarrass ya, I just ain't never held one of these before!"

"Sorry, we need that!" Christopher hollers.

"You missed and tossed it at the hot moms!" Joey informs him, and Pete snickers as he takes a spot next to Larry. Polly steps hard on her ex's foot.

"Ow!" he whines.

"Don't go along with their douchebaggery! Oh, wait, I forgot, you're an asshole, too!"

"Bitches!" he grumbles and walks away.

"That motherfucker tried to hit Lorna with this?" Aleida points to the football. "I got no idea why a boy would wanna throw away his balls!" She kicks it and it ends up slamming into the back of Larry's head. "Whoops! I ain't real good at this, I guess!"

Polly and Larry glare up at her angrily, but the girls around the adults, Daya, Allison, the cheerleaders, and Alex, Flaca, and Maria, explode into loud cackles. Diane snickers. "Idiot deserves it, he's called Alex a horrible name a few times now! Susan told me." Larry huffs and pitches it to Christopher.

The Bumblebees end up winning the game, but Christopher has to sit out since Diablo accidentally trampled him. Gloria wonders if it was really a mistake, and she hopes it wasn't.

* * *

Much to Flaca's delight, Kubra had agreed to host an open mic night from ten to one in the morning and invite everyone from the game, but she, her friends, and the adults except Kubra and Theresa, only decide to stay for an hour. Flaca and Maritza are still not talking, so their band with Nicky, Maria, and Pennsatucky doesn't play. Somehow, though, Lorna gets Maritza to come along, probably because Daya has promised to sing something first.

When Daya gets up onstage, the audience cheers her on, the girls, Gloria, Diane, Aleida, Leon, and Adarsh being the loudest. Daya leans into the microphone, closes her eyes, and begins to sway and croon slowly.

"Leave me alooooone...

Get out of my faaaaace...

You don't belooong...

In the human raaaace..."

Daya's eyes snap open and she takes a deep breath. Her voice goes up a few octaves, and she's practically yelling the lyrics now.

"Just go awaaaay...

Go on hooooome...

I've had enough...

Of you and your tooooone...

I don't want you heeeere...

Stop breathin' my aaaair...

Just get the hell...

Right on out of my haaaair...

I'll deal with yoooou...

Some other daaaay...

I just want yoooou...

To go awaaaaay!"

She gasps when her voice breaks and she clutches her heart. Flaca can tell she's really getting into it by how emotional she sounds. The wounds John had left were still so raw that it broke Daya enough for her to sing this beautiful, yet depressing song. It's causing Flaca to tear up, as well as a few others in the audience, namely the girls, Diane, and Gloria. Aleida just looks proud of her, as do Leon and Adarsh. Daya continues after a few inhales and exhales. She's much softer now, like she was in the beginning.

"Leavin' me heeeeere...

Scared out of my wiiiiits...

I really can't taaaaake...

You and your shiiiit.

So just get the fuuuuuck

On outta heeeeere...

So you can't see meeeee...

Shed a single teeeear...

Can't you seeeee...

I need a friend...

Can't you seeeee...

You've hurt me baaaad...

Come on now...

You don't have to pretend...

What about all the fun we haaaad?

I remember the games and the laughter...

We could have had a happily ever after..."

Daya sniffles and brushes her tears away with her sleeve. Her facial expression turns angry, she rips the microphone out of its holder, screams the words this time, swirls her hair around as she dances onstage and stomps her feet after each lyric.

"But now you've broken me down, you pushed me to the ground, so I no longer want you around!

My tears faaaall, you hurt me agaaaain...

I thought you were the perfect boyfriend...

But nah, you're just another one of them looosers...

Why you gotta play around with my heart?

Do you really wanna see me fall apart?

You gotta hold me today, you gotta wipe my tears away, I just wanted you to staaaaay!" This seems to take a lot of energy out of her, as she's breathing hard.

"But now you're gooooone..." she starts again, much quieter now.

"I never thought I'd feel this waaaaay...

Now it's too laaaaaaate...

No goin' baaaaaack...

I didn't deserve that smaaaack...

You ruined meeeee...

I'll fuckin' ruin you, too!" she finishes furiously. Her performance gets deafening cheers and thunderous applause. She bows dramatically and jumps off the stage.

"Coming up next is Flaca Gonzales, singing 'My Darlin' Little Valentine', a song she wrote all by herself."

Once Kubra calls Flaca's name, she starts getting butterflies in her stomach. _What if Maritza doesn't believe her even after this song?_ This is her last chance to make Maritza hers. She knows she'd screwed up big time by not even seeing that Maritza was into her, so she has to apologize, from the bottom of her heart, so Flaca hopes Maritza will forgive her. She wheels herself to the front of the crowd with her guitar in hand. Theresa gets out Flaca's video camera to record her and next to her and Kubra, Nicky holds Lorna's hand while rubbing circles on it. Flaca suddenly feels jealous that they are all happy and she isn't yet. She wants to hold Maritza's hand and rub circles on it, too.

"This song is dedicated to a special girl who is with us tonight," she starts. She sees Lorna squeeze Maritza's hand and beam. Flaca hopes Maritza knows that this song is about her.

"Well, there's this chick I know,

From her head to her toes...

She's cute and she's got style,

She always makes me smile.

I love hearin' her havin' fun,

She's like my very own sun.

When she laughs, I laugh,

When she cries, I cry,

I feel her emotions,

and my devotion...

goes to her.

Sorry for what I've said n' done...

I really miss you a ton...

Sorry I thought you were just my best friend,

'Cause you're the one.

I'll love you till the end,

You are so much more.

You're exactly what I've been lookin' for.

I just want you as mine,

My darlin' little valentine.

You're so nice and sweet,

Swept me off my feet,

You make me feel complete.

I want to feel your kisses along my lips,

I want my stomach to do some flips,

From the moment I met ya...

Sometime in July,

I could never forget ya...

You're the apple of my eye, and...

Sorry for what I've said n' done...

I really miss you a ton.

Sorry I thought you were just my best friend,

'Cause you're the one.

I'll love you till the end,

Oh, baby, you're so much more.

You're exactly what I've been lookin' for.

I just want you as mine,

My darlin' little valentine.

Size don't matter at all,

I'm real tall and you're super small,

I get lost in your pretty brown eyes,

Your hair is super awesome, ain't no lie.

You're sexy and you're beautiful,

Your personality is wonderful,

Hyper, perky, and full of joy,

And you have a gorgeous voice.

I can be your girl,

If you want me or not, your choice,

and...

Sorry for what I've said n' done...

I really miss you a ton...

Sorry I thought you were just my best friend,

'Cause you're the one.

I'll love you till the end,

Sweetheart, you're so much more.

You're exactly what I've been lookin' for.

I just want you as mine,

My darlin' little valentine.

Your laughter is like bells,

I'd catch you if you fell,

I'm in love with you if you couldn't tell...

I hope you still feel the same...

All I feel is love and shame...

Love for you and shame for me,

You see,

Sorry for what I've said n' done...

I really miss you a ton...

Sorry I thought you were just my best friend,

'Cause you're the one.

I'll love you till the end,

Mari, you're so much more.

You're exactly what I've been lookin' for.

I just want you as mine,

My darlin' little valentine.

From the bottom of my heart,

I knew it from the start,

That you were mine.

My darlin' little valentine,

My darlin' little valentine,

My darlin' little valentine…"

Flaca strums the guitar one last time and looks straight at Maritza, as she'd been doing during the whole song. Tears glisten in Maritza's eyes and she's clapping. Flaca's family and friends give her a standing ovation, and Lorna has to help Maritza rise to her feet. Flaca may have finally gotten to Maritza.

* * *

"Come on up and kiss me, Mari," Flaca says into the mike. There's a collection of gasps and murmurs in the audience, and Maritza is totally shocked. _She really does love her after all!_ Maritza points to herself while her eyes widen with surprise, and Flaca nods and motions for her to come onstage.

Flaca assists Maritza into her lap. Their eyes meet, and their mouths connect like pieces of a puzzle. Maritza captures Flaca's bottom lip between her own with desire, and the taller girl tastes like candy and hot sauce. Her pink lipstick smudges a bit and Maritza can smell floral perfume coming off her. Their kiss is wet, warm, soft, and Maritza can't get enough of Flaca. Their tongues tangle and Flaca's runs over Maritza's teeth and then Flaca gently bites Maritza's lower lip, causing her to moan a little. It's more sensual than ever, probably because they're not drunk this time. Maritza closes her eyes and hums with pleasure. She opens them halfway and sees that Flaca's eyes are fully shut. Her cheeks are red, and Maritza's own are burning as well. Their bodies are close together and relaxed and even though Maritza's heart is beating fast, she feels so comfortable in Flaca's arms, kissing her deeply. She can feel Flaca's heart thumping rapidly, too, and when they pull apart, their breaths are hot and heavy and they're giggling between gasps of air.

"Holy shit, that was good!" Maritza squeaks. "I'm hella dizzy right now...Blanca was right. Being in love is so amazing!"

Flaca smiles with her eyes. "I know! I got feelings for you, too, I promise."

Everyone cheers wildly during their lip lock. Flaca has her arms around Maritza's waist, the taller girl's hands resting on the small of Maritza's back, and Maritza's arms are around Flaca's neck and they make out again for about a minute. There are some wolf-whistles from their moms, the other women they consider as role models, and their friends, and then the new couple stops.

"Te amo, for real, more than as a bestie," Flaca whispers into the shorter girl's ear.

 **I love you**

"Yo también te amo," Maritza says softly into her chest as her heart expands.

 **I love you, too**

Flaca continues to hug Maritza, stroking her hair for a few seconds, and then they hold hands as they wheel back to where their friends are sitting. Daya hugs Maritza and then Flaca and Alex gives them both a thumbs up.

"Took y'all long enough!" Nicky teases, and then, she and Flaca poke Maritza in the side.

"Hey, I'm ticklish!" she giggles.

They all watch the rest of Open Mic Night until eleven.

* * *

As Charles spoons Diane on the couch while they're watching a movie, with his arm across her tummy, she feels like she's in a fog. They've been in this position for an hour or maybe more. She can't remember the name of the film, and she's only focused on him as he trails his fingers up and down her arm. "Don't stop, Charlie," she mumbles while closing her eyes and smiling. She sinks further into his embrace and he continues what he's doing. A short mewl escapes her lips and goosebumps form on her bare skin, as she's wearing shorts and a tank top for pajamas. "Caress me...keep it up..."

"You cold, Princess Di?" he questions her.

"You're doing great at heating me up, but yeah..."

Alex cringes from a chair next to the sofa. "Oh my god, get a room!" She shields her eyes, and Diane just has to giggle.

"I'm sorry, honey," she tells her daughter.

With his free hand, Charles wraps Diane in a blanket. "Is that better?"

"Much...thank you."

Five minutes have passed, and after a few yawns, Diane is out like a light. She feels so comfortable where she is, and she doesn't care about the rest of the movie.

* * *

The credits roll and Alex turns off the television. "Mom, it's over..."

"Shh..." Charles puts his fingers to his lips. "We should let her sleep. I'll take her to your room." He scoops Diane into his arms bridal style and carries her to hers and Alex's bed as she secretly follows him on her tip toes. He's so respectful and gentle with her mother, as he just lays her down, fixes her shirt so her tummy no longer shows, and tucks her in so she looks snug. He smoothes her hair back from her face and beams down at her. Alex can really tell he's fallen completely in love with Diane. All along, she was well aware that what the girls had been talking about is true, but she was just afraid of her mother getting her heart damaged again. Seeing Charles treating Diane so well when she's so vulnerable at this moment, makes Alex burst with joy inside. Happy tears form at the corners of her eyes and she quickly wipes them away while swallowing the lump growing in her throat.

"You have my full permission to officially date her. I recommend taking her out to dinner soon, one-on-one, and holding her hand afterwards. You're a pretty cool dude, and that's a lot coming from me! Well...good night!"

Charles turns to Alex and grins at her. "Thank you, I'll do that, then! Night!" He exits the room and closes the door behind him.

Alex gets under the covers and is careful not to disturb Diane. "I love you, Mom," she whispers. "I really hope you and Charles work out, because he's so enamored of you."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, Johanna-002, a guest, and HannahMiley1fan! Happy New Year! The next time I'll post is in 2018, but keep an eye out for my one shot (which is sort of a prison fic for this story lol)**


	41. The City That Never Sleeps

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Warning: unwanted touching and leering at someone**

"This is truly happening, finally," Lorna whispers to herself in relief. By some miracle, she'd somehow managed to convince Nicky and Tricia to sleep over at Red's apartment tonight, and Franny is going to work, leaving her basically home alone until five in the morning and free to see Juan. She can have the night to herself without any judgements. Of course, she didn't tell them this. She'd said she just wanted to be alone, and they respected that.

When she gets home and is in her bed, she waits for Franny to join her. Once she sees her sister come in, she rolls over to face her. "Franny, do you remember a babysitter we had named...Juan? He was Mexican."

Franny shakes her head no as she plops down and slips under the covers next to Lorna. "I don't...why?"

"I guess nobody would if they were that young! Well, he just contacted me...we're chilling tomorrow night," Lorna informs her. It's a lie, but that's okay, since they don't even have plans then.

"You ain't hangin' out alone with some guy I've never met, and you're aware of this. That's a bad idea! I think your delusions are acting up again. Did you take your medication?"

Lorna scowls. "Yeah, duh! I never wanna forget it...and we're not dating or anything, we're friends! He found me online."

"Of course he did."

"I'll go with one of the girls," Lorna tells Franny. "You can't do shit about it anyway...you won't even be home!"

"Excuse me for protecting my little sister!"

"Yeah, I love you for that, but I know the rules, thank you very much."

"Okay. Good!"

* * *

It's the first time Nicky and Tricia will be sleeping over at Red's apartment. Their mother figure has let them share her bed, while she takes the couch. The girls make sure that she's comfortable there since she has a bad back. Melanie, Red's cat, curls up at her human's feet while purring.

"I say we had a pretty successful day...after school, of course!" Nicky tells Tricia and Red as they're all hanging out in the older woman's bedroom just before going to sleep.

"I thought you got rid of those assholes?" Tricia wants to know. "It was awesome how you did it!"

Nicky smirks, proud of herself and her fellow students who aren't jerks. "Fuck yeah."

"Language, Trish! You're eleven, for heaven's sake!" Red scolds the younger blonde. "Yes, but there are still some nincompoops, such as the students who enjoy bullying Nicky and her friends."

"Sorry, Red," Tricia mumbles sheepishly. She points at Nicky. "Yo, she swore, too!"

"Be a good example for your little sister, Nicky," Red reprimands her gently.

"Mom, we both grew up cussing. It's a habit!" Nicky protests. She freezes and blushes with humiliation when she realizes what she'd just called Red, but nobody seems to notice.

"It doesn't hurt nobody. There's worse things we could be doing, ya know!" Tricia insists.

Red sighs and rolls her eyes. "I suppose you girls are right." She raises her eyebrow at Nicky. "Did you refer to me as _Mom_?"

"I thought I heard that, too," Tricia murmurs.

"I guess I did," Nicky admits shyly. "It slipped out...my bad. It's like when a kid calls their teacher that by accident."

Red beams and her eyes shimmer with tears as she cups Nicky's face in her hands. "Oh, honey, please don't apologize! That means so much to me. You both are my daughters." She kisses Nicky's cheek and Tricia's forehead as she wraps them both in her arms. "I love you like I do my sons."

"Aw, we love you too, Red! It'll alternate," Nicky lets her know.

"That's fine."

"We gotta spend more time together, just the three of us. Then, I can get used to this little family," Tricia says. "I don't see a lot of you, Red, since I don't go to Martin Van Buren and me and Nicky live with Lorna's family."

"You also spend a lot of after-school time with your friends," Nicky reminds her.

"I know, but that's what young people do." Tricia stares at something on the ground. "I wanna stay with Red...like on the nights Franny isn't home and you're with Lorna. I never said anything before since I wanted you to have fun. I love how you take care of me there, but I wanna let you live your teen years."

"It's fine, Trish!" Nicky ruffles her sister's hair. "I promise, kid. Do whatever you want, we'll share the responsibility." She glances at Red. "Is that alright?"

Red nods. "Of course, and I feel silly that I didn't think of it before. You two are welcome here anytime!"

"Thanks!" they tell her in unison.

* * *

Right when Lorna meets Juan, she's surprised, because he looked younger in his photo. Still, she grins as they shake hands. "Lorna, hello...you're more gorgeous in person," he compliments her.

"Thanks!"

"Now, before the movies, I was thinking we could buy milkshakes at a fast food place out of town. I drove here, but we can take the train together, if you're more comfortable with that."

"Sure! Uh, the train is fine."

"Fantastic!"

They end up at Wendy's and drink vanilla shakes through straws at a square table, across from each other. He grins widely at her. "So, why does such a lovely girl as yourself get picked on every day in school?"

Lorna sighs heavily. "Well...it all began when I stalked Christopher, this guy who I thought was in love with me. It turns out that I was completely obsessed with him, but he wasn't into me at all! Everyone told me the truth, that he was a grade A dick who couldn't give a shit about me if he tried, but I didn't believe 'em. I, uh...I tried to seduce him, but he called the police on me. Red, my auntie figure, she bailed me out."

He appears to be amused. "That's interesting. I mean, I feel sad for you and that idiot should die, but who names their child after a color?"

It makes Lorna chuckle a bit. " _That's_ what you got out of my story?"

"Go ahead, continue."

"Okay! So...afterwards, you'd think I'd learned my lesson, right? Wrong! I was so far from reality, it wasn't even funny! I trashed his car and lawn because he had this girlfriend...they're still together...and I followed them all the way to Atlantic City one weekend...and shit you not, I bathed in their tub and totally destroyed their hotel room! I just...I let my explosive personality take over, resulting in a restraining order. I even went as far as installing a bomb in that cooze's car! She's not dead, but I was making an attempt to scare her off. You can see why they hate me!"

"It's alright, we all get like that. I recently had a restraining order put on me as well," Juan says.

"That sucks real bad! Get this, though...they're telling all their friends and a lot of the school to torment me, and now is now. I discovered that I actually have a mental illness called erotomania. My brain is so messed up that it informed me that Christopher was devoted to me, so I returned the feelings. Luckily, I'm taking medication to control myself...so, those are all my troubles."

"Wow, that's quite a wild ride you've had."

"Yeah...but at least the pills are making me smart enough to realize he doesn't like me at all, and this other monster, Humps, forced my then-best friend and I to fight...like, physically. She was in the hospital, and I'd never been more terrified of myself."

"At least your mental health is improving and she's okay, correct?"

"Mm-hm. Thanks for listening to all my problems."

"Welcome!" Juan then proceeds to tell Lorna all about his fiancée, who left him without a word.

"She sounds as bitchy as they come!"

"She was...just like your Christopher."

"What was her name?"

"I'd prefer not to say it, so I can forget it."

"I understand. It's just...she was really that bad? You can confide in me, I won't tell nobody."

"Vee," he says spitefully.

"Oh yeah, she's a bitch! She even beat up my girlfriend! I wouldn't mind if you gave her a good ol' whack! She ain't no real woman!" Lorna snickers, thinking of Vee finally getting a taste of her own medicine.

"I know. I hate her."

"I do, too."

Then, they go to the movies and get settled with their hot dogs and a large bucket of popcorn to share. Halfway through the film, his arm snakes around her shoulder and he draws her closer to him. She feels his breath near her mouth and shifts away uncomfortably. "Sorry...I'm just fifteen, can you not kiss me or really touch me at all? I'm not looking for romance, I already have somebody, I thought I told you," she mumbles.

"I'm the one who should apologize. I'm ashamed of myself, I forgot. I didn't even know how old you were," he whispers while backing off. "I hope we can still be friends."

"Of course. I should've been more clear about it, so, my fault too."

She likes Juan and excuses that he made a move on her since he simply wasn't aware of her age. She's going to be more cautious around him, though.

* * *

After Red has kissed them good night, Nicky and Tricia snuggle up under the covers together. "She's exactly like Miss Honey from _Matilda_ ," Tricia points out. "Should we ask her to adopt us? Franny can't even foster us, that would make things weird since you're dating Lorna...she'd be your sister, basically."

"I know. Uh, well...I'd love to, but I'd rather let Red come to that decision on her own. I don't wanna put any pressure on her."

"Yeah, me neither." Tricia rests her chin in her hand. "What do you think life would've been like had we grown up together?"

"I would've been five when you were born. You would've been my little dolly to play with, just like Lorna was to Franny when they were children."

Tricia giggles and cuddles into Nicky even more. "I've always wanted a big sister."

"So did I...but a little one is also fine." Nicky tousles Tricia's hair and kisses her temple. "You're awesome, kid."

"You're hella cool, too!"

* * *

Aleida's phone rings as she, Leon, Daya, and Gloria are just coming home and saying goodbye to Lourdes, who was babysitting the children. Gloria hugs her aunt good night and Aleida answers her call. "Oh, hi, Cesar, look, I'm real sorry about how we left things..." Leon doesn't want to hear any more of her side of the conversation, so he walks into the nursery room with Gloria and Daya, who don't seem too pleased about Aleida talking to Cesar either, by the way they're rolling their eyes and exchanging a look of annoyance. He was planning on kissing and hugging Gloria's sons good night anyway. The kids are all already sleeping, so they're quiet.

He needs to speak to Gloria about this, but he feels awkward mentioning it in front of Daya, so he tells Aleida's oldest daughter she can get ready for bed first. Only one person can use the bathroom at a time, since it's so small.

"Thanks, Leon!"

"You're welcome."

Daya grins as she disappears behind the door and locks it.

"Gloria...while we wait for Daya, could we talk?" Leon wonders aloud.

"Sure, bro," she answers with a smile.

"Alright, so I told Aleida I loved her...and she didn't say she loved me back...why is this, do you think?"

"She ain't real good at expressing her emotions verbally, but she _shows_ that she loves you, ain't that enough? As they say, actions speak louder than words. Maybe wait a month or two before saying it again," Gloria recommends.

"Okay, thanks for the advice."

"No problem."

Daya soon finishes up, and then Leon goes to see if Aleida is done with her call. She's sitting very still on the couch with her hands folded in her lap, and her phone is a few feet away from her, as if she'd dropped it. As he gets closer to her, he sees that her body is shaking and she appears to be frightened. Immediately, he grows worried and he wants to beat Cesar into nothing for scaring his girl like this.

"Lei?" He takes a spot next to her. "What'd that bastard say to you?"

"Nothin' much...just creepy breathing and whispering of _you're mine_...and I was so fuckin' _stupid_ to think it was Cesar, he rarely, if ever, calls, and we're in the middle of a fight, so...I know exactly who was on the other line."

Leon gathers Aleida into his arms and pecks her temple. "I'll strike Jack dead when I see him next!"

"Nah...death is way too easy. I want him to _suffer_ in prison...they hate rapists and child molesters there, even more than serial killers! He's probably gotten fucked in the ass lotsa times already!"

"Good. I hope the inmates terrorize him every single goddamn day."

"Me, too."

* * *

 _After Geometry, Maritza senses someone stalking her, and she starts to panic when she spots Humps leering right at her. She's suddenly grabbed from behind and when she's shoved against the wall, she sees that Dixon is her assailant and he, Piscatella, and Humps are cornering her. She can't escape and she wants to shriek for help, but no sounds come out of her except for crying and panting._

 _"You really thought you could just, what, make a run for it like usual?" Piscatella snarls._

 _"Shortstack is just my martyr...I don't care about her in the slightest! It's really you I want!" Maritza flinches and shudders as Humps' fingers slither through her hair. "You sssssmell delicioussss," he hisses at her._

 _"Let me go," she begs tearfully._

 _"Are you going to continue just talking about how you lust after her or will you just take a damn bite out of her already?" Dixon demands._

 _"Morello was never supposed to be hurt and traumatized, I just feel sorry for her...she's like a small child who tried on her mama's bra and stuffed it with balls and played dress up with her mama's makeup, but because of Little Miss Diva Number Two here, filing a restraining order to keep you away, she suffered," Piscatella lets Humps know. He faces Maritza. "You can thank yourself for that!" he says angrily and his spittle flies at her._

 _Humps pins her to the wall with his hands tightening around her wrists and starts to remove his belt. All three men are towering over her and she's so scared. She lets out the loudest scream possible when she sees a few people through the cracks between the monsters. It's what saved her and her mother fourteen years ago._

 _"Get the fuck away from her!" Aleida yells fiercely. She's with Gloria and Red, and they push through the men to make a path for her._

 _"Hot Pants, nice seeing you again." Dixon sniggers. Red leads the younger women and Maritza far away from them, and she takes off into a sprint to Earth Science, not even bothering to take a breath. Once she arrives to the door of the classroom, she's sweating and gasping for air. She calms herself down enough to appear as if she hadn't just been tortured and almost raped. She decides not to bother anyone about the encounter, especially Lorna. She hadn't been attacked by Humps in a long while, but she knew there would be a time he'd come for her again._

Maritza wakes up quietly sobbing, and the pair of arms that had been around her, only hold her closer. Flaca strokes Maritza's hair. "Hey...what's wrong, mi amor?"

Maritza's heart suddenly starts pounding so hard she thinks it's going to leap right out of her chest. She's sweating even though it's freezing out. She feels unsteady on her feet and generally shaky, like the world around her is spinning out of control and she can't get a grip. Her hands and feet are numb and useless. She hugs her knees to her chest. She's gasping for breath, but she can't speak. It feels like she's drowning, but she knows what's going on. She's having a panic attack, and she only has these nightmares on cold, dark, and stormy nights. She doesn't want to tell Flaca at first, but now, she has to. Flaca deserves to know. She'd given Maritza every detail of her trauma, so Maritza should share hers with Flaca. Tears fall from her eyes. Maritza wants to run to her mother's room, but she can't move. She can't even scream for help.

"Humps was after me all along...he and Piscatella and Dixon trapped me against a wall at school before we got 'em arrested...and he tried to rape me...I had a flashback just now..." Maritza explains through her tears. "He was punishing Lorna because he couldn't get to me with the restraining order...he and his cronies were scaring me! Aleida, Gloria, and Red stopped 'em just in time, but I was terrified!" Maritza's voice cracks, she sniffles, and Flaca massages the back of her head gently.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Mari! He's locked up forever, they all are, but I _so_ wanna kill 'em! Shhh…you're okay with me, baby," Flaca soothes her and then presses an adorable kiss on the apple of Maritza's cheek. "You'll never have to see those horrible shit piles again."

Maritza lets Flaca sing to her until she finishes crying.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay going to Christina's birthday party with Alex and me today, Charles?" Diane asks the next morning as she runs a hand through her messy bed hair. He's making them waffles with strawberries and whipped cream before she and Alex go to yoga. "There's gonna be _a lot_ of kids there, and most of them are pretty damn noisy!"

"Yeah. I can deal, one day isn't gonna kill me! Besides, Christina said she really wants me there to make sure no bad guys come to ruin her party, since I'm a police officer and all."

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger," Alex comments as she and Diane help Charles cut and wash the strawberries and heat up the maple syrup.

"Aw, that's cute," Diane murmurs while grinning.

After their delicious breakfast, Alex and Diane walk to yoga with their mats rolled up under their arms. They're dressed in tight but comfortable pants, a workout tank top, and a sweatshirt. "You fell asleep on Charles last night!" Alex teases Diane. "He carried you to bed, but nothing else happened."

"I must have! Well, I felt myself being moved, so I figured that was his doing."

"Charles really likes you. I can see it. While you were sleeping, he just adjusted your shirt since it was exposing your belly, then, he put you under the covers, got your hair out of your eyes, and smiled at you. You guys already act like you're in love with each other...so I suggested he take you out sometime soon, like just you two."

Diane beams. "Is he going to?"

"Yeah, he said he would!" They put their arms around each other. "He's perfect for you."

"I'm glad you approve."

* * *

The grownups and big girls and boys had arranged a small birthday party for Christina. They'd invited hers and Benny's whole class, and their brothers are also in attendance.

Benny can't wait to give Christina his present, and he'll do so before the cake and ice cream. It's a stretchy, plastic pink bracelet with hearts. He knows she'll love it, and Daya and Aleida had said she would. Leon had helped him pick it out and then, they showed it to his mommy, his tía, Aleida, and Daya.

Aleida turned on fun music and everyone danced to it. Then, the kids played Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Hide and Seek, and Tag. Benny lets Christina chase him and he doesn't want to chase her because he's worried of making her fall down. He never wants to hurt Christina. She's special.

"Okay, boys and girls, it's time for presents!" Leon calls out to them.

"Yay!" they shout. Daya carries Christina to a chair in the middle of the group of guests on the rubber mulch outside their apartment.

"I go first," Benny announces.

Christina claps her hands excitedly. "Gimmie! Gimmie!"

She makes him laugh, which causes her to join in. He gives her his present and she rips and tears it open.

"I love it, it's boo-ti-ful!" She smiles at Benny and gives him a giant hug. They jump up and down together.

"Do you want me to put it on you?" he asks.

"Yes, please."

Daya, her friends, and the adults take pictures of Benny putting the bracelet on Christina, and then he gives her a short kiss on the cheek, just like he's seen Leon do with Aleida. Christina giggles and pecks him back on his jaw.

"Aw, that's so sweet," his mommy says, and the others agree.

"Christina and Benny sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage, that's not all, that's not all, the baby is playing basketball!" Michael sings.

"Oh yeah, well at least I _got_ a girl!" Benny teases him back. Michael sticks his tongue out at him because he knows Benny is right.

"Guys, there is nothing wrong with two little kids being best friends with each other! Say sorry for teasing your friend, Michael," his mommy scolds him.

"Sorry," he mumbles and gives Benny a hug.

"S'okay."

"Now, here's mine," Daya murmurs, handing Christina something and sitting on the ground next to her. Christina opens it and it's a Barbie doll.

"Wow! I love it! Thank you, Daya!" Christina throws her arms around her sissy's neck.

Benny's mommy and tía had gotten Christina a pair of black Mary Jane shoes and they helped Aleida and Leon get her a Barbie themed bike. She'd been asking for one since she'd seen Benny's that he'd received from the grownups. Alex, Diane, and Charles give her _Finding Nemo_ on DVD, and Christina says she'll watch it soon after the party. Michael gives her a tiny car that she can scoot around in and it looks just like her mommy's real van. Lorna, Nicky, Flaca, Maritza, Blanca, and Maria give Christina tiaras and pretty dresses in pink, purple, blue, green, and yellow. Aleida and Leon's second present to Christina is a necklace that matches the bracelet from Benny. The rest of her kindergarten class, Julio, and Emilio had gotten her other movies for kids.

"I love to look like a princess and I wanna ride my bike now! Thanks for all my presents, I love 'em!" she squeals excitedly and gives everyone a hug.

"You're gonna learn together, the adults said," Daya tells Benny and Christina while gesturing to the bike.

Then, it's time for the cake and ice cream. Aleida says they have to wait until Leon brings out the cake and they have to be careful of the candles. They sing Happy Birthday as Aleida and Leon carry the cake outside and Christina is beaming. The oldest kids and Benny help his mommy bring out the ice cream. They set out plates and silverware and then sit down while Christina blows out the candles. Benny holds her hair away from the candles so it wouldn't get burnt-another thing he'd learned from Leon. It's not very hard for her to blow out five candles, and Benny's mommy takes out the candles and puts them on the side of the plate. Leon cuts the cake because he says it's dangerous for kids to do it. He hands pieces to Aleida, who places them on plates. Christina gets hers first but they have to wait until everyone has a serving. Leon puts ice cream right on top of the pieces of yellow cake with funfetti icing.

"Dig in!" Aleida permits them.

"Yummy!" Christina squeals. She's getting food on her face so Daya wipes it off for her. Benny hands Christina some Handi Wipes too and tells her his mommy uses it when he and Julio make messes. He also picks pieces of cake off her mouth and eats them, so she does the same to him.

When the party is over, they say bye to their guests, and then Aleida turns on _Finding Nemo_ for Benny, Christina, Emiliano, and Julio, and they also play with trucks. When they finish the movie, Christina rides around in her toy car.

"How did you like your party, Chrissy?" Benny asks later. She seems tired because she has her head against his shoulder and he has an arm around her.

"It was the bestest birthday party I ever had! Thank you for the bracelet, Benny. It pretty."

"Like you. You're pretty."

"You really mean it?"

"Yeah, from da bottom my heart."

"Are you gonna kiss me like Leon kisses my mommy?"

"I will if that's okay."

"Ummmmm…." She scrunches up her face. "I'm not old enough. Just kiss me here." She points to her cheek and Benny touches his lips to it softly.

"Awwww," they hear Aleida and Leon say behind them. They turn around and giggle.

"Whoa, smooth, but you guys are only five years old!" Gloria exclaims.

"Wait ten years or so, yeah?" Daya suggests.

"That's forever!" Benny complains. "I wanna be a grownup like our mommies and Leon."

"Yeah, too long! When I get bigger, I'm going to be really happy!" Christina puts in.

* * *

Before the party starts, Nicky, Lorna, and Tricia had come early to help Red clean up and make dinner for her guests. "Hey, Red, I hope you don't mind, but Mercy's gonna be my plus one for tonight," Tricia says.

"Oh? That's okay, sweetheart. The more the merrier!" Red cups Tricia's cheek fondly and kisses the top of her head.

"Have you ever had any past boyfriends before Dmitri?" Lorna wants to know. "I've always been curious about that."

"Only Pavel...we broke up because he didn't put himself out there as much as I would've liked."

"He was bad in bed?" Nicky wonders aloud teasingly.

Red swats her with a towel. "Quite the opposite, but I'll spare you the mental image."

"Gross!" Tricia mutters, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah, keep that to yourself!" Nicky agrees.

"Ooooh la la!" Lorna squeals. "So, what happened?"

Red leads the girls to the couch and they plop down on it as Melanie wanders around the apartment. "He was a wimp...in the way that he quit instead of rebelling against our government and standing up for what he believed in. You see, it was illegal to own jeans in seventies era Russia, but we and a bunch of our fellow college students sold and wore them. When two of our friends went missing, he backed out of continuing to distribute jeans because he was a coward."

"Oh, that sucks! Well...do you think you'd ever wanna date again?" Nicky wonders aloud.

"I don't need to. Frieda and Norma are both single, we're all fine with that. Good men in their mid forties to early fifties simply don't exist around here. I'm not going to date someone young enough to be my son, so there's that."

"Have you ever tried a dating site?" Lorna inquires.

"That didn't work out for Theresa, besides I'm _way_ above that!" Red shakes her head. "Jesus..."

"I know, but didn't she meet that dude in the bar? That's what Marco and Pedro told me," Tricia says.

"Yes...and I always go to the Sparrow Tavern with the Golden Girls, as Frieda likes to call us, though I'm not as old as her, Norma, Claudette, or Taslitz, but anyway...nobody's ever interested me. It doesn't matter, though. I'm happy with my children." She puts her arms around Nicky and Tricia and cuddles them close to her sides.

"Eh, that's alright, Red! Whatever floats your boat!" Nicky answers.

The doorbell rings promptly at five, and Tricia rushes to get it. She looks through the peephole. "Mercy's here!"

"She's early, I wonder why," Red mutters, and Nicky smirks while glancing at Lorna, who beams.

Tricia lets Mercy inside and they hug. The two preteens are soon standing in front of Red, Nicky, and Lorna. "So, I just wanted to make it clear...uh, Nicky and Lorna know this already, but Red, Mercy is more my girlfriend than you realize," Tricia explains while taking the other's hand. "We're more than friends. I'm a lesbian."

"I am, too," Mercy adds.

"Oh, well, congratulations to you both, I'm very happy for you!" Red tells them cheerfully and squeezes them into a tight hug.

Tricia grins proudly. "Thanks, Red!"

"Yeah, thanks," Mercy echoes. "You're cooler than Lorna's dad, who kicked me out since Tricia and I were kissing."

"Of course I accept you! Tricia, Nicky, if he gives you any trouble, you're more than welcome to stay here. You too, Lorna. Mercy, you can come as well, but the doors of the rooms you're in together need to be open!"

"Alright," the four of them say in unison.

The rest of the guests arrive a half hour later, and Melanie seems to only hate Kubra, in the way that she keeps arching her back and hissing at him. "I think she's being unfriendly because he's never been here before, she doesn't like strangers," Red tells him and Theresa. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Theresa murmurs.

"I totally get it," Kubra says. The couple sit across from each other at the small kitchen table.

"Fahri couldn't make it, he's away...with his family," Diane lets Red know.

"Oh, that's alright."

Michelle comes soon after Alex does. "Mom...this is Michelle, and we're not girlfriends, but we're getting there," she introduces the Latina to Diane. "Michelle...my mom." She gestures between the two.

"Oh, hey, Ms. Vause, it's nice to formally meet you." Michelle shakes Alex's mother's hand. "Now I know where you get your good looks from," she murmurs to Alex, and Diane, Red, and Alex chuckle.

"Thank you...and it's Diane, please. Ms. Vause is for school."

"Diane," Michelle repeats with a polite smile. "I'll treat your daughter like royalty, I promise."

"Good!"

Alex and Michelle then go off to dance with Nicky, Lorna, Gina, Tricia, Mercy, Maritza, Daya, Adarsh, Blanca, Maria, and Yadriel to the teenage music that's been censored, and Flaca and Diablo just groove in their wheelchairs. Gloria, Aleida, and Leon are on the couch with the children and helping them hold baby Pepa.

"My mom has a surprise for us!" Gina announces and waves at Norma with a grin. The mute woman returns the gesture.

"Neat!" Lorna comments.

Claudette and Jean Baptiste take their spots on the loveseat as Frieda sits on the chair beside them. Norma has herself a snack, and then shows Red a notepad with her handwriting on it. _I'm gonna sing some slow songs for the couples, since the Gen-X'ers and we baby boomers can only stand this childish music for so long! I think Nicky and Lorna would enjoy our kind of music, too._

Red chuckles and pats Norma's back. "That would be great, thanks!"

"Hey, Red, when you were dropping off Fahri, I recognized his apartment right away...I put two and two together and realized it was where I dropped off Daya. I told Diane that his place was nice before even knowing a thing about him!" Gloria says as Red goes over to where the little ones are. Diane and Charles soon join them, hand in hand.

"Oh wow, neat!" Red comments.

"Eeep!" both Flaca and Maritza squeak in unison.

"That's destiny!" Lorna chimes in, and all the girls giggle together.

"It _could_ be!" Diane tells them, and she and Aleida share an excited smile. Gloria just shakes her head in amusement and rolls her eyes.

"Hey, we almost ran into each other, but we didn't...I'm sure I saw you from the back as you were leaving from Caputo's office and I was going into there to talk to Lorna," Charles informs Diane as his thumb rubs circular patterns on the back of her hand.

Diane laughs and leans her head on his shoulder. "That's so weird!"

"Cute!" Maritza comments.

"I guess destiny strikes again!" Aleida squeals, and Gloria and Red grin at this.

"Sooo meant to be," Flaca murmurs while pressing her hand to her heart. Lorna appears as if she's going to cry tears of joy any second now.

After playing with the baby, tiny tots, and kindergarteners, Diane taps Red and discreetly slips her something. "Anyway, Red wants to show me her bedroom, so you guys talk to each other!" Diane lets go of Charles' hand and stands up with Red.

They go into the bedroom and Gloria and Aleida follow them. "Yo, what's up?" Aleida wants to know as Red unfolds the piece of paper in confusion.

Diane closes the door behind them. "I've been writing down all the sweet things Charles has done for me...and I gave it to Red, since I've talked to you and Glo about it before." She turns to Red. "I wanna get your opinion, too...should I start trusting him now? They said he seems fine, but I also gotta listen to my woman's intuition."

 _One. He comforted me at Friendly's the day we met and then walked me to my car._

 _Two. I said yes to chilling with him because he asked me out so charmingly, and he was cool with us being friends._

 _Three. I had a nice time with him on our hangout and he was so sweet when I broke down crying._

 _Four. He drove us to the hospital when Alex hurt herself._

 _Five. He let us stay with him when we were about to be homeless-us having previously lived in a trailer park, didn't bother him in the least._

 _Six. He bought us stuff we needed because everything was destroyed in the flood._

 _Seven. He cooks for us frequently._

 _Eight. After the three douchebags tried to bring me down, he made me feel good about myself, he always does, and he even punched them in their ugly faces._

 _Nine. He accepted me when I told him about my past jobs._

 _Ten. I fell asleep in his arms and he didn't take advantage of me, he just put me to bed like a gentleman._

"This is wonderful, Diane! He's beginning to sound like a keeper," Red lets her know after scanning the list. "Looks like Frieda won't have to kill him after all." Diane, Gloria, and Aleida chuckle uncomfortably. "I'm overjoyed for you!"

Diane beams and pumps her fist in the air. "Yes!"

"What's your gut feeling about him so far?" Gloria wants to know.

"Really great, actually...I'm going to wait half a year before sex and he hasn't said or done anything terrible to Alex, so I'm having high hopes that he never will! He's been my friend for a month now, and I'm more than ready to kiss him, damn it!"

"You should go for it!" Red encourages Diane.

"Yeah!" Aleida and Gloria agree at the same time.

"Okay, then I will on our date after this...we're going to the Monte Carlo Room to dance!"

"Whoohoo!" Aleida cheers.

* * *

"So, I had this idea that we can contact Pavel from Russia, like find him on Facebook, and bring him to America for Red! She deserves to find her long lost love, and he very well could have grown up," Lorna tells Frieda, Claudette, and Norma in a hushed voice. "Y'all wanna help me?"

Norma frowns and pretends to slice an imaginary knife across her neck. "Second chances with the same person are doomed, nobody changes. I mean, look at all _their_ exes!" Frieda gestures to where Red, Gloria, Aleida, and Diane are in the older woman's bedroom. "Most of the time, they don't work out," she corrects herself when Claudette raises an eyebrow at her.

"True, but my mom made a huge improvement within like, a month," Daya points out. "It could work out."

"Aleida's one in a million!" Leon says.

"Yeah, look, it's a sweet idea, kid, but I don't wanna see Red hurt over this idiot again. Ya know, we shouldn't waste her time...or ours," Nicky mutters.

"Come on, Nicky, be my partner in this...for me?" Lorna pouts at her cutely. "Pleeeeease?"

"Shit, I can't resist saying no when you make that face!" Nicky rolls her eyes. "Fine, but we're making sure he's worth it by talking to him daily about a little phrase I like to call _when the going gets tough, the tough get going_."

"Deal!" Lorna shakes Nicky's hand. As Red comes back into the living room with Gloria, Aleida, and Diane, they quickly stop talking about this subject. "So, Nicky...I wanted to ride the Wildwood Ferris Wheel with Christopher at sunset, but since he's a..." She trails off, trying to think of the right word to describe him without cursing in front of the children. "He's such a trash bag, so I'll never get a chance to go all the way there."

"I'll take you, baby," Nicky assures Lorna. "We can go to New Jersey next Saturday if you want, by cab, so nobody has to waste their gas money."

"You'd do that for me? It's so far away!"

"Not really, I'm from Weehawken, and I hitchhiked here just under four hours," Tricia cuts in, and Nicky pushes her away while groaning.

"Of course!"

"Aw, you're the sweetest!" Lorna hugs Nicky and jumps into her arms so they can kiss. "Thank you!"

"Anytime!"

* * *

"I'm so excited for our teen mom slumber party, dude!" Maria exclaims.

"Me, too!" Daya agrees. "So, since you're like, the leader of this, and I'm hosting, we could both be in charge, kinda...to make sure things run smoothly!"

"Alright!"

"Is Palalalalalala-Polly invited?" Blanca wonders aloud with dread in her voice.

"Yeah," Daya and Maria respond sheepishly at the same time.

Alex huffs. "My god, why do you like Holly Hobbie, besides the fact you have one thing in common, both your boyfriends bailed out on you?"

"We kinda bond over that," Daya replies.

"Okay, but I'mma be the first to bash her face in if she fucks you over!" Flaca tells her.

"I'll help," Alex chimes in.

"Just because she was a friend of Piper's and Larry's girlfriend, don't mean she's a piece of dung, too!" Daya insists. " _We_ were part of Piper's crew, we ain't bad at all!"

Maritza shrugs. "Girl makes a point."

* * *

Norma then wows everyone with her beautiful singing voice. The songs she belts out are _Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe_ by Barry White _, Nobody Does It Better_ by Carly Simon, and lastly, _The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face_ by Roberta Flack. The couples are just swaying to the lyrics and the singles are watching them.

"Daya, do you wanna dance?" Adarsh asks her.

She nods and takes his hand. Then, Alex and Michelle get up together. They seem to be more intimate than Daya and Adarsh.

Lorna can feel Nicky's eyes burning into her own with adoration, and she beams while blushing.

"The first time ever I saw your face...  
I thought the sun rose in your eyes...  
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave...  
To the dark and the endless skies..."

"What would be your perfect date?" Nicky wants to know while holding Lorna close to her and stroking her hair. "I'm thinking of taking you out on one tomorrow night. We can get ready here."

"First, bring me flowers...then we'll go to the movies...and when it's cold, you gotta give me your jacket. None of mine are warm enough."

"I already did, remember?" Nicky reminds her in a hushed tone. She smirks, and Lorna chuckles softly. Her adventure on the streets seem like it happened so long ago.

"Yeah, but I want you to actually put it on me. Protection and providing warmth is a real turn-on."

"Sure thing, doll." Nicky gives Lorna a heated, open-mouthed kiss.

"You guys goin' on a date tomorrow night?" Flaca wonders quietly as she rocks Maritza from side to side on her lap.

"Fuck yeah," Nicky whispers. "We're in that romantic mood, and I wanna please my girl, ya know?"

"Sweet!" Flaca connects her mouth to Maritza's. "Yo, Mari...you up to doin' somethin', too, but right after Red's bash?"

Maritza nods happily. "Sure, let's!"

"The first time ever I kissed your mouth...  
I felt the earth move in my hand...  
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird...  
That was there at my command my love..."

"Estoy en un equipo llamado Bumblebees! ¡Eso me hace sonar como un coño!" Diablo complains softly.

 **Yeah...but I'm on a team called the _Bumblebees_! That makes me sound like a pussy!**

"Eres lo más alejado de un coño," Blanca assures him in a hushed voice. "¡Eres mi hombre grande, fuerte y fuerte! ¡El mejor hombre de todos!"

 **You're the farthest thing from a pussy. You're my big, tough, strong man! The best man ever!**

Diablo beams at her and gives her a few cute pecks on her lips. "Gracias, mi amor."

Maria has her arms around Yadriel's neck and their faces are close together, but their lips aren't touching. They're talking to each other in Spanish.

"And the first time ever I lay with you...  
I felt your heart so close to mine...  
And I knew our joy would fill the earth...  
And last till the end of time my love..."

"Wow, this really _is_ the city that never sleeps!" Jean tells Claudette. "Listen to these kids, making plans after ten at night!"

She chuckles. "Yes, it's so silly!"

There are no words spoken between Diane and Charles, but Lorna can see that they're well on their way to becoming official, the way they're gazing at each other like teenagers experiencing first love. "This song makes me think of how beautiful you are," Leon compliments Aleida, and she beams. "Lei, you matter a lot to me."

"Thanks, babe. You're too amazing and handsome for words...and you're empowering."

They exchange a cute kiss and it's the first time Lorna's seen their PDA, besides dancing. It makes her heart melt.

"The first time ever I saw your face...

Your face, your face..."

Norma finishes and everyone breaks apart while clapping and cheering for her. The conversations among everyone continue for another few hours, and then, there is pizza for dinner. At nine, everyone leaves, and since the sleepover will be hosted at Daya's apartment, Maria goes home with her.

* * *

It takes Diane and Charles under a half hour to get to the Bronx, where the Monte Carlo Room is located. The nightclub is lively when they go inside, and she dances her way through the crowds while pulling him along with her. They sit on barstools, about to order their drinks, when Michael Jackson's _Pretty Young Thing_ begins to play.

 _Where did you come from lady_  
 _And ooh won't you take me there_  
 _Right away won't you baby_  
 _Tendoroni you've got to be_  
 _Spark my nature_  
 _Sugar fly with me_  
 _Don't you know now_  
 _Is the perfect time_  
 _We can make it right_  
 _Hit the city lights_  
 _Then tonight ease the lovin' pain_  
 _Let me take you to the max..._

"Oooh! This song is one of my jams, oh my god!" Diane shouts excitedly while grooving in her seat and clapping to the rhythm. "I'm gonna dance!" She cheers while jumping to the floor and starts spinning, swiveling her hips around, gyrating, and shaking her hair from side to side like there's no tomorrow.

"Look at Ginger Rogers over here!" Charles says proudly to the onlookers who are cheering her on.

"Would you be my Fred Astaire?" Diane extends her hand to him and he takes it almost right away.

"I'd love to! Though, I probably suck."

"No, you don't!" Diane giggles as he twirls her over and over again and dips her at the end of each stanza.

 _I want to love you (P-Y-T)_  
 _Pretty young thing_  
 _You need some lovin' (T-L-C)_  
 _Tender lovin' care_  
 _And I'll take you there_  
 _I want to love you (P-Y-T)_  
 _Pretty young thing_  
 _You need some lovin' (T-L-C)_  
 _Tender lovin' care_  
 _And I'll take you there_...

"I've been listening to MJ since I was five years old!" Charles hollers over the thundering beats.

"Same here! This came out when I was eight! You _bet_ I shook my little booty to it!" Diane replies just as loud, and they both crack up.

The crowd separates to make more room for Diane and Charles and start chanting, "Go, go, go, go, go, go, go...heeeeeey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!"

 _Nothin' can stop this burnin'_  
 _Desire to be with you_  
 _Gotta get to you baby_  
 _Won't you come, it's emergency_  
 _Cool my fire yearnin'_  
 _Honey, come set me free_  
 _Don't you know now is the perfect time_  
 _We can dim the lights_  
 _Just to make it right_  
 _In the night_  
 _Hit the lovin' spot_  
 _I'll give you all that I've got_

 _I want to love you (P-Y-T)_

 _Pretty young thing_  
 _You need some lovin' (T-L-C)_  
 _Tender lovin' care_  
 _And I'll take you there_  
 _I want to love you (P-Y-T)_  
 _Pretty young thing_  
 _You need some lovin' (T-L-C)_  
 _Tender lovin' care_  
 _And I'll take you there..._

They receive booming cheers and applause when they stop for a second or two. They're breathing hard through the last two verses and their moves slow way down. Diane falls into Charles while they're both laughing. They go back to the bar and order her Pinot Grigio and his BudLight and show the bartender their IDs. "Whoo! That was a lot of fun, and I'm not even drunk yet!" Diane says.

"I know, you don't need alcohol to have a good time!"

"Yeah, but it sure is delicious!" Diane takes a swig of wine and swallows hard.

"Mmm, for sure!" Charles downs his beer.

"Too bad my ass doesn't clap."

Charles snorts out his drink. "Say _what_?"

Diane bursts into cackles and pats his back as he coughs. "It doesn't!" she insists. "When you work at a high school, you learn the terminology."

"Well, would you mind if I told you some good news about your butt? I want to get my feelings out in the open before we're both trashed."

"Hm?" Diane sets her chin on her fist and grins at him. "Did you like it in my tight yoga pants that I wore this morning?" she wonders aloud flirtatiously.

"I sure did," he murmurs, winking at her. "You're hot, like everywhere, and I really love the person you are. I'm so happy you exist."

She shrieks happily and her heart explodes with bliss. "Wow! I wasn't kidding the other night when I basically said I was attracted to you. Sorry that I was so wasted, though. Thanks for giving me the best hangover cure ever...water."

"It's alright. No problem." He's looking into her eyes as he says this, and then he moves his stool closer to hers. "Let's just sip this stuff slowly so that the most we get is a small buzz."

"Okay."

They dance together as they drink, and then when they're finished, _The First Cut is the Deepest_ by Sheryl Crow comes on. Diane's hands are on his shoulders, and his hands are on her hips as they sway slowly back and forth. She melts because of how he's holding her so protectively and gazing at her like she's the moon. There's so much passion between them.

 _I would have given you all of my heart_  
 _But there's someone who's torn it apart_  
 _And he's taking just all that I had_  
 _But if you wanna try to love again_  
 _Baby, I'll try to love again, but I know_

"I can really relate to these lyrics," Diane murmurs.

"I know." One of his hands move to her hair as he guides her to put the side of her face against his chest. She wraps her arms around his waist and never wants to let him go. Her smile isn't going to disappear anytime soon. He massages the back of her head and his other hand goes to the small of her back.

 _The first cut is the deepest, baby, I know_  
 _The first cut is the deepest_  
 _But when it comes to being lucky, he's cursed_  
 _When it comes to lovin' me, he's worse_

Charles lifts Diane's face up from his chest and glances from her eyes to her lips. "Can I kiss you?"

She gasps quietly and beams. "Yes. Fuck yes."

He cups her cheeks in his warm hands and presses his lips to hers softly. Diane runs her fingers down his stubble and kisses him back. She'd never thought a man could love her like this. She moans a few times in excitement as they begin to make out with their tongues tangling. She senses a beard burn coming on, but she doesn't care in the least.

 _I still want you by my side_  
 _Just to help me dry the tears that I've cried_  
 _But I'm sure gonna give you a try_  
 _If you wanna try to love again_  
 _Try,_  
 _Baby, I'll try to love again, but I know..._

They forget about everything around them as they continue swapping spit, and Diane's in heaven and on Cloud Nine at the moment. Charles' hands slide down her arms and he squeezes her hands for a second before rubbing her sides with his thumbs. She reaches up and grabs his hair, but then interlaces her fingers at the nape of his neck. He lifts her slightly off the floor and she squeals.

"Oh, Princess Di," he murmurs. "When I first saw you and you smiled at me, I went 'oh, shit.'"

"Aw, Charlie...you're the best man in my life," she confesses against his lips and then snuggles into him, with her head tucked under his chin.

"Baby, I feel so lucky that you're now my lady." He pecks her temple, then her cheek and jaw and finally, nibbles on her neck, causing her to make sounds of pleasure and tilt her head back, allowing him more access. "Is this okay? You can tell me to stop."

She swoons and blushes at the affectionate name he'd given her and how gentle he's being. "Don't..." she whispers breathlessly with her eyes closed. "I'm enjoying this. My man...I could get used to sayin' that, babe." It rolls off her tongue easily. "Charlie, _my man_."

"Diane, my lady...my sweetheart."

"You wanna find someplace else to do this?"

"Sure!" Charles carries Diane out of the bar and they make out the entire time on the cab ride home, fogging up the windows as they do so.

* * *

When Flaca's mom drops her and Maritza off at La Rica's Salsa, Maritza all but jumps into Flaca's arms. They both giggle through their kisses and link arms while walking to the restaurant.

"Any idea what you want?" Flaca questions Maritza. "I made reservations!"

"Well, a taco or burrito with major hot sauce sounds real good about now!" The smaller girl laughs.

"Yeah, that's what I'm gettin' too."

They order their waters and then Maritza takes a sip of hers. "Let's have a toast," she says, holding up her glass of water and glancing at Flaca's. She raises her glass up to Maritza.

"To us," they both say and then laugh. Flaca takes a drink of her water, as does Maritza. They clink their glasses together. "Cheers!" Then, they set their waters down.

Maritza winks at her from across the table. "Yo...why don't we play a game? Michelle and I thought this up together, and I thought it'd be fun to play with you. "

"You two planned this date?" Flaca wants to know, resisting the urge to giggle out loud.

"Well, we were hoping to be asked out by our crushes during our high school career, and we was just playin' around. It's called ABC's of You. Basically, we list in alphabetical order what we think of each other. You go first."

"Amazing and alluring, and awesome!" Flaca says, blushing.

Maritza laughs. "Just one adjective."

"Can't we use three?" Flaca wonders aloud, pouting.

"Sure. Okay, here's mine for you. Beautiful, brilliant, and breathtaking."

Flaca beams. "Thanks! Captivating, charming, and cute."

"I'd call you cute too...and I _am_ hella charming. You are delicate, delightful, and divine, oh, and darling too. I stuck a fourth word in there." Maritza smirks.

"Delicate?" Flaca chuckles. "Enjoyable, exciting, and elegant."

"You're good at this!" Maritza points out. "Fun, fascinating, and fashionable."

"Yes! Goddess-like, gorgeous, and good-looking."

"Well, my ego just got bigger. Heartwarming helpful, and hella fine."

Flaca laughs. "So did mine. Important, idol, and insightful."

"Joyful, jubilant, and jovial."

"That's right I am. Kind, knowing, and kind of a hopeless romantic," Flaca giggles. She leans in close to Maritza. "...and I love those kinds of people." Flaca gives Maritza a smile that turns her legs to jelly.

"You're lovely, loveable, and lively."

"Mind blowing, magnificent, and marvelous," Flaca praises Maritza just before their waiter comes over to get their food ordered. "What would you like, Maritza?" she wants to know.

Maritza looks up at the waiter. "I'd like to have two tacos with rice, refried black beans, ground beef, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and extra hot salsa...and chips on the side," she says as he hurriedly writes her order down.

"Bean and beef burrito and extra queso and hot sauce for me, please," Flaca chimes in. "Oh and for dessert, churros and ice cream."

The waiter nods and hands Maritza a slip of paper while staring at her chest instead of her eyes. She notices he'd been doing that the whole time both she and Flaca ordered. "Pervert," she mutters, opening the folded paper. His number is there, and she rips it into tiny little shreds. Flaca chuckles and claps in approval.

"He ain't gettin' a tip," Flaca mutters while shaking her head.

"Nah! Thanks for getting dessert. I've had a craving for it for about two years since I joined the squad in middle school."

"You're very welcome. Anyway, let's continue with our game." Flaca looks Maritza in the eyes, as she'd been doing all along. Maritza loves her for it.

"Alright, it's your turn," Maritza reminds her.

"Nice, neat, and nerd lover."

Maritza hits Flaca's arm playfully. "You're not a nerd. Overprotective, obsessed with making me happy, and only for me."

"Perky, polite, and playful."

"That I am. Radiant, romantic, and refined."

"Small, seductive, and special."

"Tall, tempting, and tasteful."

Flaca winks at Maritza. "Ultimate, unmatchable, and unsurpassable."

Maritza bats her eyes at Flaca. "You really think so?" Flaca nods and takes her hand again. Maritza feels a sensation down south but continues. She's afraid her voice will break. Flaca really does love her. "Vivacious, vibrant, and vital."

"Of course, baby! My turn. Wonderful, warm, and wholesome."

Maritza sighs with happiness. "Can't think of anything for X. I'm going to Y. Hmmm…young, you're totally worth it, and you're stunning."

"I'll give you those. Zazzy, zealous, and zestful."

"Thanks! That was really fun," Maritza says, smiling.

"So, who won?" Flaca wants to know.

"It was a tie. When it gets to X, we no longer on a roll," Maritza responds, shrugging. "Oh, our food's here!" As the meal is set down on the table, their hands separate, but the feeling inside Maritza is still there. They scarf down their meals and then feed each other bites of the churros and ice cream. "Mmmmm, this is so good! You know what this reminds me of?" she asks as she digs in for another bite.

"What?"

"My mom and I used to have this all the time before I joined the cheer squad. I'm so glad I can have this again!" Maritza explains chirpily. She puts her feet up on Flaca's lap. Flaca gingerly picks up her feet and she pulls away. "That tickles!" she squeals through a laugh. Maritza wonders where else Flaca would tickle her later, but she stops the thought right there.

She can't believe Flaca wasn't scared off by all the compliments she'd given her by playing that game. She can't believe that Flaca actually _wanted_ to play the corny game. Flaca had seemed very sure of herself and what she was calling Maritza, and it seemed as though they were a solid couple. Whenever they touch lips, Flaca's breath on Maritza's face is always so sweet. Flaca's being seductive without even knowing it just by licking her lips before scooping ice cream and a piece of churro into her mouth.

 _Okay, Maritza, get a hold of yourself._

Thinking about making love with Flaca has got Maritza in a tizzy. She's never had sex with anyone, but Flaca has experience, so naturally, Maritza is nervous that she won't be the best. She'll have to practice hard for this, like she'd already been doing since she developed a crush on Flaca. She's also excited, because Flaca would be able to pleasure her so well and treat her just right for the whole thing. Between them, there's really nothing to be ashamed of. She's aware of this, but she wants to give Flaca an enjoyable orgasm, too.

"Whatcha daydreamin' about, Mari?"

"Just how much I love you, darling."

"Aww, honey...I love you, too." Flaca hands Maritza the treat. "Yo, you can have the rest!"

"Oh, thanks, Flac!" Maritza takes it from her cheerfully and gobbles it down.

 **Thank you for reviewing, Johanna-002, A Star In My Universe, and HannahMiley1fan!**


	42. Wine on a Sunday Afternoon

**hank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, mentions of traumatic incidents.**

 **querida-dear**

 **pequeña-little one**

The teen moms are all hanging out in Daya's room, eating Hot Cheetos and Takis, and talking between bites while listening to Drake. Polly has a neater snack, which is saltine crackers and cheddar cheese. "So, how the hell you own an apartment when you was only fourteen when you bought it?" Cindy asks Maria.

Maria smirks. "Yadriel and I share the cost. Also...my mother and my way older sister, stole Cousin Frankie's money after he sexually assaulted my niece, and went to the hoosegow, so he's not only got a broken cheekbone for life, he's also most likely dead, because they hate child molesters and rapists in prison!"

Ouija nods while cackling and pointing at Maria. "Yo, she told me, Blanca, Pidge, Michelle, and Zirconia that story before! It was one of her best ones."

"All right!" Daya exclaims and hi-fives Maria, causing orange crumbs to fly everywhere, as the residue is on their hands. "Girl, that's truly amazing. You must be filthy fuckin' rich."

"You bet your ass I am! We got it made!"

"Yeah, and at just fifteen years of age. Someone should make a movie about you guys," Allison quips.

Maria raises an eyebrow at her. "Jealous?"

"I am, a little. Sometimes, I don't like sharing Farah and Hassan with another girl. Meanwhile, you got Yadriel, who turns down other chicks his mother shoves in his face."

"Yeah, she's a cunt, she hates me. She probably thinks I corrupted her baby boy, even though I'm younger than him." Maria rolls her eyes. "I thought you were fine with the setup? Man, this is like when Sanka regretted her decision to let Anders Harding and her dumb Nazi twin, Corinne, be friends with benefits. They started doin' shit outside the bedroom...like couple-y things. She was an idiot to kick it with such an older crew. Then again, she'd always been brainless."

Cindy tsks and shakes her head. "You a dumbass, Abdullah."

"Nah, I'm even more stupid," Daya tells Cindy. "I gave my baby daddy the suggestion to walk out on me, and y'all know what he did!"

"That wasn't your fault," Ouija assures Daya. "I mean, you shouldn't have done that, because once a coward hears that you're gonna let him take the easy way out, he's gonna follow your advice...but you didn't know he was like that."

"He even promised he wasn't," Daya mumbles brokenly.

"Sometimes, you don't need to give them permission to leave you. They just...make future plans to trek to Alaska, for example," Polly says glumly. "I should've known Pete was a bottom feeder from the moment he kept laughing in birthing class and refusing to hold my hand because it gave him sweaty palms. The only upside was that my brother gave Pete a nice shiner and a pile of flaming shit landed on his porch."

The girls snigger. "Nice! Can they do that to Bennett?" Daya asks.

"Yeah, just give me his address."

"Hey, Allison...maybe you could talk to Hassan about it," Maria advises her.

"I did. I even said Sahar could be like Farah's auntie and not her second mother...but I think he's in love with both of us. Even though she's his side dish...it's still unacceptable! His dad married six women, but he's also like, in his fifties, and manscapes...which Hassan pointed out to me, but I realize now that I don't like polygamy." Allison sighs and puts her head in her hands.

"You could always kill her and make it look like an accident," Ouija recommends.

"No, he and Farah would be mourning her and I don't wanna make them upset."

Daya exhales slowly. "Why can't more dudes be like, in it for the long haul, and focused on one girl forever? Like...even after all the shit Aleida's done wrong and what she's gone through, Leon's still here."

"Oh, damn, if your mom marries him, he's gonna be such a step-DILF!" Ouija comments. "He could treat me _right_ if you know what I'm sayin'!"

"Mmm, yeah! I bet he got buns of steel," Cindy adds, and she and Ouija burst into giggles. "Ain't no secret he well endowed!"

"Would you keep your voices down? The kids are trying to sleep!" Daya hisses at them. She wants the floor to split open and swallow her up and her cheeks are burning. Her friends are getting too much entertainment out of this.

"They won't anyway, he probably jammin' his trouser meat into her mama right now!" Maria exclaims through snickers, and Ouija and Cindy shriek while cracking up louder than they were talking before.

"Oh my god, Maria! Don't encourage them!" Daya growls.

Allison spits out her food and lets out a high-pitched squeak. "You're so dirty!"

"Yeah...gross," Polly mutters.

"Mm-hm, he should be gettin' with me instead!" Cindy insists.

"Nah, me!" Ouija tells her.

"Oh, Mr. Macka-" Ouija and Cindy start to yell, but Daya hits them both with large pillows, causing them to fall backward on the floor while laughing like hyenas.

"Stop, they could hear you, and Ma gets hella jealous! Also, you're making me feel uncomfortable!" Daya protests.

* * *

"Let's just give up on getting the children down for the night," Aleida decides. "The girls ain't gonna stop raising their voices every few seconds anytime soon, and it's the first time Daya's ever had a sleepover with me home. She's been too embarrassed before, so this is special for her, and I'm happy she's havin' fun."

"Absolutely, I am, too," Gloria agrees. "We'll have 'em stay up and watch a movie until they fall asleep in our laps."

"Yay!" the four children squeal at once. Benny and Christina quickly leave their beds and jump up and down together happily while cheering.

"Wanna go too like big sissy!" Emiliano says.

"Movie!" Julio echoes his mother.

"Alright, boys!" Leon takes Emiliano and Julio out of their cribs. "They were itching to get outta there!" he points out as they race out of the room excitedly. Christina and Benny run after their younger brothers and the adults follow the children into the living room.

"What do you wanna see, Benny?" Christina wants to know.

"You can pick."

"Oh, okay!" She chooses _Mary Poppins_ and Aleida starts playing it.

"This is a girly movie!" he complains, and Christina sticks her tongue out at him.

"I won't be giving you sugar with your medicine, then," Gloria tells her son teasingly.

"You don't anyway!" Benny sighs and shakes his head. "The sacrifices I make for you, Chrissy."

"Thanks, Benny, I 'pre-shate it!"

"You're welcome, but next time, I want _Monsters Inc_!"

"That's for boys!" Christina shrugs. "Whatever, we can take turns."

"Yep!" Benny taps Leon.

"'Sup, little man?"

"Why did Daya's friend call you Mr. Mackadocious? That's not your name!"

"Am I well endowed?" Julio asks before Leon can answer Benny's question.

"What's a well endowed?" Emiliano quickly wonders out loud.

" _Ay dios mío_ , somethin' you don't gotta know for a long time!" Aleida responds with exasperation in her tone.

"They kept saying Leon was that in Daya's room," Christina lets her know, and her jaw drops to the floor, along with Gloria's. Aleida's eyes narrow as she clenches her teeth.

"Yeah, I think a couple of the girls have crushes on me, which is completely inappropriate." Leon glances at Aleida warily. "Could you speak to 'em, because this is too awkward."

"I sure as hell will do that," Aleida says and stands up.

"Hey, try not to murder 'em!" Gloria shouts after her.

"I'll do my best!" She marches to Daya's bedroom and stops to listen carefully.

"Man, if he was single, the shit I'd do to him...ohhhh..."

"Or he could have an affair! I don't mind being the other woman!"

Aleida barges in suddenly, but nobody seems to notice her. "Yo, who the fuck keeps making sexual innuendos about my man?"

"Oh, shit...sorry, Ms. Diaz!" Ouija mumbles.

"Yeah, sorry you got a fine-ass sugar daddy!" Cindy puts in, and the others press their lips together to keep from snickering, except for Daya, who sends Aleida an apologetic look.

"In a way, you should be honored that we're so jealous of you," Ouija puts in.

"Not all of us have men quite as ripped as him, and you're...nice-looking, too," Cindy says.

Aleida gives them a sarcastic smile. "Nice try, butterin' me up with half-assed compliments. You bitches better never talk about him like that again or you gonna have to get outta here!"

"Ohhhh!" Maria, Allison, and Polly holler in unison while sniggering.

"Single bitches," Aleida mutters under her breath in reference to Cindy and Ouija as she slams the door behind her.

"I fuckin' _told_ you idiots to shut up!" Daya scolds them, and Aleida smirks at the fact that her daughter is on her side. She goes back to her boyfriend, best friend, and their kids.

"I caught 'em in the act! Next time they say those disgusting remarks, I'mma throw 'em outta my house!"

"Thanks, baby," Leon murmurs as she sits next to him. He kisses her cheek and then her lips. The little ones are too distracted with the film to pay attention to them.

"Great job!" Gloria congratulates her and the two women share a high-five.

Aleida leans into Leon's ear. "You're well endowed, and I love it...but only I can say that," she whispers huskily so that nobody else can hear her, and he grins.

"So are you, honey."

"Nah...I don't got big tits."

"I think they're amazing," he assures her, and she beams while blushing.

* * *

"How's Pepa doin'?" Ouija wants to know.

"Well, after she cried when I kissed her goodbye, she pissed herself while sitting on Yads' lap, and then Red helped Blanca change her. He still needs help with that, but I can tell that he tries."

They chuckle quietly, and Daya is satisfied that the conversation has turned back to being innocent and kid-friendly. "Aww! That's nice," Daya comments.

"Yeah, she was born at seven minutes to midnight, and people were betting on her birth time when I was in labor at a party that Yadriel threw for me, and this one white chick guessed it right. I gave her a Twix."

"Cool," everyone says in unison.

"Speaking of junk food, anyone want my famous brownies?" Allison wants to know while bringing out a tinfoil-covered plate from her purse. The delicious aroma is seeping out. "Farah loves them, and so does the rest of my family! I just made them before I came, so they're still warm."

"Sure!" they all exclaim.

Allison lifts off the tinfoil and the girls take one each. They start chowing down.

"My taste buds thank you!" Cindy tells her.

"Mine, too!" Polly touches her brownie to Daya's.

"Mmm... _ay dios mío_ , you're a great cook!" Maria praises Allison, and the others nod in agreement.

"¡Gracias!"

"So, I got this stepdad, Chen Dong, right? He got tons of dandruff, so when he itches his head, it's like...comin' outta his hair and shit. My mom bought him shampoo for it." Maria shrugs. "At least we have Chinese for dinner every time I go to their house...and when he smokes, he's respectful enough to do it outside and he ain't never done it in front of me or Yads or Pepa."

"I would never smoke, even if I wasn't pregnant...I don't want a hole in my neck...my mom's is as big as a Ritz cracker," Ouija mutters.

"Ugh...I'm sorry to hear that," Polly says, and Daya is relieved that it never got to that point with her own mother. The rest of the girls rub Ouija's back supportively.

"Yeah...so, Cindy...what you callin' your kid?" Ouija asks.

"Monica, from that movie, _Love and Basketball_! Y'all seen it before?"

"Mm-hm," Daya responds, along with everyone else, except Polly.

"It's really good!" Allison comments.

"Hell yeah! I'mma make sure she's the coolest kid ever, just like her name!"

They grin at that.

"I asked my crew to babysit Pepa, and Lorna offered, so naturally, I was like, of course! She's gonna take her out for a stroll on the morning after mine and Yadriel's first year anniversary." Maria smirks. "We wanna be alone then, and I'll say nothin' more."

The girls giggle. "Are you sure?" Polly wonders out loud, seeming nervous. "I know you trust her, but she can be unpredictable...what if she sees Angela and gets furious and distracted?"

Maria shakes her head defiantly. "Nah, her pills keep her more controlled, but she would _never_ hurt Pepa, she loves babies!"

"Oh my god, she actually takes medication? That's awful..."

"Nah, it ain't!" Ouija insists. "She's much better than my cousin and Crazy Eyes." She rolls her eyes. "Suzanne, whatever."

"Fruity fuckin' Pebbles...man, she can be annoying as hell, but wherever she be, I hope she gettin' serious help," Cindy mutters.

"Yeah, same," Allison agrees.

"I have a question," Polly announces. "If you were stuck on a desert island with your individual groups of friends, and had to sacrifice someone, who would you choose?"

"I'd say Zirconia, since she calls Lorna _loca_ , and she better stop, or a bitch is gonna get hurt," Maria replies.

"I'm with you there," Ouija murmurs.

"Janae, since she can be a crabapple," Allison chimes in.

Daya sighs. "I really don't know, because I treasure all of my friends!"

"I understand it's hard, but you need to pick one person...the clique is starving, they haven't eaten in days!" Polly says dramatically.

"Suzanne," Cindy decides quickly. She turns to Daya. "Yo, why not Lorna? That crazy bitch be sayin' Suzanne can't help her mental illness, but she can...she has pills!"

Polly snickers. "Goodbye, Lorna."

"No!" Daya shouts. "I don't like this game, it's stupid."

"I guess you'd all die of hunger, then." Polly stands up. "I'm gonna go make a phone call, so I need to step out for a moment."

"I'm watchin' that puta like a hawk," Maria says in a low voice once Polly leaves. "I'm just waitin' to catch her red-handed, since she was friends with Chapman. She used to make monkey sounds whenever she'd pass me and Blanca, since Blanca had a unibrow and I got a mustache that I didn't know about, since it was barely there. Of course, Pa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la Polly made us both aware of our imperfections. I waxed my upper lip from then on, but Blanca just ignored her, until she couldn't anymore."

Daya shakes her head in disappointment. "I'm sorry. She doesn't seem to be all that fond of Lorna, and Alex and Flaca hate her with a passion that I never understood until now. I liked her before, but she's a fuckin' bully. I was so naive about her meanness...I guess nobody said nothin' specific about what Polly said about 'em in order not to cause drama, maybe."

"She's such a prissy bi-" Ouija starts to say when Christina swings open the door and scampers in. "Be-yotch. Oh...uh, hey, _cariño_."

"What's up, bitches?" Christina asks enthusiastically.

The girls' eyes widen and they begin sniggering. "Where did you hear that bad word, did Ma teach you? That's only for grownups, not tiny children like you! You shouldn't use that kind of language," Daya reprimands her sister.

Christina puts her fists on her hips and pouts. "I'm five, I can say whatever the fuck I want!"

"No, you really can't!"

"Yo, that's fuckin' bullshit 'cause y'all bitches do it, so I can, too!"

"You need a little swat on your behind?" Daya tries to hide her amusement, but she's unable to.

"Your sister's got a point," Allison murmurs.

"I just wanna play. At least I made you crack up. You don't suck after all, Daya!"

"Alright, but you don't gotta swear, baby."

"I know, but it's fun!" Christina giggles and beams.

"Hey, could you run an errand for us, shawty? Go see what Polly's talking about on the phone," Cindy instructs her and Daya hits the African American girl lightly on the shoulder. "What? Squirts love doin' stuff for the big kids!"

"It's true, helping's fun!" Christina sounds proud of herself. "Okay, I'mma be right back!"

* * *

"Daya's being such a party pooper!" Polly complains to someone over the phone. "I'm the only white person here, and I feel more weird than ever now...Larry, I just need you to pick me up...this place stinks. I'm the odd one out. Yeah, obviously Daya would never betray Supercunt, Looney-Tunes, or the goth who thinks every day is Halloween. They're all linked to the other teen moms...Ouija's close to the former chimpanzees and that freakazoid, Allison is Supercunt's uncle figure's niece, and I may just have a shot at being friends with Cindy, but she's a fuckin' fatass _without_ the pregnancy and I can't relate to her. The only reason I accept Daya, besides the fact that she's only gaining weight because she's got a baby growing inside her, is because we're in the same situation with the father bailing out."

"Outta my house, you fuckin' bitch!" Christina hollers from behind her, and she jumps while turning around. "Yeah, you gotta move it or lose it, puta!"

"I'm sorry about this. See you soon, Larry." Polly closes her flip phone. "Excuse me? Those are not nice words!"

Christina stomps her foot hard on the ground and folds her arms across her chest. She can't stand this mean old witch, for how she's gabbing about Daya and sounding stuck up. "I don't give a shit, you fuckin' stupid slut!"

Polly takes her to Daya right away, as the child is kicking and screaming. "You need to control your sister, she's not minding her business for one, and two, she's being incredibly rude and crass. I was on the phone with my boyfriend-"

"Yeah, nobody cares! She was spying on you for us, since you a goddamn wolf in sheep's clothing! You tricked us all...you apologized to me and Blanca, sure, but you're pressuring Daya to vote someone out of her crew, basically, and that ain't cool with us," Maria snaps.

"I don't have to like Lorna!"

"Nah, you don't," Daya agrees and then purses her lips. "You just can't make snide remarks about her mental illness."

"Who's _Supercunt_ , the freakzoid, and Looney-Tunes?" Christina wonders out loud.

"Larry gave Alex, Flaca, and Lorna those names," Ouija informs her.

"Polly said them, too. She also called you a party pooper, Daya," Christina tells her big sister and then blows a raspberry at Polly, who scowls.

Daya closes her eyes and exhales through gritted teeth. "You gossipin' about my girls behind my back?"

"You would honestly fit in more with me. We're not psycho, we don't look like Emo Barbie, and we don't come from hookers who actually got paid to have sex with old geezers."

"Fuck you! I'm still nothin' like you 'cause I ain't a nasty bitch to my friends...or anyone else, for that matter! You really need to leave!" Daya's hands clench up into fists as she walks toward Polly.

"Now I see where she gets it from," Polly mutters while nodding towards Christina. "You're gonna be a horrible mother."

"You gotta go!" Christina points to the entrance that's down the hall from Daya's room. " _Now_!"

"You can't kick me out-"

Maria grabs the front of Polly's shirt and shakes her until she looks alarmed. "I'm the boss of this bitch, and what I say goes. Daya's also in charge, so you should listen to her, too. The kid's right, you're shitty, so your ass is out!"

Polly raises her hands in surrender. "Fine, but you'll miss me." Maria scoffs and pushes her away.

Allison cups her hands over her mouth as Polly exits the apartment quickly. "No, we won't!"

They start whooping when the door closes, and Christina squeals and giggles as Daya spins her around and then taps her nose. "Good work, angel!"

"Thanks, sissy!"

* * *

"Yo, Christina, it's _way_ past time for beddy-bye," Aleida says, and Christina jumps into her arms.

"Yeah," Gloria agrees. "Hey, where's that white girl? She in the bathroom or somethin'?"

"Nah, she got thrown out 'cause she a bad friend!" Cindy replies.

"I knew she was a fake bitch when I met her, she don't even have a toothy smile," Aleida quips. "You know what I said about those kinds of chicks. They untrustworthy."

"Me too, I can smell one from a mile away!" Gloria chimes in.

"I wish I had, too," Daya grumbles. "Why am I so stupid about people's true intentions?"

"It ain't just you, everyone has idiot moments in life," Aleida assures her while rubbing her back soothingly.

"You'd be strange if you was perfect and right all the time," Gloria adds on.

"It's better we got rid of her now rather than never figuring it out," Allison continues.

"Mm-hm," Ouija and Maria agree.

"Say good night, pequeña," Aleida directs Christina.

"Nighty night, Daya and her friends!"

"Good night!" Daya responds and she and the other teen moms hug and kiss Christina before the women leave with her.

Daya then shows Maria, Ouija, Allison, and Cindy the videos by Flaritza. Their latest one is from the time they babysat the children at Maritza's house, along with Alex, Daya, Lorna, and Nicky. They're talking about Nicky and Lorna finally getting together, and then after, Flaca and Maritza sing _It Ain't Over Til It's Over_ , Lorna's favorite song, as the blonde and brunette dance together for the camera. When Daya refreshes the page, though, another video has been added. Apparently, they'd filmed themselves on their date and announced that they're now an official couple. The girls clap and cheer for both Flaritza and Nichorello.

"Oooh, what's this? I bet there's juicy stuff you wrote about Adarsh in here," Ouija teases Daya while waving around Piper's diary.

Daya grabs it from her. "Nah, this ain't mine...Piper left it here," she lies.

"Huh, really?" Maria peers at it in interest, as do the others. "What's it say? We can read _all_ of her secrets now that she's dead."

"Sure, go ahead, but don't take any of it to heart, if she talks rude about anyone here. She was so arrogant...even though her white ass couldn't clap to save her life!" The girls laugh boisterously. "I only told Flaca that, since I didn't want to offend Alex and Lorna. What the _fuck_ was Piper proud of?" she asks rhetorically.

Cindy guffaws. "She was a loser in middle school!"

"Oh wow, let me see!" Allison interjects while taking it from Cindy. "Ha! That's funny."

"That could've been why she turned into a terrible Queen Bee," Daya mumbles.

Ouija looks at it next and bats her eyes while clearing her throat. "I'll read an entry. Okay...I think Marzipan Nipples might have a crush on me and it's weird. I had to remind her that I had a boyfriend when she tried to kiss me again. It wasn't on the lips, though, it was on my neck, but I made her back off." She glances at Daya curiously. "Who is that? Did she have code names for people?"

"I have no idea," Daya mumbles. She knows this particular one is about Alex, since Piper had once commented that her breasts smelled of marzipan when they were all drunk. "Alright, I changed my mind. Let's do something else...she's apparently got other people's secrets recorded in here, too, including mine, I'm betting." She grabs it from Ouija and puts it away in her drawer. "If it says anything good about just her, I'll text it to y'all."

"That sounds great!" Maria says.

* * *

"So, confession time...I had actually worn my tightest yoga pants to impress you," Diane admits to Charles while blushing. She combs through her tangled hair with her fingers, fixes her lipstick, and they both adjust their clothing and check their appearances in the mirror before leaving the cab.

"Well, it worked." Charles winks at her and she giggles. He wraps his arm around her and holds one of her hands and they stroll to his apartment. She's walking on air and they're gazing deeply and lovingly into each other's eyes so much that she trips over a crack and lets out a squeak. He holds her upright. "Careful, baby."

Her heart skips a beat at his protectiveness. "Thanks...I got a beard burn still?"

"No, the lotion was effective."

Diane sighs with relief. "Oh, good!"

"However, you do have a hickey-"

"What?! Where?" she freaks out.

He chuckles. "Diane, you can hide it with your hair or a scarf, or both! I couldn't resist giving you a little love bite, I'm sorry!"

"I know, and it ain't like I pulled away...but I can't go to work with one...I'll have to cover it with makeup."

"Excellent idea! Watch your step, my beautiful girl."

Diane's heart flutters. "Thank you, handsome." He helps her up the stairs to his place, and she holds onto the rail with her free hand.

"I could always carry you if you're getting tired," he offers.

She beams at this. "No, that's okay...save it for when I'm actually passed out. I ain't delicate, ya know!"

"I do. Okay, I will."

"You're the sweetest woman to ever grace my presence. I used to be a bitter man until you came along and softened me up."

Diane sighs while smiling. "I'm glad I was able to do that."

* * *

"Hey, Glo...Diane should be back from her date by now, let's say we give her a call!" Aleida says eagerly after they've kissed and hugged the children good night.

"That's fine by me!"

"Leon, would you mind very much putting our kids to bed while we have a little girl time?" Aleida asks.

"No problem!"

"Cool, thanks, babe!" They go to touch lips and Gloria turns away to give them privacy. A few seconds later, she feels her best friend leading her to the couch.

"Yours and Leon's romance is off the charts! You guys are cute together," Gloria comments.

Aleida smirks proudly. "Thanks, girl! You didn't wanna watch our PDA, though...you can if you so desire. I love the attention, and I'm sure he does, too. He's never complained about people watching us...who ain't children, obviously."

"Nah, it ain't that, really, it's more like, I didn't wanna disturb y'all with even my eyes."

"Well, that's sweet. So, even though Diane said she wasn't gonna fuck Charles, how much you wanna bet they actually _did_ do it?"

Gloria laughs. "Nothin', 'cause you'll lose, and I ain't gonna take all your money! She's just starting to have faith in him as a boyfriend...intercourse ain't at the forefront of her mind. The last time somebody got into her pants, it was a one-night-stand with some stranger who she was in love with the idea of, all because he was a _rock god_ , in her words exactly...and even though Diane and Charles are happy together and they know each other, it's only been three weeks. Trust me on this...she's serious as a heart attack about takin' it slow."

"Oh, I thought the only requirement would be that he needs to use a condom!"

"Nah, 'cause there's still the old hump and dump. She lives in his house, yeah, but if he's a jerk and doesn't like her after they do the nasty, he'd throw her and Alex out...they got Fahri to live with if that happens...my point is, she's seein' if all he cares about is gettin' between her legs. I think six months is a long enough time to wait. It gives them a chance to really connect and bond as a couple and have him become part of Diane and Alex's family."

Aleida glances down at her lap. "Do you think I should've done that with Leon...waited?"

"Everyone's different, Lei. You move fast with dudes, that's just how you are...but your past boyfriends should've been more careful."

"It ain't like I was on the pill or nothin'...but I never thought any of my babies were mistakes. I'm glad though, that Leon practices safe sex."

"Me too, for you."

"Opposites really _do_ attract. He's responsible with everything, while I never was, until I started to be a month ago."

"Yeah, I know. He's a positive influence on you."

Aleida beams. "So are you, Glo. You said I'd thank you later. I thought I never would, I remember being so mad that night. I wanted to fuckin' kill you for butting into my personal business and moving yourself into my apartment...but I'm real blessed that you did...you totally whipped my ass into shape! Thank dios for you."

"I'm always happy to help, _querida_."

They hug each other tightly and then Aleida rings Diane. "Hey, girl, how was it?" Gloria asks excitedly as soon as Diane picks up.

"Lemme hide in the closet first so I don't wake up my daughter and he doesn't hear me gushing. I'm literally sliding down the wall right now, and I haven't done that since Lee, the first time. Now, with Charles, fuckin' amazing...but I don't kiss and tell! All we did was make out, though, I swear! I'm still...gah! I can feel him touching me ever so gently, even though he ain't in here! He's _such_ a good kisser!"

Aleida shrieks softly while fanning herself and Gloria smiles at their friend's happiness. "Yes! Get it!" Aleida cheers quietly, and both she and Gloria let out small giggles.

"I haven't told Alex...should I?"

"Nah, let her find out on her own," Gloria advises Diane.

"Okay, I will. She ain't even aware of the list I made. I do know that she approves of me and Charles, though, so that's good!"

"It is," Aleida and Gloria agree at the same time.

"I strongly suggest we _all_ go to the Monte Carlo Room for dancing," Diane recommends. "It's tons of fun!"

"Yeah, next weekend once homecoming is over!" Gloria says.

"The three of us women, right?" Aleida questions Diane.

"We can do a ladies night some other time, but I was more thinkin' us and our boys, Aleida, and Gloria and Fahri, if you'd feel comfortable dancing with him. If not, we can just all have drinks as a group and have a blast. It's just so you and Fahri can get closer together, Gloria, that is, if you'd like to."

"He hasn't texted me all weekend, and I ain't sure what to say. I know he's busy, he said he wouldn't be able to communicate much while out of town, but I hope he doesn't think I'm ignoring him. I'm just shy."

"That's understandable. Maybe wait until he returns? He's back on Monday."

"Okay, sure."

"I'm beyond ecstatic!" Aleida squeals. "I'd love to!"

"Awesome!"

Gloria's heart sinks at how settled in and content Aleida and Diane are with their boyfriends. She knows it's the honeymoon stage for both couples, and she feels like she's just in the way. "Hey, I'm gonna turn in...I'm gettin' hella exhausted. Diane, congratulations on your new relationship with Charles! Night, y'all!"

"Thank you! Sweet dreams!" Diane responds.

"Yeah, what she said." Aleida wraps her arms around Gloria. "Good night, love you, sis!"

Gloria kisses the tips of her fingers and places them on Aleida's cheek. "Love you too, sista!"

"I heart you both," Diane tells them sweetly.

They smile. "We heart you, too, girl!"

After getting into her bed and making sure the little ones are sound asleep, Gloria scrolls through her messages. Her thumb hovers over Fahri's name for a few seconds before she presses it. She starts typing and grins with satisfaction when she finishes composing her text to him.

 _You missed a good party with wonderful music! Red is an excellent host. It's okay, there's always next time! How's your drug selling going? I hope you're doing well and your boss ain't givin' you too hard of a time and you ain't gettin' busted._

She presses _send_ and wills herself not to wait for a response. She doesn't expect one, since it's after midnight. When her phone buzzes with his reply, she jumps.

 _Yeah, I'll see her apartment sometime, I'm sure...and we're all chaperoning at homecoming, Diane said! He's a hard ass, but he didn't come along with me for this trip, he just sent me with a mule, so it's not too bad. I'm great, thanks. How are you?_

 _I'm awesome! Hey, you're up late, but so am I, only 'cause we had to stay awake past ten with the children since Daya and her friends were really enjoying themselves and being hella noisy! We let 'em do that 'cause Daya had a hard day at school yesterday. She was due for some much needed fun. What's your excuse?_

 _Oh, I get that! I'm glad she had a blast with the others. Uh, well, I'm just going to sleep now, it's been a long night. Missy, the mule, was taking forever to deliver all the packages of heroin and I kept worrying she'd do something to get us both in trouble, since she's new to this and all. The kingpin gave us way too much...but thankfully, we were fine._

 _That's excellent! Alright, I'll let you get your rest. Good night!_

 _Night!_

Gloria can't think of anything else to say to Fahri, but she feels like a brick is lifted from her chest after their conversation. It was so simple, slipping back into who she used to be, the kind of woman who lets in a man literally days after meeting him, but it's also way too easy for her to trust the wrong person.

She soon finds herself venting to Red. The lady had always been like an older sister to her, since the day they turned from rivals to friends, and she's already been to Lourdes for advice, so she doesn't want to bug her aunt again about this. Even though Diane and Aleida are her closest girls, and she'd share everything with them, they're just as naive as she is when it comes to love. It's just pure luck that they'd found themselves true gentlemen. Red, however, dumped her ex when their relationship was starting to go downhill. _I got no idea what it is, probably that Aleida and now Diane are both dating a man who seems like he's got genuine motives, and I'd love to do that, too, but I dunno if I'm ever gonna be normal again. I crave intimacy, yet I'm afraid to fall for another monster! See, I really wanna trust Fahri, but I can't yet. I want a good relationship with a man, especially after seeing McDiaz be all cute together for a month straight. I ain't healed yet._

Red's answer comes quicker than Gloria expects. _Have you gone to see a shrink?_

 _Nah_ , _it's never been a priority...why, you think I oughta do that?"_

 _Yes. It really helped me after the trauma I experienced after Piscatella's inhumane torture when his family hosted me. I was just a tenth grade foreign exchange student and when his parents weren't around, he'd constantly beat me up, for no reason at all-but I'm guessing it was because he wanted to prove that he was tough every time his mother mentioned gay camp and his father called him a prissy boy. That in no way excuses what he did, though. It got to the point where I had to return to Russia. I have too many scars to count. I promise you, sweetheart, you're not alone. I can even go with you if you'd like me to._

Gloria's heart cracks at Red's story and fresh tears threaten to spill down her cheeks. _Sure_ , _thank you! I'm so sorry, you poor woman. If I could hug you right now, I would._

 _Don't worry, Nicky, Lorna, and Tricia are doing that already since they noticed I was upset while composing this. Nicky and Tricia are sleeping over like they did last night, Lorna is too, and tomorrow morning, we're going to my store, since Sundays are popular._

 _That's nice! Tell the girls hi for me._

 _I will, and let your clan know I said hi, too!_

 _Okay, you got it!_

 _You can discuss getting therapy with Aleida and the girls, since they've all been wronged by men like we were. I'll convince Nicky to go._

 _I don't think Aleida would go for it, but Daya and her gang would probably be interested. Flaca would most likely do it if Maritza does and finds it useful and enjoys it. I'll announce it tomorrow and have Daya spread it around!_

 _Sounds good!_

* * *

"Try this," Red instructs Nicky, Lorna, and Tricia while handing them each one third of a piroshki. She gestures to the different families who are packed inside the restaurant. "You see? They're all here for my specialty!"

"Whoa, you weren't kidding about the line, this place is so stuffed to the gills that not everyone can fit!" Lorna comments.

Nicky examines the meat pie. "Looks like a Russian hamburger when it's sliced in two."

Tricia chuckles. "Wow, yeah, it really does!"

"Mm-hm," Lorna agrees.

"Eat it, go!" Red encourages them excitedly. At once, the girls take a bite and Red watches them with hope shining in her blue eyes. "What do you think?"

"Mmm!" they exclaim in unison.

"This would be good with ketchup," Nicky comments.

Red lightly swats Nicky's shoulder. "I wanted you to taste its authentic flavor!"

"Relax, Ma! You're one of the best cooks I know, you're well aware of this!" Nicky assures Red. "Like...besides Gloria, of course, and Aleida and Norma. There's Miss Claudette, too, but this definitely wins over her beige coco-not cake!"

"I'll tell her you said that," Red teases her. "Thank you for the reassurance, though, that I'm a pretty good chef."

Lorna and Tricia laugh at their mini banter. "I have no complaints, except that I wanna have ketchup on it, too. You can blame Nicky for giving me the idea, Red," Tricia says jokingly.

"Hey!" Nicky whines while pouting and then sticking her tongue out at Tricia.

The redhead rolls her eyes at her daughters squabbling and envelops them into her arms, and it's like they belong there, in her loving embrace. Lorna joins them, snuggled in between Nicky and Tricia. "Well, I'm satisfied you girls enjoyed it!"

"Yeah, thanks, Ma," Tricia says shyly, and she feels a rush of extreme contentedness wash over her. Following Nicky's footsteps and referring to Red as her mother brought her so much joy and the title for the Russian matriarch tasted good coming off Tricia's tongue.

Red's face breaks out into a grin even bigger than it was before. "You're welcome, sweetheart." She gently cups their chins and kisses them all on their cheeks, leaving behind a bright red lip print. "Enjoy the rest of your piroshki, and I'll give you more!"

* * *

"What the fuck's takin' these guys so long?" Aleida wonders quietly to Daya. They're standing in line to see _Taxi_ , and there are a couple of men ahead of them, taking their good old time just to buy tickets.

"How long does it take just to get a ticket?" Daya asks rhetorically while tapping her foot impatiently.

Aleida rolls her eyes. "Idiots."

"Yeah…"

"Yo…two things I always meant to tell ya…I wanted to thank you for taking care of your brother and sister when I was a shit motha, and when I dropped you off at camp when you were six, I never meant any of the nasty words I said...I sent you there so you could have a better life…I was working hard on doing so all of that summer, especially during the time you were gone. I cried in the car when I had to leave you…I'd miss you, and I felt so guilty bein' mean like I was."

Daya's heart warms. "You're welcome. Oh, wow…I never knew that, but I'm touched."

Aleida strokes her hair fondly, puts an arm around her, and then squeezes her shoulder. "My oldest baby…and I'm also sorry for making jokes about your weight. You already had that two-faced bitch doin' it, you didn't need my comments, too."

"I accept your apology...and you only did that 'cause I fucked Cesar, which I shouldn't have done anyway."

"I probably deserved it."

The two in front of them suddenly turn around and almost bump into Aleida and Daya. "I'm sorry," John apologizes. Pornstache is right next to him, smirking creepily. "I'm living with George."

Daya gapes at them in shock, wanting to slap her ex hard across his stupid face and also run away, because Mendez is there. She's trembling all over and she can hardly catch her breath. "You fuckin' pussy..."

"Walk the fuck away from us," Aleida snaps, and they obey her. "Hey…Daya, it's okay, you ain't gonna see him again…I'll be more watchful of who's around us!"

"I can't do this," she mumbles shakily. "What if he's seeing the same thing as us?"

"We'll sit far away from him. He's just an asshole who broke your heart, he's nobody!"

"I'm hurt by him, yeah, but I'm…I'm having a panic attack…because…because of Pornstache…" Daya shudders and Aleida envelops her.

"That pervert from the news? Why, did he molest you, too?"

"No, worse…I just don't get why these predators just get to walk around like they didn't do nothin'!" Daya's voice squeaks when she finishes her sentence.

"What?"

"Are you gonna buy a ticket or not?"

Aleida scowls at the boy at the ticket counter. "Can't you see she's emotional?" She throws her money at him, and his bored expression turns flustered. "Two for _Taxi_!"

He gives them the tickets and then, while linking arms, they get popcorn and soda.

"What happened, nena?" Aleida questions Daya.

"Mendez, or Pornstache…he raped me, Ma. I just wanna watch the film, okay?"

Aleida narrows her eyebrows and a determined, angry expression crosses her face. "I'mma find him-"

"Nah, not now…after this is over. I don't wanna waste our time together with you goin' after him."

"I wanna fuckin' kill him."

When the movie is over, Aleida gets another drink and throws it at the assholes once they're all outside. The men yell that their eyes are burning while covering them, and she takes the opportunity to ram her knee into both their crotches, causing them to collapse to the ground. "In yo faces, Johnny boy and rapey Burt Reynolds!" Aleida screams. Then, Daya and her mother run away from them to Aleida's car, giggling and holding hands all the way there. Filled with exhilaration, Daya high-fives Aleida just before she drives them back home.

"Thanks, Ma, that was really cool of you!"

"Anytime!" Aleida pats Daya's cheek fondly and pecks her temple. "You seen him since then, like today?"

"Yeah, a few times...once at school and then hours later, he came to the apartment when I was home alone with the kids and he tried to get inside! This was before Leon put in the alarm system. You were at college and Gloria was just arriving to our place. He and John were together the night my ex broke up with me forever, actually. That's why I wanna do therapy with Gloria and the other girls."

"I gotta get a restraining order," Aleida decides aloud through a sigh.

"Nah, you don't...he didn't expect to see me when I was with John, and at the movies, he didn't know I'd be there, too. If he ain't doing anything to me, the cops won't see it as illegal if we just exist in the same place."

"You're right, but that motherfucker raped you, it's a crime, and should be reported-"

"Oh, it was, Gloria called the cops when I let her know about him! He was bailed out, almost immediately!"

Aleida rolls her eyes. "That's such bullshit!"

"I know!"

"Why you never tell me?"

"We hadn't worked out our shit yet back then," Daya reminds her.

"Right. I wasn't the best role model," Aleida remembers. "I was the fuckin' worst."

"Yeah...and as the weeks went on, I didn't wanna dredge it up again. We were all so happy and I didn't wanna bring the mood down, especially not now 'cause of what happened to you."

"I understand."

* * *

"¡Ahora que es un bonito tatuaje, es muy bonito!" Lourdes compliments Gloria after her aunt examines her neck tattoo. "Me encanta el simbolismo, que ahora estás libre como un pájaro. ¿Cuándo lo conseguiste?"

 **Now that's a nice tattoo, it's very pretty! I love the symbolism, that you're now free as a bird. When did you get it?**

"Gracias, tía." Gloria covers it up again with her hair. "Aproximadamente cinco días después de mudarse al apartamento de Díaz. Aleida me sugirió que lo ocultara mis cicatrices más feas."

 **About five days after moving into the Diaz apartment. Aleida suggested I get it to hide my ugliest scars.**

"¡Oh, genial! ¡Buena idea!"

 **Oh, cool! Good idea!**

Gloria had wanted her friends, besides Aleida, and the girls, other than Daya, to meet her aunt and discuss getting help after their personal traumas, so she decided to kill two birds with one stone and have the meeting at Lourdes' place while Leon watched the children for half an hour.

"So, why am I here again?" Nicky asks as she walks in with Red. "I've never been raped."

"Me neither," Alex mumbles.

"Yeah, only the people who have actually been violated should come to this," Blanca adds.

Red and Diane give the girls stern glances. "This is not only for sexual assault, Piscatella has beaten you all physically, and that sort of thing messes people up badly!" Red informs them.

"Lo siento, pueden ser tercos," Gloria apologizes to Lourdes, and the older woman nods in understanding.

 **I'm sorry, they can be stubborn.**

"Oh, I thought this was like, a rape and domestic violence support group?" Maritza asks in confusion. "I never experienced none of that."

"You were born in captivity and felt up against your will, Mari," Flaca reminds her. "That's hella scary and traumatizing!"

"Mm-hm, and I'd actually like you to be with me when I talk about being gang raped and tortured, Nicky," Lorna tells the blonde beside her while folding her arms firmly across her chest.

"Are you kidding me, Blanca? You and your man were almost murdered in the fuckin' pool!" Maria throws her arms up in the air. "Ay dios mío, girl...you tellin' me you don't get nightmares about that?"

"I do...sometimes, it feels like I can't breathe when I even think about swimming, or like, when I used to see him in general," Blanca admits softly.

Nicky looks over at Lorna sadly and strokes her hair. "Oh, I'm sorry, babe, I didn't realize you wanted me present. I'll always be there, I promise."

"I need you, hon." Lorna takes Nicky's hand in hers and squeezes it. "This is gonna be good for you, too...you were fuckin' scared to death of Piscatella." She lightly hits Alex's uninjured shoulder with the back of her arm. "So were you, Allie!"

"It was one violent attack. I'm fine." Gloria can hear the tremor in Alex's voice.

Diane scoffs. "You were _not_! You sobbed through it, and that's expected! Sweetheart, everyone in this room has all been through something awful at some point in their lives. Don't be ashamed to say you were afraid. You were forced to run without your glasses!"

"Mom, could you not put words in my mouth? I'm okay, really. He wasn't even trying to kill me...it was one beatdown, while the others were constantly-"

"Once is more than enough!" Lourdes declares.

"Yeah, you're not foolin' anyone," Gloria murmurs.

"Just surrender, it's easier," Nicky advises Alex.

"I'm only here for my daughter," Aleida says while rubbing Daya's back soothingly.

"Alright, well if you wanna talk about anything later, you may," Lourdes tells her.

"I called everyone here since I wanted y'all to meet my tía Lourdes. Aleida and Daya already have. She'll be the facilitator of these sessions, since I don't really trust any counselors except her, " Gloria announces. "There's Berdie Rogers, too, but she don't work with adults, just students. We don't gotta tell our stories, but it could be beneficial. Tía Lourdes is practically my ma, she's been raising me since I was ten, as y'all know." She turns to her aunt and gestures to each person as she says their name. Lourdes shakes their hands and gently hugs Daya and Aleida.

"There's something different between wine on a Sunday afternoon than having it on a Saturday night...that means we're not at a party scene, trying to get trunked, or tanked, or whatever word you kids use for _drunk_ these days, but this is merely a social gathering with family members, as well as friends, or it could be for a very elegant lunch with relatives," Lourdes states as she pours glasses of it for herself, Gloria, Aleida, Diane, and Red. Everyone laughs out loud at what she's just said. "What?"

"Trunked ain't what you think it means, that ain't even a word, it's slang for a large dick!" Aleida lets her know and Gloria stifles a giggle. "You may have gotten _trashed_ and _crunk_ mixed up and mashed them together, but it don't work that way. However, tanked _is_ a thing, and it means shit drunk off your fuckin' ass!"

"Oh, I see! Thank you for this information. Uh...girls, what kinds of snacks and non-alcoholic beverages do you like? I have plenty of junk food and sugary drinks stocked up to spoil Benny and Julio with, so..."

"You got cheese puffs?" Nicky wonders aloud.

"Yeah, and a Heath bar and cold Dr. Pepper?" Lorna tacks on.

"Hot Cheetos and Takis!" the younger Latinas and Red exclaim in unison.

"Ice cream, thank you!" Alex requests politely.

Once they're all sitting on couches and chairs and eating or in Lorna's case, drinking, Gloria starts speaking between multiple sips. "I wanna be in love, but I don't think I deserve it."

"You sure as shit do, whatcha talkin' about?" Diane asks.

"It's never seemed to be in the cards for me, ya know? My first boyfriend was a douchebag, my second was a total weirdo, and the last one, y'all are well aware of what he did to me...and Benny!"

"Well, fourth time could be the charm with Fahri," Aleida tells her. "I went through three motherfuckers before Leon. Cesar's hard to get over, though. He had his good moments, like he used to rub my feet while I painted my nails."

"Maybe he had a foot fetish," Gloria mutters, hating that Aleida is still emotionally tied to Cesar while she's dating a much better man. She needs to cut her losses and move on entirely with Leon.

Aleida shakes her head no. "That wasn't it."

"How'd you meet Arturo?" Red wants to know. "You can tell a lot about a person when you first meet them."

Gloria opens her mouth to speak, but Lourdes puts her hand on her arm. "You don't need to share if it's too painful."

"It's okay, tía," Gloria assures Lourdes. She faces the group. "I'd just turned thirty, and he pressured me for a date, but of course, I didn't see it that way. I should've taken that as a red flag. We're in an elevator and it's stuck, right...so he's staring at me like a porterhouse steak."

The girls and women shudder. "Ew, what a creep," Daya comments.

 _"We can kiss while we wait for help, it could be hours," the stranger says while leering in Gloria's direction. She laughs while staring down at the floor, thinking he's joking. She's a poor, single mother of two and looking quite worn down, what with the black circles under her eyes. She's dressed in jeans and a black lace top and covered in makeup, but she doesn't believe she's all that pretty. "Hey! I'm serious." He moves into her personal space, so Gloria is trapped. "I won't take no for an answer!"_

"Before I can push him off, he forces his lips onto mine, but it's in a way that makes me stupidly fall for him. I missed a dangerous look in his eyes when he was flirting with me."

 _"Sure you don't like me?"_

 _"That was actually...good!"_ _Gloria doesn't even sound like herself at this moment._

 _"Tell me your name."_

 _"Gloria, what about you?"_

 _"Arturo. I want your whole name," he hisses against her collarbone while pressing her into the wall with his hands groping her bottom._

 _"Gloria...Mendoza," she gasps out._

"We proceeded to kiss more, leading into sex, and I realize we know nothing about each other. When he suggests we should get dinner somewhere, I agree...and then I lost who I was in that moment. I'd do anything for him...while getting nothin' but abuse in return. Sure, he took care of my kids like he was their father and fixed the door in my bodega, but he acted like it was a chore. I...I thought he and I balanced each other out, I was shy and submissive around him while he was more loud and dominant. I liked it. Girls and women do love the bad boys, and I was no different. His boldness attracted me." By the end of her tale, Gloria's voice cracks and she swallows the forming lump in her throat. She wipes a tear away that's escaping her eye and the others look on sadly.

"What about Fahri?" Blanca asks.

"He never did that when he first came into the kitchen's backroom or for the five minutes I was alone with him after confronting you girls about setting us up. It was totally innocent...we didn't even touch each other, except to shake hands. I was shocked!"

"He's a good man, that's why he was respectful of you," Lorna explains.

"Yeah, I'm happy that he's fine with us being friends. It's just...I keep wondering if he thinks I'm attractive or just average. Like, does he talk sweet about me when I ain't around? Is he hopin' I'm into him?"

"No, he isn't. He likes you, though...not romantically just yet, because you're not wanting a boyfriend. He does find you beautiful, he told me," Alex informs her, and she beams.

"Oh, good...I'm relieved," Gloria murmurs.

"So am I," Lourdes agrees.

The rest of them go around, telling their heartbreaking stories while holding hands, and the agony in their voices is evident. Even Blanca, Alex, and Nicky open up about their nightmarish encounters with Piscatella, as does Red. Diane kisses Alex's cheek and hugs her tightly after the girl has spoken. Flaca discusses how she couldn't even go home until she finally told her mom about what her uncle had done. As she puts her head on Flaca's shoulder, Maritza describes the fear she'd felt when Humps touched her so inappropriately, and her taller girlfriend immediately wraps her arms around her. Lorna says she was so afraid after she was so viciously raped by multiple boys and like Blanca, she had a brush with death. Nicky holds her in comfort. Daya reveals that Mendez sexually assaulted her and when she mentions that Cesar has aimed a gun in her face a number of times, Aleida glances down at the floor with shame clouding her features, and she holds her girl. She refuses to talk about what she'd gone through at the hands of Jack, since everyone is aware of it and she doesn't want to break down. She prefers to be strong for Daya, Gloria, and the others. Diane and Maria are just there to support them. Everyone is crying, except Aleida, but Gloria can see that she wants to. She appears to be extremely upset.

Diane clears her throat, interrupting the dead silence, besides the clock ticking. "I never told anyone this, but I'll say it now." She takes a deep, trembling breath. "Well, when my brother died, I went to grief counseling, but nobody knows _how_ he got the anyerusm. He, um...he beat this...asshole...to death...who was trying to...to, umm...this is difficult for me to say." She covers her mouth and lets out a small, choked sob as tears trickle down her cheeks. "Oh, fuck..."

"You don't have to, Mom, it's okay," Alex murmurs while leaning into Diane.

"No, um...I want you all to know. I should tell Charles soon, it's been almost nineteen years." Diane sniffles. "When I was, uh...twenty-one, just had my first legal drink...I...I was going back to my dorm from the bar with friends. These fuckers, they were catcalling us. We ignored 'em, but they followed us, all the way to my brother's car where he was waiting to pick us up...and once one of 'em brutally pushed me down and was about to tear my pants open and another attempted tearing my blouse in half, Mitch, that's my brother...he punched them to bloody pulps. They were barely conscious, but he died, protecting me. He was so mad, that's what caused the aneurysm. My friends took us all home in his car...and I didn't sleep or eat for days."

They gasp. "Oh my god," Alex whispers and then hugs her mother.

"That's terrible, I'm so sorry," Gloria adds and then puts her hand over Diane's.

"It's just when I'm lonely that I think about it...it came up just now, because we're in therapy, and I...I can't help but blame myself. What were we thinking, going out the back when he was parked in front? That's fuckin' dangerous...but I lived on the edge." Diane scoffs. "Oh yeah...we were all getting high and didn't wanna be busted."

"It ain't your fault, Diane," Flaca assures her.

"I know, but...I just laid there...instead of fighting back!"

"You was scared and motionless, I would've been, too!" Maritza insists, and everyone else agrees.

"I apologize deeply for your frightening pasts," Lourdes says as she looks around the room. "It should never have happened, to any of you. All of you are survivors...brave and strong, and somehow, you will get through it. I want to conclude our meeting with you knowing this. Okay?"

"Sure," they mumble altogether.

"Good!"

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, CoffeeWritingAddiction, A Star In My Universe, and MinervaSnape394!**


	43. Ain't Never Gonna Die

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning: threats directed at minors, and talk about death and rape.**

"Now, the next session can be whenever you'd like. Any questions?" Lourdes wonders aloud.

Daya raises her hand. "When should I tell my friend Adarsh? I've known him for a couple of weeks now."

"You don't ever have to, that's your choice. However, if you wish to do so, you can whenever you feel comfortable."

She appears to be relieved. "Okay. Thank you."

After the meeting is finished, everyone but Lourdes, Red, Blanca, and Maria go over to the Diaz and Mendoza apartment, and the girls decide to hang out in Daya's room. Alex had made sure her mom was okay before leaving her to hang out with her friends, and Diane is fine with it since the other women and Leon are there to keep her company, and Charles is planning on coming over soon.

"Your uncle Mitch died a hero. You would've loved him! He'd spoil you rotten. It's too bad you never got a chance to meet him." Diane smiles sadly at Alex and cups her chin while kissing her forehead. Her mother's eyes are shining with moisture and she sniffles.

"Yeah, it is." Alex hugs her and wipes away leftover tears from her own eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too! Have a great time with your friends, sweetie."

"Thanks, Mom! Same to you."

"Yo, I'm real glad Pocket Daya exposed Holly Hobbie's bitchiness!" Flaca announces once Alex steps inside Daya's bedroom to join them, along with Maritza, Lorna, and Nicky.

Alex's spirits lift when Flaca says this, and the other girls' faces light up, too. "I know, that's awesome! How'd Christina do it?"

"Well, first, Maria casually mentioned that Lorna was gonna babysit Pepa, and Palalalala Polly was acting all squirmy about it, like she didn't trust Lorna to care for Maria's baby-"

"What?! I _love_ children! I want four of my own when I get older!" Lorna protests.

"Yeah, I know, Maria told her that...the fact that you're so fond of babies. She started sayin' shit like, you're mentally ill and you ain't equipped to handle a child...and then Maria and Ouija informed her that you're actually capable of doing so! I was just trying to process the garbage that she was spewing. After that, she asked me who I'd boot out of my clique if we were dying of hunger on a desert island, trying to get me to kick _you_ out!"

Lorna gasps and hisses through gritted teeth. Nicky folds her arms across her chest. "Does she wanna get some Hawaiian punch?"

"I don't know how we stopped ourselves from beating her up, but you're more than welcome to," Daya mutters. "So, uh...she had to call up Larry and Maria let us all know that she didn't trust Holly Hobbie, because she'd made fun of Maria and Blanca last year and she and Piper were tight. Christina randomly walked in and started swearing like a little sailor, and I told her to stop. She loved doing it, though."

The girls laugh. "She's adorable," Maritza comments, and everyone else nods in agreement.

"Yeah...and Cindy asked her to spy on Palalalalalalala-Polly for us, so she did! I found out how truly horrible she was...callin' Alex _Supercunt_ , Flaca a freak who celebrates Halloween year round, and Lorna _Looney Tunes_ ," Daya reports. "We kicked her right on outta here!"

Lorna wraps her arms around Daya. "Thanks for finally getting rid of her!" the Italian brunette squeals.

"Yeah, we love you for this!" Alex chimes in and she and Flaca join their hug.

"You're awesome!" Flaca adds.

"Love you girls, too!" Daya exclaims. "Oh...Piper's diary was in my house, I guess I borrowed it one day and never remembered to give it back."

"Can we see what's written?" Lorna asks enthusiastically.

"Sure!"

"Could I read it, like to myself?" Alex wants to know. "I'll pass it around."

"Alright." Daya gives her Piper's journal, and Alex scans it.

 _April 3rd, 2002_

 _Dear Diary,_

 _I love all this power I hold over Martin Van Buren High! I've improved a lot since sixth grade, back when I was a lame loser. I had these_ _daredevil friends, Jessica, Ralph, and Ryan, who urged me to take risks like jump out the back of the bus when it was moving slowly, like five miles per hour, but I decided not to rebel at that time since I was still a dumb daddy's girl. Also, I didn't wanna break my ankle like Marcy Klein, who attempted a herkie. I thought Ryan's cologne was gross, can you imagine? I wish it were possible to slap my younger self for not being badass, but at least I've gotten better. Nicole and Bojing have nothing on me, even though I wimped out. I was surprisingly still allowed to come to Ryan's for his New Years Eve party. Jessica hadn't abandoned me yet. Later, I finally grew some balls and saw_ Dazed and Confused _with Sara H. I pretended my name was Zoe and wore dorky sunglasses, though, so I admit, that was stupid. Still, I pissed off my mom good with that one, but whatever. I should not have told on myself like an idiot! Nobody does that, come on. It's only you, Diary, who can know that I fuck up at times. I'm not perfect. I can't believe Daddy was kissing some skank there, but at least he didn't notice me. Her name was Linda, and now, he's having an affair with a different Linda. It's so fucking weird. I'd tried to tell Mom, but her only response was grounding me. I talked to Grandmother about it, and she taught me to keep secrets to prevent people from getting their feelings hurt. I was like, okay, sure, that's easy. In seventh grade, though, all those pals I had, dumped me, so I got new ones, threw them away the next day, and picked out the friendless losers at my school to form a clique with. We got along surprisingly well, despite all our differences, and now, they're the best friends I could ever ask for._

 _X's and O's,_

 _Piper_

Alex wordlessly hands it to Lorna, who then passes it to Flaca, and then, it gets returned to Daya.

"Friendless losers, huh?" Flaca demands, sounding highly offended. She frowns, as do Lorna and Daya, and their eyes flicker with rage. Alex sighs shakily as she feels a pain rush through her heart, like it had been run over by a train. "We were, but she gathered us all up out of pity and to make herself the star of the show! It wasn't real, none of it!"

"Wow, she sounds like a gem," Maritza grumbles sarcastically. "I'm sorry she did that to you guys!"

"Fuckin' bitch!" Daya growls and slams the diary on her desk.

"I hate her," Lorna declares harshly.

"Me too," Nicky agrees. "So, that's why she wanted to be the bitch of the school, so nobody would mess with her again!"

"She just took it way too far. Manipulative cunt!" Alex shouts angrily as her eyes fill with tears, and everyone looks at her, probably shocked by her choice of words. "I just...ugh!" She balls up her hands into fists and shakes them while gritting her teeth, attempting not to crumble in front of them.

"I know you loved her, Alex, and I can sense how much this hurts," Lorna tells her sympathetically. She walks toward Alex and gives her a sweet hug. Alex returns it, and then the rest of her friends put their arms around her and Lorna. Being embraced by her girls is making her feel better now.

"Yeah...solid proof really sucks," Alex mumbles and then sniffles.

"We got you," Flaca assures her.

"Mm-hm, and you got us," Daya lets her know.

"This chick's not worth going soft over, Vause," Nicky adds gently.

"She was just a piece of shit," Maritza chimes in. "You're like, gold compared to her!"

"Thanks," Alex answers them quietly while smiling. She squeezes her eyes shut tightly, trying to hold back her emotions.

They separate a minute later. "Daya...I deeply apologize for saying you don't got a clue what being raped is like on Thursday night since you never been through it, when you actually had," Lorna tells her. "I'm so ashamed of myself."

"Don't be. It's cool," Daya murmurs with a shrug. "You had no idea, and I didn't tell nobody except Gloria and just this afternoon, my mom and then you guys at therapy."

"You don't gotta feel bad about it...being sexually violated isn't necessarily something people share...however, I shouldn't have kept Pornstache having sex with my sister to get me out of jail, a secret."

"Why air your family's dirty laundry? It wasn't anyone's business," Nicky insists.

"Yeah, but that kinda thing is what you can tell friends, just make sure it don't get back to Franny! She consented, but only to help me. He ain't tried to get her back since."

"We won't mention nothin' about it to her," Flaca says.

"That's a promise!" Maritza continues, and the other girls nod in agreement.

"I'm glad!" Lorna exclaims.

* * *

"Did I overstep?" Diane asks Gloria in concern as all of the adults are supervising the children doing an art project with glue and colorful glitter. "I'm sorry...it's okay if you don't wanna go dancing and drinking with us at all." She feels guilty for proposing the idea to Gloria in the first place, given her past.

"Nah, it's alright! I apologize for never responding to your invitation. I guess I was feeling unsure and didn't know what to say exactly. Yes, I'd love to! It should be fun!"

Diane sighs with relief. "Cool! We can show off our moves!"

"Yeah!"

Aleida winks at Leon. "I do appreciate a man who can dance!"

"I'll wow you on the floor, then, mi corazón," Leon tells her, and she beams with delight.

Julio and Emiliano frown at their bottles of glitter as they shake them. "Help me!" Julio says while holding his out toward Gloria. "It's stuck, Mama!"

"Wont come out!" Emiliano chimes in. He waves his at Aleida.

Christina simply hands hers to Charles, who removes the cap with ease, making Diane smile to herself at how cute he is with assisting kids, and Benny bangs his on the table, in an unsuccessful attempt to loosen the top. "Leon, it's not working!" he whines and pouts while stomping his foot.

"I got it."

"Okay, give it to me," Gloria instructs Julio.

"That's 'cause it ain't open," Aleida points out. Altogether, Gloria, Aleida, and Leon unscrew the caps while Diane twists open the bottles of Elmer's glue so the little ones won't run into this kind of problem again.

They're all soon shaking the glue and squeezing it out, creating random shapes and sprinkling the glitter all over the paper-covered table. It's a messy art project, but luckily they're wearing the right clothes.

"Look, my hands are pretty!" Christina shows Diane her glitter-covered palms and pats Diane's cheek. "Now you're a princess!"

"Thank you, honey," Diane murmurs. She's not too fond of the stickiness on her face, but Christina is having a great time, and that's the most important part.

Aleida sighs heavily. "Christina, it only goes on the paper!" She turns to Diane. "I'm sorry...I caught her putting glitter in Daya's fishbowl and had her clean it out."

"It's okay, it'll come off," Diane reassures Aleida.

"You _are_ lovely, though!" Charles pecks Diane's temple, and she grins like a cat that ate the canary.

Emiliano is about to stick his glitter-coated fingers into his mouth, but Aleida stops him right away. "¡Ay dios mío, you don't eat it!"

"Yeah, that's yucky," Leon adds, and the women wrinkle their noses in disgust.

"I gotta watch my babies like a hawk," Aleida says.

"Julio and Emiliano are in the exploring stage, as they're toddlers," Gloria states. "I'm just glad Julio hasn't reached the terrible twos phase yet, of always saying no. Benny did that until he was about almost four! I'd say, have some carrots! No! Go to sleep, it's nap time. No! You wanna go outside and play ball? No! You wanna dress up as SpiderMan for preschool tomorrow? No! You want your red shirt or orange tank top? No! We gotta go see Tía Lourdes! No! Jesus, he'd decline shit that I _know_ he wanted to do! On and on...that kid would drive me up the wall, but I loved him." She smiles while tousling Benny's hair. "I still do, of course!"

The adults get a chuckle out of this. "Alex, too," Diane remembers. "She could be a handful, but I adored her, like always."

"Look what we did, Mama!" Benny taps Gloria and shows her a collection of colors in a wavy pattern.

"Wow, did you make a rainbow?" Gloria wonders aloud in exaggerated amazement.

"Yeah!" Julio bounces up and down in his seat while clapping his hands.

"You're good artists," Gloria praises them. "What colors do you see, Julio? Benny, let your brother answer, this is what he's learning in preschool! You're already a whiz at this."

"Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple!" Julio recites proudly as Gloria points to each wave.

"You are so smart!" She hi-fives both of her sons.

"I can do ABC!" Emiliano informs Aleida.

"Yeah, and I can count to thirty!" Christina puts in. "It's a big number!"

"Me, too!" Benny pipes up.

"Alright, lemme hear it!" Aleida exclaims.

"A, B, C, D, E, F, G-" Emiliano begins.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..." Christina speaks over his singing.

"H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P..."

"Nine, ten, eleven, twelve...fourteen, no, thirteen...then, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen..."

"Q, R, S, T, U, V..."

"Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty..." Christina takes a huge breath and then continues. "Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four..."

"W, X, Y, and Z..."

"Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, aaaaand thirty!"

"Now I know my ABC's, next time won't you sing with meeeee?"

"Yay!" both Benny and Julio cheer.

Aleida gasps while smiling brightly at her children. "Y'all are fuckin' geniuses! Holy shit! I'm real proud of you."

"Yeah, but I messed up," Christina says glumly.

"It's okay! You did your best. You don't gotta be perfect." Aleida cups their chins sweetly and pats their cheeks.

The kids beam at this and hug their mothers with glee, and even if there are glittery handprints on their clothes now, they're the picture of happiness. Diane misses having a child of her own running around. Alex will be her baby forever, but she's grown up and can't really play with Diane like she used to. She hopes that if she and Charles have a huge future together, as in marriage and growing old with each other, he'll agree to give Alex a kid sister or brother.

Suddenly, she has an urge to dance, so she excuses herself and she and Charles drive to an empty ballet studio. Diane starts doing pirouettes and leaps around the room in her light pink casual dress as he watches her with pride. She keeps on spinning with her eyes closed until she senses tears crawling down her cheeks, and she sinks to the floor while crying. She just stays there in the corner, hanging onto the barre with one hand and the other covers her eyes. She puts her right leg over her outstretched left and points and flexes her feet.

"Diane...sweetie pie, what's goin' on?" Charles asks kindly while sitting beside her.

"I...I don't know..." she blubbers. "It just hit me all of a sudden...I'm feeling so fragile..."

"Hmm?"

She gasps in and out deeply and he holds her. "I think I'm having a mid-life crisis! I hang out with women nine years younger than me! Their kids are a decade younger than mine, the kindergarteners, at least."

"Hey, that's okay...you have a lot in common with them, that's what makes you three the best of friends. I have homies of all ages. Think about this for a second...when Daya has her child, Aleida will be a grandmother at age thirty-one."

Diane sniffles. "Oh, yeah...don't tell her, she'll totally freak! She doesn't have gray hair, though, she's got nothin' to worry about..."

"You don't either, baby."

"I do, actually," she mutters through a sigh. "I'm nearing forty and I found a little strand the other day...meanwhile, your hair is like, perfect!"

"So is yours!" he insists while tucking some brunette locks behind her ears. "I could run my fingers through this all day, it's hella sleek and smooth...and you're just so goddamn beautiful. I'm gonna be thirty-nine soon, you'll be forty by that time, but really, it's not a big deal! I see you as a lively spirit and to be honest with you, Diane, you don't look a day over twenty-five!"

Diane giggles a bit through her tears. "Stop! I didn't age _that_ gracefully..."

Charles strokes her cheeks with her thumbs and kisses her lips a few times. "Yeah, you did." He turns her around to face the mirror and she wipes her tears away so she can see herself better. "That is one fine woman right there!" He points at her reflection.

"Yeah, until I get wrinkles or another gray hair..."

"I will, too, and I bet anything that you'll look more fantastic than me!"

Diane bursts out sobbing again. She twists around in his arms and buries her face into his shoulder while scooting closer into him and on his lap. "I miss my brother, Mitch...I should've died instead of him!"

"Don't say that! Why would you..."

"Mitch, um...he saved me...from being gang raped...when I was twenty-one. He knocked those bastards out good...to their deaths, but he was just...extremely angry...and his brain...it exploded! He was gone...within minutes," she explains in a wavery voice as he strokes her hair comfortingly with his lips on her crown. Diane gulps. "I was so alone...he really got me, you know? My friends understood what I was all about, too, but he...he was family. He didn't have to die because of me!" She pulls back from his embrace and notices a wet patch on his shirt where she'd sobbed into it. He glances down sadly at her. "I know we should share everything with each other...so I felt bad about never telling you...god, I'm such a mess!"

"It's okay, honey. I'm so sorry that happened." He brushes her tears off her jaw with his knuckles, but they continue to fall like rain down the sides of her face. "You didn't deserve that shit!"

"Also, I...after we kissed, I...I made Gloria feel uncomfortable by asking if she wanted to come to another triple date...dancing with Fahri...and she may not even be ready yet! I apologized for doing that, but she's fine with going. She was just caught off guard. I'm awful...I didn't even think about it from her perspective!" She whimpers and her breath catches a few times.

"No, you're not!" Charles lifts up her chin so she's looking up at him. "Hey, listen. I promise, you are the nicest, most considerate lady I've ever met. Anyone else probably wouldn't give it a second thought. You were probably just excited, and I'm sure she understands that."

"I guess so...even Aleida didn't say a word about it, and they're extremely close! I know, it's Aleida, yeah, but she's gotten better at that only giving a fuck about herself thing."

"See?"

"Yeah, babe. You do great at comforting me through my insecurities," Diane murmurs as he rocks her from side to side while humming.

"I'll pick you up if you're down, every time!"

"Thank you." She manages a tiny smile.

Charles sends a heart-melting grin back at her. "You're welcome."

* * *

"I wasn't sure whether to go Audrey Hepburn or leave my hair down," Lorna is saying as she comes into her room where Nicky is all ready in a white blouse, blue pencil skirt, sheer stockings, and tall black boots. Lorna is a vision in her usual made-up face, a sparkly red long-sleeved top, gray cardigan, tight black leather pants, and a pair of sexy stilettos.

Nicky grins at her cheerfully. "You're beautiful no matter what hair style you choose."

"Thank you." The brunette points to her shoes. "These are kitten heels, like Audrey Hepburn used to wear. Good thing Celeste Chapman isn't my grandmother, since she wouldn't approve of 'em...she's always hated this lady named Mary because she wears kitten heels."

"Well, I love nice high heels on you, they look hot! It would drive me wild if you were naked and only had them on."

Lorna winks at her. "I'll treat you with that fantasy tonight, after your NA meeting."

"Sweet! I'm so pumped." Nicky rolls off Lorna's bed and picks up a vase full of pink, white, and red roses that was hidden from her girlfriend's sight. She walks over to the tiny Italian and gives them to her, causing her eyes to twinkle with happiness. "For you, my lady."

Lorna beams and puts her nose into the petals. "Thank you, Nicky! They're lovely, as are you!"

Nicky grins back at her. "You're welcome, Lorna, and thanks for the compliment!"

"No problem." Lorna fluffs out her freshly curled hair in the mirror. "I'm goin' with a half pony," she decides aloud, and gathers some of her hair into an elastic. She leaves tendrils out to frame her pretty face, twists her hair around her fingers, and lays it on her shoulders so it hangs to her chest. She beams fondly at her reflection and Nicky comes up to her and embraces her from behind.

"You're a stunner," Nicky murmurs and then kisses Lorna's cheek and lips.

Lorna closes her eyes and brings Nicky's arms tighter around her as she blushes and a giddy smile crosses her face. "Mmm...I love when you do that."

"I'm happy showing affection to my girl, who obviously deserves it!"

"So do you."

They walk to the movies after they get off the bus. Lorna's excited and is now pulling Nicky toward the theater. They're running to it and Lorna is a ball of energy. Nicky adores that about her. _In fact, Nicky loves everything about her brunette girlfriend. She wants her to be Mrs. Lorna Nichols someday._

"Nicky, the tickets," she hears Lorna say faintly with a giggle. Nicky realizes she'd spaced out for about five minutes.

"Oh, right," Nicky stammers, pulling out money and handing it to the person at the counter. "Two tickets to see _The Exorcism_ , please."

The person eyes Lorna suspiciously. "Sure you're old enough to see this movie?"

Nicky chuckles and Lorna scowls. "I'm fifteen."

"I think she was joking," Nicky murmurs and then takes their tickets. Lorna takes hers from Nicky's hand and they get popcorn to share. Nicky leads Lorna to their theater and pushes the armrest out of the way. This is why Nicky is glad to watch a horror movie. She predicts Lorna is the type of girl to cuddle up when she's scared, though Nicky would never tell her that. The dim light makes Lorna's face look even sexier. Lorna places the popcorn between them, but Nicky knows it'll probably get knocked over during the movie.

Sometime during the film, Nicky's arm goes over her small shoulders and she relaxes. Lorna eyes meet hers for a split second and she scoots closer to her. A loud scream and a crash is heard from the movie and Lorna jumps. The girl on the screen is positioning herself in weird ways that has Lorna covering her eyes and peeking between two fingers. Nicky holds the small Italian protectively against her and she sighs contentedly. Nicky's fingertips trail down Lorna's arm a few times and she seems to relax even more. "It's okay, doll, we can go if you want," Nicky whispers.

"No, it's not that scary-oh my God, did you see that?" Lorna almost shrieks as the girl's head turns fully around. Lorna lays her face against Nicky's chest and Nicky brings her hand to the back of Lorna's head and strokes her hair. She grabs Nicky's hand and never lets it go through the whole movie. Lorna's tight grip on her hand loosens slightly as soon as the movie is over. She gasps in shock when the screen suddenly goes black and then fades to the credits. Nicky guides her out of the dark theater. "Hope I don't get nightmares tonight," Lorna mutters to herself.

"Well, it was a good movie to watch around Halloween," Nicky comments.

"I know," Lorna agrees.

When they exit the theater, a chill runs through the both of them and Nicky sees her holding her thin sweater tighter around her body. She shrugs out of her jacket and hands it to Lorna.

"I'm f-fine, Nicky," she stutters, but her teeth are chattering and Nicky can see goosebumps forming on Lorna's arms.

"Lorna, you're freezing. Please, I insist!"

"I d-don't want you to get c-cold..."

"I won't, don't worry!" Nicky helps Lorna into her jacket and she sighs from its warmth. Nicky laughs when she sees that the bottom of her jacket reaches Lorna's knees and the arms have to be rolled up five times to fit her tiny frame.

"What can I say, I'm short," she says, giggling. That giggle is going to be the death of Nicky, if not Lorna.

"Yeah, you really are! I had a blast!" Nicky slings her arm around Lorna's waist and they walk back to the bus together to head to NA.

"I did, too!"

As soon as they get into the meeting, Nicky sees a slightly older African American man who appears to be in his twenties, walking with a limp and pressing his hand to his side, and he seems to be in excruciating pain. Nicky is well aware that he'd been shot dead, but he closely resembles RJ. Even though she hadn't known the guy well enough to picture him perfectly, he had come home every night for dinner, and she can tell it actually _is_ him. "RJ?!" she asks before her brain can catch up with her mouth.

"Shh!" he hisses while narrowing his eyes at her. A terrified look crosses his features.

Lorna stands to her feet. "Hey, don't talk to her like that!"

Nicky sits down next to him and Lorna goes to her other side. "It's fine, Lorna." She looks over at RJ. "We thought you were dead!" she says in a much quieter voice.

"I'm supposed to be...I survived my gunshot wounds, limped away hours later, fainted and hit my head...then, I woke up from a month-long coma in the hospital. I then had to replace my own body with an actual corpse and start a new life in the Bronx, so that motherfucking cop won't find me again." Nicky and Lorna gasp sharply. "He attempted to kill me! I can't ever go back to Harlem. I think Vee had a hit out on me because I was doing my own deals behind her back. I'm not sure if I should tell Taystee, because she was so stupid about that bitch. I'm really trying to stay away from drugs. I'm a new man now, starting a new life...and college tomorrow. I've even got a girlfriend." He tilts his head towards a Latina with a slightly rounded stomach, indicating that she's pregnant, and waves at her. She returns the gesture. "Her baby isn't mine, the idiot father's in prison, but I'mma take care of both Margarita and her child."

"Whoa," is all Nicky can comment.

"Cesar's other woman?" Lorna asks awkwardly.

"She don't love him anymore and she never visits that punk. His main lady with low-self-esteem does, though."

"Oh, wow...I didn't know Aleida had those issues," Lorna mumbles. "I don't advise you to reveal yourself to Taystee because she's still loyal to Vee, and would tell your satanic foster mother the good news that you're alive after all."

"She sobbed at your funeral, and so did Vee, but I guess those were fake tears," Nicky mutters.

"Yeah, that cunt could act," RJ says bitterly. "Does Taystee still visit my grave?"

"Of course," Nicky replies gently. "She was devastated the night Tricia and I left, just after you were thought to be murdered. Look man, you should stay far away from Taystee and continue to act as if you're six feet under. She goes to Martin Van Buren High to retake English, and you know where she works, right?"

"Shake Shack, Storky's, and Pizza Hut," he recites off the top of his head. "I got a disguise for when I go out into the world, a hat and sunglasses so I look like any other black dude on the street with his girl, who happens to be pregnant. That way, Vee and her cop buddy don't got a chance of recognizing me, and neither will Taystee or the other girls, like Suzanne, Janae, and Cindy. I won't even speed or litter, so I don't catch police attention. I ain't goin' out after dark, and I'm only taking morning and afternoon classes at the Bronx Adult Learning Center."

Nicky claps his back lightly and they smile at each other. "Good plan, bro. I hope Taystee sees what a monster Vee is soon, though!"

"Thanks, sis. Me too!"

"This! This is why I hate drugs!" Lorna states. "I've never used as much as a cigarette. Aleida goes there too for school, so maybe you two could strike up a friendship. She's like you, in the way that she's trying to stay sober and succeeding."

"Cool. Are you here to support Nicky? Margarita and I are doing this together."

"How sweet is that? Yeah, we're girlfriends! Aleida goes to these meetings, too, but she's so good at staying off heroin that she never needs to come, except for when she wants to give speeches and receive her milestone chips."

"I'm just here for motivation," Nicky says. "I'm proud to say that I've been clean for about three weeks now!"

"Congratulations to you both."

"Thanks," they reply in unison.

* * *

"Why don't you like not-sugar, Leon?" Benny asks in the middle of Aleida and Leon taking turns reading him and Christina _I Love Saturdays/Y Domingos_. Daya is changing Emiliano's diaper while Gloria does Julio's.

A pained expression crosses Leon's face. "A couple of years ago, someone I loved very much went to Heaven because of it."

"Ohh..." Benny responds sadly. He, Christina, Daya, Gloria, and Aleida give Leon sympathetic looks. The children continue flipping through the book, fascinated by the pictures and reading silently to themselves.

Aleida is shocked that her boyfriend had never told her. "Who?" she wants to know.

"Well, uh...my friend, Rosalita Pontz. She was...addicted to the stuff, she always wanted it. She'd committed armed robbery...that's taking things that don't belong to you...and I told her she'd get eleven years in jail if she was caught. She stopped for a while, the stealing and not-sugar, but then she had a relapse and we got into a huge fight. I was about to ask her to date me, when these bad people killed her while zooming past us in their car. They had definitely taken not-sugar." Leon sighs heavily and Aleida feels horrible for him, but she can't help but be jealous that he used to make some other chick's life better with him in it. _At least now, they're even. She's not the only one hung up on somebody._ He looks around at everyone in the room and draws Aleida closer to his side while pecking the top of her head a few times. "I thank God every day that you didn't suffer the same fate, Lei."

"Rosalita...that's a pretty name," Aleida mutters. "I'm real sorry you lost her. She was lucky to have you."

"I couldn't protect her...I failed!"

Aleida squeezes his hands and reaches up to kiss his lips. "You did your best, just like you're doin' with me!"

"I apologize that I never mentioned it at the triple date. It's just too raw, even after two years."

"Oh...it's okay." After kissing and hugging all of the kids good night, the adults and Daya walk out and Gloria heads into the bathroom to wash her face. Aleida and Leon go into their bedroom. "Does it hurt to remember her?" she wonders aloud as they get under the sheets and face each other.

"Yeah. I think about her from time to time if I see a drive by shooting in the news or hear about one in a movie, television show, or song." Leon brushes his knuckles against her cheek and then threads his fingers through her hair. As she scoots closer to him and drapes her arm over his waist, she can see the sadness in his eyes. A stray tear trickles down his cheek and she wipes it off with the pad of her thumb. Noticing how he's so upset about this breaks Aleida inside, not only because Rosalita was the chick he'd always wanted to be with, but also since he's hurting, which is actually the current situation. Rosalita is long gone, and logically, Aleida doesn't have any competition. "You remind me of her...that's part of why I'm so drawn to you. I mean, I liked you since we started flirting back and forth, but I wanted to work harder at helping you through your addiction. I was desperate to stop you from falling off the wagon."

"I was never hooked on drugs! In fact, I been sober most of the times I'm talkin' to you and I ain't been dangerous at all! It's really just Cesar," Aleida confesses, and his movements still as he exhales loudly. "I can't stop visiting him and cut him out of the picture entirely. He just so happened to abuse heroin and I packed it for him and his club of hoodlums." She slides her legs in between his and strokes the stubble on his jaw with her fingertips. He runs his hand down to the middle of her back and then up again.

"Well, that makes me more hopeful, that you're not a regular user and you weren't, ever. Also, you didn't give up your kids and you all had a roof over your heads."

"Nah...Daya was in foster care for a year 'cause I thought I couldn't handle being a single mother to a bratty four-year-old. I'm sorry, I know that sounds terrible of me to say, but...I was lousy! I missed her a lot, though...I was glad when she came back to me. The caseworker passed and the temp was an alcoholic."

"You cared about her, though, that's different."

"So, you pick girls who may need saving from themselves? That's okay...every dude wants a girl to need him. They wanna be the helper, the protector...and women like men like that!"

"My mom was young when she had me...fourteen, to be exact. I've always felt protective of the ladies in my life."

Aleida kisses his neck. "I love that about you. It sounds like Rosalita didn't deserve you as her man anyway. She cared about smack more than you."

"I didn't think I could move on until I met you, Lei. You gave me strength to do so."

"I thought I didn't do nothin' useful in this relationship. Like, when you met me, I was poor, uneducated, unemployed, a bad motha...while you had taken college, you got a good job, and you're hella fantastic with kids. I'm just learning...and I started college late...you got so much to offer me, but I...I don't," she admits regretfully.

"That's not true, baby...you're offering yourself! You have so many good qualities...you're an excellent listener, funny, sweet, caring in the way you look after others, and your beauty is timeless." He leans down to gently connect his mouth with hers. "I understand you had struggles before, but you have all of us now."

Aleida smiles so widely that her cheeks hurt and she kisses him back with more fervor. "Thank you...and hey, remember, I got your back, too! I never experienced loss of a loved one, but I can be there for ya. Maybe we can visit your could've-been woman soon, if you're okay with that? I'll even bring flowers, probably roses, since that would've been my nickname for her, had we been besties."

Leon holds her tightly, like he's afraid she'll fly away from him, and his lips are pressed to the spot below her eye. "Sure, it'd be nice!"

"Yo...you won't be able to get rid of me that quickly. I ain't never gonna die. I promise," she assures him.

Then, in the darkness and comfort of the bedroom that's now _theirs_ , and not just _hers_ , the couple makes out soundlessly, long and soft, with their fingers locked and bodies molded together. From here on out, she wants to provide him with much more comfort than usual.

* * *

After the meeting, Nicky and Lorna join Alex, Michelle, Flaca, and Maritza, for a triple date at Shake Shack, just to get fries for a late-night snack. They're in casual evening wear-jeans, boots, cute colorful tops, and leather jackets. Lorna and Nicky are too busy shoveling food into their mouths to really talk, so they listen to their friends shoot the shit. Alex is the only one who eats something more, which is a cheeseburger with a slice of tomato. "Mmm, delicious," she's saying between bites.

Michelle pops a fry into her mouth. "This is, too...nice and salty...and warm! So...you know I had fun with you last night," she murmurs while taking Alex's hand in hers. Lorna beams to herself at their cuteness. Her raven-haired friend blushes.

"Yeah...I did, too. Dancing with you was awesome...I can't wait for homecoming."

"Me neither. I liked meeting your mom, she's so much kinder than mine." They beam at each other while giggling and Alex skims her thumb across Michelle's knuckles a few times. "So, what'd you do today?"

"Um...nothing, really...except Gloria's aunt arranged a therapy thing and I went to it, along with the rest of our crew. Sorry I didn't invite you to come along...it would've been boring, anyway. All we talked about was horror movie-esque shit we've experienced in our lives. I didn't even wanna go, but my mom made me." Alex rolls her eyes. "It was so awkward, but I got through it. Gloria's aunt was really kind to us, and it actually helped, much to my pleasant surprise. In a way, I'm glad my mom coaxed me into attending."

"It's alright, though, I would've liked to be at your side."

"Thanks. You can go with me next time!"

"Okay, awesome!"

"How was your day?"

Michelle sets her chin on her fist. "Pretty uneventful...uh, Reema, my lab partner, came over and we badmouthed Mr. Davis and even drew devil horns and a beard on a picture of him that we'd printed from the Internet."

Alex chuckles. "Why?"

"He gave us real hard dumbass homework over the weekend, and we needed a good laugh!"

"Ohh! He had a thing for Ms. McCullough, I'm not sure if you knew. My mom knows all the teacher gossip."

"Ms. McCullough don't like him back," Maritza cuts in. "Girl, please, he just lusted after her boobs!"

"What an idiot," Alex mutters while shaking her head in disapproval. "Mr. Rikerson once asked my mom out, but she turned him down. He's nice and cool, but I don't want him dating her! It's weird to have your teacher as your stepdad or the guy your mom's seeing!"

"Yeah, but Diane was your teach last year," Michelle reminds her.

"Dude, she's my mom, it's different." Alex shrugs. "No judgements!" She pushes her slippery tomato back into her cheeseburger and takes another bite.

Michelle points a fry at Alex. "True. Yo, would you rather have your mom be with your teacher or coach, or somebody who all the high school girls are attracted to? Like, a third of my crew is into Leon, plus a few outsiders, like Cindy and that stupid white Nazi bitch whose grandma calls black people _fuckin' darkies_!"

"Jennifer's a pathetic loser," Alex grumbles after swallowing. "Uh...I dunno! Both situations are awkward! Maybe the second option, though, since Daya seems to be dealing okay. Besides, they won't be in high school forever, they'll get over him eventually. As long as it doesn't affect the relationship between him and my mom, it should be fine."

"I agree!"

Flaca grins. "Well, just to let y'all know, I'm done with my crush on Leon, 'cause I have Mari!" She twirls a lock of her short girlfriend's hair around her finger, and Maritza beams. "Also, outta mad respect for Aleida, and I don't want her kickin' my ass or nothin'! I told Daya all that, and she was super happy!"

Lorna gulps down her food. "Oh, good thing!"

Nicky clears her throat. "Fantastic!"

"Hey, Michelle...have you picked out your dress for next Friday?" Alex wants to know.

Michelle smiles at her. "Hell yeah, you?"

"I did." Alex grins and then explodes into giggles. She snorts behind her palm and her eyes widen.

"What?"

"Nothing...just randomly thinking about Mei Chang brushing her teeth with salt. That's so gross and weird, who does that? She was at the store when my mom and I went shopping with Charles."

"Well, Chang, for one!" Michelle chuckles. "I seriously cannot stand her. Ouija says she's annoying as fuck! She came into Chang's pharmacy for a pregnancy test, and Chang was all, _another whore, you're preggers too young_ while looking at her strangely! She did the same thing to Maria last year!"

"She did that to Daya, too," Lorna puts in.

"Weeeir-do!" Flaca comments in a singsong voice.

"Also, just plain rude!" Maritza adds.

"I went in there for pain meds. She said her fingers smell like an old tennis ball," Nicky informs them.

"Eeew!" the girls exclaim while cracking up.

"She's around Red's age, she'd fit in with the Golden Girls, but she doesn't think much of them and she completely disrespects us teens and even the younger adults, like my mom and her friends and Sophia and Crystal Burset." Alex scoffs.

"Chang is a nobody! Fuckin' friendless loser," Michelle grumbles.

"Hebei province of China in the seventies was probably a hell of a lot different than here in that same time period," Lorna murmurs.

"It was," Nicky confirms. Everyone looks at her questioningly. "You're talking to a history freak here!"

"She's passed by our school once and while Maureen and some others were playing basketball, she was hit in the head 'cause she walked straight in the middle of it!" Flaca says, and Maritza rolls her eyes. "They should've apologized, but like, look where you're goin', ya know?"

"Yeah," they all agree.

"Yo, we went on our date last night, and it was hella bomb, especially 'cause of that ABC's of You game we played," Maritza announces while pressing a light kiss on the inside of Flaca's wrist. "We tied, by the way. Just recently, Nichorello here were on theirs, to see _The Exorcist_ ," she reports while swinging her arms around Michelle and Nicky. "When are _you_ guys gonna have alone time?"

"Pretty soon, but we don't wanna rush things," Alex replies while gazing at Michelle with love in her green eyes.

"We officially met on Thursday," Michelle says dreamily.

"Right...it ain't even been a week yet!" Flaca points out.

Nicky, Lorna, Flaca, and Maritza begin talking about their individual dates. Maritza and Michelle have them all laughing after explaining what the ABC's of You game is.

"It sounds extremely adorable," Lorna comments. Nicky and Alex pretend it's too sappy for their tastes, but Lorna sees through their facades. She knows them too well. They're soft when it comes to girls they love.

"What you two been up to lately, besides the movies?" Michelle asks while her eyes travel between Nicky and Lorna.

"Nothing much," they answer at the same time. Lorna isn't sure that Michelle is a good secret keeper, so she doesn't want to tell her anything about RJ. It could get back to Taystee in a heartbeat and put an innocent person in danger.

"Oh, jinx!" Flaca calls out, and Nicky and Lorna start giggling together. She reaches across the table and strokes Maritza's cheek with her thumb. "You're super pretty, mi amor."

"Gracias, and you are too, you got a natural beauty," Maritza compliments her back while beaming.

Flaca beams. "¡Gracias!"

"Hey, hon," Lorna starts out while tracing Nicky's tattoo above her elbow. "You got amazing eyes." Nicky grins widely and dimples appear on her cheeks. "I ain't kiddin', I can't stop staring into 'em. Also, you're really adorable, I love your smile!"

"Thanks, baby! You sure know how to make a girl feel special. Lorna, you're so beautiful...always!"

"Thank you, Nicky!" They both stand up and exchange a heated liplock, and Lorna moans softly when Nicky nibbles on her bottom lip.

"Get a room!" Michelle complains.

This just makes Flaca and Maritza start kissing passionately. Alex groans. "Oh, come on!"

"Y'all claim to be lesbians before you ever tried dick, try some dick and see how that gayness disappears!" some idiot cuts in, and they turn around to face Joey, who looks pleased that he'd interrupted them.

"Straight men claim to be straight before they ever tried dick, try some dick and see how that straightness disappears!" Maritza fires back at him.

"Ohhh, burn!" Flaca snaps her fingers in front of his face. "Outta here, white boy." The girls flip him off until he leaves the burger joint at last.

They take the bus back to their houses since after going to Shake Shack, they'd ventured all the way to Manhattan and didn't want to bother anyone for a ride this late. On their way home, Lorna notices three tough-looking Spanish men boarding the bus. Since they're heading in the girls' direction, she spreads herself out by putting her purse across two seats beside them and laying completely down, with her head on her girlfriend's lap and her legs on Alex's knees. She smiles at Nicky threading her fingers through her hair. They're in the very back, so there's room for one more person to sit with them. Nicky is completely unaware of this, since she has her eyes closed and headphones on. She's cheerfully bobbing her head to her music while tapping her foot rhythmically. The rest of them, except Lorna, are equally distracted. Flaca and Maritza are heavily making out on another row of seats on one side of the bus with Flaca's broken leg outstretched and her crutches next to her, while Alex and Michelle are chattering away excitedly one seat down from Lorna. As the guys come closer and smirk at Lorna while waving, she taps Nicky frantically and kicks at Alex. She hates talking to strangers, but the rest of her crew, especially Nicky, is great at getting weird people to leave them alone.

"Huh...what?" Nicky grumbles.

Alex removes her elbow from Michelle's shoulder where it had been resting. "'Sup?"

"Some people we don't know are saying hi to me and giving me creepy grins, and I dunno why! Here they come now."

"It ain't just you...they're kinda doin' it to all of us, but me and Alex were trying to ignore 'em and act natural," Michelle informs Lorna. "They're givin' me the skeevies."

"Yeah, us, too," Flaca and Maritza say in unison as they break away from each other.

"Okay." Nicky pauses her music and yanks her earbuds out. She glances at the men curiously. "You're kinda freakin' my girls out here. They're not interested in speaking to you since they got no idea who any of you are."

"Oh, really?" One of them sits at the end of the row that's closest to Maritza, and the other two take spots beside Nicky, on another row. "I'll introduce myself, then. Duardo Velasquez. I'm the leader of the game. These are my sidekicks, Paco and Pepe." Duardo gestures to them. "Paco's a jokester, Pepe gets us places to make some H, and we're missing two of our packers. One's in the big house, while his little bitch has got a bodyguard for herself."

Lorna tenses up, since she recognizes their names from when Daya had mentioned that they're in a gang who used to work with Cesar, and Duardo is his cousin. The Latinas and Alex turn white as sheets. "Alright...cool, sorry to hear that," Alex says in a bored voice.

"Yo, we're just trying to chill here..." Flaca trails off when his beady eyes stare the group down.

"You see this?" Duardo lifts up his shirt to reveal his chest, and his cronies do the same. The six girls gasp at their tattoos that say _Gloria equals_ with a skull and crossbones underneath.

"Oh, that gave you quite a reaction, I see! Her boyfriend has the exact one! He and Cesar gave it to each other in the slammer," Paco informs them as Pepe and Duardo snicker. "Isn't that funny? I think it's hilarious."

"Gloria?" Lorna pipes up, attempting to play dumb. "Who's that?"

"Don't try to act stupid with us, girlie, we've watched you get into her car with some brats after trashing some dude's house," Pepe growls, and she shrinks further into Nicky's arms. Flaca tucks Maritza's head under her chest as she holds her protectively. Michelle cuddles closer to Alex, seeking comfort. "You're all familiar with her."

"Only thing is, we never see the snitching cunt around...when she's alone, at least. Aleida refuses to confess, and we got an ax to grind with her, too, but Cesar says she ain't worth it. She keeps saying it was a _random drug bust_...we supposed to believe that shit when Gloria hates Cesar's guts and actually threatened to turn us in upon her arrival?" Duardo chuckles slowly and creeps closer to Lorna and Nicky, forcing Lorna to move her things so he can be right between her and Alex, who is clutching the key that Charles had apparently made for her and Diane. She'd most likely use it as a weapon if need be.

"Hey, give us some space!" Michelle says loudly, probably trying to alert the driver, but the man at the wheel doesn't notice since the bus is so noisy. She groans while scratching her forehead and wincing.

"Yeah, we know nothin' of that night...except for the fact that Cesar got exactly what he fuckin' deserved!" Maritza adds with a scowl.

"Daya's family is actually functional now without that asshole," Nicky states strongly.

"Shut up, blondie!" Paco hisses. "Cesar's gotten away with murder before when they saw his gun in his pocket, and it can happen again once he figures out a way to escape, or he'll have us do it for him!"

"Just go away, please..." Lorna begs them meekly. She feels like crying, but she doesn't want to do it in front of them.

"It was Gloria, right?" Pepe asks harshly. "Admit it!"

"Nah, we ain't gonna sell her out when she didn't even do nothin'!" Flaca retorts and glares at them.

"You losers won't get anything out of us, so stop wasting our time and yours!" Michelle puts in furiously.

"So it _was_ her?" Duardo questions the girls while rubbing his hands together. An evil grin crosses his face. "Cesar should've shot that bullet right between her eyes...or through her lips and out the back of her head. Like... _whoosh_!" He imitates shooting himself in the mouth and then jerks his thumb backward from behind his head. "It would've solved our problem."

Lorna shivers and whimpers softly. Nicky shushes her while pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "No, you're dead wrong!" Maritza yells. "Gloria would've been too afraid with him pointing his gun at her, that's scary as fuck." She raises an eyebrow at him. "Think about it, _hombre_."

Alex nods and pushes her glasses up on her nose. "Mm-hm! It's called common sense. She wouldn't wanna aggravate him even more by calling the cops."

The bus comes to a stop. "You better be right, _putas_ ," Paco snarls threateningly as they finally get off. The friends sigh with relief when they're gone.

"Jesus, that was so fucked up," Nicky whispers.

"I ain't never gonna take a bus this late at night again...just because we got some creeps in jail, doesn't mean the police caught 'em all," Lorna mumbles shakily.

"Yeah...I'll certainly tell Charles about them," Alex lets the girls know. "There's no way any of us are safe with them lurking around the streets."

"How would we describe their appearances, like what they were wearing and shit?" Michelle wonders aloud.

"Don't worry, chica, I recorded it and everything!" Maritza jiggles the heavy bangle that's around her wrist and smirks. "We never know who we'll run into."

"You're a total fuckin' brainiac," Flaca murmurs and the girls hug Maritza while thanking her.

They go to Charles' apartment and Alex unlocks the door with her personal key. He's still up and watching television. "Hey, Charles, I'm home...is my mom in bed?" she asks quietly. The girls trail in after her.

"Mm-hm, she wanted to wait up for you, but she was getting exhausted, so I told her I'd stay awake and she could turn in." Charles frowns. "It's a school night, you should be sleeping, too."

"Sorry," Alex mutters sheepishly. "I didn't know we'd be out for this long." Lorna beams at the way Charles is acting like a real father to Alex.

"At least you gave us updates." He glances at them in concern. "Uh, what's wrong? Are you girls okay? You all look so alarmed."

"Actually, no. See, um...I don't wanna worry Mom about this or anything, but you know Cesar, right?" At Alex's question, Charles nods. "Well, his gang interrogated us on the bus about who snitched on him to the cops. They're trying to get us to say it was Gloria, but it wasn't. We actually don't know who...but according to Aleida, police were busting people randomly for drugs that night."

"Mari got it all on her big-ass bracelet," Flaca chimes in, and Maritza slides it off her wrist. She hands it to him.

"There's a built-in-camera. I wear it when I go out, for protection!"

Charles examines it. "Well, thank you for this! Did they hurt you in any way?" he asks worriedly.

"Nah," Michelle and Nicky respond in unison, and the others shake their heads no.

"We were really scared, though," Lorna admits.

"I'm so sorry, but good thing you're alright. I'll check this out, but I'll give you rides home first. Alex..." Charles tilts his head toward where Diane is asleep, and she nods to his unspoken order. After hugging the girls good night, wrapping her arms around Michelle the longest, she goes into the hall and takes a right.

Nicky asks him to take her and Lorna to the Morellos' place so Red doesn't freak out, Maritza goes to Flaca's house, and Michelle tries to insist on taking a bus, but Flaca and Maritza have her stay with them, since nobody wants her alone anymore, not after this.

Lorna's phone vibrates with a text, and it had been sent to her, Flaca, and Alex only. _Ask Daya, she knows everything and could help you out of this mess! Xo, P_

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, CoffeeWritingAddiction, Double99, and MinervaSnape394!**


	44. Lots of Love

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Happy Valentine's Day! Love you all! xoxo**

 **una semana-one week**

 **espere-wait**

 **Warning: catcalling and references to scary situations**

After Flaca receives the message from P, she slides her phone into her pocket. "Yo...we gotta talk to Daya about this. She was a witness to the whole thing!" She lets herself, Maritza, and Michelle into her apartment with her key and then closes and locks the door behind them.

"We can if you want, but she might be sleeping now...and whatever happened, we ain't gonna tell Duardo and his pack of beasts!" Maritza whispers, and Michelle nods in agreement. "I don't wanna get nobody in trouble."

"Of course not, but ain't y'all curious?" Flaca wants to know.

"Mm-hm, but look, my cousin knows this dude who's dating Pidge's sister, and he's a gang member. He and his crew could take those fools down easily!" Michelle informs them. "Lemme call her, my cuz, I mean."

"Alright, good luck," Maritza says.

"Yeah, what she said," Flaca mumbles.

"Thanks."

"Marisol!" Theresa exclaims in surprise when the girls walk into the living room on their way upstairs, and they jump. "¡Pensé que estabas en Maritza's!"

 **I thought you were at Maritza's!**

"Nah, queríamos venir aquí. ¿Cómo es que todavía estás despierto?" Flaca wonders aloud. She glances at Theresa in concern.

 **Nah, we wanted to come here. How come you're still up?**

Theresa holds up an article of half-finished clothing. "Trabajando."

 **Working.**

"¿No estás cansado? ¡Lo ves!"

 ** **Ain't you tired? You look it!****

"Sí, pero tengo una fecha límite. ¡La Señora Ramirez quiere esto mañana por la mañana!"

 **Yeah, but I got a deadline. Mrs. Ramirez wants this tomorrow morning!**

Flaca hugs her mother. She's so happy to be home and safe, but she feels bad that Theresa has to work so much. She wonders how Theresa has time to have a boyfriend. "Ah, vale. Espero que esté bien que Michelle duerma."

 **Oh, okay. I hope it's cool that Michelle sleeps over.**

Theresa smiles and pats Flaca's cheek while kissing the top of her head. "Está bien."

 **It's fine.**

"Kubra todavía está en el bar?" Flaca wonders aloud.

 **Kubra still at the bar?**

"Sí, pero debería estar en casa pronto. ¡Buenas noches, muchachas! Lots of love to you, Marisol!"

 **"Yeah, but he should be home soon. Good night, girls!**

Flaca grins. "Noche, mamá, yo también te amo!" **  
**

 **Night, Mama, I love you too!  
**

"Buenas noches," Maritza and Michelle chime in.

 **Good night**

Theresa waves at them with a pleasant expression on her features as they head up the stairs. Michelle starts dialing a number on her phone and she, along with Maritza, go into the bathroom for her call while Flaca rings up Daya in her bedroom. She also gets Alex and Lorna on the line and waits for them all to pick up.

"Hello, girls!" Lorna answers.

"I'm here, too," Nicky chimes in. "Vause, can you talk?"

"Hey back! Yeah, for a minute. Charles is gonna be home soon and I don't wanna disappoint him by staying up too much longer!"

"Yo...what's up?" Daya asks tiredly.

"Oh, sorry, were you asleep?" Flaca wants to know.

"Sorta, but it's cool...P said I was in trouble with y'all? I'm sure they're just trying to start shit!"

"They are, but they told us that you were aware of the whole story, when Cesar got arrested, like who turned him in. Is that true?" Lorna wants to know.

"Yeah, silly, I was there! Why is this being brought up all over again? It was a long-ass time ago!"

"At first, we thought Gloria got him thrown in prison, like after you guys went outside with the kids, dragging Aleida out, too, the way you explained it to us, but while we were on the bus going home from our triple date, Cesar's band of douchebags tried to spook us into admitting that she narced on him...we protected her, of course, by saying we didn't know shit. They told us that Aleida explained there was a random drug bust, but they don't buy it!" Alex reports. "They literally have gang tattoos on their bodies, about wanting Gloria dead! They've been stalking us all! They didn't yell or pull out guns on us, but it was still scary as fuck!"

"Nobody picked up, so I left a voicemail," Michelle tells Flaca in a hushed voice as she and Maritza come into Flaca's bedroom. They sit on either side of Flaca.

"What'd you find out?" Maritza wants to know.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Duardo thinks it was Gloria who snitched, he's terrorizing all of Gloria's people, it seems, not just my mom. He confronted her outside her school, until Leon stopped him in his tracks and that was the reason for the alarm system. It was me," Daya admits weakly, and everyone gasps softly. Maritza's eyes widen in horror and she and Michelle exchange frightened glances. Flaca's heart slows at the thought of one of her best friends being found out somehow. She can sense the fear and anguish in Daya's voice. "I...I caused everyone so many problems...but I was only protecting Gloria and the kids and I never wanted to see him again!" Daya tells them tearfully.

"Oh my goodness," Lorna says quietly. "I understand that, completely!"

"Jesus..." Nicky mutters. "Charles is working on finding 'em, but your whole family needs witness protection at this moment! I swear to God, we put some pieces of shit away, but more assholes are showing up. It's like a fucked up game of Pokémon." Nicky scoffs. "Gotta catch 'em all!"

"It's all my fault they bothered you..." Daya mumbles and then hiccups. "I'm such an idiot! People at school are right...my family _is_ full of criminals!"

"Nah, they ain't your fam, Daya!" Flaca insists. "Don't blame yourself, okay? You did somethin' dangerous, but it was for the good of your _familia_. Getting Cesar outta y'all's lives was the most awesome thing that ever happened! Aleida's much better, she's got a great man who's like your dad now, basically, and you...well, we never seen you so happy at home after that night."

"They didn't do nothin' to us, so you don't gotta worry about our safety...we were just wondering, and now we know," Maritza pipes up. "Charles is taking care of it."

"Yeah, or my cousin's friend can get his gang to wipe 'em out!" Michelle chimes in. "By the way...how did Cesar end somebody and not get caught, even when cops discovered he had the gun on him?"

"He got off on a technicality, and they did somethin' wrong in the investigation, probably mishandled evidence...I have no idea, really," Daya mutters.

"If Duardo and his buddies wanted to kill you guys, they would've done it already, like with a bomb or fire! It's been a bit over a month!" Alex points out.

"You don't know 'em...see, Duardo is determined to get Cesar back onto the streets with their crew, and he's gonna make sure they have the right target, so they gotta corner everyone the person, Gloria in this case, knows. They don't just murder without thinking. They ain't come to me yet since they been in hiding, but I make sure never to be alone. I got no idea why I didn't tell you, just as a warning...but maybe I thought they'd only bug me and Aleida and Gloria." Daya sighs. "We probably gotta make an announcement at school now, shit!"

"We were all together, safety in numbers, like my mother and Franny say," Lorna mumbles. "I was freakin' out, but I dunno how the others kept it together. Sure, we can do that, spread it around, so everyone's aware. Gloria pretty much associates with everyone there, since she's one of the kitchen ladies and all! Our fellow students wouldn't have a clue, anyway, but we just wanna prepare 'em."

"Maybe just tell the people who Gloria actually interacts with a lot, since Charles wants to keep my mom out of it, and quite frankly, I'd like to, as well. She'll freak out and be way too overprotective!" Alex declares.

"Oh, okay, so that's basically just Blanca, Maria, and their boyfriends," Nicky states.

"Yep!" Daya responds.

"Could I also tell my girls?" Michelle wants to know. "Pidge would find out anyway, since her sister's goin' out with my cousin's homie, and I'd rather announce it myself than her blabbing to Ouija and Zirconia without permission. If you're not okay with that, I'll tell Pidge to keep her mouth shut. Those bitches love to gab."

"Nah, it's cool, go ahead, but _only_ them!" Daya replies.

"Uh, what about Fahri?" Alex wants to know. "Gloria talks to him quite a bit, he told me."

"Okay, that's fine. I'm havin' my mom and Leon be aware of this, too. The more adults, the better. You don't have to make it known to your moms, Red, or Franny, but Flaca, you can tell Kubra. I'm gonna let Adarsh in on this."

"We should inform Frieda, Taslitz, Norma, and Claudette, too," Nicky says.

"Fuck it!" Lorna exclaims. "We'll tell everybody and make sure Diane and Red aren't present during lunch! Here, I got an idea...Alex, you have Charles take Diane out, while Nicky, you convince Red that Tricia really needs her, and then you can go with her. You don't need to give Tricia full details, but make up something, like we're planning a huge surprise for Red in the kitchen's backroom, which we really will do since I can't think of any other excuses."

"Ahh, that sounds great!" Flaca comments excitedly.

"Yeah, it really does!" Maritza squeals.

"Alright, I'm down, babe," Nicky tells her girl.

"Me too, it's an awesome plan," Alex agrees.

"I love it," Michelle assents happily.

"So do I," Daya murmurs. "Can I make the announcement, though?"

"Sure!" Lorna allows.

"Great, thanks!"

"Well, I'mma let y'all go, since we need our beauty sleep!" Flaca says. "See you in the mornin'!"

"Bye!" the girls say to each other.

A quiet knock sounds on the outside of Flaca's door, so she goes to answer it. "Oh, hey, Kubra! We're just going to bed now! Don't tell Mom we stayed up a bit past our bedtime!"

He grins. "No need to worry, you were on the phone and I didn't want to interrupt you...and it can be our secret!"

"Thanks, dude! You're awesome!" Flaca tells him brightly. "Did you, um...hear everything, on my end, at least?"

"Just barely, how come?"

"Another thing we gotta keep from Theresa," Maritza starts out.

Michelle stands back as Flaca and Maritza have him come into Flaca's bedroom and shut the door. The girls sit on Flaca's beanbag chairs while Kubra takes a spot on her neatly made bed. They let him know of all the details about their encounter with the shady characters on the bus, and that if any of them corner him, blaming it on Gloria, he's to stick to the story that there was a random drug bust. He agrees to do this, and bids them good night.

He pokes his head in through the door about a second later. "Alex was there?"

"Yep," Michelle replies stiffly. She's closest to him since she had showed him out. "Why?"

"Just making sure I'm not going deaf!" He chuckles at himself and then leaves.

"He's getting super old!" Flaca comments, and then she and Maritza both laugh.

"I guess so!" Maritza adds, and Michelle joins in on their continuous giggling.

* * *

As soon as Daya closes her flip phone, it vibrates. Immediately, she begins shaking all over again when she reads her newest text. _It'd be a shame if anything happened to your perfect little family...kisses, P_

Underneath the words, is a group picture from when they took Gloria out to celebrate her freedom, and Daya had never noticed it before, but there is a looming, shadowy shape in the background, slightly behind Gloria and her sons. She was going to tell Aleida and Leon that Duardo and his cronies had returned tomorrow morning since they're currently sleeping, but she decides to do it now since she's so afraid and creeped out by P's message. It has to be someone working with Duardo that she doesn't know.

Daya gets out of her bed on trembling feet and tries to keep her balance as she makes her way to her mother's bedroom that she shares with Leon. She opens the door and it creaks. She's quiet as she tiptoes to Aleida's side of the bed. "Ma!" she whispers, gently nudging her. "Leon!" She taps him lightly. "Guys, wake up!"

"Mmm?" Aleida rubs her eyes open. "Yo, I was havin' a good dream!"

"I'm sorry, but...please, just for a second, I gotta tell ya somethin'!"

Leon grunts and rises into a seated position. "What? Why are you so frantic?"

"There's an emergency here! They came back...Duardo, Paco, and Pepe...demanding that my friends tell 'em Gloria ratted out Cesar, when she didn't! Flaca, Maritza, Lorna, Nicky, Alex, and Michelle, were all on the bus after a triple date when they saw those motherfuckers, and Charles is handling it, or Michelle's cousin's buddy will make sure they're dead. The girls were just like, quaking in their boots, literally, even though the monsters were eerily calm...and I feel so awful! I told my friends I got Cesar behind bars."

"What the fuck?" Aleida hisses. "They even goin' after your girls? I thought for _sure_ they weren't gonna be around no more!"

"Yeah...but until they're gone for good, I'mma spread it around at school, when Diane and Red aren't present, at least, since Alex and Nicky don't want the women to worry about 'em. Gloria's gotta be with somebody at all times, wherever she goes!"

"I'm going to confront them myself with a gun in hand!" Leon proclaims. "Charles will probably figure out where exactly they spend most of their days, so we'll both get rid of 'em, and enlist Fahri's help, too!" He helps Aleida sit up, and she leans against him while patting the area beside her so Daya can join them.

"You don't even own one!" Daya whispers. She's happy that he's being protective over them, and she knows he'll only use a weapon for appropriate reasons. He's shown nothing but kindness during the time she's known him, even when the children misbehave.

"I'm buying one...I'll protect this family at all costs. There is no way they're ever gonna find out the real truth, Daya, I guarantee you."

"That's real nice, babe, but don't do nothin' stupid. I can't have you in jail, too," Aleida murmurs. "Too many people are loyal to Cesar and the others...even _I_ don't know 'em all. They hide and then snitch that you killed 'em, and you don't even know how you got caught and are now serving a life sentence for murder...twenty years for self defense if you're lucky!"

"Charles is a cop...he would never let that happen, and the gun would just be used as a threat if they happen to pull one of theirs on us," Leon assures her.

"I swear to God, if they ever show their faces to people I care about again, I'mma just say it...sell myself out!"

"Dayanara, no!" Aleida snaps.

"Yeah, we won't allow it," Leon adds while shaking his head.

Aleida holds Daya's face and kisses her cheek and then grabs her hands while squeezing them gently. "You ain't gonna do that shit! I can't afford to lose you, nena...especially to those bastards! Please, promise me you won't! They are _hella_ violent to traitors! You'll be nothin' but a bled-out corpse when they're done with you."

Daya shudders at this and gulps. "Yeah, but it'll end all the accusations and Gloria won't be in danger no more," she responds hopelessly. "I...I don't want her to die...because of somethin' that ain't even her doing! I love her too, you know."

Aleida strokes Daya's hair and sniffles. She can see a teardrop glistening in the corner of her mother's eye in the moonlight streaming through the window. "We all do...and we wanna do our best to make sure that she's safe. However, it ain't worth it to confess! Just continue to repeat that it was police bustin' people for drugs. Say it over and over, and pretty soon, they'll be finished and finally believe that. Eventually, you get tired of questioning everybody when they've all replied with the same thing."

"Oh yeah...that makes sense. Hey...why are you crying?"

"I get real emotional when I think of you getting hurt." Aleida chokes and exhales shakily. "Or worse! I love you. Girl, you're my daughter! I'm supposed to go first, okay?" She wipes her hand across her eyes and Leon rubs her back soothingly while smiling down at her and Daya. "Also...think of your baby! You wanna protect him or her, too!"

A lump grows in Daya's throat at how sweet Aleida is being. She wouldn't have recognized the woman currently across from her even two months ago. "Alright," she mumbles while blinking back tears. Aleida gathers her in her arms and Daya turns around in her mother's embrace, feeling warm and secure inside. "You got a point, Ma. Thanks for lookin' out for me. I love you, too."

Aleida rubs her upper arm softly. "Yo, it's what a motha does! No need to thank me. So...how come you're gonna tell every damn person at school? It ain't their business...they can't do nothin' about it anyway."

"I know, but the way Lorna explained it was this...basically, if you're pre-warned, you're prepared for anything. It's better than leaving people in the dark. We'll warn 'em, tell 'em not to worry."

"Oh, good idea, then!"

"Your mom and I are gonna make sure you and everyone else in this apartment are safe." Leon's protective words strike joy in Daya. She hasn't exactly hung out with Leon as much as Benny and Julio do, but he's being like the dad she's always wished for. It's why she lets go of Aleida, reaches over her, and hugs him around his neck for the first time ever. He slowly puts one arm around her and pats her shoulder.

"Thank you," Daya mumbles and then they pull back from each other.

"You're welcome," he replies sincerely.

Beaming, she slides off their bed and stands on the floor. "Night!"

"Sweet dreams!" Aleida blows her kisses.

"Good night," Leon puts in with a grin.

Daya nods and then skips off to her own room in high spirits. She'll talk to Adarsh tomorrow, since he's in bed at the moment, and her friends, Aleida, and Leon had done so well at comforting her. She can really picture Leon physically defending her against Cesar and his cronies, just as Aleida protected her from John and Mendez, and like Charles had done for Alex and Diane against Humps and Dixon, and she just smiles to herself. They're all still on edge, but good things are happening.

* * *

"No! No...oh, _god_ , no! Don't leave me here!" Lorna is begging someone in her sleep, obviously having a nightmare. She's tossing and turning while bumping into Nicky a few times, waking her up. It's two in the morning and the blonde is dead tired, but she doesn't care in the least. She's going to comfort her girl. "Please...I need to see her! You let me the fuck outta here!" Lorna pounds her fists into the mattress beside her as Nicky moves slightly so she doesn't get hit by accident and Lorna has to feel guilty about another thing that isn't her fault.

"Lorna...baby, you're okay," Nicky tries to coax her out of her bad dream. She holds both of Lorna's hands in her own and massages them gently. "Hey..."

"Let go of me!" Lorna shrieks, flipping over, and Nicky stops her from rolling off the bed, but releases her at the same time. Instead, she puts her arm over Lorna's body, but doesn't completely touch her. She starts humming a tune while playing with Lorna's hair. Her actions stop the violent thrashing, at least, and Lorna breaks off into quiet sobs. She cuddles back into Nicky's side. "I'm real sorry, Nicky! I should've gone down there with you..."

"What? Where?"

"Nicky?" she asks incredulously. Lorna reaches up to brush her knuckles against Nicky's cheeks. "I'm not imagining shit this time?"

"No, babe, I'm right here," Nicky assures her girlfriend. "You were just having a nightmare...or was it a flashback?"

"I had a real bad dream," Lorna confirms, and Nicky combs her fingers through her brunette locks soothingly. "We were older, like in our early thirties or late twenties...separated...and we said goodbye to each other, and I...I think it was forever. You were stuck in some bunker while I was getting taken to prison. I was on a bus, alone and pregnant...searching for you, but you weren't there! I was trying to get out...banging on the window..." Lorna starts crying all over again. "You told me to go...then I left...and we never saw each other again..."

Nicky's heart breaks painfully at the mere possiblity of any of this coming true. "Fuckin' depressing. I would never tell you something like that...I don't want you to leave me...especially if you're with child and gonna have nobody watchin' out for ya!" She places her hands on either side of Lorna's face and kisses her softly.

"I know, but I had to...I just need a real long hug...as in, lasting all night."

"Oh, Lorna..." Nicky pulls the Italian into her arms and holds her close while pressing her lips into her brown hair. "Was this about the confrontation recently?"

"A whole bunch of things triggered it," Lorna mumbles. "Like...the fact that I actually did go to jail, thought I had a bun in the oven, we almost didn't fall in love, and that was one scary bus ride! How were you...not terrified?" she questions Nicky, her voice quivering. "Is it 'cause you're more street smart than anyone, you were homeless for three years, and you can fend off bad guys?"

"Well, first, Duardo and his pack were unknown to me, so I had no reaction to their names or faces. Uh...I...I suppose I was, a little nervous, but I tried not to show it," Nicky clarifies. "I was trying to act calm about it and be strong for you girls. Besides, uhhh...I kinda knew they wouldn't do anything on a bus with the driver there to hear us screaming."

Lorna exhales shakily. "The driver didn't seem to give a fuck."

"That's 'cause they never even raised their voices or took out any weapons! It was creepy...but we're all okay. I promise."

"I'll take your word for it!"

* * *

"That's like, super sad, you were apart from your one true love!" Flaca tells Lorna after she explains her terrible dream the following morning at school, and Alex and Michelle agree. Alex feels sorry for Lorna, since what they had experienced had really traumatized the smallest girl in their clique.

"Yeah, I can't imagine losing you, Flaca," Maritza chimes in and then squeezes the taller girl's hand.

Flaca turns to Maritza. "Me neither...I'd miss you way too much!"

"I'd be so devastated," Alex murmurs.

"Luckily, it isn't real!" Nicky swings her arm around Lorna as they walk with their hair bouncing.

"True dat, homie!" Michelle says. She turns to Alex. "Hey, your tattoos are da _bomb_! Your pain tolerance must be super high, though, how many you got?"

"I'll show you later," Alex whispers since she can feel her friends' eyes on her, even though she and Michelle are strolling along way ahead of them. "Come to Maritza's guesthouse after school? That's where my friends and I go if we wanna be alone."

"Sure! Is Fahri back today?"

"Mm-hm. I'm gonna go say hi!"

"Cool. I'll hang out with my other crew in the meantime!"

"Have fun!" They embrace for a few seconds, and then disperse in different directions.

"Thanks!" Michelle calls out with a bright smile, and Alex returns it. She goes to the backroom where Red, Claudette, and Norma are setting up for breakfast and waves hello, and they greet her back with grins.

"Is Fahri here yet?" Alex wonders aloud.

"He should be almost done cleaning toilets," Red answers as she breaks some eggs and scrambles them. Norma puts oil in the pan and turns on the burner.

"Awesome! Daya isn't here yet, so neither are Gloria and Aleida, clearly."

"We know, they always show up last!" Claudette mutters while cutting the ham, and Norma shrugs.

"They've got all their kids to take to their various schools, that's why!" Fahri reminds the elder woman while taking off his rubber gloves, throwing them away, and coming out of the bathroom. "Alex, is that you?" he asks teasingly.

"Hey, Fahri!" Alex says excitedly and then they exchange a quick hug. "How was your-" She cuts herself off when she notices a shiny ring on a particular finger that signifies that he's actually wearing a wedding band. "What the fuck is that on your hand?!" she practically shouts, all traces of cheerfulness gone. She really is hoping it's all a joke and he'll take it off while laughing at her that she fell for it. The older women stare at them in confusion.

"Oh, shit," Red mutters while rolling her eyes. "Men are stupid!"

Claudette grits her teeth. "Should we get Frieda now?"

A wicked expression crosses Norma's face as she nods her head yes. Alex's eyes widen as they start to leave. She blocks the exit. "Hey! No need for dramatics...he and Gloria aren't even dating. Let him answer my question."

"I have a good explanation, I swear! Just hear me out, please!" Sheer panic is written all over his features.

Alex raises an eyebrow and purses her lips while folding her arms tightly across her chest. "You better put that in your pocket before Gloria and Aleida arrive." She's satisfied that he's already doing it. "I'm waiting for you to talk, man."

"I was...I was gonna tell you in private. I freaked out...I wouldn't ever want to hurt Gloria, but this partner I had, she was forcing herself on me, even tricking me into getting engaged to her. She asked, and I said no, but then, she told me she was pregnant...and I have to support her. We didn't have sex at all, the baby isn't mine, but her husband left her, so I felt bad for her. I want to be there for her and the baby."

"You're a good guy," Alex grumbles. This still doesn't feel right, but she doesn't have much time to dwell on it since Gloria and Aleida are just coming in.

* * *

"Okay, ladies and gents, we are gonna start reading _Holes_ today!" Diane announces and gives out the copies of the book to the students in the first row. "Pass those back, please! The main character is fourteen, just like most of you guys!" She has her wavy hair all the way down and it's shiny and full of volume, more so than usual, and she's in a casual purple dress with a floral pattern. She can't stop smiling. It's the happiest Lorna has ever seen Alex's mother.

"Oh my goodness, yes!" Lorna squeaks. "I adored the movie! Katherine and Sam's love story was so beautiful! She had her peaches, he gave her onions...I cried when he was always tellin' her he could fix stuff that was broken. You know, Piper showed it to me and Daya 'cause we're such hopeless romantics, and Alex just watched it 'cause of Sigourney Weaver...I mean, she _is_ pretty, but I was more focused on the love that transcended racism in the eighteen-eighties. They were gonna lynch him, he was African American, and, well, I know she murdered the men she smooched when he was shot in the lake and she was saved, of course, because she was white, but really, all she wanted to do was die, because he did. They even tried to run away together. I was sobbing, like I could hardly watch it through my tears!" Lorna fans herself and beams when she receives the paperback novel. "Oh, and Stanley and Hector's friendship was so heartwarming!" Her reaction causes a small smile to dance across Maritza's lips. The beautiful pink, white, and red roses in a vase on Diane's desk also play a factor in why Maritza and Lorna are so happy. Lorna suspects that Diane and Charles have finally taken the next step in their relationship, by the way Diane is talking, beaming, and not being able to take her eyes off the flowers he'd probably gotten for her without blushing. Judging by the side-eye and grin Maritza gives Lorna, the Latina is presumably thinking the exact same thing.

"Kissin' Kate Barlow is my fuckin' hero," Diane murmurs. "I'd name my kid after her, if I had another one. It's part of why I picked this book. Let's start on chapter one."

"Oh yeah, you kinda remind me of her, except that she's blonde and she taught elementary schoolers!" Maritza points out.

"Exactly."

"Okay, so Charles _definitely_ bought Diane that lovely bouquet!" Lorna begins as she and Maritza are halfway down the hall to meeting Alex. They squeal happily while linking arms.

"For sure!" Maritza agrees and then squeaks. "It's super cute! You think they lip-locked yet? I bet they did!"

"Yes! Oh my goodness, I just _know_ she's staying in for lunch with him!" Lorna gasps. "There's Alex now! Come on, we gotta tell her!" They both run up to their taller friend.

"Your mom got flowers from Charles!" Maritza blurts out.

"Really?" Alex quirks up a perfectly shaped eyebrow over her glasses.

"We never lie about romantic things, Alex!" Lorna insists, but then backtracks. "I don't anymore."

"He's given her pink roses before, at the triple date, remember?" Alex braids one of her blue tips.

"It wouldn't hurt to go in at lunch and check to see if they've already become more than friends," Maritza advises Alex.

"Mm-hm, there were more colors, like red and white. She was practically _fingering_ them, with how close she was standing by the petals!" Lorna piles on giddily while bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Also, she's having us read _Holes_ , and in it, the couple is Katherine, a white teacher and Sam, an African American man, just like her and Charles, _and_ , one last thing...she _loves_ Katherine!" Maritza lets Alex know. "She'd even call her next child after that character."

"She chose the book because it's about her _role model_ in an _interracial relationship_ , which she can _totally_ relate to!" Lorna stresses.

"Okay, I'll ask her," Alex tells them, and they both let out short shrieks of joy while hugging her.

* * *

"Man, you're such a MILF!" Joey comments as he gets some food from Gloria. It creeps her out tremendously, but she ignores it and attempts silencing him with a glare, but he just snickers. Aleida gives him the finger, and he still doesn't stop with his jeers towards Gloria. "Hey, Pete, Chris, I was served by Hot Pants today!" he hollers, and then his stupid friends start guffawing, hooting, and hollering wildly.

"Don't pay those idiots any mind," Red mutters while leading her away from the unwanted attention.

Gloria sighs and wipes her sweaty forehead. "Yo, I gotta serve, though!"

"Look at her wide ass!" Pete shouts, and then a bunch of guys around them start sniggering boisterously.

"It's so round!" Joey wolf-whistles. "Shake it for us, you MILF! I wanna smack that ass!"

Pete doubles over cackling. "No wonder Mr. Dixon called her _Hot Pants_!"

"You motherfuckers best be careful, or I'mma put my knee in you where it _really_ hurts!" Aleida threatens them while slamming a tray down on the counter.

"That's right, we are motherfuckers, because Hot Pants is a mother we'd love to fuck!" Joey declares while thrusting his hips toward where Gloria and Aleida are working. The girls aren't here yet, and Gloria is relieved that they don't have to see this or hear the assholes' remarks.

"Shut the fuck up!" Gloria yells. Unfortunately, it's way too noisy. Her voice grows hoarse when she repeats what she's just commanded them to do at a higher volume. "Stop it!"

A thunderous boom sounds on one of the tables, and Gloria jumps and sees that Fahri has just banged it with his two bare hands. Surprisingly, everyone is now quiet, even the students who weren't being crude. At this moment, Daya and her posse come in. "One more lewd word about Gloria, and I'll be speaking to your parents, each and every one of them!" he announces sternly, but sends Gloria a friendly, apologetic smile, and she beams gratefully. Everyone except the douchebags cheer-Daya, Gloria, and their friends the loudest.

"Thank you," Gloria tells Fahri as he returns to the backroom and she's continuing to slop food on students' trays.

"No problem!"

"So, Fahri...La Rica's is my favorite restaurant for salsa...they got the best in New York! You wanna go there with me sometime soon?" Gloria wonders aloud when the line becomes sparse, now a little more confident around him, since he'd just stood up for her, something none of her exes had cared to do. "We can go with our crew."

He grins at her pleasantly. "Sure, that'd be fun."

Gloria nods, pleased. "Okay, cool!"

* * *

"Oh my, that was _so_ romantic!" Lorna gushes as she, Nicky, Alex, Michelle, Daya, Adarsh, Maritza, Flaca, Blanca, Maria, and their boyfriends sit down.

"I know! Eeek!" Maritza agrees cheerfully, and she and Flaca both clap while grinning widely.

"I seriously thought his next move was to do that _Officer and a Gentleman_ scene with her," Flaca says and then giggles.

Lorna fans herself. "That would've been... _wow_!"

"He would have to ask for her permission to carry her away, and she wouldn't feel comfortable with contact for like, a while from now," Daya reminds them.

"It's been one week, people!" Nicky chimes in.

"Yeah...come on, welcome to reality!" Alex states.

Michelle gestures to her. "Mm-hm!"

" _Una semana_ ," Blanca repeats in Spanish while holding up her index finger and then wagging it at the hyped-up girls.

"Y'all gotta _espere_ ," Maria adds.

Flaca pouts. "Waiting's no fun."

Maritza rolls her eyes. "Ain't nobody likes doin' that!"

The guys have a vague idea of what the girls are talking about, but they don't seem to be as in tune with the conversation, since they're having one of their own about some video game. Daya has implied that Adarsh doesn't have any guy friends, so it's great that he's making some out of Diablo and Yadriel.

"I need to tell you all something," Alex announces in a low voice. "Don't say this to Gloria...but Fahri is engaged."

"What?!" Lorna screeches. "Who is this whore?" The fire in her eyes is so intense and she appears as if she's about to burst with anger. Flaca and Maritza look just as horrified and furious. Daya scoffs and shakes her head while chuckling sarcastically. The others are neutral.

"I knew he was too good to be true," Daya mutters.

"You couldn't have checked for that before, you know, as like a warning?" Flaca wants to know.

"Maybe something's wrong with your prescription," Maritza grumbles. "Can you see okay with your glasses?"

"Hey! Don't shoot the messenger! My eyesight is fine through these, thank you very much!" Alex snaps.

"Yeah, there's no need to be rude," Michelle scolds Maritza.

Flaca hits Maritza's shoulder lightly. "Not to mention, ableist! You know she half blind, maybe she didn't notice at first!"

"Actually, I did," Alex contradicts Flaca.

Nicky gives Maritza a pointed glare. "I expected better from you, Ramos."

"I mean, really!" Lorna adds.

"The rich making fun of the poor is never good, and it's inhumane," Blanca chimes in.

"Piper would always do that," Maria points out.

"I'm sorry, Al, I wasn't tryin' to hurt your feelings or nothin'...I'm just pissed at the situation. I dunno how you could've missed it, though," Maritza says.

"It _just_ happened this morning!" Alex hisses and pulls on a chunk of her hair in frustration at how quickly her friends reacted and didn't give her a chance to explain. "This weekend, he and this...this chick he became acquainted with, I don't know her name...they were starting to be pals, but then she came on too strong, even asking him to marry her, and they never fucked, since he refused her advances. She told him she was pregnant with someone else's baby, and that sealed the deal...he wants to take care of her, and she said it would need to be for their whole lives. I don't think he really loves her romantically, but it could happen, that he finds bliss with this fuckin' bitch."

"Another man's child is not his problem, though...why didn't he just...flat-out refuse?" Daya wonders aloud. "The word _no_ is not that hard to say! For fuck's sake...John left _his_ _own_ kid!"

"He must be too much of a gentleman," Lorna mumbles. "I bet she's a huge slut, and he's wasting his time!"

Alex gestures to the brunette Italian. "Exactly."

"He literally just met her, they don't even know each other...this is fuckin' strange!" Nicky exclaims.

"We should hold off on the trying to get him and Gloria together until it _really_ gets weird, or Gloria is into him and he seems equally interested in her!" Blanca recommends.

"Yeah...and why wouldn't we inform Gloria of this?" Maria wants to know. "I feel like we're all leading her on to believe she has a chance."

"I think she does," Flaca says optimistically.

"Me, too," Maritza agrees. "He's only known this piece of trash for what, two and a half days? He and Gloria have already gone out with the other adults, and been chatting over the phone for like, almost a week now."

"This puta's gonna flop somehow," Michelle predicts, and everyone smirks.

"Alright, we'll just wait it out," Alex decides.

* * *

"You like your roses?" Charles asks as he comes into Diane's classroom.

"I _love_ them! Thank you," Diane murmurs as he wraps her in his arms. She leans up on her tiptoes and peppers his lips with short pecks, and it's amazing since it leaves them both breathless. They need this closeness, but they need air, too. They're smiling and panting heavily between their kisses. They're gasping for the sole purpose of their lips being able to connect again.

"It was my pleasure, baby." They step back from each other, but still hold hands. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate."

She blushes and presses her lips together. "Keep going, Shakespeare."

"That's all I can remember," he admits.

"You're dating an English teacher, so you should kinda practice your sonnets," she teases him.

"I will! The first two lines are truly how I feel about you, though. Wow...you're so pretty and you look amazing. The sun is hitting your hair just right, and I've gotta take a picture. Stay there, please don't move!"

Diane giggles. "Yes, sir." She beams as he snaps a photo of her on his digital camera. Charles shows her how it came out while pecking her temple. "Oh, nice!" She swoons at the way he's treating her like a princess and sweeping her off her feet right and left. "I really appreciate you being so sweet!" She gestures to one of the front row desks that is covered in plates full of pesto pasta while smiling. "You even bought me lunch that you made!"

"You deserve the best, honey." He helps her to her seat and he takes his place across from her. "I'd bring Pinot Grigio, but you can't drink while you're working!"

She puts her hand on her heart as it skips a beat. "Aww, Charlie! This looks delicious! You're so awesome at spoiling me."

"Thanks, Princess Di."

They eat for a while, and then lean over the table to share a heated, open-mouthed kiss. Diane isn't even aware that the door has opened and they have company until the slightly raspy voice of her daughter makes itself known. "Whoa, Mom..."

Diane and Charles quickly stop making out and she turns around to face Alex, blushing deeply because of being caught. "Oh, sorry, sweetheart, I didn't see you standing there!"

"Yeah, I know." Alex smirks and shakes her head slightly. "Hi, Charles."

He waves at her. "Alex, hey. Uh...I cooked lunch...you want some?"

"Sure, I'll have a few bites. Thanks!" Alex smiles politely, despite most likely feeling awkward. She grabs a napkin, stabs a bunch of noodles with her fork, and stuffs them into her mouth. "Mmm!"

"It's yummy, huh?" Diane asks.

Alex nods. "Certainly. Well...congratulations!"

"Thanks!" the couple responds in unison.

A bit later, they leave Diane's classroom and Alex goes back to her friends.

* * *

"What are you guys doing?" Tricia asks as she passes Nicky and Lorna, who are on the Morellos' shared computer, browsing the internet for Pavel after school.

"We're searching for Red's former lover," Nicky answers cheekily. "She finally told me his last name, which made our job a hundred times easier."

"I think that's him!" Lorna squeaks as Nicky pauses on his Facebook page that displays his picture. "Hmm...silver fox! Perfect for Red! She deserves to find her long lost love and reignite that epic romance!"

Nicky leafs through Red's photo albums that the woman had given her. "We gotta check and double check he's the right guy."

"He is!" Lorna points out cheerfully, and she and Nicky slap palms.

Tricia stuffs her hands in her pockets and chuckles. "Oh, damn, I hope it works!"

"Lorna's a walking sappy romance novel." Nicky gestures to her girlfriend. "She can make this happen, dude. By the way...you wouldn't believe it, but yesterday, we saw RJ at my NA meeting."

"RJ? Vee's RJ?"

"Ew, don't say it like that," Nicky complains while wrinkling her nose in disgust, "but yes."

"No fuckin' way! He had a bullet put in his chest two times!"

"Trish, it's true, and you can't blab it to Taystee, who would excitedly report back to Vee that he's still alive and kicking!" Lorna exclaims. "He faked his death, sorta...and was in a coma for a while, up until sometime last week, I suppose. He's already enrolled in school with Aleida and is hooking up with her number one enemy, but hopefully, that won't cause too much drama. He has to change his appearance whenever he's out and everything!"

"Whoa. Holy shit, man." Tricia plops down on Lorna's bed. "This is...this is a lot to take in."

"I know," Nicky sympathizes with her. "I was stunned, too...but it's good he survived, huh?"

"Yeah, for sure. Where would we chill with him, and when? I never had a bro."

Nicky lays her hand on Tricia's back and rubs it in a circular pattern. "Me neither."

"I've always thought big brothers were better than little ones...more protective and mature!" Lorna says.

"Well, yeah, of course!" Nicky agrees.

"Yours sucks, Lorna," Tricia grumbles.

"Ugh, I get what you mean," Lorna tells her. "I'm sorry you always gotta deal with him at school."

"We always flip that punk off anyway!"

The girls laugh and then continue surfing Pavel's Facebook profile.

* * *

"I've always loved your room!" Maritza jumps on Flaca's bed next to her favorite girl and they lay side-by-side, snuggling and smiling happily at each other. "It's so bright...and dark pink...and it's my second home!"

"So is yours, to me!" Flaca runs her fingertips along Maritza's flat tummy, and the shorter of the two giggles. "Oh, you're ticklish!"

Maritza smirks. "Yeah, but I like you touching me. How do you think a diamond belly button ring on me would look?"

Flaca pulls Maritza closer so she's practically on top of the other, and she feels a thousand times warmer with their combined body heat. "Sexy," Flaca whispers into Maritza's ear and her breath is so sweet and hot against Maritza's neck. "I'd kiss my way around it and then down your hips, your legs...teasing you until you begged me to fingerbang you."

A soft moan escapes Maritza's lips as she imagines Flaca going anywhere near her clit. "Oh, god...please...you're makin' me super horny. I wanna get laid." Maritza snickers beneath her palm and Flaca joins in. "Like, now...before your mom gets home!"

"There's no rush, she ain't gonna be here 'til five. We got a couple hours. I'mma get you so wet that you don't even know what to do with yourself, baby." Flaca peppers Maritza's chin and neck with gentle pecks and takes her straps of her purple cami down to the middle of her shoulders. "This is okay, right? I wanna be respectful and shit."

"Yeah, it's just that it's my first time, so like...slow and steady wins the race," Maritza tells Flaca shyly.

"Of course. I never done this with a girl before either, just boys, so lemme know if I suck, and I'll try to do it better. I really wanna please you." Flaca twirls Maritza's hair around her finger.

"Alright, but I'm sure you're perfect." Maritza leans her head back as Flaca slides her well-moisturized hands down her arms.

"Your skin's so smooth," Flaca murmurs as she reaches her hands up and under Maritza's shirt in order to play with her breasts, lightly pinch her perky nipples, and nibble and suck on them. Maritza's heart rate speeds up as she removes her bra and Flaca helps her take off her shirt for easier access.

"So's yours...it's satin, practically! I'm getting the best massage ever," Maritza tells her softly. "Mmm, you're so good..."

Flaca's hands move down Maritza's petite figure to her waist and her fingers skim under the top of Maritza's jeans. She unzips them, and Maritza wiggles out of her jeans and undies. Flaca slides her long fingers into Maritza's already soaking wet folds. It doesn't take long for Flaca to find Maritza's clit and as she pumps her fingers in and out, rubbing Maritza's g-spot, a loud series of gasps and breathy sighs escape Maritza as her orgasm crashes through her in waves after she reaches her climax. Maritza's whole body clenches up, her legs slam together on Flaca's arm, and she bounces up and down. She moans again and again as Flaca's fingers curl deep into her pussy and her knuckles brush against her pleasure zone. "Yeah, you like me fucking you?" Flaca whispers seductively.

"Ohh-ho-ho-ho! Ohhhhh!" is Maritza's response as lust takes over her. " _Más rápido_!"

 **Faster**

Maritza beams as Flaca's tempo quickens. "That's it! _No pares_..."

 **Don't stop...**

Flaca doesn't stop, she keeps making love to Maritza. " _¡Más_ _fuerte!_ " Maritza screams shrilly and arches her back as her toes curl up and her eyes roll back inside her head. "Yes! Yes! Ohhhh, siiiii..."

 **Harder**

Maritza is panting as she comes down from her high. She's blown away. "Oh my god...sweetheart, that was hella good! I'm super amazed!"

"Aww, I'm so glad, Mari!" Flaca appears to be proud of herself. She skims her thumbs up and down Maritza's cheeks as she gazes at her with pure devotion swimming in her chocolate brown eyes. "I did it because _te amo_."

"I'm sorry for not telling you my feelings sooner," Maritza apologizes.

"Hey, it's cool. Better late than never!"

Maritza nods. She scans Flaca's lithe figure and bites her bottom lip. "You want me to do you?"

Flaca beams widely and licks her lower lip. "Yeah! I'd love it!"

Maritza explores every inch of Flaca with her mouth and hands and ends up making her fall apart completely, and in an extremely good way, too. Flaca's vagina is like heaven, filled with her sweet juices, and her nipples are hard, and Maritza is sure to press loving kisses to Flaca's scars. They're both sweaty and glowing after the passionate sex they'd just had. Their hungry kisses turn slow with limbs pressed together, chests heaving, fingers trailing down each other's backs and tracing lazy patterns. Maritza trails her lips down Flaca's neck, kissing her shoulder, her chest, anywhere she can think of, memorizing her.

She adores Flaca much more than just simple words can say.

* * *

"Look at 'em, working so hard out there!" Aleida says. Daya follows her mother's gaze to the window, where Leon and Adarsh are remodeling the backyard together in hard hats and green construction vests. Adarsh had originally come to their house to study, but after he and Daya were finished, he had decided to help Leon with the project. It's awfully nice of him.

"I know, right?" Daya splays her fingers out on the table as Aleida prepares to do her nails. "Hey...I think Adarsh likes me, in a he-wants-to-be-my-boyfriend way, but I ain't gonna assume anything."

"Yeah, good idea. What makes you think that?" Aleida bends down close to Daya's hands while shaking a bottle of bright pink polish and untwisting the top.

"I asked if I should wear jeans or a skirt to our hangout, and he replied with, 'a skirt, BFF!' His flirting game was hard, man!" Daya beams.

"Girl, you are _blushin' tomato red..._ oooh!" Aleida teases her, which only causes Daya's cheeks to heat up even more. She works on Daya's left hand slowly and carefully. "Yo, but a skirt at night while basically hiking...are you comfortable doin' that? It could be cold...and you gotta wear good shoes!"

"No shit, Ma! I'mma wear sheer leggings and sturdy boots...and a pretty long sleeved shirt and puffy jacket, or a cardigan, scarf, and gloves...maybe even a beanie."

"Smart girl you are. I feel like you're going on your first real date, and you don't gotta be all secretive this time!" Aleida squeals and they both giggle.

"Nah...I don't think of him as more than a friend. He's cute, but I've learned the hard way to not jump into a dude's arms and let him get between my legs so fast. I should just...fall in love with ease."

"Mm-hm." Aleida switches to Daya's right hand. "I'm terrible at that."

"I am, too." Daya blows on her wet nails and keeps them still. "Ma?"

"What's up?"

"Leon's a great guy for you...and I've never thought of somebody you've dated as a future stepdad...except for him."

"I got that vibe from you." Aleida caps up the bottle. "You really like him for me?"

Daya nods. "So much better than anyone you been with."

"Well, it's been five weeks since we known each other. I ain't ready to commit, maybe I'll wait another month or two and see...and that would mean I'd have to give up my other boyfriend of three years." Aleida sighs heavily and glances outside at her man. "Please don't make me decide right now, Dayanara."

"You know what he done, Cesar," Daya reminds Aleida. "It should be a real simple choice. Leon...he loves you, like it's hella romantic the way he looks at you and takes such good care of you...not to mention, he treats the rest of us with niceness and respect. Did you know that I've never hugged any of your boyfriends until him last night?"

Aleida stands up and smooths Daya's hair back from her forehead. "I'm happy that I'm dating Leon, he's a good man. I didn't know I'd get all weak in the knees, head over heels about him," she confesses. "I just can't help but wonder...what if Cesar comes outta jail somebody more improved? Like, he gives a big-ass apology to you kids and realizes he's bein' stupid about Gloria?"

"I can't see that happening. I'm sorry, Ma...I know you don't wanna throw away three years of your relationship with him, but to tell you the truth, he just ain't worth even thinkin' about no more."

"I don't wanna talk about this," Aleida mutters. "Everybody's fuckin' pressuring me...and I wish the world could go silent for just a minute so I can think."

"Alright, I'll change the subject." Daya blows her bangs out of her eyes. "So...when will I actually look pregnant? My belly's just a small bulge, and it's soft."

"You gonna start carrying in your ass like I did, and all the other Diaz women before me. It's gonna get real big. You've got that expectant mother's glow already."

Daya grins. "Well, better my butt than my tummy." Aleida kisses the top of her head and goes out the back door to join Leon as Adarsh comes in. "Hey, that was cool of you to partner up with Leon. Did he give you a hard time about Saturday?"

"Sort of. He said if I'm not a gentleman with you, he'll introduce my face to all of his tools."

"Oh, god!" Daya laughs while shaking her head. "Wow...well, you better listen to him! I got no patience for bullshit no more."

"I understand. I promised him I'd treat you well, and I really will. I can't imagine hurting someone as sweet as you." Adarsh has a sincere smile on his face.

"Aw, thanks." Daya shows him her freshly painted nails. "My mom did these, by the way."

"Nice!"

"Pregnancy is gaining my weight back...so I won't be as attractive soon. Everyone accepts me how I am now and since I'm no longer ashamed and I'm real proud of how I look in my own skin, people think it's pointless to make fun of me! I work out a lot, but I can't at the moment since I'm havin' a baby. In the very near future, I'mma be humongous." Telling him her insecurities is making her begin to cry. "I wish I went to fat camp but Ma couldn't afford it!"

Adarsh rubs Daya's back soothingly and she lays her head on his shoulder while sniffling. "You don't need it, you look _amazing_ the way you are," he assures her.

"Yeah, for now," Daya grumbles.

"You'll always look fantastic."

His compliment makes her heart sing with joy, but she'll give him about two more months to see if he's the real deal.

* * *

"I love the rose, it's so beautiful," Michelle compliments Alex as they're sitting together on the bed in Maritza's guest house. "As are you, of course."

Alex's cheeks flush and she smiles. "Thank you, and you are, too. Would you ever wanna get a tattoo?"

"I dunno, maybe if you were there!"

"Cool. I'd hold your hand through the whole thing!"

"That's so gracious of you! What happened here?" Michelle wonders aloud as she points to the bruise near Alex's rose tattoo. "Blanca and Maria told me some asshole knocked you down at Friendly's."

"It's from that."

Michelle frowns. "Ouch! You poor girl."

Alex gives a half shrug. "I'm alright now. It doesn't really hurt anymore, but I appreciate your sympathy."

Michelle traces Alex's _Love is pain_ tattoo with her index finger, and her light touch causes an excited shiver to race through Alex. "It doesn't have to be," she murmurs and stares up at Alex meaningfully.

"It's like there's a curse on me. The first girl I ever loved...she toyed with my heart, she acted like she was interested in me, but she had a boyfriend...the weak idiot who harasses me all the time now...and it would've been nice of her to just...not act like we were girlfriends, you know?"

"Yeah." Michelle strokes Alex's cheek with the back of her hand in a comforting motion enough to make some of the ice that's surrounding her heart, melt. "I'm sorry she hurt you like that."

Alex puts her arm around the smaller girl and squeezes her shoulder as a silent thanks. "Well, she's gone, so...and then my one and only girlfriend vanished on me, too, but by choice."

"Can I be your next?" Michelle wonders aloud shyly, and Alex gets butterflies in her stomach at the thought of someone new to give her whole heart to. She hopes Michelle won't be a flake like the others.

"Okay, sure! Hey, girl, feel my flannel. You know what it's made of?" Alex smirks. "Girlfriend material."

Michelle and Alex hold each other's gaze for a few seconds, and then they both lean in to close the gap between them. Alex's heart is beating fast in her chest. She glances down at Michelle's lips before going in for the kiss. She runs her hands up and down the smaller girl's body while they make out, eliciting small moans out of her. Their combined, passionate breaths huffing into each other's mouths steam up Alex's glasses and they giggle together. Hands are grabbing at clothing and pulling each other closer. Michelle fits just right with Alex-it's like they're two halves of a whole. Their tongues tangle and Michelle's mouth against Alex's is savory and delicious. Alex never wants this moment to end, and she's sure Michelle feels the same way.

* * *

"How long until this whole thing is finished, my handyman?" Aleida wonders aloud as she and Leon stand back to admire his work on the play structure and the beginnings of the pool. She's extremely impressed.

"Six to eight weeks for the pool, but the children can start using the swings, slides, and monkey bars by tomorrow, when the paint dries."

"You think you could make a big porch swing for us, Daya, and Gloria, and hang it off that tree branch? It's pretty strong." Aleida gestures to it. "Daya would climb it when she was younger, and then she stopped. I might let Christina start next year, she's too little right now, and Emilano...outta the question. He ain't doin' it yet. I'm sure Gloria would feel the same about her babies."

"Of course, honey." Leon takes her hand in both of his. His left covers her left, his thumb between her middle and ring fingers, his index finger resting where the ring would go, and his middle and ring fingers on top of her hand. His right thumb runs around the knuckle on her ring finger. She adores how he's holding her hand so carefully, as if it could break into pieces. She's beginning to feel that Cesar is her other boyfriend, not Leon, since the guy standing in front of her seems to play a much bigger role in her family. Everyone gets along with him, even the children. "Adarsh and I were also thinking we'd team up with Charles and Fahri and make a Ninja Warrior course for the kids."

Aleida beams. She's not used to men like him at all. "Oh, that's real sweet. They'd love it!"

Leon smiles at her and presses his lips to her hand. "I know. That was the point!"

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, CoffeeWritingAddiction, Double99, MinervaSnape394, and Johanna002!**


	45. Fears in the Night

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **feo-ugly**

 **Warning: molestation, rape attempt, physical violence, homophobic and racist slurs**

"Bitch, where you been?" Pidge calls out as Michelle climbs up the steps to her friend's apartment where Pidge, Ouija, and Zirconia are standing with their arms folded across their chests.

Michelle starts to answer, but Ouija cuts her off. "Yo, don't bother askin'...we already know." She shakes her head in disappointment.

"Bein' that gringa's hoochie mama!" Zirconia hollers.

"Hey, fuck you guys, I can't have other friends?!" Michelle defends herself. "Y'all don't care that Blanca and Maria kick it with them...and y'all are cool about Flaritza and Daya! You really hate white people that much? Alex and Lorna didn't do nothin' to us."

Pidge sighs and rolls her eyes as she and the others, including Michelle, go into her place. "You're right. It's just...our leaders can do whatever the fuck they please...and we don't usually hang around people not our race. I bet you just wanna calm Alex's fears in the night...and other shit, too!"

"Yeah, and it was weird as fuck when everybody here but me was all sittin' together with Poussey, Brook, Alana, Stephanie, Nicky, and Lorna...ah, I stopped myself from adding _la loca_ to her name...that one day Flaca, Daya, Lorna, and Alex was all separated," Ouija adds. "I guess I'm surprised you trust Alex if she was such a cunt-lickin', Chapman lover! Palalalalalalalala-Polly was too, and I told you what happened with her!"

"Alex can't stand Palalalalalalalala Polly either! That twit called Alex _supercunt_...she's awful...and from what I've heard, Piper was pretty nasty to Alex, too...and the rest of her so-called crew in fact. I think it's pointless to consider them as your rivals. They ain't mine, that's for sure! It's not like Piper can come back from the dead and try to manipulate 'em to let her back in their clique!" Michelle exhales after her rant. She doesn't want to admit that she actually loves the tall statuesque girl with long, beautiful black hair, pretty emerald eyes behind her cute secretary glasses, and a heart and personality that are just as wonderful as her looks. Ouija, Pidge, and Zirconia can only handle one little thing at a time, and Michelle does her absolute best not to piss them off. It's probably just a shock and extreme annoyance that someone who they consider an enemy, is actually close with their friend. Michelle remembers how Alex, Daya, Flaca, and Lorna felt when Nicky befriended Pennsatucky. Her friends glance at each other quickly and then Zirconia walks up to her.

"Alright, but you better watch it. They start saying nice things about Chapstick, wishin' she was here or whinin' that her memorial was smashed or talkin' about good memories they had with her...you remind 'em that she's gone forever, and there ain't nothin' they can do about it...or better yet, ask why they miss someone like her." Zirconia grins evilly, flashing a set of diamonds on her teeth as she punches her hand in her fist. Michelle jumps back as the scariest member of their gang comes closer to her. "She deserved to die, plain and simple, like Maria and Blanca said."

"Hey, you don't need to intimidate her," Pidge snaps as she steps in between Michelle and Zirconia. "She gets it!" The shorter girl looks at Michelle expectantly. "Right?"

"Yeah, of course," Michelle says, nodding. "I'm not on Piper's side, I swear! I would've buried the bitch alive. I just happen to like her friends, okay? They didn't deserve a leader who was so shitty."

"Fine," Ouija, Pidge, and Zirconia agree at the same time. The four girls head to Pidge's room and sit on her bed. "They were just chicken to stand up for Blanca and Maria against Piper, is all," Ouija points out.

"They regret that. They've even apologized for it," Michelle insists. "Anyway...Pidge, you find out anything from your sister's boyfriend...like how he and his crew can destroy Duardo and the other punks he hangs with?"

"I'm sorry, M...they broke up. He don't wanna be with some weird chick who keeps a Chihuahua in her shirt pocket. I advised her to not bring Hannibal everywhere, but did that girl listen to me? Hell no! I'm just the annoying baby sister!" Pidge replies.

"What an idiot," Michelle says while shaking her head. "I can't keep up with your sister's relationship drama!"

"Nobody can, don't feel bad," Ouija tells her, and the girls all snicker.

"I guess it's up to Charles, then...I know y'all hate the police, but he's a good officer. He's also a real decent human being."

"You know this, how?" Zirconia asks suspiciously. "He be datin' a white lady...he could get swayed to becoming a typical white cop, even though he black!"

"He ain't gonna do that, he's nice," Michelle lets her know. "He arrested this asshole who beat his girl when he escaped prison one time, put those three terrorizing teachers in handcuffs, took an old man out of Daya's house with his hands locked behind his back, and is working on Aleida's case...even when he's just Nichorello's parole officer and works at a juvy hall and not an adult prison or whatever. He cares about people's safety! However...I'm hella iffy about Kubra, who's goin' out with Flaca's mom. He asked me if Alex was actually on the bus when Duardo and his boys confronted us...don't you think that's kinda strange?"

"Nah, you're just too whipped when it comes to Alex," Zirconia answers.

"You're being silly," Ouija chimes in.

Michelle shrugs. "I figured...I pushed weird thoughts away, so I hope my vibes about him are wrong. He wanted to be certain he wasn't losing his hearing, and Flaritza joked that he's becoming an old fart, basically...but he's Diane's age, which is like, thirties, I guess. He could be forty, I dunno."

"Who's Diane?" Zirconia wonders aloud.

"Alex's mom...uh, Ms. Vause, teaches English, freshman and senior year."

Ouija raises an eyebrow. "You read up on this woman while you tryin' to impress her daughter?"

"Nah, we met officially at Red's housewarming party. She's sweet."

Pidge scoffs. " _Sweet_. Listen to you!"

"What?" Michelle demands, offended.

"She's a teacher, dumbass. The only nice lady I know is my mom, nobody else's, and certainly not some fuckin' teacher," Zirconia mutters.

"Okay, you guys certainly skipped having giggle-o's for breakfast this morning and went straight for bitter coffee, if you catch my drift. I met Alex's mother, big fuckin' deal! Alex introduced me to her!"

"Whatever," they mutter in unison.

* * *

"Flamingoes?" Alex asks doubtfully. She glances at Fahri quizzically, and he nods in confirmation. "Oh, wow, cool...I wish I could've gone." They're lounging around, smoking in a hotel room with Kubra and Fahri's drug mule, Missy. Alex stares up at the smoke which is rising from her lips as she takes out her cigarette.

"There was also a live sex show the last time I went," Kubra tells her. "Fuckin' pink everywhere."

Alex chuckles. "Well, it's Paris, after all. I heard French women sunbathe topless."

"Yeah, they do," Missy affirms.

"Sorry you can't come with us, Alex, but you're a minor!" Kubra declares. "When you're eighteen, you may join us in our international travels."

"I get it. Besides, my mother would never approve. She doesn't know any of you guys except Fahri. She's got like, a no drugs policy, so I can't risk her finding out my secret." There's a small part of Alex that feels a tiny bit guilty for keeping something so big from Diane, but all teenagers rebel, and she's no different. "Getting high on occasion is fun! I'm not hurting anyone!"

Fahri gives her a pointed look. "It would break her heart if she knew."

Alex rolls her eyes and then sits back in her chair. "That's why I'm never gonna tell her, duh! At least she's getting five hundred dollars added to her wallet once a week!"

Kubra laughs out loud. "What'd I tell you, Fahri? Alex is perfect for this job! She won't out anyone here...I trust her completely." He turns to Alex. "It's time you start going with Fahri to pick up mules from the airport, to see how it's done. He'll just be your ride. Also, I would like you to dress nice, such as having on a business suit, and wear more makeup when you sell, just to attract more customers, since most of us here are male or not pretty females, and a lot of your buyers are either men or lesbians, and they'd be more inclined to hand their money to a woman who appears to be well off. You're a fifteen-year-old girl, but you already look very mature for your age. I'm impressed."

Alex beams at her boss' compliment and ignores Fahri, who's gritting his teeth. "Thank you, I'm flattered! I think I might have almost reached my full height, and everything else that you said made me feel so grown up."

"That's because you are, Alex," Kubra praises her. "You're even more of an adult than Missy here."

Missy pouts. "Hey!"

"Lose the pigtails, and maybe I'll think differently. My girlfriend's daughter has braids in her hair, and they're cute, but not good for this job. You want people to take you seriously, my child."

"I'm not a kid! I'm eighteen! You're fooled by her glasses, they make her look smarter than she really is. It's a trick."

"Hey, Missy, stop!" Fahri instructs her.

Alex groans. "Why don't you grow up, Missy? Immaturity is a huge turnoff."

Kubra gestures to Alex. "She's right."

"Kiss-up," Missy quips. "You might as well just fuck him, too, Little Miss Goody Two Shoes."

"Don't you ever say something so vulgar again," Fahri hisses at her.

"That's enough!" Kubra barks, making Alex and Fahri both jump at his sudden outburst. Missy immediately shuts up, much to Alex's delight, and supposedly Fahri's, too.

"You're disgusting," Alex mutters as she grows queasy at the mere thought of following Missy's suggestion, and the bitch gives her the finger. "I've got a _girlfriend_ , and Kubra does, too...not to mention, it's illegal!"

"Cesar did it with his chick's daughter who's in high school," Missy whispers. Alex isn't surprised that someone as sketchy as Missy, knows Cesar and everything about him.

"I wouldn't mind knocking you the fuck out," Alex snaps. Kubra sniggers while Fahri shakes his head.

Kubra gives Missy a hard glare and then, there's a knock on the door. "Answer that," he orders.

Missy walks sluggishly to the door and opens it to let in two dusky Turkish men, and one African American woman who causes Alex's stomach to churn. Fahri looks like he's about to pass out. "I want you to meet some people," Kubra announces, standing up. "Guys, this is our new employee, Alex Vause," he introduces her to them. "These are your other co-workers, Aydin Bayat, his cousin Haluk, and Yvonne Parker...but we call her Vee."

They're friendly as they shake hands with Alex and grin pleasantly at her, which makes her smile in response. She fakes politeness once she faces Vee. For all Alex knows, she could be good at her job, but she's far from a great mother figure, and being excellent at what she does for money is probably all Kubra cares about.

Alex is even more horrified when she notices that Vee is wearing a glittering ring and scooting up next to Fahri. She quickly puts the pieces together and wants to warn Kubra that Vee is a bad person, but she then remembers that he'd said everyone needs to get along, so she decides to just tell Fahri.

* * *

"My stomach is growling with hunger!" Leon says as he walks back inside the apartment with Aleida. Daya is nervous that he's expecting her to make him something to eat. Cesar had always done that and he was very aggressive about it. Surprisingly enough, though, Leon hasn't even come near her yet or started yelling for her to get his food ready.

Daya jumps up and heads towards the kitchen to prepare him some dinner. "Sorry, Adarsh...I gotta cook for the man of the house," she mumbles and places a pan atop the burner. She quickly washes her hands, opens the refrigerator door, and pulls out chicken. After setting it aside, she drizzles oil all over inside of the pan and turns on the burner. "We're gonna have chicken, mashed potatoes, and salad, but he probably should be served first, like Cesar constantly was." In the background, Christina and Emiliano are watching _Dora the Explorer,_ and Daya and Adarsh had previously been with them, but talking quietly to each other on another couch. They can still see the kids engrossed in their program from where they are.

"Do you want me to help you?" Adarsh wonders aloud, and she beams at his sweetness.

"Nah, it's alright." Daya lays five pieces of raw chicken on a cutting board and seasons them with salt and pepper. She flips them over and gives them the same treatment.

"What you doin'?" Aleida wants to know as she and Leon approach her.

"Same thing I did for Cesar." Daya glances over at Leon. "What's goin' on, man? Ain't you gonna order me to make you somethin'? I know I'm already doin' it, but..."

Leon smiles at her with concern etched on his face. "I would never be so rude to demand anything of you or anyone else. You didn't have to. It's nice of you, though. Why don't you and Adarsh continue hanging out with your brother and sister, and your mother and I will deal with this."

"I'll do the whole meal since you're starving, babe," Aleida offers. "You can relax in front of the television...you had a hard day at work." She pours him a glass of water and hands it to him.

"Okay...thank you, honey." Leon hugs Aleida, kisses her cheek, and takes a swig of his water. "Ahh...hits the spot!"

Daya is thoroughly confused, even though she shouldn't be, since Leon is a completely different person than Cesar. They're polar opposites. After Daya scrubs her hands clean, Leon goes with her and Adarsh to where Christina and Emiliano are now playing with toy trains on wooden tracks in front of the couch.

"You be the train. I'm the conductor," Christina announces. "I'm too big to fit in these, so just pretend Kelly is me...or Polly Pocket." She puts the tiny dolls on top of the equally minuscule trains.

"Okay! Choo-choo!" Emiliano says, making his train zoom back and forth, and Daya has to laugh at how adorable they are when they play together.

"Uh...you wanna watch the game?" she asks Leon. "Our Yankees versus those dumb Red Sox bitches!"

Leon chuckles and sits on one end of the couch while Daya and Adarsh are at the other. "Sure!"

She grins and changes the channel to baseball. "We oughta beat their asses again!"

"Hell yeah!"

Truthfully, Daya is only into this because the players are good-looking and she's curious about the score, but it's a great way for her to connect with Leon. It also gets her more comfortable being so close to Adarsh. Since there is currently an ad playing, she just wants to talk to them.

"Hey, Leon...why don't you command me to do things for you? Like, before, Cesar would be such a dictator and act like he was in charge, even though this ain't even his apartment! My mom would've paid rent if she had the money. Since he could, he had the power, too. He'd call me his _good little girl_ , 'cause I was like his servant." _Also his sex slave,_ she adds mentally as she wraps herself in a blanket. Adarsh seems to sense her discomfort at exposing this information and rubs her back in soothing circles. "Maybe it hasn't been long enough."

Adarsh frowns and shakes his head. "What an asshole that Cesar was."

"I wouldn't treat you like that, ever! I promise you, Daya," Leon assures her, and he appears to be sincere when he says this. "It wasn't right of him to place those burdens upon you."

"I know...but like, _why_ do you act like an actual human being and not a monster, nor are you associated with any?"

"I was raised to respect women and girls...I grew up with a single mother, and she taught me so much about that particular subject. It makes no sense to be a patronizing misogynist. She'd also kick my butt if I got into any mischief, and she didn't exactly give me time to find bad crowds to be a part of."

"Ohh, okay!" Daya grins. "Well, that's awesome, but I'm sorry that your father wasn't in the picture."

Leon shrugs. "I never missed him...I got no idea who he is."

Daya gives him a sympathetic smile. "I don't know my dad either...looks like we, along with my baby, have this absent father thing in common." She sighs. "Same goes with most of my friends and Gloria's sons."

"Luckily, you all have great moms," Adarsh comments, just as the game starts, and they beam at that. His eyes flicker down to Daya's belly for a second and then back up at her.

Leon nods. "Very true."

"Thank you," Daya replies and squeezes Adarsh's hand fondly.

"No problem."

* * *

It's the first night in almost a month that Diane is going to be alone at the restaurant, apart from the usual diners, including Gloria, Maritza, and Lorna. Alex is with Fahri and Charles is working on Aleida's case that will last him a total of four weeks. When he'd dropped her off at Friendly's, he'd promised to be there right at the stroke of eleven, the end of her shift.

"I'll miss you being here," she tells him sadly as he holds her and rocks her for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, baby, I'mma miss you, too. I'll try to hurry back, even before eleven."

"I know you gotta work on Aleida's trial, and I'm happy you're helping her get justice. There's nothin' to apologize for, Charlie! I'm just sayin'...I wish you could stay, and it sucks that you can't, all 'cause of that motherfucker who chose to..." Diane trails off and shivers with repulsion coursing through her at what that awful monster had done to one of her best friends.

"I understand what you're talking about, Diane." He strokes her cheeks with his thumbs and their kiss is hard and lingering. "I'll see you later tonight, my cuddly-wuddly princess," he murmurs against her mouth.

Diane giggles as they rest their foreheads against each other's. "Bye."

"Bye." His hands slide down her arms and he gives her hands one last squeeze, pecks her cheek, and walks backwards out of Friendly's. Her lips are still tingling and she longs to be in his arms again, but she's aware that she has to wait. She doesn't think she can ever get used to him.

"Yo, give it a rest! It's four hours!" Gloria reminds her. "Don't get all emotional now, mama." She's seated at a table with her sons, Maritza, and Lorna. Benny and Julio aren't paying attention to them at all-they're blowing wrappers off straws, slurping down their chocolate milkshakes, and playing with their French fries instead of eating them.

"Four hours for thirty days straight without your one true love might as well be forever," Lorna contradicts Gloria. "I tried not to feel too bad when Nicky told me she was gonna hang out with Red and Tricia for a while...I mean, they're family, but it's hard to be away from her. At least she ain't chillin' with other single lesbians. It's not her I don't trust, it's those other sluts who think they can get any chick they please!"

"Yeah, we practically spend every waking moment with our girls," Maritza chimes in. "Flaca's helping her mom sew right now, but I'd love to see her again real soon."

"Mm-hm, see?" Diane points at Maritza and Lorna. "They're right!"

"The honeymoon stage wears off eventually," Gloria informs them. "Listen, I got experience. My guy who gave me Benny and Julio...we were together for about three years, and got...not bored, per se, but just...comfortable with each other after six months, and all the heavy making out in public stopped, and we could handle having alone time only at night, when the boys were sleeping or at their aunt's house...for like a few hours a day. People need and desire time to themselves, or they wanna spend it with friends or family. That was the longest relationship I ever been in...but then I lost interest in him. He didn't hurt me, but he was one fuckin' weird dude."

"Ahh!" the girls and Diane exclaim in unison. "What'd he do?" Diane wonders aloud.

"Was he real into anime like Ron Rivers who had a crush on me last year?" Lorna asks. "He went to an expo and fought with some guy over Pegasus being a unicorn in Sailor Moon and complimented me in a strange way, like saying my BMI was normal and my face was symmetrical, and the only thing dreamy about him was his eyes. The rest of him was..." She shudders. "Ugh."

Gloria shakes her head. "Nah...some other...obsessions that I don't care to mention. I gotta get drunk first."

Maritza chortles. "Okay, then!"

As the hours pass, the restaurant empties out, and by a quarter to ten, only Gloria, her children, Maritza, and Lorna remain. Everything is going okay until Diane senses tiny feet crawling up her arm as she's bringing an ice cream sundae over to where the little boys, teenage girls, and Gloria are sitting. She quickly sets it down on the table while shrieking and flinging the furry rodent off of her. "Oh, that's disgusting! I gotta wash up and get a broom...sorry! I hate rats..."

"Hate rats!" Julio repeats her, and it would've been cute if she was saying it as part of a bedtime story.

"They're nasty and only for scary movies!" Benny agrees and wrinkles his nose.

"Holy shit, what the fuck..." Gloria mumbles as it slams against the wall and slides down. "Ew! Where'd that _thing_ come from?"

"Gross!" Lorna shouts. "This is gonna put me off my food for a while..."

"Me, too," Maritza agrees. She lets out a shrill scream when more rats and large spiders scurry through the cracked open door of the restaurant, with three unpleasant visitors barging in behind them. Benny and Julio immediately hide under Gloria's chair and cling to their mother's legs, all of their playfulness gone.

Diane gasps and starts trembling when she realizes who the intruders are. "N-no," she stammers weakly. "I...I don't want you in here!" she cries a bit louder. She notices that Gloria stiffens but moves in front of Maritza and Lorna and keeps her boys behind her as well.

"Hey sweet cheeks, make us a sandwich!" Dixon commands her. He sticks his tongue out at her and makes a rapid licking motion in between his index and middle fingers, and then does the same vulgar sign toward Gloria. She appears to be about as physically ill as Diane feels. Lorna quickly takes the kids by their hands and scampers to the women's bathroom with them in tow. Gloria and Maritza seem to be frozen solid, but Diane figures Lorna was able to run away since she had done it so many times before with Nicky.

"Give us a friendly smile like the name of this joint, or we'll complain to your boss! You'll find yourself out of a job," Humps threatens her with a creepy grin, and she turns away. Her heart thuds slowly inside her chest. She can barely stand to look at him or his cronies.

Diane nearly trips over her feet as she runs behind the counter and is about to push the button Charles had installed, that will make an alarm ring, signifying that someone is doing something dangerous. Piscatella reaches over and grabs both of her wrists. Diane squirms and tries to get away from him, but his grip is too tight. "My men and I just wanna talk. Long time no see. Now get to work on your next order, which is ours."

"Let her go!" Maritza intervenes.

"I have to make sure she behaves herself," Piscatella growls. Diane shrinks away from him. He's beet red with anger and he spits at her. "You idiot cunts thought you could get rid of us!" Diane wrinkles her nose and tries to shake his saliva off of her face, but it's still there.

"We're not doing anything else...we won't yell or touch you violently," Humps tells Diane, and Piscatella slowly releases her from his clutches. "I just see this place as a wonderful home for our pet rats and spiders." He creeps closer to her. "I'd like to sink my teeth into that pretty neck of yours, too...make blood spill all the way down to your tits...I'd do the same to that little sexy Mexican cunt sitting over there."

"Don't forget the whore's daughter and Hot Pants," Dixon says and then sniggers while circling Maritza and Gloria. "Morello doesn't mean shit to us now, remember."

"Yeah, I know. What good's a pair of tits if they don't come with a real woman's body?" Humps asks rhetorically.

"Besides, she's pathetic, we just pity her," Piscatella mutters. He knocks a full pitcher of water over on the floor, making it splash over Diane's shoes and onto the bottom of her jeans, soaking her socks. "You, however...you're an easy target. Where's your blind spawn?"

"None of your fucking business, and you have no right to talk about my beautiful girl or my friends like that. You won't touch them," Diane snaps. She watches as Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps go into the backroom and start dumping eggs and milk out of their cartons and spraying whipped cream everywhere, including into each other's mouths. They deliberately spill chocolate syrup and sprinkles all over the tables and chairs inside Friendly's. Their blatant disrespect alone is enough to make Diane want to throw up, and she's close to crying when she thinks about the huge mess she'll have to clean up when they leave.

"We didn't get lover boy fired, but we thought since he'd be gone for a month and leaving you to fend for yourself, it would be a good opportunity to take advantage of that. You can tell him how he was punished. He's probably just surprised he didn't get laid off!" Dixon guffaws. "Come on, you don't need to be stuck with that nigger, you could date me! I'm geared up for a threesome...you, me, and Hot Pants!"

A chill flies up Diane's spine and she jumps when Piscatella bangs the counter. "Hurry up and fix us a sandwich!" he demands. With shaky hands, she quickly gets to work. Whenever she glances up, she's forced to look into his frightening beady eyes. In the background, Gloria nods at a text she'd gotten, rushes to get a broom, and guides the rats out, letting out terrified squeaks if the tiny animals come too close to her. Maritza is scared stiff and inching into a corner of Friendly's, her treat abandoned. Eventually, Dixon throws it to the ground, breaking the dish and splattering melted ice cream, whipped cream, and sprinkles.

"Too bad Piscatella didn't kidnap you with Reznikov and Romano!" Humps sneers and then winks at Diane. She's so drained and time is going by incredibly slow. She needs Charles to be here soon.

"She wasn't in our lives yet!" Piscatella lets him know.

"Get down on your hands and knees and work, cunt! Neaten up this pigsty!" Humps yells at Maritza and kicks at the wall, scuffing the paint and nearly missing her side. She screams and does as she's told. She grabs a rag and fills a bucket with hot, soapy water, and Diane's heart breaks at the sight of her and Gloria both, so frazzled and afraid. She's just glad Lorna and the Mendoza boys escaped to the women's bathroom when they did.

"No...it's okay, sweetie-" Diane begins, but then she feels a hard slap on her bottom. She whirls around with a shriek to see Dixon leering at her and licking his lips. She stumbles back, trying to get away from him.

"You don't call anyone that except for me, sugar tits!" he bellows, and nausea washes over her. "You three are Cinderella tonight, except that you'll never get to go to the ball. Where are your princes?"

She takes a deep breath while seething. "Mine's coming at eleven, and he _will_ stop you and put you back in prison where you _belong_! How'd you even get out anyway?"

"We have a hotshot lawyer, you dumb little cunt. What about fairy godmothers? You don't even have moms, and if you do, they're never around, _are they_?" Piscatella taunts them loudly.

Diane is quiet this time as she finishes the last sandwich. Both of her parents had been so awful that she considered herself and her brother orphans until he moved out and she was his roommate. Her friends were the ones to inform her that she was in fact not dying when she first got her period, but she won't dare give Piscatella or the others the satisfaction of learning this private information about her. She has to pause for a second as she begins to choke up, but she hides her tears with her hair as she bends her head down and focuses on spreading the mayonnaise on the bread.

"Let's go!" he barks. He's soon standing right behind Diane, and she's prepared to press the emergency button if he attempts to hurt her.

"I...I'm al-almost done..." she stammers.

"You need to be finished now!" Without warning, he slaps Diane hard across her face, and it hurts like hell. She gasps sharply and begins to sweat profusely. Her heart slows and stops for a second or two as she staggers backward while cradling the stinging area where she'd been struck, and sits down. Diane feels like she's going to pass out any second now. He kicks her in the side a few times, and she rolls around on the floor, groaning and writhing in severe pain. Piscatella sits on her legs and now, she's so limp and her belly hurts from it pressing into the floor, but she's able to twist herself around from the waist up so she can see exactly what he's doing. He ties her wrists together behind her back with a piece of rope while smirking like he's just won a game. "You could've poked me in the eyeballs. Surely your ape cop of a boyfriend would've given you that little tip!" Diane just stares at him, frozen with terror. "Your shiner's already forming." He roughly pushes her back onto the cold tile and her ears start ringing from the blow. She isn't sure if it's from when her forehead hit the ground just recently or when Piscatella had backhanded her a few minutes ago. "Filthy slut."

"Why do you like attacking women so much, you fuckin' beast?" Diane asks faintly.

He sniggers. "Thanks for calling me that," is all he says before walking away from her and taking a large bite of his sandwich. "Boys, dinner's ready!"

* * *

Lorna tells herself not to worry about Diane, Gloria, or Maritza, because the most Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps would do is terrorize them for their own sick pleasure. Diane would eventually get a chance to push the emergency button Charles had installed. Deep down, though, she is very nervous about the women and Maritza's safety. She had to act brave as she took Benny and Julio home on the bus and reassured them that their mother would be okay. When Leon had answered the door and asked where Gloria was and why she wasn't with her kids, Lorna had said she's still at the restaurant helping Diane waitress since Alex isn't there and can't really watch her children. She plans to tell Gloria this cover-up so he, Aleida, and Daya won't worry about her. Lorna's good at that-playing make believe. It's why she gets A's in drama class. She tells Nicky everything and to come home, so the blonde does.

"Why the fuck didn't you get the assholes taken back to the big house when you left, though?" Nicky wonders out loud as she walks in the door. "I know you had to take care of the kids and those motherfuckers were just being verbally abusive and not doing anything else, but it is a literal crime to bust out of prison and torment the very people they were torturing in the first place, which lead them to their arrest!"

"I'm aware, okay? It's just...Diane probably handled it, so I didn't feel the need to. Besides, I was shaking and could barely catch my breath after seeing them. I'm fuckin' traumatized! Also, it ain't like the police would do nothin' except Charles."

Nicky sighs heavily while raking her hand through her hair. "Alright...makes sense."

"Are you angry at me, hon?" Lorna asks.

"No, of course not!" Nicky cups Lorna's face in her warm, slightly calloused hands and kisses her forehead. "Baby, I get it, it's fine. I just hope nothing awful happens to them."

"So do I." They wind their arms around each other's waists and start making out heavily as they're giggling and melting together as one. Nicky lifts Lorna off the floor and carries her upstairs while they're still kissing without air. They don't even notice Mikey behind them until he begins snickering. Lorna jolts away from Nicky and her girlfriend immediately sets her down, but it's too late. The boy had seen everything.

"Dad! Lorna's a dyke!" he shouts loudly, running down the steps.

"I _knew_ my eyes weren't playing tricks on me! I saw them cuddling and then committing that sin from out the window!" Joe responds angrily. "Lorna Jane Morello, you get your filthy ass down here _now_ and bring that disgusting piece of trash with you!"

"Oh, shit," Lorna mumbles and covers her face and hyperventilates. "Fuckin' tattletale..."

Nicky throws her hands up in the air. "We'll just deny everything!"

"No, no, no..." Lorna stutters and holds Nicky's arms. Her whole body is trembling. "Mikey and our father are real close...they always gang up on me! Besides that, they saw it themselves...us lip-lockin'. There's no way either of us are gonna get away with this. You better call Red if you want to sleep somewhere cozy and warm tonight."

"We'll both go to her apartment and join Tricia there, maybe Mikey will forget about it and it'll give time for your dad to calm down. Franny can stop 'em, I'm positive...she doesn't know about us, but she should have a clue by now since she pays a lot of attention to you, and she'd accept us!"

"Yeah, she would," Lorna agrees. "I wish she could hurry up and get a place to live that ain't here!"

"Hey!" Joe barks and Lorna jumps. "What'd I just say?"

Lorna gulps as she and Nicky go to the couch where her father is sitting. He's raving mad, and she's a bit scared of him. "Sorry, Daddy..."

"It's okay." He faces Nicky while gritting his teeth. "Your inappropriate behavior with my daughter is unacceptable! She doesn't like being touched by girls. You need to leave my house right now!" He points toward the front door.

"Sure thing, man," the blonde mutters reluctantly. She gazes longingly into Lorna's eyes as their joined hands separate. "I apologize for being in love with her."

Lorna's heart warms at hearing this and she beams. Nicky packs up her belongings and kisses Lorna goodbye. Lorna's body is curved against Nicky's and their hands are splayed out against each other's backs. She exits the apartment. Lorna attempts following her out, but Joe pulls her back with his hand gripping her wrist firmly.

"If you walk out of this house, you are no longer my daughter!" he snarls.

"You're not gonna keep me away from the girl I love!" Lorna protests when the door slams and her heart throbs. "You had no right to kick her out...and it's after dark!"

"I apologize that you're so confused, Lorna...I'll get you on the right track. Conversion therapy should prevent you from becoming a faggot. I'm doing this for you, just remember!" He rolls right into her and she collapses to the floor in shock and panic. "Both your dyke-ness and your crazy should be out of you now, but if not, you're getting electroshock therapy tomorrow!"

"I'm bi, so the correct insulting term would be _gillette blade_!" she snaps back at him as she stands up on trembling legs, but he punches her down again and reaches for a baseball bat. He waves it threateningly at her and she rushes upstairs and locks herself in her room. She checks her reflection in the mirror for a bruise, but there's only a red mark where her father's fist had connected with her jaw. She's lucky that he's too frail to give her a good right hook.

"I'll beat the tar outta both of ya!" he hollers and Lorna screeches when Mikey starts banging on her door. "Mikey, break into her room and drag her out yourself!"

"Ya fuckin' homophobic jerk!" Lorna screams.

Franny is going to be home soon and she'll put a stop to this evil, and Lorna can always call Nicky, so she does. When Nicky answers on the first ring, Lorna instantly starts hiccuping and whimpering.

"Lorna...is that motherfucker hurting you? Is that why you didn't just follow me and tell him to fuck off?"

"It was impossible for me to escape. Please help me, Nicky," Lorna squeaks, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Where you at, babe?"

"I'm hiding from my father...in my...in my room...and he's so furious...he's about to blow a gasket...like, he won't kill me or nothin', but he's real scary with his hollerin'!" Lorna cries.

"Okay, I'll help you sneak out. Red can get you later tonight, but I don't think you wanna dive under your bed for a whole hour!"

"Thank you," Lorna breathes out.

"Anytime, kid."

* * *

Once she hears Diane being tortured so mercilessly at the cruel hands of Piscatella, Maritza immediately wants to come to her aid, but of course, she can't, with Humps staring her down and making sure she doesn't go anywhere. "Strip down to your bra and panties!" he orders. "On your hands and knees, and start your job, dingy maid!" His eyes turn black and he starts drooling as he glares at her. "You make me filled with lust and hunger." Maritza yelps and flinches when he grabs her hair and pulls her up to her feet. "Now, you worthless brown creature!" Humps takes long strides over to the counter and gets his meal. She's about to run outside so she can call nine-one-one, but he takes the food off the plate, breaks it, and points a ceramic shard of it at her so the sharpest point is slightly touching the middle of her chest. "You better do it, and slowly, too, or I'll cut you up alive and eat you instead. You taste like dessert...your flesh and blood call out to me." Maritza cries as she undresses herself to her undergarments shakily. At the same time, she's careful not to step on the pieces of the plate on the ground. "I like you in a lacy bra and those sexy undies. Pick those up and put them in the garbage!" Maritza reluctantly does as she's told. Once that chore is completed, she starts scrubbing back and forth while crawling around the floor. Humps is chomping on his dinner above her and purposely dropping it in her hair, on her skin, and clothes. "Tell me dirty phrases in Spanish, or you know what'll happen," he instructs her creepily.

Maritza can't stop shivering from both her fear and being cold. "Damelo duro," she purrs as best she can, only thinking of Flaca thrusting her fingers inside her. "¡Ay, con cuidado...papi!" she chokes out while gagging internally. "¡Eres...enorme!" She has to give him a satisfying show for her survival.

 **Give it to me hard. Oh, be careful, Daddy! You are huge!**

"Yesss..." he hisses and runs his tongue over his teeth. "Very good."

"As lo que quieras. ¡Voy a venir! ¡Dame esa leche! Ven conmigo."

 **As you want. I will come! Give me that milk! Come with me.**

"I'm almost there, hottie!" he yells while masturbating. The sadistic monster unzips his pants and puts his disgusting penis near Maritza's face. "See how hard I am for you?"

"Ahh, si..." Maritza responds emptily. "Mis pliegues vaginales están tan mojados..."  
 **  
** **Ah, yes, my vagina folds are so wet.**

"Come sit on my lap, you're too much to resist!" Maritza wants to throw up at the tent in his pants. He forcefully drags her to sit directly on his boner and moves her around it rapidly while clutching her upper arms so tightly it leaves handprint marks. He then squeezes her thighs and rubs them. He scratches her bare stomach as he tears her bra off, breaking the clasp. She's so uncomfortable and vulnerable as he palms her breasts and his stick pokes into her butt. "You get why they call me Humps now? It's because I give the best dry _humps_." He snickers at his own sick joke and Maritza only sobs openly. She's bleeding from where a minuscule shard had cut into her hand, but she doesn't say anything about it since it'll just make him more excited. She wishes Flaca could somehow save her from this nightmare. Piscatella slinks out the back exit and she hopes he won't ever return, at least.

* * *

"You look so much like your mother," Fahri admits with a pensive smile, and Alex beams proudly in the long mirror at the store. She's just finished dressing like an adult and her outfit is a black tank top and matching blazer paired with gray slacks. She applies heavy winged eyeliner, strokes her lashes with mascara, puts her glasses and fancy wig on, and smears on a thick coat of red lipstick.

"Thank you!" she says brightly and smacks her lips together. She slips into her high heels, places a chunky black cross necklace around her neck, puts studs into her earlobes, and checks herself out. "Whoa, I need Michelle to see me in this! She'll think I'm so hot!" Alex giggles at the thought of her girlfriend's reaction to her makeover.

 **"** You know I don't want you to do this at all...you resembling Diane is the only positive about it. It's nice that you do, but I'm just wishing you didn't have to dress grown-up for this job."

Alex shrugs nonchalantly. "I don't mind in the least."

While he's driving them to Friendly's so Alex can meet up with Diane, she blows out a huge breath. "Fahri...you can't marry Vee! She's a child abuser...I saw the bruises she left on Nicky. They were pretty damn serious..." Alex trails off when she realizes what she's saying wasn't actually proven by Nicky herself, but she has an inkling that Vee had hurt one of her best friends, since the blonde had lived with the mean looking bitch she'd met when she and Lorna had dropped Nicky off that one time.

He glances over at her curiously. "How do you know that for sure? I understand that you're pissed about this, but you shouldn't overexaggerate and make up things about complete strangers."

"Yeah, whatever, I'm aware. Sorry," Alex quips insincerely.

* * *

Clutching the broomstick handle tightly, Gloria whimpers as she tries to hold back a sob. She falls back against the wall outside Friendly's when Dixon saunters up to her. He snakes his hands around her waist and then down to her butt cheeks and thrusts himself into her, trapping her so his sleazy arms are like a cage. She feels so helpless and afraid, especially because she can't shove him off her or smash her knee into his groin, and her shriek is soon muffled by his hand. Diane's unable to push the button inside since Piscatella is preventing her from doing so. Lorna was smart to take the boys home.

If Lourdes' brother and sister-in-law were alive, they would've cut anyone's throat open who had even attempted hurting their daughter, much like Lourdes. While Gloria's aunt threatened to many times, her mother would've actually done the deed with no remorse. Then again, if Lourdes had the chance to kill Arturo, she would. He was the worst boyfriend Gloria ever had. Her girls' father was an angel compared to him, even if he was a jerk.

 _Arturo puts his foot to the middle of Gloria's back and she flies down the stairs. He chases her, following her every move. She's hanging on to the railing to support herself after she was thrown down the stairs. "¿Por qué has dado a luz a tantos macosos? ¡Siempre supe que había algo mal contigo! ¿No son suficientes cuatro de ellos? ¡No me des más, tengo que encargarme!"_

 ** _"Why did you give birth to so many brats? I always knew there was something wrong with you! Isn't four of them enough? Don't give me more I gotta take care of!"_**

"Feel my boner, Hot Pants...it's because of your sexy ass," he drawls into her ear and then licks her neck while squeezing her bottom. Dixon smells so bad that Gloria starts gagging and then panicking because he's invading her space tremendously.

 _"Lo...siento," is all she can get out. Arturo roughly pushes Gloria into a wall and then she slumps to the floor. The first time he'd hit her, was because she was pregnant with her fifth child._

 ** _I'm...sorry._**

"I want to eat it. I bet it's nice and juicy..."

 _"¡Estúpida perra holgazana! ¡Levántate!" Arturo kicks her in the side over and over again while she sobs on the floor and tries to stand despite the pain._

 ** _You stupid lazy bitch! Get up!_**

She tries to jam the broomstick up into his neck while gasping in and out raggedly, but Dixon stops her with an eerie chuckle and tosses it away. "You can't defeat me!" Gloria struggles against him and gathers up her courage to sink her teeth hard into his palm. " _Ouch_! You crazy dumb cunt!" he bellows. He removes his hand from her mouth. "Fiesty, aren't we?"

"Help me!" she cries out before he quickly silences her with forceful kisses and almost bites her tongue off while clawing at her breasts.

"Shh..." Gloria screams again and Dixon bashes her head into the concrete wall behind her, and she's now dizzy and scared she might have a concussion. "I just told you to shut up, bitch!"

"Don't hit me," she begs in a whisper. "Please...you have too much power as it is."

A sinister grin appears on his face. "Oh...you'll wish that's all I did when I finish with you."

* * *

As he stops the car outside his close friend's restaurant and gets out, Fahri hears something incredibly alarming. A man who he's sure he recognizes from the back is sexually harassing Gloria, who's struggling and whimpering, and there's a broomstick a few feet away from them. Fahri immediately wants to save her from this assault. Alex grits her teeth as her eyes widen. She's about to speak, but Fahri shushes her and holds her back as they silently walk to the scene. "There's a weapon, and I'm gonna beat him with it from behind, but I don't want him to notice me at all. Go ahead and check to see if your mom's okay," he whispers.

Alex nods. "Alright."

Fahri bends down, picks up the broomstick, and takes a few powerful swings at the back of the horrible person's head. He's satisfied when a _crack_ sounds and Gloria is finally released when the animal stumbles back and turns around. "Ah, you fuckin' Arab terrorist! My eyes are blurry!" He makes a pathetic attempt to grab the broomstick from Fahri, but he doesn't succeed.

"Good, I hope you lose your vision," Fahri snaps and gestures for Gloria to follow him inside Friendly's.

"Oh my god...thank you..." Gloria tells him tearfully while pressing her hand to her heart and sniffling.

"I'll always rescue you if you need or want me to." Ever since her panic attack last week, a surge of protectiveness over her had swept through him.

"I'm so grateful, really..."

He's shocked to see Alex standing on a table, probably for leverage, and delivering several roundhouse kicks into Humps' face and leaving the bastard with no chance to fight back, and he can tell Gloria is stunned as well. She rushes over to help Maritza get her clothes back on and both of them are very shaken up. Maritza is rendered speechless. They, along with Alex and Fahri, jump when a gunshot is heard from outside.

"Where the fuck is my mom, you asshole?" Alex shouts and then stomps on Humps' chest when he doesn't respond right away. He just groans and smirks instead. "Answer me!" She's panting heavily, but standing her ground, as anyone would be when their loved one is in danger and they'd just beat someone badly. "I'm pumped up on adrenaline, and I'd be happy to murder you in a few seconds. All I have to do is step on your ugly throat."

He coughs up blood. "You stupid whore...she's probably dead anyway. I'd hit that..."

"You're fuckin' wrong and so gross!" Alex growls. "I'll look for her myself, then!"

Fahri drags him out and throws him onto Dixon's unmoving body while calling an ambulance to pick them up. He guards the door to make sure they don't come back in.

* * *

"She's behind the counter...I assume passed out, since she hasn't come out or nothin'," Maritza explains when she finally gets her voice back, and Alex gasps worriedly. Her heart nearly pounds out of her chest. "Piscatella hurt her real bad, like, he punched her!" Alex races to Diane's side, where she's laying on the floor, knocked out cold. The girls and Gloria kneel down and help Diane to a sitting position, start fanning her and unbuttoning her shirt, as she's way too hot. Piscatella had also left behind a black eye and Diane's wrists are tied together behind her back. Alex is broken inside for her mother and she quickly loosens the ropes and pushes them aside.

"Mom! Mommy, wake up, _please_..." Alex begs her and kisses her cheek as Gloria strokes her tangled hair. Most of it has come out of her ponytail and it's sticking to the sides of her bruised face.

Diane sways back and forth as she begins to come to. Her eyes flutter open and she appears bewildered. "Hmm? Where the fuck am I?" she mumbles, and they all breathe a sigh of relief. Alex chortles to herself at Diane's crass language, even after suffering a life-threatening injury. "The last thing I saw was that...that neckless gorilla."

"He's gone," Gloria assures her.

"I'll get you some ice," Maritza volunteers. Alex would have, but she wants to be with Diane at this moment. She forgets about rebelling against her for a while.

"Allie...could you not tell Charles?" Diane pleads with her. "Don't say anything...I beg you!" She hiccups and begins to literally cry on Alex's shoulder.

Alex hugs her and she holds Alex around her waist as they rock from side to side. "I won't...and I promise you that I'll always be here with you from now on. This is where I should be. I had remembered self-defense tactics that him, Frieda, and Ms. Bell, taught me and creamed Humps in the middle of his violating Maritza...Fahri got Dixon when he was molesting Gloria, and then someone shot that gigantic son of a bitch...I don't know who...but you're all okay." She sniffles and wipes her eyes with her sleeve. "Thank god..."

"I love you, my little girl." Diane pulls Alex impossibly closer into her chest and kisses her temple a few times. Alex snuggles further into Diane's embrace. "You and Fahri saved us..."

"I love you too, Mom."

"You're wearing more makeup than usual," Diane notices aloud.

"Yeah...having a girl I like a lot causes me to wanna look extra special." It's not a lie, but Michelle is not the reason for Alex's extreme touching up. She's just part of it.

"You're always my beautiful daughter, along with incredibly brave, sweet, and strong."

Alex smiles through her tears at Diane's compliment while pressing her lips together. "Thank you...and you're always my gorgeous, kind, courageous, and tough mother."

Diane beams. "Thanks, baby."

It's not until Maritza gives Diane ice that they notice Gloria has gone to a table and is talking to Fahri while they clean up.

* * *

"¿Por qué hueles a humo?" Theresa wonders out loud as she lets Kubra inside the apartment.

 **Why do you smell of smoke?**

"¡Oh, estaba fumando afuera recientemente!" he explains. "Lo siento."

 **Oh, I was smoking outside just recently! I'm sorry.**

Theresa shrugs. **"** Está bien." She gives him a chaste kiss and goes back to her sewing.

 **It's okay.**

Flaca groans quietly as she tries to move herself from her wheelchair to the couch with as little discomfort as possible. She's done this plenty of times-balancing on her good foot and using the arms of her wheelchair to support her as she hops to the couch and sits down, and usually, her mother or brothers would assist her with elevating her bad leg, but Marco and Pedro aren't around and before Theresa can get to her, Kubra walks over with sympathy written all over his face. "I'm sorry you're in so much pain. Do you want my help?"

She nods while wincing as her broken leg hovers above the ground in midair. "Yeah...thanks, dude."

Kubra grins and picks a green pillow off the couch and plops it on the table while holding up her leg. He props it up on the pillow and now it's not so bad. "Hope that's better for you."

"It is." Flaca smiles appreciatively at him. "You're great."

"So are you, kiddo. Let's see what's on television." He sits down beside her as she turns on her telenovela and starts re-braiding her French plait on one side of her head.

"I always watch this...and for the record, I enjoy smoking after I read a romance novela," she whispers. "We could do that together, but never tell my mom, yo. It'll be like, our thing. My girl Mari loves pot, so she can come with us...and our homie Blanca likes a cigarette from time to time...so, like, we ain't stoners, but it's awesome to get high once in a while."

"I get what you mean, completely," Kubra responds in an equally hushed tone while smirking. "I'm not supposed to let fifteen year olds do this..."

"There's a but coming, I smell it!"

"Your mother would kill me!"

Flaca rolls her eyes. "So? It's just bonding time with friends and the super cool dude who's dating my mom. It ain't like we gotta tell on ourselves or nothin'!"

Kubra sighs. "Okay...once a week, but that's it!"

"Yes!" Flaca cheers to herself.

The doorbell rings and Kubra gets it, since Theresa is busy working. "Oh, hi, Maritza!" he greets her, and Flaca beams at her girlfriend while waving her over. She can't wait to have Maritza in her arms again.

"Mari!" Flaca shouts happily, and Theresa glances up to wave at her.

"Hey, y'all," Maritza mumbles as she passes him and practically falls onto the couch. She appears to be spooked and there's a haunted look swimming in her chocolate brown eyes and gauze wrapped around her hand. Flaca begins to worry about her as she pulls Maritza halfway onto her lap. Kubra gives them their privacy.

"Baby...what is it?" Flaca tucks a strand of Maritza's hair behind her ear and strokes her thumb up and down the other's cheek.

"I...I don't know if we'll ev-ever be safe," Maritza replies shakily.

"Why? ¿Que pasó?"

 **What happened?**

Maritza's breath hitches and Flaca's heart cracks when she bursts into tears. "They escaped prison," she blubbers. "Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps..." Flaca gasps and Maritza breaks off into a round of cries. "They tormented me and Gloria and Diane...Lorna got away with Benny and Julio...so that's good for them, but we...we was more scared than we ever been. You think Duardo and his crew were bad? Well...Humps was making me be like, his sex slave and roleplaying where I was his maid and cleaning the floor since he and his stupid feo friends dumped ice cream sundae ingredients all over Friendly's. He...he touched me, and ummmm...I was...I-I wanted to die! He forced me to rub my butt...on his repulsive crotch...and it hurt so much when it was poking in me...ew!" Maritza explains between sobs, and Flaca hisses with anger toward the asshole. "Dixon almost raped Gloria and Piscatella knocked Diane unconscious behind the counter where he was ordering her to make them sandwiches or some shit. It was so awful..."

"I bet...I'm so sorry, honey," Flaca tells her gently and Maritza whimpers while hiding herself further into Flaca's pink and black pants and getting the hem of her black shirt wet with tears. "I wish I could've been there to cut his fuckin' face open...that goes for all of 'em!" Flaca growls. She hates how fragile Maritza is now.

"Alex and Fahri got there in time, like before any horrible damage was done, but I'm gonna have so many nightmares."

"I'll hold you through the night...I promise," Flaca assures her favorite girl. "I love you so much, princesa."

"Thank you...and yo también te amo." Maritza sits up against Flaca, beams at her, and they touch lips gently. Neither of them realize they've never come out as bisexual to either of their mothers, and Theresa and or Kubra had probably seen their mouths molding together, but it doesn't matter. They'll officially tell Theresa and Juliana when they're both ready.

* * *

It's almost eleven when Charles enters the restaurant. Diane is pressing ice to her black eye at a table as Alex sits next to her and fixes her hair into a plait so it can appear to be just a bit neater. Fahri had driven Gloria and Maritza home and made sure to drop off Gloria first so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable being alone with him.

"You did this for me when you were little," Diane remembers. "Your small, chubby hands would pull at my hair and it was a fuckin' messy braid, but you were three, and I loved you playing with it."

Alex laughs. "I'm glad I can do a much better job now!"

"Diane?" The concern in Charles' voice is evident and it calms her just like her daughter's had. "How'd you get injured?" Alex gets up and gestures for him to take her place, and he does. She ties an elastic around the end of Diane's single braid.

She isn't going to make a big thing of it since Alex hadn't even been there, so she decides she won't come to Charles with yet another problem and be a burden again. "It's nothing," she replies softly. "I just slipped in the backroom and my face bumped into the edge of a counter...something had spilled."

"Let me see...please?"

Slowly, Diane removes the ice. "It don't even hurt that bad anymore...I forgot to fall backwards and on my hands, I guess."

"Oh my god! That looks hella serious, sweetie! Are you dizzy? You must've hit your head real hard." His gentle touch as he runs his knuckles up and down her temple while putting his lips in her hair makes her melt.

"I did...but my vision is still good."

Charles looks at her sadly. "Come here, my poor baby. I'll take so much care of you." She leans closer to him as he gathers her into his loving arms. She rests against his chest and tilts her head back so she can gaze up at him. While Alex isn't looking their way, Charles puts his hands on Diane's sides and they begin to make out, causing Diane's heart to flutter again and again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Michelle fly in and nearly knock Alex over with a hug, and Alex spins the shorter girl around. Diane smiles at the fact that Alex is happy again.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, CoffeeWritingAddiction, Johanna002, Double99, MinervaSnape394, Amelia, and A Star In My Universe!**


	46. Monster Under My Bed

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Happy (belated) birthdays to Laura Prepon and Yael Stone, and also to MinervaSnape394! Hope you had a lovely day! Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!**

 **Warning, homophobic slurs, references to traumatizing situations.**

 **A little reminder, it's only been one week since Gloria and Fahri met, so their relationship isn't that deep yet. They're just getting to know each other a bit. I'm sorry the story is moving so slowly, day by day, but I'll try to speed it up!**

 **The references to Diane's beauty are inspired by me having a co-worker who looks kinda like her...I can't take my eyes off the woman lol. She's just so pretty and ethereal like the sun shines on her every day-with her hair swept to one side, eyes I can easily drown in, and a contagious smile. Work is more fun with her there! She should meet Kim Director (who plays Diane) haha.**

Seeing Gloria's sons nestled into her on the couch, one on each side, and sucking their thumbs, melts and breaks Leon's heart at the same time. They're sitting between Aleida and Daya as the sister he's always wished he'd had growing up, explains the terrifying ordeal she had to suffer though. Adarsh had already gone home when the game was over. Gloria's voice keeps cracking through her story, and his girlfriend and her daughter hold Gloria's hands tightly. By the look on her face when she'd first come in, though, they could all tell that something was horribly wrong.

"I'm so sorry, Gloria," Daya murmurs sadly.

"Me, too. I hate those motherfuckers!" Aleida exclaims sourly. "I wish Diane would just tell her man...it would really fix the problem, seeing that he's a police officer and shit!"

"She just doesn't wanna present another issue to him since he's already busy with your case and also, he's helped her so much already, in her opinion," Gloria points out. "We'll just have to get better at self-defense. Alex and Fahri are pros!"

"I know, totally badass," Daya agrees. "It's just...they were more able to defend you guys since they'd come into the situation while it was happening, so the assholes weren't expecting you...whereas Maritza, who's five feet two and has more bark than bite, couldn't possibly fight off Humps without someone else there to assist her, Gloria...you had the broom and all, but Dixon is like, three times your size and could easily crush any of us women and girls, unless we were huge bodybuilders with years of training in some fight club or whatever, and Diane, well, she tried, but Piscatella is way too strong for her...I ain't saying any of y'all are weak, but that beast could probably use his two bare hands to murder someone with no struggle at all. Each of them chose to attack one of you, since individually, they knew you couldn't win against them. Together, though...you're powerful."

"Nah...maybe just if one of those creeps were there, we all could get 'em, but there's gotta be like, at least two other people with us," Gloria mutters.

"I'll go for your safety," Leon volunteers. "There's no way that this will ever happen one more time. They might try to hurt you again, but they haven't met me yet!" His muscles flex and his hands ball up into fists just thinking about beating the assholes' brains out. It makes him sick to his stomach that Gloria had been almost raped, Diane unconscious on the ground and probably left for dead, and Maritza being forced to give Humps a lap dance. It's a nightmare that nobody deserves. "I understand why you would be afraid to return there until Charles eventually discovers they're harassing you, but Diane has no choice but to work there until the end of her shift. I'll be there for her and anyone else who needs protection." He may not have a thing for Diane anymore like he did when he first saw her at the club before he caught Aleida in the middle of her falling off the barstool, but the yearning to protect Diane because she's a woman in his life, one of his friends, is always there.

"Same here...even if I'm nervous to face those ugly monsters," Aleida says while hugging Gloria.

Leon knows Aleida is tough and extremely brave when she wants or needs to be, but he doesn't want her to put herself in dangerous situations if someone else is around. "Baby, no...I don't want them to touch you, either. It'll just be me and Fahri as bodyguards. You can come with me, but get behind me if they show up!"

Aleida rolls her eyes. "No shit! Of course I will! Diane could always get her own, though, like Glo in her bodega!" She gestures to Gloria.

"I don't work there much, and Lourdes is constantly with me...those random dudes really ain't all that necessary!" Gloria says. "Diane should have somebody lookin' out for her who knows her when Charles ain't there. We know that Leon can smash the shit outta those guys' faces! So can Fahri...they're perfect."

"Well...okay," Aleida responds in a tight voice, and she sounds close to being jealous. She beams and squeezes Gloria's hands. "Fahri was the one to save you. That's so sweet and hella romantic!"

Gloria's eyes light up and she nods enthusiastically. "Mm-hm...but anyone else woulda done the same thing if they were currently witnessing attempted sexual assault."

"Yeah, Ma, I mean...you threw a boiling pot of water over Humps when he was torturing Lorna, Alex pummeled him to the ground when he was molesting Maritza and when Lorna was raped, Flaritza and Maria rescued her and prevented that remaining pedophile from doing anything else to her! Being someone's protector don't always mean you're in a romantic relationship with 'em," Daya adds.

"Ain't nobody stopped that sadist from touchin' me," Aleida says distastefully. "He had his way with me, and I couldn't breathe until he was gone."

Leon's heart clenches in pain for her and he wraps her in his arms. "I know, honey. I wish I'd known...I would've busted that door down and made him unable to walk!"

"You didn't hear my screaming and crying...it ain't your fault, babe." Aleida sighs and gets up off the couch. "I'm glad nobody got raped tonight, though. That's real good news. If you wake up from nightmares, though, Gloria, you can always stay up with me...I'll give Leon here a rest." She massages Leon's shoulder and bends down to kiss his cheek.

"I never get tired of being your rock, my girl," Leon assures her.

Gloria smiles at Aleida. "Thank you! We oughta go to Lourdes about this soon...I'll ask her tomorrow if we can meet on Wednesday."

"Exactly a week after my traumatic incident," Aleida reminds her. "It ain't some anniversary we celebrating."

"I'm aware...but does that bother you? If so, we can do it another time. It's just that I don't like springin' last minute shit on her and Wednesday is the day after tomorrow. I'll request Thursday!"

Aleida shakes her head. "Nah...it's okay. Wednesday it is."

Leon follows her in concern as she trudges to her room. "Are you sure you're alright, Lei?"

"I'm fine." Aleida swallows hard and exhales shakily. "We can't help how life works sometimes."

* * *

"It's too fuckin' heavy!" Tricia complains in a low voice as she struggles to assist Nicky in lifting the ladder from of the trunk of Red's car. They're planning to get Lorna out while Red distracts her father.

"Shut up, you wanted to be my partner in crime! I can't carry this thing by myself! Come on, sis, put some muscle into it!" Nicky grunts softly as she and Tricia drag it across the darkened grass in front of the Morellos' apartment and round the corner. At their cue, which is a thumbs-up, Red rings the doorbell. Nicky sneaks a peek at Red confronting the homophobic idiot. "We need to be super quiet."

"Who are you?" Lorna's father asks stupidly.

"Don't you dare tell my daughter that she is showing inappropriate behavior by expressing her feelings to someone she cares deeply about...she and your daughter are in love and there is nothing you can do about it! I'm happy for them, and for the sake of loving your child, you should be too!" Red snaps, and Nicky grins proudly.

"God, I love her," Nicky whispers to herself.

Tricia stifles a laugh behind her palm. "She totally went off!"

"That faggot has infected my daughter with her disease and I want her punished! If Lorna dates girls, that's an abomination against God, and for that, she is no longer mine! She can be if she breaks up with that Hell's Angel and if that devil's child changes her ways, she is welcome here, too! The Bible banishes queers into the fires of Hell!"

Red glares at him darkly. "If homosexuality is a disease, let's all call in queer to work. Hello, can't work today...still queer. In the Bible, it also says rapists get stoned or their penises cut off, but that rarely happens! Poslushay menya, ty, svin'i! Bog lyubit vsekh svoikh detey, i on ne sovershayet oshibok, no yasno, chto sdelal, kogda sozdal vas. YA pozabochus' o tom, chtoby vy byli proklyaty na vsyu vechnost' za to, chto tak zhestoki k etim dragotsennym devushkam. Pust' u vashikh druzey prekrasnyy den' - khoronit vas. YA nadeyus', chto d'yavol ispol'zuyet vash pozvonochnik v kachestve lestnitsy, chtoby podbirat' yabloki v sadu ada." she angrily threatens him in Russian. Nicky can't understand most of it, but it sounds like she's cursing him. With that, she walks away.

 **Listen to me, you pig fucker! God loves all of his children and he makes no mistakes, but clearly he did when he created you. I will see to it that you are cursed for all eternity for being so cruel to these precious girls. May your friends have a fine day - burying you. I hope the devil uses your backbone as a ladder to pick apples in the garden of hell.**

"What did you just say to me?" He sounds worried, and Nicky and Tricia smirk at each other as they prop the ladder against the apartment. Lorna slides open her window and they hold the ladder as she steps down carefully. Nicky has Tricia keep it there with both hands as she goes halfway up to help Lorna the rest of the way, as her girlfriend appears to be shaking.

"I got you now, baby," Nicky assures Lorna while carrying her to Red's car, bridal style. Lorna holds onto Nicky tightly.

"Hurry!" Tricia urges Nicky and once they've gotten into the older woman's vehicle at a rapid pace, Red drives off with a squeal of tires, and all three girls scream with exhilaration.

"Whooohoo!" Lorna cheers. "I'm finally free!"

"Yeah, you are!" Nicky says happily.

Once they get settled in Red's apartment, Lorna dials a number on her phone. "I gotta call Franny so she doesn't wonder where I am at this late hour."

"Good idea," Red comments and Nicky and Tricia nod in agreement. While Lorna is busy speaking to her sister and petting Melanie as the cat sits in her lap peacefully, Red beckons the blondes into her bedroom where all of their things are spread out messily. "Now girls, I cannot fit more than two in that bed, so I ordered a queen bed for you to share."

Nicky gasps in excitement, her heart warms, and tears come to her eyes as she and Red hug each other. "Well, we're really homeless this time, so you have to take us in now! There's nobody else!"

"You can crash here anytime you want or at various friends' houses."

"Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Ma," Nicky says gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks," Tricia echoes shyly.

"If one of you want to sleep with me, you may, but you don't have to. Until I receive the bed, and when Lorna's family situation is under control, someone will have to use an air mattress, like Tricia did on Saturday," Red tells them.

"I'll stay over at Mercy's to make sleeping arrangements easier," Tricia offers. "She already said she wouldn't mind, and her ma adores me."

"Lorna and I could take any of our friends' couches, too, we have many times before, and their moms are cool with it," Nicky adds. "You deserve to have your own bed and not always the sofa, Red! Your back must be killing you every time we're here for the night. Friday and Saturday...and you were kinda forced into it tonight because of that fuckin' bigot who calls himself Lorna's dad."

"I can handle some discomfort...it's better than thinking of you out on the cold streets." Red kisses Nicky's temple. "You're my babies, and a mamochka always puts her children first."

Nicky grins at how Red is the polar opposite of Marka and Tricia's mom. "I know, but still...being on a couch when you have a bad back will only make it worse. As much as I love Trish, we don't need to bunk together. We could just take turns sharing your bed with you and one of us would use the couch and an air mattress."

"Okay, that's a good plan!" Red declares.

"You're hella smart, sis," Tricia compliments Nicky.

She beams proudly. "Thanks!"

* * *

It hurts to stand or move around too much, so Diane is content just sitting at the table with Charles for a half hour while Alex and Michelle split an ice cream sundae, until she starts to drift off. Diane wakes up instantly. "Ugh...we gotta go home now," she mumbles. She winces at the pain in her side as she gets to her feet and hangs on to Charles for balance. As soon as Diane starts to wobble, he holds her upright and hands her a glass of water that had been on the table.

"Are you still feeling faint?" he asks.

"Yeah...I have a dry throat more than anything, though." Diane takes a few gulps of water, and the cool liquid running down her throat is heaven. Goosebumps form on her bare arms and she slips her thin black sweater on, but she's still cold. "I can't stop shivering. I guess my body had enough of sweating."

Charles helps Diane into the pink jacket she always wears and she's trembling so much from the previous trauma that her legs can't support her and she collapses. He catches her within a second. "Mom!" Alex shrieks. Michelle appears to be just as panicked.

"Diane, I'll carry you to the car. That was a serious fall you took. I don't think you're in any condition to be walking at this moment."

"I'm okay," Diane assures them, but she lets Charles take her in his arms, lift her off the ground bridal style, and help her into his car. She's relieved for him. Her breathing is shaky. It's been a long time since she's feared for her life. She winces as he sets her down into the passenger seat. Diane puts her seatbelt on and while Charles goes to the driver's side and Alex and Michelle get into the back, she sneaks a peek at where Piscatella had shoved his foot into her so brutally. It's completely black and blue, a scary contrast against her pale skin, and she's suddenly nauseous. She wishes she hadn't looked. Under the bracelets and watch she's wearing, her wrists are raw and red from Piscatella's handprints and rope burns, and she knows she'll have to apply lotion to the chafed areas later.

"You're all white, baby," Charles points out worriedly.

"I know...I always am, day in and day out," Diane tries to joke. "I gotta...I..." She hiccups loudly a few times and leans over the side of the car to throw up. She's never done this in front of him before, and she's so embarrassed. He gathers her hair in one hand so it's out of her face and his other hand moves comfortingly around her back. When she's finished, she hisses at the pain in her side as she sits up straight. Alex gives her water so she can rinse her mouth out and Michelle hands her a box of Kleenex so she can wipe her lips free of puke. "I'm sorry," she gasps out. "I didn't mean to...vomit."

"You don't have to apologize, my girl. You really hurt yourself. Take it easy." Charles wraps his hand around hers as he starts the car.

"Alright...I will."

After Charles drops off Michelle, they go home. Diane and Alex take turns changing into their pajamas in the bathroom, and then Diane goes into hers and Alex's room to find her daughter texting. The fumes coming off Alex are enough to make Diane want to gag and she hopes it's not what she thinks it is.

"I didn't want to bring this up before, Alex, but why do you smell of smoke? I know Fahri had a bump, but that is not something I allow for my daughter."

Alex groans. "I was around Fahri, he never gives me anything! Don't worry about me."

"Oh, but I do...all the time." Diane sits on the edge of the bed slowly and holds a package of ice to her side. "I'm your mother. It's my job."

"I know." Alex tilts her head towards Diane's injury she's covering. "As your daughter, I'm concerned for you, too...are you positive you don't need to go to the hospital?"

"Yes. I passed out, and all I need is ice." Diane squeezes Alex's hand and smiles at her. "I've missed you, pumpkin. We haven't talked one-to-one in a while. How's it going with Michelle?"

Alex beams while blushing. "We finally made out earlier today...like, a bit after school."

"I _knew_ it! Nice!" Diane hi-fives her and they both laugh lightly. "I really hope she's good to you."

"Oh, she's amazing, Mom...and not just a spectacular kisser. She's beautiful, sweet, kind, isn't manipulative, doesn't get jealous of the things I kept from Piper and the pictures of us together, and just an all-around perfect girl," Alex gushes. "I really can be myself with her."

"Allie, that's wonderful!" Diane kisses her cheek. "Now we're both in new relationships! Maybe we could double date!"

"Yeah, that'd be awesome! Let's play basketball when you get better."

Diane is so ashamed to admit that she doesn't know how to play because her parents wouldn't allow their daughter to participate in sports that were meant for boys, in their words, and she won't tell Charles this either. She'll have to have her friends re-teach her since it's been almost three decades since her brother tossed around a ball of any kind with her. "I was thinking more like a restaurant for dinner and then a movie, but okay...a little game of two on two would be fun as well."

Alex nods happily. "All of that sounds cool!"

"Charles asked if we could cuddle as he spoons me while we're sleeping together. We ain't havin' sex, he respects my wishes. I don't want the one night stand fiasco to happen again, so I made it a rule for myself to hold off on that until six months of dating. Do you mind if I'm with him tonight? I'll stay here if you'd prefer me to be."

"It's fine, Mom, go ahead! He's great, and the fact that he's satisfied with just holding you while you guys are in the same bed, is excellent!"

Diane squeals. "I know! He's such a good man."

"Yeah, he is," Alex agrees and leans her head on Diane's shoulder. "Fahri's fuckin' engaged."

"What?!" Diane is surprised and a little pissed at him. Alex explains the details and Diane rolls her eyes at Fahri being a gentleman when he absolutely shouldn't have been. He doesn't even know this woman and the whole thing sounds wrong on so many levels.

"Yeah, we worked so hard on this plan of getting him and Gloria together," Alex says glumly.

Diane smiles at her sympathetically. "You did...but sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to."

"That's obvious." Alex huffs. "I just want him to see that Gloria is a much better match for him."

"He might in the long run," Diane tells her hopefully.

"My fingers and toes are crossed that he will eventually. Good night, Mom. I heart you."

Diane pulls her in for a hug, forgetting about the ice momentarily. She pecks Alex's temple. "Night, honey. Heart you too!" She runs her fingers through Alex's hair one last time before leaving the room with her ice. She goes into the bathroom and stares sadly at the angry red lines and bruises in the shapes of handprints circling her wrists. No matter how much lotion she uses, she'll be in pain for probably a week. She's scared to think about what could've happened had Alex and Fahri never come in and thanks her lucky stars that they did. She finishes getting ready for bed and joins Charles in his room.

"Hi, beautiful," he greets her, and she beams as he collects her in his arms.

"Hey, handsome," she murmurs.

"Are you ready?" Charles asks.

Diane nods her head yes. "Totally! I can only lay on one side, though...since my other one is gonna become black and blue. I also bumped into a counter...real hard!" She lifts her shirt slightly to show him, and he takes a sharp intake of air.

"Oh, baby...I'm so afraid that your ribs could be broken. I feel like I should take you to a doctor."

Diane waves away the suggestion as she snuggles against him and breathes out through her mouth. She tries not to blow out a huge breath, so it doesn't cause her too much agony. "No...they're just bruised."

"Don't conceal your pain from me...please," he murmurs as he holds her where she's unscathed, across her tummy.

"I'm not."

Charles places kisses from Diane's temple to her shoulder while tenderly caressing her cheek, hair, and back. "Okay, but know that I will be coddling you until you heal, whenever I can." The vibration in his chest against the side of her face makes her giggle.

"Mmm...sounds good, Charlie. A girl needs some of that," she murmurs with her eyes closed. "You're warm."

"So are you, Princess Di. You know somethin'? I like the way your eyes light up when you smile. You're too adorable."

Diane's face breaks into a grin. "Thank you."

Charles molds his mouth with hers and their lips keep connecting until they're too exhausted to do anything except sleep.

* * *

A shaky sigh escapes Gloria as she shudders at her reflection. She'd taken off her shirt and bra in front of the bathroom mirror and now, she can't undress herself further. There are two sets of three distinct scratch marks on her breasts that hurt to touch. She isn't visibly damaged anywhere else, but aside from what Arturo had done to her in the past, she can still sense Dixon's sweaty, gross hands all over her person. She doesn't think she can bear seeing him again, and she prays that he's dead at last. It's only when someone knocks on the door that she hurriedly slips her pajama top on and continues her bedtime routine. "Gloria, are you okay in there?" Daya calls out through the door.

"Yeah, almost done, sorry."

When she goes into her room where the kids are supposedly sleeping, she hears her oldest son and Christina talking. "The bad people who gave Mommy boo-boos came in the restaurant, but don't tell anybody else!" Benny says.

"Oh no! Why not? I want Charles to take them to jail!" Christina protests.

"Me too, but Diane told my mama we can't say nothing to him."

"Why?"

"I don't know!" Benny exclaims. "Grownups are weird."

"Yeah...but okay, I won't tattletale on them if it helps Diane," Christina relents. "She's a nice lady."

"She's pretty, too! I wish she was my tía."

"I know! I want her to be my other one! She didn't even get mad at me when I put glitter on her! I have Tía Gloria already though, and I love her!"

Gloria beams at their adorable conversation, but is glad Aleida can't hear them gushing about Diane. She'd already seemed envious when Leon said he was ready and willing to defend her from the monsters coming into Friendly's.

"Mommy, I'm really mad at Lorna!" Benny announces when Gloria is kissing and hugging him good night. "She's in _biiiig_ trouble!"

"How come?" Gloria is puzzled. The girl may be on the wacky side at times, but she's always been great with kids.

"She _lied_ to me! She said you'd be fine, but you weren't!"

Christina's jaw drops to the floor in astonishment. "That's not nice of her! You have to tell the truth."

"Guys...I know, but Benny, maybe you should talk to her about this, because she's very nice, she didn't mean to not be honest with you...she wasn't quite sure, and she didn't want you to be scared that the mean men would hurt me."

Benny sighs. "Okay..." he says reluctantly, and Gloria pecks the top of his head while squeezing him tight in her embrace. "Can you make the monster under my bed go away?"

Gloria attempts to hide her amusement. "It's just the big blue one with purple spots from _Monster's Inc_! I already checked!"

"That guy's fake! He can't scare away all the _real_ ones!" Christina retorts.

"What she said," Benny adds.

"You got your SpiderMan jammies on to protect you and give you all kinds of super powers...and I'm here all night!" Gloria tells him.

"Are they going to come in?" Christina asks innocently. "Those mean people who give everybody owies."

"No, nena...they won't. I promise, because you know why?" The children stare at her curiously. "This house is locked up...and we have Leon."

"Yay!" Benny's face brightens up immediately. "Now I can sleep."

"Sweet dreams, baby," she murmurs and gives his nose a light tap, which causes him to smile.

"You too, Mama!"

Gloria helps Christina up to the top bunk and pecks her cheek and pokes her belly, emitting a tiny giggle out of her. "Good night," she whispers.

"Night, Tía," Christina responds.

She later sees that she has a text from Fahri waiting for her. _I just wanted to check in on you, and if you want to talk about it, I'm here. Or we could chat about something else entirely._

 _Thanks. I won't lie, I'm not okay, traumatized is more like it. I'm mentally freaking out every five minutes, but I'm just glad it's over._

 _Me, too. I'm so sorry this happened._

 _You don't need to apologize. I appreciate you and Alex so much for coming to our rescue. I can't say it enough._

 _I'd do it again in a second._ At Fahri's reply, Gloria smiles to herself and holds back a giggle.

* * *

"Our dad is homophobic and doesn't want Lorna hanging out with you now that he knows you're a lesbian," Franny explains while gesturing towards Nicky. She'd come to check up on Lorna. "I don't really mind, I accept your relationship...I'd kinda suspected for a while now. I tried to protect your secret. I'm sorry Mikey blabbed...I grounded him for two weeks."

Lorna and Nicky both grin. "I'm bisexual, but thanks, sis. Ya think you can move me out of the house? I need all my stuff! No offense, but I can't stand living there no more. You can get an apartment with all the money you been savin' up...we'll make Mikey care for our mother. It could help him grow up some!"

"Ma needs us, Lorn...Mikey ain't no help! Dad's gonna holler at me for not bringing you home..."

"So let him!" Lorna glares at her older sister. "He's fucking dead to me! Do you understand? He should be in prison for child abuse! Who threatens to beat their kid with a bat and shock 'em into being straight?"

"She's staying with us tonight," Nicky insists in a protective tone and squeezes Lorna's hand affectionately. "We gotta inform Charles about that fucker and investigate!"

"Yes," Red agrees. "Your mother needs round-the-clock care in a hospital...I can help pay the medical bills and get you a cheap place to live. Your brother might do better in a less toxic environment, hmm? He would not get away with that shit, disrespecting you girls, if his father wasn't such a terrible influence!"

Franny raises an eyebrow skeptically at Red. "That's a lot of money to spend on someone you barely know."

"I don't mind helping you, honey. Also, Lorna just needs a break from your father and brother, it seems. I doubt that he'll follow through on his threats, but she'd be safer in my apartment."

"Alright...and I'll just wait til he goes to bed before I pack up your shit, Lorna." Franny smooths her hand down Lorna's hair and kisses her cheek. "I support you, completely!"

"Thanks, Franny!" Lorna says gratefully.

Nicky smirks and nudges Franny. "So...how'd you guess?"

"You slept together all the time and pretended you were best friends, but I saw right through the act...blushing and real smiley around each other and everything!"

"We'd also cuddle while watching a movie. We've been flirting pretty much since our first sleepover," Lorna confesses.

"Oh, wow! That's cute," Franny comments, and everyone beams.

* * *

After helping Gloria through another panic attack after her flashback in the middle of the night, Aleida races back to hers and Leon's room. Her legs are shaking underneath her as she keeps replaying what Leon had said before about being one of Diane's protectors. She decides she'll visit Cesar while Leon is at Friendly's. She's always thought Diane was extremely attractive and the woman would fit well with Leon, who is built like a Greek god. The thought alone of them together causes her to collapse to the ground. She takes in a shuddering gasp at the stinging pain in her hands and knees. Leon gets out of bed right away, assists her to a standing position and guides her back to laying beside him.

"Aleida, what is it?" he asks when she begins whimpering with her hands over her mouth. The squeaky sounds turn into sobbing as she buries herself into his embrace.

 _Diane hadn't even been raped. She could've thought fast and hit the emergency button, but she was scared, like anyone would be with Piscatella breathing down their neck. Aleida wants to slap herself for being so selfish. Diane fainted and lost consciousness when Piscatella hit her. She could've died on impact and that would be the end. She had gotten very lucky. Logically, Aleida knows she was too far away from Leon for him to hear her shrieks and the restaurant was loud, but she can't help but feel jealous that he's ready to help Diane._

"I was hoping...you'd come...come in and save m-me just like you...you're gonna do for h-her!" Aleida cries. "It ain't like I blame you for not rescuing me...but in a high school yearbook, you and Diane would probably get picked for specific categories like most athletic or amazing eyes, but there's nothing real special about me...no wonder you're interested in her now."

"I'm not! You're the only girl I'm in love with, who's constantly in my dreams. Everything about you is precious to me, baby," Leon assures her.

"How can you not drown in Diane's amazing eyes? How can you turn down the fuckin' _goddess of eternal beauty_ , who looks as if the sun shines upon her every day and her eyes sparkle like the brightest diamond?"

I have _you_ , Aleida." He kisses her moist cheek gently and softly runs his thumb across the cut on her bottom lip before pressing his lips to her slightly open mouth. "That's all there really is to it. I mean, the way you described her was beautiful, but it's how I think of you...not any other girl."

Aleida beams through her tears. "Thank you, Leon," she whispers.

"You're welcome."

* * *

 _She can't escape._

 _She's lying on the floor, so injured and barely breathing. Her father locks all of the windows and doors shut and has Mikey watch out to make sure she has no way of leaving the house. They do it in shifts since they want to watch television, and when they're fast asleep, Joe puts a metal shock collar on her, so if she tries to get up_ _, she'll be shocked so badly that she'll fall down or maybe pass out. He had warned her of that and taken her phone and computer so she can't contact Nicky. She crawls up the stairs and into Stansie's bedroom-only to hide herself under the blankets next to her mother._

 _"You haven't done this since you were ten, eleven at most. What's going through my little girl's head?"_

 _"Ma...what should I do?" she asks tearfully while clutching Stansie's hand. "They're controlling me...Mikey and Dad...and I need to see her...my girlfriend, Nicky. I...I don't think I can live without her."_

 _"He'll have to let you go to school, you can see her then," Stansie mumbles in response while running her quivering fingers through Lorna's hair. "One night ain't gonna kill you, baby."_

 _"I know that...but see this thing around my neck? I can't stand up without...fainting!" Lorna starts hyperventilating. "He can't...he can't do this to me! I ain't some poorly behaved dog!"_

 _"Oh my...it's so dark, but I can feel it...if I could take it off, I would."_

 _"You could call the police on him! I don't have my phone...he took it," Lorna says bitterly._

 _"Okay...I will."_

 _Lorna helps her mother sit up and then the scene changes. It fades into the outside of a church tucked away on the edge of town with only a glowing cross to light it up. She walks down the steps to find her father in his wheelchair beside the ramp. "Why are you out here, Daddy?" she wonders aloud while putting her jacket on over her white communion dress she'd been wearing since she was seven. "Ma, Franny, Mikey, and Nonno are waiting for us. They told me to get you. The evening mass is long over with."_

 _"Just contemplating," he answers and waves her over. "Sit on my lap, pet." He pats his knees and she does as he says. "Oooh...you're getting heavy!"_

 _"Well, I_ am _nine!"_

 _"You're cold," he points out while placing his hands on her bare thighs. "I'll make the goosebumps go away, though, don't worry." He massages them slowly and she keeps having to readjust the hem of her dress so it reaches her knees. She watches him rub his sweaty palms along her skin and continuously push up her dress, little by little. "Hope it's working!"_

 _"What the heck is that in your pants?" Lorna scoots away from an unknown bulge in his crotch. "It's sticking in my butt."_

 _"That's just Daddy's wallet. Sorry," he answers in a strained voice. "I think you should, uh...go back to the rest of the family. I'll join you in a second."_

 _"It felt slimy and wet," Lorna says anxiously._

 _"Ah...I might've peed myself! You're imagining things, little Lorna. Your mind loves to race away with you!" He chuckles and takes her off of him, with one hand on her back and the other directly between her legs, and her heart rate quickens. "Run along."_

 _A queasy sensation rises in Lorna's belly as she moves back from him. "You touched my private parts...Mommy and Franny say that's a no-no zone."_

 _"No, I'm your father...I've changed your diapers, you assist me in the shower...this time isn't any different. You haven't grown into your womanly body yet. Please stop arguing and give me some peace! I cannot sin again."_

 _"Come to Nonno!" Joe's father calls out, stretching his arms out wide, and she jumps into them. He squeezes her much too tightly. "Hmm...still no cherry juice coming out." He sets her on his hip and kisses and pinches her cheeks, just like her dad and the other Morello men enjoy doing._

 _She leans back from him and wrinkles her nose. "Alright, I think I'm gettin' a bit too old for that!"_

 _"Nah, you're a cute little girl, Lorna!"_

 _She feels too weird to say anything about what her dad had done, and it may be wrong, but people make mistakes. It's only when he'd climb into bed with her after that night, that she'd left to sleep with her mother or sister and begins a habit of sucking her thumb since it comforts her. She forces the memory all the way to the back of her brain until it can't ever rear its ugly head again, not even when Piper asks her about her deepest, darkest secret years later._

A bloodcurdling shriek fills Red's tiny apartment as Lorna bolts up in bed, shaking and panting while sobbing quietly. She covers her mouth so she won't wake Nicky, who's already starting to stir. "Hey, you just screamed..."

"I'm okay...I won't bother you about this." She scrambles off the air mattress and bursts into Red's bedroom where she's reading a book to Tricia. "Please don't make me go back to that horrible place!" she cries while shaking her head rapidly. Tears are streaming down her cheeks. "I absolutely don't wanna look at him again!"

The older woman and young girl peer at her curiously and with much concern etched on their faces. They make a spot for her so she can snuggle into Red. "What is this about, honey?" Red asks her in a soothing tone as she holds Lorna close.

"I had an awful dream tonight..." she responds.

"I did, too...that's why Red is reading me a book," Tricia says and Red smiles.

"MydadmolestedmewhenIwaslittle..." Lorna mumbles quickly.

"Hmm? Can you repeat that? I didn't quite understand what you said," Red tells her.

Nicky rubs her eyes open while walking into the room. "Lorna, you can talk to me about anything! You're not bugging me...I'm your girlfriend, we let each other in on shit." The blonde takes a spot beside her and holds her hand. "What was your nightmare about?" Nicky strokes Lorna's cheek affectionately and cups her chin.

Lorna sniffles and whimpers. She feels that she's always going to Nicky about something and she'd wanted Red for a change since she misses having a mother or adult mentor around, but she decides to let Nicky in on this, too. It was a huge part of her childhood, after all. "I'm so s-stupid...I never...I...it wasn't a nightmare," she says between sharp hiccups. "I had...I had a flashback...um...my...of my dad...molest...molesting me...I was nine." She lets out a few wails into Nicky's shirt as she trembles. She can hear the others around her gasp softly. "I asked him about it...when it happened...he said I was crazy, pretty much. His fucking disgusting hands were on my vagina and my butt and he got a boner when he told me to sit in his lap! I repressed it...because he never did that again...so I convinced myself it wasn't real...but it was! I remember everything!" She bawls even louder.

"Oh my god!" Tricia exclaims.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Nicky decides angrily.

"We'll rip him to shreds so he feels it when he dies slowly," Red declares.

"I knew this dude around your age, Red, who's dad molested him, and that fucker being in prison for years wasn't enough of a punishment. We should've murdered his ass! He was probably already dead, though..." Nicky trails off.

"The reason why I'd always wanted the perfect man was because I felt like a damsel in distress who needed a prince to save me from being violated!" Lorna informs them. "I'm real happy with you, though, hon!" She kisses Nicky's cheek. "You're truly the best!"

Nicky grins and holds Lorna close. "Thanks, babe. I'd rescue you any day!"

* * *

It turns out that Red is busy with just Nicky at lunch anyway, so nobody has to have a surprise ready for the Russian woman, and Charles takes Diane to lunch at Tacuba. Daya is confident as she prepares to give her big announcement over the loudspeaker in Caputo's office. "Ladies and gentlemen...Dayanara Diaz here, some of you know me as Daya. It's come to my attention that three friends of a guy named Cesar, badgered my friends on Sunday night about how Cesar got arrested, and these douchebags are gonna accuse you of protecting Gloria, since they think she got him sent to prison...she didn't...but hey, don't worry, sit tight until they're in jail or dead! If they say anything, just stand strong in your statements that there was a random drug bust, and they'll give up when they're done interrogating every single one of Gloria's people, or even just those she talks to. For safety measures, always have something to defend yourself with and travel in groups! That's all I gotta say. Peace out!"

Even after she gives out her warning, students are gossiping about her when she returns to the cafeteria. They're mostly commenting on how it's nothing but crime in her family. "Ignore them," Adarsh recommends her while slipping his arm around her shoulder comfortingly, and she grins up at him appreciatively. Her group is grateful, she knows, and her acquaintances such as Ouija, Pidge, Zirconia, Allison, Cindy, Taystee, and Poussey appear to feel sorry for her.

"Yay!" Flaca and Maritza cheer in unison while clapping excitedly.

"Way to go, Daya!" Alex hi-fives her.

She plops down between Adarsh and Lorna, who's glumly winding her spaghetti noodles around her fork and then dropping them as she sets her chin on her fist.

"You're not eating," Daya mutters worriedly to her smaller friend. She puts her hand on the other's forehead. "You don't have a fever or nothin'..."

"Did you hear about last night?" Lorna asks weakly. "I just learned that Maritza and Gloria could've been raped to death and Diane took a horrible tumble because of Piscatella."

"Yeah...Gloria told us...me, my mom, and Leon. We're discussing it with Lourdes tomorrow."

"Oh my goodness, Lourdes, Gloria, Benny, and Julio are gonna be so mad at me! I told the kids their mommy would be fine when I brought them home, because I really thought that to be the case."

"You can explain to them that you made a mistake. Everyone does," Alex assures her.

"You girls should hate me, too! By leaving the restaurant and not phoning Charles, I put them in danger! I seriously thought Diane could take care of things. I'm too ashamed to look at anybody right now."

"Hey...you had no way of knowing!" Flaca says.

Maritza nods in agreement.. "It ain't like you can predict the future."

"Alex was such a badass, though!" Michelle lifts hers and Alex's joined hands and kisses the taller girl's knuckles. Daya beams at their cuteness and how Alex's cheeks are turning red.

Blanca gestures to Alex. "True, you can really kick butt!"

Maria gives Alex two thumbs up while grinning happily. "Good thing Charles, Frieda, and Ms. Bell taught you some of their mad skills when they did!"

"Thanks! Yeah, I know...but I think it was mostly because I was like one of those mothers who lift cars off their children. I was so furious and all I wanted to do was kill those ugly bastards."

"I get what you mean," Daya tells her.

* * *

"You fucking evil shit pile!" Nicky growls.

Before Lorna's dad is able to go back to watching television, Nicky whacks him over his head with his remote control. Red and Nicky had knocked on the Morellos' door, ready to interrogate him, but him calling Nicky an abomination and continuously being in denial that he'd hurt Lorna, had fueled their rage, especially Nicky's. Red is proud of Nicky for her actions, but quickly pulls her away from the vile creature so that Nicky doesn't get arrested for assault, even if it is for the right reason. She had called the police on him for abusing his daughter last night as soon as they'd left the school, but nobody has come yet.

"I thought you wanted to kill that scumbag!" Nicky protests as Red leads her into another room.

"That's just a fantasy in my mind. I just hope he goes away for a long time and gets sodomized in prison. That'd be enough of a punishment!" Red points out.

"Yeah...you're right. You didn't even let me draw blood!"

"I don't want you to be in trouble, my girl. The only cop on our side is Charles, but they may not send him. I don't want to take that risk."

"Okay, let's go through his shit for evidence that he's a violent asshole or just plain creepy and has pictures of kids in his desk drawer or something since he's clearly a pedophile!"

Red nods and they quickly put on gloves and look around his bedroom. "I'm glad Franny took her and Lorna's mother to the hospital...not only because Mrs. Morello might stop us from investigating her husband, but for her to become healthy again."

"Mm-hm." Nicky is already down on her hands and knees. She peers beneath the bed as Red combs through clothes in the dresser. "Nothing except containers filled with holiday decorations," the blonde mutters. She crawls to the closet, opens it, and feels around. "Hey, look, here's a box stuffed in the way back. It's not hidden well at all...whatever, makes our job easier!" She pops up the top and tears the sides apart. A ton of photos spill out.

"Jackpot," Red mutters and sets her purple glasses atop her nose. "Put them on the bed so I can see, too."

"Of course, Ma. I hope it's not just family-holy fuck!" Nicky appears to be horrified as she turns them face up and then gathers a bunch of them in her hands. "Some are of the Morellos, but check this out." She lays a dozen pictures of Diane by the front door downstairs across the bed. Red gasps. "On the back of these, it says, 'I stopped sinning because of her'." Nicky pulls open his nightstand drawer and pulls out a voyeuristic photo of Diane in the shower. "Masturbation material," she reads aloud when she turns it over.

"Why is he stalking Diane?"

"He's a fuckin' weirdo...now we gotta show 'em to Charles!"

"I know, but is there also evidence that he touched Lorna?"

"Yeah, I have that, too. See this?" Nicky shows Red a picture of Lorna's disgusting father kissing his baby girl's neck when she's in a skirt and tank top at around nine years old. Her lips are stained red from a lollipop and his thumb is in her mouth. It makes Red sick and Nicky appears to be squeamish as well. "So gross...and here's the caption." She points to it. _I had my daughter in my lap and copped a feel by accident because her young, soft skin tempted me and I gave in and got hard, even though I shouldn't have. I am praying that you'll forgive me, God...please._

"We've got him!" Red states triumphantly.

* * *

An uneasy feeling grows inside of Alex. She's just discovered that during the whole time she's known Lorna, her terrible father had been taking pictures of Diane. It makes even more sense when he'd left a voicemail on Lorna's phone, that he himself had once sinned before. "His words repeat themselves over and over in my head, and I'm only keeping this for evidence." Right after drama, Lorna had pulled Alex aside and they'd gone into a large bathroom stall. "Mydadtriedtorapeyourmom," Lorna mumbles softly. Alex has to strain her ears in order to hear the small Italian.

"What?!" Alex nearly screeches. "What the fuck, Lorna? You talk too fast when you're upset. You're telling me your dad...almost did something unthinkable...to my mom?"

"It's true, and the reason he's in a wheelchair. He's been secretly obsessed with her for almost twenty years after that night," Lorna insists and hands Alex her phone while playing the message on speaker.

"I lusted after a gorgeous woman with long brown hair and blue eyes and a perfect body when I was in my early twenties, and tried to engage in sexual activity with her before marriage, but my punishment was to get kicked to the point of being crippled, which I deserve to be for the rest of my natural life. I survived the attack and saw God and decided I would never sin again. She resembled Alex without the glasses and I want to fuck the disease of lesbianism out of your friend, but I won't since it's against God to have sex before marriage. She's come to drop Alex off all the time and has never once come in, so I wasn't ever able to apologize, but would you please do that for me?"

Alex's eyes widen in horror and she shakes her head from side to side while pressing her lips together. He'd not only been after her mother, but her, as well. Tears swim in her eyes. "I'm gonna puke."

"Me too...he had calmed down some and he didn't seem to want to kill me anymore, but the pathetic excuse of a human being was still frightening me. I put the pieces together and it sunk in that the awful pervert was one of the animals who had attempted to sexually assault your ma...my heart is breaking for her _and_ you!"

"He-he's such a bastard...he really thinks the wrong thing he did was attempted sex before marriage!" Alex blubbers. "He wanted to do it with me, too...so nauseating! Ugh!"

"I blame myself that I never knew, since Catholics are supposed to be free of sin...in my mind, at least," Lorna mumbles.

"No...don't. It's only his fault, and his alone!" Alex hisses and then sniffles. "Can you, um...can you tell her? I can't bring myself to do it."

"Yeah, sure...it _was_ my dad, after all." Lorna visibly shivers. "Eew...that word just left a horrible taste in my mouth. _Dad_...he sure doesn't act like one!"

"Biological fathers suck," Alex mutters. "I'll do everything in my power that my mom never sees that fucker, and I do want him arrested, so could you please talk to her today...like right after school?"

Lorna nods her head yes and she and Alex embrace. "Of course."

* * *

"Come on in, sweetie," Diane tells Lorna kindly. She's always thought Alex's mother was the spitting image of an actress or supermodel who belonged on the cover of a magazine or starring in a hit film. Diane's twinkling eyes that men and women alike could write poems about, her hair, especially swept to one side, is lovely, and her lips are constantly covered in a shimmery pink gloss. Alex's mother is exactly the lady who Lorna had aspired to grow up looking like. She proves that one doesn't need wealth to be beautiful, inside or out. Lorna's heart is just as big as Diane's.

Today, though, when Diane lets Lorna in through the door, she has her makeup off with her black eye more noticeable then it had been in school, and her hair is up in a messy bun. She smiles at Lorna pleasantly. She continues to be attractive, but Lorna is reminded that Diane is a human being with thoughts and feelings, just like everyone else. Even if she were famous, she'd still be a person. Lorna's admiration for Diane isn't diminished, though. A lump grows in Lorna's throat as Diane wraps her up in a hug. It's warm and loving and sometimes, Lorna wishes she were Diane's daughter. When Piper was still alive, Lorna and Daya were frequent visitors to Diane's trailer park even if Alex wasn't home-simply because they needed motherly advice, a helping hand, or something as simple as Diane winding her arms around them.

"Thank you, Diane." Lorna's voice cracks as she sits at the table. "Why are you so nice all the time?"

"There ain't no reason I wouldn't be. Now, what can I do for you? Or, do you just wanna be here to chill with me?" Diane has her back turned as she gets cream cheese out of the refrigerator and Ritz crackers out of the pantry, but she looks over her shoulder at Lorna. "I'm making us a snack...cheese and crackers with grapes." Lorna can't help but notice the way that Diane is wincing and breathing heavily as she moves around the kitchen, and the bruises around her wrists appear to be extremely painful. They're dark blue and purple, and although Lorna knows they're from Piscatella's abuse and not Joe's, the sight of Diane being harmed is making Lorna quite sad and physically ill.

She breaks off into silent crying which turns into loud sobs as the guilt envelops her and swallows her whole. She covers her face and wails into her hands. "I'm so sorry! Oh my god, Diane...I can't believe he actually...my own _father_!"

"What are you sayin' that for, honey?"

"His ass...he...he's real twisted!" She explains what she'd told Alex, to Diane between hiccups and shuddering gasps and adds that Joe had fondled her when she was just a child. Lorna can barely look at the older brunette, who sits down next to her carefully. Tears cloud her vision, so it's not like she can see Diane anyway. She registers Diane handing her tissues and brushing droplets of saltwater off her cheeks. She wipes her wet eyes clear and blows her nose a few times. Diane takes hold of both of her hands gently, and Lorna nervously glances over at her while chewing on her bottom lip.

" _P_ _lease_ don't apologize, Lorna! That is a huge weight to carry, and the only motherfucker who deserves to have it on his shoulders is that despicable _thing_ that needs to rot in prison and then Hell. Do you understand? I'll break that camera over the shower...I'll let Charles know about all of this."

Lorna nods slightly and stares at her pink nails. "Yes. It's just...I should've been more watchful of him, you know? Like...not before I was born, clearly, but...surely, I could've seen him taking photos of you without your permission and caught him right there in the act...or jumped out of his lap once he felt me up. I bet you hate me now..."

Diane tilts Lorna's chin up and tucks a lock of brown hair behind her ear. "I could never! Listen to me, darling girl. For a long time, I blamed myself about to be violated on my looks. I was too pretty for words, or wearing something sexy...my bright red lipstick, well-done mascara and sharp eyeliner, freshly curled hair, very low-cut black tank top with tight red leather pants that showed off my ass a little too much, high heels...but now I realize that I should've described the would've-been rapist who was still alive, to the cops. I'm dumb for not realizing that he wasn't dead! I could think that, correct?"

Lorna frowns. "No...it's absurd! You thought your brother punched them both until they couldn't move forever, and you didn't care enough to check to see if they were still breathing...for all you knew, they bled out! My dad miraculously came back to life or was barely hanging on."

Diane points at Lorna. "Bingo! My point I'm trying to make here is you didn't have a fuckin' clue that he was snapping pictures of me because why would you be suspicious? He's your father who you thought was a loving man, although a bit grumpy. When you were nine, he manipulated you into thinking it was okay for him to...to be a pedophile. You didn't know he was being one...I mean, you were aware of it at first, but he took full advantage of your then-undiagnosed mental illness and convinced you to let it go. We are going to get justice, don't you fret about nothin'! Nicky, you, and Red have everything we need."

"I wish he had died, though...then you would've never had to deal with this."

"Without him, though, we wouldn't have been blessed with someone as special as you." Diane rests her cheek in her hand and grins.

Lorna sighs with relief that she's still loved, even after everything. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Nicky and Red are so brave," Lorna comments. "I wish I could be like them and everyone else I'm friends with and all the adults I look up to, including you, of course!"

"You're courageous, too. Don't you ever forget it, kid."

She beams at Diane's uplifting words. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, MinervaSnape394, CoffeeWritingAddiction, Double99, A Star In My Universe, and Johanna002!**


	47. I Was Damaged

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Warning, sexual assault, emotional abuse, and neglect. It's my birthday today! Woohoo!**

"Okay, that should do it!" Frieda grunts as she shoves the broomstick further into the unconscious Joe Morello's butt and twists it around a few times in order to give him splinters. Red and Nicky had called her, Boo, and Pennsatucky for help when they'd drugged Lorna's hateful father, but nobody had the guts to actually do the more personal deed except for Frieda. Besides the fact that he'd molested his own child, he'd made an attempt to rape Diane, who Frieda thinks of as a daughter. She's always been extremely protective of the younger woman and she isn't afraid of some old fashioned revenge.

"Wow, you're amazing!" Red praises her.

"Yeah!" Nicky snickers. "Good job, Frieda!"

Frieda gives her a grin full of pride and sticks oleander leaves dripping with poison into his gaping mouth and pushes them down his throat. "Thanks."

"See, we tried doing that with Coates, but we couldn't bring ourselves to actually go through with it," Pennsatucky says.

"I should've done it," Boo mutters. "At least he's in prison."

Pennsatucky sighs loudly. "Great, it looks like you assaulted a physically disabled man...even if he does deserve it, the cops won't see it that way."

"I'll put him back into his wheelchair, just relax! We just want Red and Nicky to escape without being in trouble," Frieda states.

 _Even though she's thirty-six, Frieda feels young. She's probably the oldest person at this concert who is wearing all black leather with silver spikes attached to the cuffs of her sleeves, green streaks in her reddish-brown hair, smoky eye makeup, and purple lipstick. It's the early eighties and everyone is jamming to Prince, pumping their fists in time with the beat and cheering when each song ends. A young brunette girl around high school age dressed in dark blue_ _jeans, a bright_ _green_ _tank top, and a neon pink jacket shakes her hips and spins around a few times, and right away, Frieda notices the uniqueness of her eyes. She's never seen anyone with such blue eyes. The bright colors she's wearing glow under the black lights. The girl is laughing as she dances, but some assholes are getting rowdy around her and keep shoving her. She's struggling to keep her smile as she moves away from them, but they only creep closer to her. Protectiveness over this girl surges through Frieda, so she wastes no time in getting between them and her. She plans to pretend she's the girl's mother._

 _"Hi, honey, weird we just ran into each other here!" Frieda exclaims. She elbows the losers hard in their chests. "Stay away from her, you bastards!" she yells over her shoulder at them and then turns back to her protegé._

 _The girl's face is full of confusion. "Huh?"_

 _Frieda cautiously guides her away from the wild frat boys and grown men who were acting like such animals around her._ _"Well, you're my daughter, and I know you...crowds aren't your thing...so let's go someplace more barren, hmm?"_

 _"What? Who the fuck are you, lady?" she demands. "A little personal space...Jesus fuckin' Christ!"_

 _Frieda removes her hand from the girl's back. "I just rescued you, little girl...a good deed doesn't hurt anybody, right? How old are you, anyway?"_

 _"Seventeen," the teenager snaps. "What's it to ya?"_

 _"Your parents let you go to this alone?"_

 _She lets out a long, hard laugh and rolls her eyes. "You never heard of rebelling?_ _Why were you saving me? Ain't no adult gives a shit about me, how do I know you ain't got some evil plan up your sleeve once you get me alone?" She folds her arms across her chest and tries to look angry, but Frieda can only see pain._

 _"You don't, kid, but I promise you, I'm only helping you by making sure you're okay and having fun. Those sleazebags were touching you without your permission and ruining your night because being a girl of seventeen and by yourself in throng of people makes you fresh meat to them, and they were enjoying every bit of your discomfort. They're hunting for some naive girl just minding her own business-"_

 _The teenager scoffs. "Why do you care? We don't even know each other's names."_

 _"I'm Frieda. You?"_

 _"Diane."_

 _"Well, Diane...I look out for my fellow women, that's all...and girls, even more. So...where are you supposed to be right now? It's getting late, nearing midnight."_

 _"Dude, I don't even know...I tell 'em so many lies I can't keep 'em all straight, but I vaguely remember Lolly's for a sleepover." Diane shrugs. "Maybe it's Lisa's, but I dunno. She's covering for me, and Mom and Dad are down for the night, alls I gotta do is be at my friend's by five in the morning. Both their sets of parents are cool. They understand my situation."_

 _Frieda nods. "Okay, and how are you planning on getting there and how did you come here?"_

 _"One of them drove me, and I'm taking a cab back...or the bus, whatever's available. They lent me a twenty, but I spent it already," she admits with a sheepish smile. "Shit, I gotta walk now." Diane stuffs her hands in her pockets and groans aloud._

 _"I can smell booze and weed on your breath," Frieda points out sternly._

 _Diane shrugs. "You can get anything with a fake ID._ _I'm sorry for my rudeness, ma'am."_

 _Frieda is shocked by the sudden switch in personality. It's like something had snapped in Diane. "You don't need to refer to me as_ ma'am _, silly girl...just Frieda. I'll take you, but you need to get your life in order from here on out. No offense, sweetheart, but you're a total mess. You can't use illegal substances when you're a minor...it makes you vulnerable at a place like this."_

 _Diane hugs herself and stares at the floor. "Thanks, I guess...and you would be too, if your dad didn't want a girl to begin with and your mom had you be a perfect supermodel starting from birth! They got rich because of my looks. Like, they ain't gonna sell me or nothin', but they're real mean when I express myself...they make me call 'em_ ma'am _and_ sir _, like I'm their servant_. _They get money off dance, cheerleading and figure skating contests, ballet and gymnastics competitions, beach volleyball and tennis matches, talent shows, and beauty pageants I'm in...basically whatever requires a revealing uniform. They forbid me to do anything that isn't stereotypically girly, and I don't even own these jeans. I always gotta show off my body, even when I wanna hide from the world for five seconds. One time, I thought I was gonna be able to go to a pool party, but they forced me to be a swimsuit model in a skimpy bikini. I met the creepy old Nazi they've arranged for me to marry last year, and he's dangerous...he has a gas chamber in case I'm ever to misbehave."_

 _Frieda's heart goes out to Diane. "That's rough...and sick! They should be in jail...and he needs to die!"_

 _"Yeah...I can't even get 'em arrested since being weirdly strict isn't illegal, and they make sure my face is blurry in magazines. Good thing I'm moving out soon for college...I'm counting down the days to my freedom. I'll never speak to 'em again...they'll be history!"_

 _Frieda shrugs. "It's their loss. Hey...have you ever ridden on the back of a motorcycle before?"_

 _"Of course, many times since I was fifteen! This whole thing is my scene, man. Ya know...sex, drugs, rock and roll...and fuck if I don't love wind whipping through my hair while I'm perched on a nice bike and clinging onto some hot dude as my hardships wash away for a while."_

 _"I'm a biker chick, have been for damn near twenty years. You okay with that?"_

 _Diane raises her eyebrow and chuckles. "Really? You're like...a grown woman."_

 _"With the badass octopus tattoo and all, honey."_

 _"Cool...but what you gettin' at?"_

 _"I got a Harley parked out front and an extra helmet in case I found a good lookin' fella in here, but fuck that shit. I'll give you a ride on it to my place and then drive you to your friend's, if you desire."_

 _"Sure, that'd be awesome!"_

 _When the concert is over, Frieda links arms with Diane and they go to the parking lot. Frieda helps her up on the vehicle and Diane puts her helmet on and then tightens the strap under her chin. "You good?" Freida asks as Diane situates herself and wraps her arms around Frieda's waist and rests her head against Frieda's back._

 _"Hell yeah!" Diane squeals with no traces of nervousness in her voice._

 _Frieda revs the engine and speeds off and makes sure Diane is safe and okay emotionally for the whole ride, which she is. She's obviously had a lot of experience being a passenger. While in the car, Frieda tells Diane that she's an English teacher, and it apparently makes Diane want to be one, too, when she gets older. Frieda is proud of herself that she's inspired the young girl a bit. She gets Diane's future husband's name and where he lives and plans to poison him and throw him in his own box of torture so Diane will never see him again and get abused by him daily._

* * *

"I cannot wait for my mother to become strong and healthy again!" Lorna exclaims while practically pulling Diane towards the hospital doors. They'd decided to visit Stansie because Lorna missed her so much and Diane wanted to see her again after a couple of years and try to reconnect.

"Me neither! She's gonna love you comin' to see her."

The Italian matriarch had gone out to a bar with Diane, Aleida, Theresa, and even Carol two years ago on one of Aleida's good days, and they were all complaining about men in their lives, talking about their kids, and letting loose in general. They'd come from different backgrounds and had nothing in common with each other, except for that their daughters were all best friends and had encouraged them to chill as a group for a fun night out. On that evening, though, they'd connected and laughed together. Diane had always thought it was the drinks, because she'd never had that much enjoyment being around them before. She tolerated them because they were Alex's friends' moms. In reality, Aleida was a drug addict who didn't seem to love her children and favored her icky boyfriends, Stansie was a semi-religious freak who listened to her husband way too much and relied on God to make her better instead of medicine when her illness was in its early stages, Carol was a stuck up bitch, worse than Aleida, since she didn't have heroin as an excuse, and Theresa was who Diane got along with the most, but she could barely speak English and needed Flaca to translate. To them, though, Diane was either overly sensitive, according to Aleida, too lenient and laid-back in the eyes of Stansie and Carol, and hard to understand in Theresa's words. The Mexican woman had said many times that Diane needed to learn Spanish, so she did, or tried, at least.

Lorna swings hers and Diane's joined hands back and forth between them as she skips along merrily. Diane beams at her cuteness. "My mother and I used to garden, do yoga, cook, and shop together all the time! Franny joined us at times, but they were mostly me and Ma's things. She'd call me _dolly_ when I was a little girl."

"Aw, that's precious."

"You remind me of her...you even look like her, sorta! Are you sure you're not twins?"

Diane chuckles. "Positive. She's pretty and kindhearted, though, so I'll take that as a compliment. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Once, we made the best spaghetti that the rest of our family ever tasted! She was such a good sauce and garlic bread maker."

"I know, I appreciated when you'd bring us a container of it, along with your famous Caesar salad. So delicious," Diane remembers aloud. "Oh, and the apple pie...that was to die for."

"No problem, we wanted to help y'all out, save you money and cooking time."

Diane's heart warms at this. "How nice of you!"

"When I was ten and with my father and Franny and Mikey, he told me to go up on the altar, so I did...but the chapel was empty and I didn't know what to do, so I did a cartwheel on the altar. He was mad at me, my sister and brother thought it was weird, and when they all told my mother, she cracked up!"

"Oh, gosh," Diane says through a giggle. "That's amusing!"

"What funny stuff have you done with Alex?"

"I dropped a bunch of blueberries at the grocery store and we both ran away in embarrassment," Diane answers through a few giggles, and Lorna joins in. "We never even got caught!"

"Oh, wow, that's hilarious!"

Once they get into Stansie's room, Lorna takes a spot next to her mother and Diane sits in a chair. After pleasant exchanges of hello, Diane explaining to Lorna's mother how she got her black eye, and Stansie wheezing through a few heartbreaking rounds of coughing, Diane quickly gets her some more water. When she returns, she overhears Lorna telling Stansie about what her father had done to her. The girl's voice is shaky and she only begins to cry and bury her face into her mother's chest when she's finished.

"Here you go," Diane says while handing Stansie the glass of water.

"Thanks," Stansie responds breathlessly and then takes a gulp while stroking Lorna's hair soothingly. She glances down at her daughter. "You just remembered it now?"

Lorna nods. "Yeah...I don't want nothin' to do with him no more. Even if there's a trial for him, I ain't gonna go. He's in Hell when he dies! I don't care if God forgives sinners. He's rotten to the core. He can't even find it in his heart to be with you when you're ill...what happened to _in sickness and in health_ when you said it in your marriage vows?"

"I don't even give a shit, hon. We stopped loving each other long ago, but we're too poor to get a proper divorce and neither of us got another place to live. He's just a stranger to me, but you three kids are my angels." Stansie sighs and kisses Lorna's temple while hugging her closer.

"I miss you a lot, Ma," Lorna mumbles.

"I do too, my littlest one. Is he doing anything to you currently?"

"Well, he did hit me, but not too badly...it don't even hurt no more."

"Good. I know this new information about him is awful and I don't blame you if you can't be around him any longer, but I advise you to forgive him, as we do with people who have wronged us."

"I know church was a big part of your life, Stansie, but you should feel pain in your chest and only hatred for that demon who decided to prey on your precious girl. Nobody has to forgive such a person. It's her choice!" Diane exclaims.

"I do...it's like a knife has slashed through my heart...but forgiving someone don't mean forgetting what the person did or even being okay with what they did, but it's more about moving on." Stansie turns to Lorna. "You have moved out and he cannot hurt you anymore. You don't gotta suffer from this, dolly."

"Yeah, you're right, Ma," Lorna agrees. "The others I'm close to are in more pain since their traumas have happened recently. As long as I never see him again, it'll be easier to leave the past behind. I don't wanna deal with panic attacks and nightmares because I'm thinking a lot about him. I've already emptied my bottle of feelings and I'm ready for him to leave my brain. I'll do anything to distract myself from having PTSD symptoms. Sucking my thumb is embarrassing enough!"

Pride sweeps through Diane. That girl is so brave. "Well, that's fine, but if you ever need a good cry, just let it out, it's okay," Diane murmurs.

"Of course," Stansie adds quickly.

"I will!" Lorna exhales. "Could we change the subject, though...please?"

"So...I heard a lot of racket about you and that girl Nicky kissing. It's gonna take some getting used to...I've always thought of you with a boy. Is this a phase?"

"I assumed I was straight as well, but I love Nicky...I'm not experimenting, I'm into both genders, so bisexual. It's wonderful being with her...since she was kicked out, I'm now staying with her and her sister and their guardian, Red...she's a real nice lady."

"Yes, you've told me about this woman, she seems friendly. I'm glad you're safe there."

"I am as well."

* * *

"What does Fahri see in Vee anyway? She's an evil, snobby, stuck-up, rude bitch!" Alex mutters as she and Allison are going to Vee's shack, ready to confront her and try to make her back off of Fahri. It'll also help take Alex's mind off the fact that Lorna's father had pursued her and Diane for years and molested one of her best friends as a child.

Allison shakes her head and tsks. "I have no idea...my uncle is too nice sometimes, but this one really takes the cake! I thought he was into Gloria."

"He is...he does like her, but he's clearly not going to make moves on her if she's not interested in dating anyone. It's like Vee is taking advantage of the situation!"

"I can check if she's really pregnant after like, a few weeks, because I know the signs!"

"Awesome, thanks! I hope he'll figure out that she's just not a good person in general soon, though. Being pregnant doesn't automatically make you a saint. Look at Holly Hobbie. Even after Vee's supposed to start showing, she could just be hiding a fake belly stuffed with drugs or whatever."

Allison chuckles dryly. "Yeah, I feel you, girl. We'll watch for that!"

They both knock on the front door. A few raps later, the door opens to reveal Taystee with a haggard-looking Vee behind her. Alex and Allison instantly smile at their older classmate, who returns the gesture. "Hi, Taystee." Alex's gaze goes to Vee. "We'd like to talk to you in private, Ms. Parker," she announces. Taystee waves at them and then exits the foyer.

"You can stay for dinner, we can discuss whatever you have to say in front of my girls."

"No, we'll just say it now! Something's really fishy about you getting with my uncle. I'm not sure why he doesn't see it, but you being engaged to him after like, a second of knowing him, is too weird."

"Clearly, you're taking him for granted...and you just so happened to do that when we're trying to get a healthy relationship forming between him and Gloria," Alex snaps. "I doubt that's a coincidence. You're messing shit up!"

"Who I'm getting married to is none of your business." Vee points to Allison. "I'm gonna be your aunt whether you like it or not." She glares at Alex. "If Gloria had wanted him so bad, she should've taken him. Your little matchmaking plan will never work if one or both of the people is a prude."

Alex is ready to kill her and she would have jumped the bitch if Allison hadn't been physically holding her back. She grits her teeth and hisses while pushing her glasses to the top of her head. "You need to break off this bullshit and admit to yourself that nobody gets fucking _hitched_ on the first date, and you know that you proposed and trapped him by saying you were pregnant, knowing how great of a man he is! Of course he doesn't want to break your heart now...I mean, he can't anyway, since you have a giant, empty black hole where your heart and soul are supposed to be."

"Oh damn, scorched!" Allison murmurs and Alex smirks while hi-fiving the other girl behind her back.

"You best leave my house and never interfere with mine and Fahri's life again-"

Alex scoffs. "Or what, you're gonna send us to boarding school in Tibet?"

"Don't tempt me!" Vee growls. She shoves them out of the open door and slams it in their faces.

"You totally fired shots!" Allison points out and Alex just cracks up.

"We both did, but even if we weren't successful, we showed her that we weren't naive to her motives. He's got a lot of moolah and she's as poor as a church mouse. Who wouldn't wanna shack up with a rich dude? The Wicked Witch of New York is shallow and vain, but he sees the goodness in everyone. Do you seriously think he's in love with her, and she him?" Alex rolls her eyes. "I certainly don't see it."

"Me neither. He'd be like, whistling show tunes after seeing her or wearing cologne every day, but all he does is work his ass off, help me out with Farah, and ask me for advice on how to make Gloria comfortable around him."

"Yeah, I know. He's always texting her and stuff, he tells me and even has me read over what he sends her to ensure that he's not coming on too strong. He never is...he's very respectful of her. I've seen his conversations with Vee...kinda boring, to be honest! He checks up on her, but I sense more of a connection between him and Gloria."

"That Vee ho is definitely gonna lose," Allison predicts. "It's just a matter of _when_."

* * *

"So, we're really done?" Ian wonders aloud over the phone, and Flaca wants to end this call as quickly as possible. She wishes she'd never picked it up in the first place, especially because Maritza is cuddled in her lap and bundled in a blanket with her eyes half closed, the picture of purity. She had only answered to tell him to stop contacting her for good. "I'm just checking."

"Yeah, you're a straight-up loser! I'm with my girl now, so don't talk to me no more." She stares down at Maritza lovingly while stroking her hair.

"I hope dumping dick for pussy was really worth it since no girl has ever said no to me before!"

"I ain't a lesbian, dumbass...I'm bi, but I prefer girls for now...especially Mari. She hella needs me, so I'mma hang up now...I would even if she wasn't here because you a motherfucker." Flaca closes her phone and tosses it aside. "I'm all yours, baby," she whispers as she gathers Maritza closer and places a gentle kiss on her lips. Maritza gives her a sleepy smile.

"I ain't up to doin' much lately...school was hard...I feel like...heavy, but empty at the same time, you know?"

"Yeah...that's how I was after being raped. It's like...the world weighing you down, hmm?"

Maritza nods weakly. "You know when we made love? That was my first sexual experience."

"Yeah, it was mine, too, with a girl."

"No...I never fucked a dude, either...like in a good way. I've been...dry humped twice by... _him_. I can't fuckin' stand it." Maritza sniffles and whimpers as she presses her face into Flaca's band shirt and absentmindedly plays with some of Flaca's pink stripes in her hair.

"I understand...completely."

"Since our moms are both here, you wanna come out as bi to 'em right now?"

Flaca grins down at her brightly. "Sure!" They hold hands as Flaca wheels herself with Maritza on her lap to the kitchen where Theresa and Juliana are making dinner. "Mamá, ¿podemos hablar contigo y con Juliana en la sala de estar, como en el sofá?" she asks.

 **Mom, can we talk to you and Juliana in the living room, like on the couch?**

Theresa nods and both women beam at the girls. "Por supuesto."

 **Sure.**

Once their mothers get settled on the sofa, Flaca moves in front of them and takes a deep breath. "Umm...así que somos bisexuales...yo y Mari."

 **Umm...so we're bisexual...me and Mari.**

"¿Te gustan los niños y las niñas?" Juliana asks.

 **You like both boys and girls?**

"Sí. Estamos enamorados el uno del otro," Maritza clarifies further.

 **Yes. We're in love with each other.**

To Flaca and Maritza's delight, Theresa and Juliana beam at each other and then squeeze their respective daughters' hands in support. "Ustedes chicas son muy dulces juntas, ¡hacen una linda pareja!" Theresa exclaims. They gather into a group hug.

 **You girls are very sweet together, you make a cute couple!**

"Estamos muy felices por ti, cariño, ¡por supuesto que te aceptamos a ambos como pareja!" Juliana puts in.

 **We're so happy for you, honey, of course we accept you both as a couple!**

At this, Flaca and Maritza giggle in unison and wipe happy tears from their eyes that they hadn't known were there.

* * *

"You should really be with your boyfriend, Ma...this place is desolate, and Cesar hasn't even rang you up in days," Daya mutters.

"It ain't like I visited him lately or nothin', and don't forget, we ain't broken up yet. It's my duty to see him..." Aleida sighs sharply. "I know you didn't like him, but I'm really trying to make it work...and convince him to be a better man. I did a one-eighty, why can't he?" She goes completely stiff and begins to sweat and tremble when she sees a familiar figure now dressed all in orange and seated across from the woman who was half responsible for making her childhood miserable. "Fuckin' shit..." she mumbles shakily and falters back a step when Jack grins at her creepily and waves.

 _"Los únicos hombres a los que les gustarán las tetas sin cerebro, las perras malcriadas como tú son drogadictas que no son lo suficientemente inteligentes como para no desearte y, si están en casa, obviamente han perdido una apuesta!" Aleida's mother says cruelly when fourteen-year-old Aleida has just told her that she has a boyfriend now. "_ _No me sorprende que hayas encontrado a alguien tan tonto como tú." It stings, and Aleida doesn't know why she even bothers to try to find some kind of bond between them, because one isn't there._

 _ **The only men who will ever like a no-brained-no tits-no ass bratty bitch like you are drug addicts who ain't smart enough to not want you and if they are home in there, they've obviously lost a bet!** **It doesn't surprise me that you've found someone as dumb as you.**_

 _"I'm jealous...another boy is thinking_ _about_ _that tight pussy of yours?" Jack takes a swig of his whiskey._ _On instinct, Aleida curls herself into a ball and turns away from him. "Aw, don't get all shy on me now, you know you're Daddy's favorite...of course, you're the only girl who lives here. You get my jokes."_

 _Aleida squeaks shrilly when Lourdes pushes her off of her bed. "_ _Siempre una puta sucia! ¡Nunca conseguirás a mi novio, él es mío!" She bites her lip hard and sobs quietly as they leave her room._

 _ **Always a dirty slut! You will never succeed in getting my boyfriend, he's mine!**_

"Oh no...we can leave if you wanna," Daya tells her while wrapping her hand around Aleida's. "Shit, Ma, you're so-"

"Don't you fuckin' dare say broken. Wasn't you raped too?"

Daya puts her hands up in surrender. "Okay. Don't remind me."

"I just had a mini panic attack...I'm gonna see Cesar and I ain't payin' that monster any attention." Aleida just about trips over the back of the chair across from Cesar once she gets to it and then collapses into the seat, even with Daya holding her hand. She forgets the rules of absolutely zero skin contact and grabs onto Cesar's wrist as she gets herself situated.

"No touching!" a guard barks and she jumps and places her hand on her lap.

"Sorry," she mumbles nervously.

"Whoa, someone's clingy," Cesar says teasingly, and Daya glares at him. "You want me that bad, huh? Or are you drunk?"

"It was an accident, fuck off," Aleida mutters. "I'm not in the mood for your stupid comments tonight, I just need comfort."

"What about Leon, who can actually hold you?" Cesar asks bitterly and Aleida smirks at the fact that he's jealous.

"He already knows about..." Aleida stops herself and lowers her voice before continuing. "See that old white guy over there...white hair and real skinny...with my motha?"

Cesar glances over at him quickly. "Yeah, I met him before...I didn't know she was back with him. He still doin' tai chi? We occasionally run into each other in the prison, but don't really get a chance to talk much...separate dorms and all based on race."

"Look, I don't give a fuck what he does, as long as he stays away from me...I don't know nothin' about him, and I don't wanna...he, um...he raped me on the night of Christina's birthday, we went out to this restaurant as a big family and he took me into the bathroom and...yeah."

Cesar narrows his eyes. "Jack Pearson, the wiry dude who plays golf in his spare time when he's not martial-arting...he don't seem strong enough to rape somebody, but if you're not just trying to get attention-"

"It happened, I know I ain't very credible, but in this situation, trust me. Could you give him a good beating for me?" Aleida leans closer to him. "Leon did!" she adds for good measure.

"Yeah, and without her asking, too!" Daya pipes up.

A dangerous look appears in his eyes. "That motherfucker's dead after visitation. I'll try to find a shiv, they're hidden everywhere," Cesar whispers. "We sodomize child abusers and rapists here, anyway...and I had this stupid-ass roommate, Humps, who escaped, but I got the chance to do that to him, too...there were rumors that he liked kids, if you know what I mean...little girls in particular, and he had a thirst for their blood, especially when they were on their period. I hated him when I first met him. Gotta look after you, right, bein' my woman and all."

"I appreciate it," Aleida responds quietly.

* * *

Now that Leon and Fahri are at the restaurant, Diane feels a lot safer. Alex is helping out, too, but if Diane were to be honest, she doesn't want her daughter to have another encounter with Piscatella for as long as they live. She understands why Gloria isn't present, but she wonders where Aleida is and asks Leon.

"She had other things to do," is all he says.

As the night goes on, she, Alex, and the men discuss work and school, and Blanca joins in on the conversation when she enters Friendly's. Diane prepares herself for Piscatella to lumber in around the same time he had last night because that's his modus operandi. He probably won't be with his loathsome buddies, as they're in the hospital and she hopes they'll die soon. Even if she isn't shocked when he arrives, the tremors still flow through her and she has a hard time standing up straight. She has to hold onto the edge of the counter for support and Alex and Blanca come over to her in order to guide her to a sitting position.

"Breathe with me, okay, Mom?" Alex takes a few deep inhales and exhales while keeping her hand on Diane's back, and Diane copies her, but it's extremely hard to keep calm with a storm like Piscatella around.

Fahri and Leon quickly get to their feet. "You're not getting near her!" Leon growls protectively.

"Relax, ape, I just wanna talk."

"Right, last time you did, she fainted and really injured herself in some places!" Fahri snaps.

Piscatella shrugs. "Not my problem that she's like a frail old lady. I had to punish her because of the huge amount of time she was taking on our orders." He spits over the counter and Diane shrinks away from his saliva flying through the air. "Dixon was shot by an unknown assailant and Four Eyes over there just about murdered Humps. If they die, it's on whoever put a bullet in Dixon, and Vause will become an inmate in Max and rot, only leaving behind a pair of black glasses, which I have the strong urge to step on...after I choke both her and her mother to death...along with the cunt who I should've drowned!" Piscatella cracks his neck and turns to Blanca, Alex, and Diane, who are cowering behind the counter. His looming shadow covers all of them as he raises his fists. The rage he's expressing is really scaring them. The girls shiver and Diane just holds them.

"Hey, asshole!" Leon punches Piscatella aside, right in his ugly face. He stumbles back and both Leon and Fahri grip his wrists and remove him from the restaurant. "If you don't want to go through us every day, then stop bothering to step foot in here!" Leon bellows.

"We will never leave them," Fahri adds. "That's a promise."

"I should take the gun with me next time, then!"

"Thanks for the warning, I'll bring mine, too!" Leon proclaims.

"See how you can't win? You're not gonna touch another hair on their heads. Your days of tormenting innocent women and girls are over with," Fahri chimes in.

Piscatella sniggers. "Guilty is all they are."

When he departs at last, Diane, Alex, and Blanca are able to relax easier and they come out from behind the counter, still lightly clinging to each other. "You're okay," Leon tells them soothingly, and Diane gives both him and Fahri grateful hugs.

* * *

While Charles is watching the video of Duardo, Paco, and Pepe verbally harassing the girls and taking notes, he senses Diane coming up behind him, so he quickly pauses it and minimizes the window. His girlfriend puts her hands on his shoulders. "Whatcha workin' on?"

"Just a case." He pulls her into his lap and kisses her softly. "How you feelin', babe?" They're both in their pajamas and ready to fall asleep.

"I'm okay...sick, a little bit, but I think I've thrown up plenty, and so have Al and Lorna."

When he'd discovered that Lorna's father had almost raped Diane, lusted after her and her daughter, and molested his own child, he insisted on going to arrest Joe alone. Charles went into a rage, flipped him out of his wheelchair, and proceeded to beat him with his baton. Joe was soon injured beyond recognition and Charles enjoyed being incredibly brutal to someone who deserved it. He'd been begging for Charles to stop, but Charles wanted to show him what it was like to be so viciously attacked, like Joe had tried to do to Diane, and he decided that Frieda jamming the broomstick handle up Joe's butt hole was enough of a punishment for what he'd done to Lorna. Seeing all of Diane's bruises and her black eye makes him sad and want to hold her forever.

"You poor girls," he murmurs and rocks Diane. "I really got him good today...I went ballistic on his ass!"

Diane beams and she's so pretty. "Wow, that's hot. So chivalrous of you!"

"He is going to jail for a long time, Diane, I assure you. He's disturbed."

"Yeah, I mean...it all still makes me shiver. Can you be with me again tonight? Alex said it was fine."

"Definitely, my sweet girl." He leads Diane to his bedroom and they slide under the covers. Their legs tangle as he spoons her. "You're so safe and loved here. I got you." He tilts her chin up so their lips can join together in an open-mouthed kiss. "I promise."

"This is the second time I've actually opened up my heart to a man, and the first wasn't successful, so I'm really hopin' you're speakin' the truth."

"What we got, it's real. You are real to me, Diane Vause." He gazes lovingly into her deep blue eyes and she smiles.

"I'm glad...Charles Ford."

"I'm serious. You're so full of love and generosity, and it's heartbreaking to see you in any kind of pain, because you deserve everything that is good in this world." Charles presses open-mouthed kisses to Diane's cheek while playing with her hair. "I see a lot of bad out there on the job, but then I come home to you and you restore my faith in humanity."

"See, my parents would say the opposite."

"Well, they were a hundred percent wrong!"

"Be honest...are you only with me for my general attractiveness and my body?" she asks, and her vulnerability shatters him once again. "That's all they said I was good for." She turns away from him.

"No, my girl...absolutely not. You have an extremely beautiful soul, too. It's nice seeing such kindness, and our conversations bring me so much joy. You're also clever and intelligent. You always find a way to make me smile."

Diane rolls over to face him and he notices that she's tearing up. She sniffles and he strokes her chin with his knuckles. "You really mean that?"

"Yes, truly."

"Thank you."

* * *

"They were absolutely frightened, but nobody was harmed since Fahri and I were there. I feel like talking to Charles about a restraining order and getting them in prison again, but I can't go against Diane's wishes," Leon reports as he and Aleida get into bed and begin to snuggle.

"She's like, tormenting herself by just allowing those sadist pigs to come in, I don't get it!"

"She hates the thought of being a burden, even though Charles wouldn't see it that way. Piscatella and the rest will eventually stop coming if we're there every single day and I have a weapon to protect us with!"

"My big strong man," Aleida murmurs while making herself small next to him and clutching onto his shirt like it's a life support. "Did you lose a bet or somethin'?"

"No...why do you ask, sweetie pie?"

"You ain't a drug addict and you're real smart...from what I learned, the only ones who pick me had problems with heroin abuse and they was all dumb as rocks, and if somebody intelligent chose me, it's clear that they...lost a bet. Nobody would ever truly...find me as nothin' more than unattractive and out in left field. That's been the pattern..."

"Your mother severely warped your mind, Aleida, she tried to get in your head and it's not your fault that she succeeded. It'll take time to heal from this, but please believe me when I say that I never would participate in that kind of asinine bet...I see a beautiful woman, and _bam_ , I'd like to get to know her, simple as that. You weren't stupid at all when we met, and you're not now."

"I'm just sayin', Diane's an English teacher and hotter than me, and Glo-"

Leon cups Aleida's face in his hands. "You are so pretty and bright and perfect to me in every way. You've got me now, okay?"

Aleida nods slightly and shudders. "I...I saw him again...when I was visiting Cesar. He was staring at me...and I fell apart...like at the seams, and not in the good way. If Daya hadn't been with me, I would've started screamin' and cryin'...I wish they'd just move him to a different prison or execute him!" She chokes up and claps her hand over her mouth as her eyes fill with tears. "He's everywhere...I can't escape him!"

A burst of anger rushes through Leon and he wants to rip Jack to shreds until the beast is no longer living. His heart clenches in pain for his lady and it skips a beat when her voice cracks. "Oh my god, baby, I'm so sorry. Come here." Leon collects her into his protective arms and she hiccups and sobs into his chest. "You're okay with me."

* * *

On Wednesday morning, Daya is walking to the courtyard to meet Adarsh, but on her way there, someone stops her in an empty hallway by grabbing her arm. "Heard you were pregnant," he says in a gruff tone and then pushes her hard against a locker. She gasps and starts feeling squeamish when she sees Mendez's beady eyes looking her up and down. "Its name is Stan if you have a boy."

"Would you let me go?" she asks in almost a whisper.

"I will never do that! You're mine, and so is that baby of ours. We'll be like Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, Lolita and the old guy, Romeo and Juliet...our relationship is only wrong because of the age difference between us, but fifteen and twenty-two are just numbers!" His breath is beginning to make her gag and she tries to remove herself from his grasp, but he simply grips both of her arms tighter. "I must say that you being Spanish with big lips is making me hard, and I'm part Cuban...I get my accent fetish from my mom." She whimpers when she feels the sickening lump in his trousers against her crotch and tries to shriek for help, but he forces a kiss on her mouth. She bites his tongue and he jumps back. "Oh, you're a naughty bitch! God, you're so hot and I love you, Dayanara...I want you in my bed right now...I know you're thinking the same thing about me, the way you're shaking with the orgasm you're having from this..." She wants to defend herself and step on his foot so badly, but she can't move. It's more like she's drowning in quicksand.

"No!" Daya yelps. "Get the fuck off me..."

"We'll do this someplace more secretive-"

Suddenly, she sighs in relief because she sees Adarsh barreling towards them while yelling and he uses his whole body to shove Pornstache away from her. "Don't you touch her _ever again_ , you creep!" he shouts. "She's in high school and you are clearly ancient!"

"I broke out of jail for her! She's my girlfriend!" the bastard protests.

"Go ahead, say that one more time!" Adarsh challenges him and Mendez howls in pain when Adarsh gives him an Indian burn. "Watch what happens, fucker."

"I'll be back, my pet," Pornstache says while winking at Daya. He exits the hallway and Daya leans back against the locker. Immediately, she hyperventilates while sinking to the ground. Adarsh sits next to her.

"You want me to hold you? I'll call the cops in a minute, but I wanna comfort you right now."

Without a word, Daya nods her head yes and sobs when she's securely in his embrace with his protective arms surrounding her and her chin resting on his shoulder. "Mendez and that motherfucker Bennett are just a couple 'a morons! I hate 'em both! Ugh! Thanks for saving me."

"No problem. I was happy to protect you, I always am. I won't let that son of a bitch hurt you again!"

She manages a smile through her tears. "How'd you find me?"

"I was searching for you...I got worried when you said you were on your way and you didn't show within five minutes like you usually do."

"Oh...okay." Daya exhales shakily. "I asked John to walk away...I gave him a choice to..." She glances up at the ceiling while blinking back tears. "Why am I so stupid?"

"You're not! Look, he's an asshole, plain and simple. If I was in his position, I wouldn't ever leave you. He's no kind of man."

"I know. It's just...I should've said nothin'. I dunno why I did."

"It's not your fault. He couldn't handle what a badass, amazing girl you are because he's a wimp!"

Daya's heart squeezes and expands at his compliment and she blushes at his soft touch when he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah...I guess I'm pretty strong."

"That's right!"

"Hey...you know what I said yesterday about Cesar's men tryin' to catch Gloria?"

"Mm-hm?"

"I put him in jail, to protect Gloria, because he...he had a gun pointed at her. She was tryin' to kick him out because he was doin' drugs with his club of clowns, which obviously made for a terrible living situation for me and my brother and sister and our ma...and Gloria was helpin' us out. Cesar was always using the gun as a threat...I've faced the barrel of it constantly just for like, standing up for myself, basically." She swallows hard and he hugs her tighter, but not enough to crush her. "If any of them find out...they'll kill me. Leon's already bought a gun to protect our family, but I can't be alone...ever."

Adarsh slides his fingers through Daya's and holds her hand gently. He rubs his thumb along hers a few times in a soothing motion. "You won't be, I swear. I'm with you, and so is the rest of our crew."

"Okay. I feel better knowin' that."

* * *

The doorbell chimes and Gloria answers it. "Oh, hey, Lorna, we're just getting ready to start our meeting! You're the first one here, besides Daya and Lourdes, of course."

"Yeah...I planned it that way. Can me and Benny talk with you as a mediator?"

"Sure! We'll go into the guest bedroom, that's where he is right now." Right when Lorna enters the room, Benny pouts at her and continues playing with his toys, but with his back to her. Gloria can tell that Lorna is attempting to hide her crestfallen look. He always runs up to her and hugs her legs, but not this time.

"Benny...someone is here to speak to you," Gloria lets him know. She kneels down beside him and tousles his hair. "Lorna's gonna apologize, but you gotta listen! You can't ignore her forever, baby. She adores you."

"Zoom, zoom!" Benny mumbles as he slides the tiny car across the floor. He wrinkles his nose. "Do I _have_ to?"

"Yes, if you wanna resolve things. Friends fight all the time, but they're still buddies...just like you and Michael, right?"

"Uh huh!"

"Alright, let's sit up here." Gloria hoists herself on the bed and helps Benny into her lap. "Lorna, you can be next to us, if that's fine with you, Benny?"

He shrugs. "I guess so."

"Okay!" Lorna takes her spot adjacent to Gloria. "Benny...can you please tell me what you're mad about?"

"You told me and Julio that our mommy would be okay," he grumbles with a frown. "She wasn't."

"You kinda can't say something is for sure happening to kids unless you know it's a hundred percent true since it's like breaking a promise and they don't trust you," Gloria scolds Lorna gently.

"I know," the brunette Italian murmurs, her features clouding with guilt. Her eyes shift to Benny. "Hey, little man...I'm sorry I told you something so certain when I had no idea if it would be...I was just tryin' to make you and your brother not worry too much and I didn't know what would happen, I thought Diane would hit the emergency button, but there were too many villains there."

"Sometimes adults make mistakes too, just like kids do," Gloria points out. "Remember when you told Christina that she'd be fine if she climbed the tree at school and she fell?"

"Oh yeah...she skinned her knee and got a Barbie Band Aid, but she was crying a lot and her tights were dirty."

"Well, it's just like that, and nobody can know things for sure," Gloria says.

"The good thing, though, is your mommy is still here. Fahri saved her from the bad guy," Lorna informs Benny.

"That's nice of him...but what if the mean man made her go to heaven? You don't see the future!"

Gloria's heart drops at Benny's serious worries and Lorna gasps softly. "That's true, I'm not psychic...however, I know your mommy and she is a fighter and she won't give up easily!"

"When Arturo would beat me, I still survived," Gloria puts in. "Scary things can happen, but the fact that we make it out alive is more important."

"Benny, I think it'll be fine now if your mommy goes to Friendly's since Leon and Fahri are always gonna be there!" Lorna soothes him. "Can you forgive me?"

"Yeah!"

"Could I have a hug? You don't need to give me one, just so you know."

"Okay." Benny crawls to Lorna and winds his arms around her neck, and she holds him close while kissing the top of his head, and Gloria beams at the sweetness of it all.

* * *

"I'm so happy that my father was arrested and Charles beat him up, although he probably mostly did it for you and Diane!" Lorna exclaims to Alex at the therapy session after she'd patched things up with Benny. It's a calm atmosphere, with colorful lava lamps all around, soothing music, rain outside, and a tea kettle in the middle of the table in case anyone wants a cup of it.

Alex is close to her girlfriend and leaning against Michelle on the couch with her knees up to her chest, tucked under her chin and her arms around her folded legs. "Me too, believe me...but a sexual predator was among us...for three years...I can't stop thinking about it." She takes off her glasses and places her head in Michelle's lap while closing her eyes. "Can I just listen...I don't feel like talking right now." Michelle caresses Alex's black hair and twirls the blue tips around her finger. They're adorable together.

"Of course, honey," Lourdes allows.

"We don't have to be here," Michelle says sweetly to Alex. "It's okay."

"No, I'd like to stay...I'm so glad for your support."

"Alright, then we will."

After getting an orange and peeling it over the sink, Diane plops down on the other side of her daughter and Alex puts her feet in Diane's lap. Gloria, Maritza, and Diane take turns speaking about the hell they'd experienced at Friendly's on Monday night and they're struggling not to cry. Aleida isn't present since she's taking a day off and staying in bed with Leon taking care of her. Blanca, Maria, and their boyfriends are sitting on either side of Flaca and Maritza, who are cuddling. Lorna and Nicky both are snuggled in Red's arms and they're practically joined at the hip. Daya tells everyone that Pornstache had sexually harassed her, but Adarsh came to her rescue. Maritza is well aware that Daya and Adarsh aren't even a couple, but it's cute the way they're so physically connected on the loveseat right now. Still, though, it tears at Maritza's heart that she and the other girls and women have all been assaulted at one point or another. Pennsatucky is also here, but not with Boo, because her foster mother had already heard all of her story. Lourdes had offered her tea because Nicky mentioned she enjoyed it, but she politely declined, saying she used to like it, but she can't stand the bitter taste now, even if she adds sugar or uses peppermint leaves, and she doesn't know why. She is, however, wolfing down donuts and double fudge chocolate ice cream, getting it all over her mouth, cheeks, and chin. It doesn't shock Maritza, as Pennsatucky eats like a child all the time. She seems slightly intellectually challenged. Nathan has joined her for today, though, and he's occasionally feeding her spoonfuls of ice cream and popping bits of donut into her mouth.

"Just to...to clear things up, I actually wasn't nine when...when I was molested," Lorna tells them. She holds Nicky's hand with quivering fingers and the blonde scoots impossibly closer to her and both she and Red cocoon her quaking frame. "I just appeared to be...I was small for an eleven-year-old. My father infantilized me and we had a game where I'd joke that I was two years younger than my actual age."

"Do you still feel him on you...smell him?" Maritza questions her, hoping to relate with her, since she had suffered through the same thing.

"No," Lorna answers blankly. "I feel nothin'. I think you and the other girls and the women I look up to have more pressing issues and my dad ain't a threat to me no more. He's locked up."

"Okay, but you shouldn't minimize it!" Nicky states.

"That's correct," Red adds.

"Yeah, you can just let yourself be emotional," Diane recommends.

"I agree with Diane and Nicky. Everyone's traumas are valid," Lourdes says.

Lorna shrugs. "Pennsatucky, why don't you share?"

"I'm chewin'!" Pennsatucky mumbles and licks her lips. Before she swallows, she shovels in some ice cream. Nathan just grins over at her and pecks her temple.

"Maybe after you've finished your bite," Nicky tells her in a joking manner.

"Ain't that your sixth?" Maritza asks.

"You gotta be full," Flaca assumes.

"Nah...I dunno," Pennsatucky responds after gulping down the rest of the food in her mouth. Daya gives her a slightly damp napkin and she wipes the mess off. "One time, I had four donuts from Trudy's and blew up like a balloon afterwards, so that's probably how much I can handle. I feel fine."

"Do you want to tell us, baby?" Nathan asks her.

Pennsatucky nods. "Okay. So...it all started when they put me on van duty in juvy. I was at a pond with Coates treating me like a duck and throwin' me donuts that were a day old. He then called me a dog 'cause of my last name, ya know. He instructed me to fetch, but I didn't wanna, 'cause he'd tossed it in the dirt. He demanded me to get the piece, though, so I did 'cause he was all, _fetch, inmate!_ He said it in this...this demanding tone, and I was soon eating it out of the mud. Then, he forcibly kissed me, and I hated it so much. It led to the rape and I was damaged. I thought maybe I gave Officer Coates mixed signals and he's allowed to be aggressive with inmates who were accused of murdering people, even if I didn't do nothin', but I don't feel that way no more. It's all his fault." Maritza instantly feels awful for sometimes judging her about her strange eating habits. Pennsatucky may have regressed, is all.

They all look horrified at her story, and Nathan envelops her. "I'm real sorry that happened, hon," Lorna says kindly. "He's an animal!"

"Yeah," everyone else murmurs in agreement.

"Tiffany, Nathan, how'd you guys meet?" Gloria wants to know. She gestures between the two. There's only a few people who call Pennsatucky by her actual first name, but Maritza isn't one of them. Nathan and most adults refer to her as Tiffany, but that's really it.

"Well, this disgusting boy, Abe...he was angry at me because I cut him off from climaxing when I got a bug bite inside a shed. I'm inspecting it and all, right...and Nathan offers to take care of my injury. We went to see a movie and we've been together ever since! He's the best." She and Nathan share an adorable smooch and Maritza grins.

"Aw, that's nice," Daya comments.

* * *

That night, Gloria walks into the bathroom and finds Aleida sitting on the tile floor near the toilet with her back pressed up against the wall. Her best friend has her head in her hands and is resting her elbows atop her knees. Gloria immediately goes to her side. "Hey...what is it, mama?"

Aleida shakes her head slowly. "I didn't get my period. I gotta go to the drug store for a test, but I just know there's gonna be a plus sign...I can tell. I'm having the same symptoms when my other kids were growing in me. I've puked a lot today...and I'm cravin' weird shit, even though I ain't hungry, and my breasts are extra sore, with my nipples being visible under my shirt..." She uncovers her blotchy face and Gloria notices how pale and worn-down she is. It's not a side of Aleida she sees often, and it tears at her soul.

"I thought you and Leon use protection?" Gloria asks. "If you have a baby from him, I'm sure he won't leave you, if that's what you're worried about. He adores you!"

"We do," Aleida mumbles. She takes a shuddering gasp of air. "Oh god, no!"

Realization settles inside Gloria. "No..." she echoes Aleida. "Fuck!" She quickly takes Aleida into her arms as the other woman starts sobbing quietly.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, CoffeeWritingAddiction, Double99, Johanna002, MinervaSnape394, and A Star In My Universe!**


	48. Bonding and Hard Truths

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Happy 4/20!**

 **Warning: mentions of weapons, sexual harassment, murder, bullying, racist slurs, and body shaming.**

 **suficiente-enough**

 **jefa-boss**

If Red had simply done Franny the favor of finding her a low-cost apartment, that would've been enough. Paying her college tuition and arranging for her to room with Lida, Red's son's girlfriend, was far beyond what she'd expected the Russian lady to do for her. Lida is more than accommodating and she seems so cheerful and fun-loving, qualities that Franny had buried deep inside herself since her mom got sick and she had to work so much. The blonde woman assists Franny with her suitcases and backpacks and then they sit on the couch. Franny has heard a lot about Lida from Lorna telling her Red's stories, but she's never met her in person until now.

"Do you drink?" Lida asks, offering Franny a bottle of wine and an empty glass.

"I'm not twenty-one yet...but sure, I need some alcohol!"

"So how do you know Galina?" the blonde wants to know as she pours out their beverages.

"I'm a friend of hers. My little sister goes to Martin Van Buren High, where Red...that's what we call her...is a cafeteria worker," Franny explains. "She's taken these two girls under her wing and my sister is dating one of them."

"Oh, that's cool!"

They continue talking and drinking the evening away as they cuddle together under blankets on the sofa, not in a romantic way, but more like they've been best friends for years. They're cracking up so hard that they're crying at Lida's tales of her boyfriend's adventures with his brothers and how Red named Yuri's on-off girlfriend Sparkle Tits and the time when Lida smacked Vasily in the face with a bag full of coins because he was drunk when he got home late. It's only after Franny has spilled all of her family's dirty laundry that she starts breathing heavily because of the stress she's been under lately. "I'm the only physically and mentally healthy Morello, which means I gotta work harder than the average human being, and nobody even knows I..." She trails off and lets out a long wail. Lida brings Franny into her arms and hands her a wad of tissues. "I lost my baby...and the father is nowhere to be found! I apologize for burdening you with this, but I don't wanna tell my sister or Ma since they got enough to deal with, our father is horrendous, and our brother is a brat and you and I are stuck with him! If he's too much, I'll give him up for adoption!" Franny blows her nose a few times.

"I'm so sorry for all that you're going through, Franny...you're not a burden. If anything, you're a fighter and selfless and you've forgotten yourself because you've been helping others. You kinda remind me of Galina in that way. People like you two need breaks! We live together now, so we can take care of each other. We can both look after him...I don't think it's good for siblings to be separated, you're still family, no matter how much he annoys you."

Franny sniffles and nods. "Okay."

Lida wipes moisture from her cheeks. "Now, I'll go out to the store and get some caramels for you, and you can pick a movie for us to watch, anything is fine!"

"Thank you! I'm thinkin' a chick flick with heavy romance!" Franny exclaims while starting to go through Lida's DVD collection. She likes this woman so much already.

"Sounds great!" Lida calls over her shoulder while walking out the door with her keys and purse.

* * *

"I just found out I'm lactose intolerant." Ouija sighs heavily as she, Pidge, Flaca, Daya, Maria, Blanca, and Zirconia walk into Friendly's, and they see Michelle already there with Alex. "At least I can have cheddar cheese on burgers, but what am I gonna do without ice cream in my life?"

"You could get the dairy-free kind," Pidge suggests.

Ouija groans. "It ain't nowhere near the same! I can have Parmesan cheese on pasta and some yogurt, but not real ice cream, milk, butter, candy, baked treats, cookies, drink mixes, breads, instant soups, pancake mixes, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, deli meats, salad dressings, or margarine!"

"That sucks!" Maria comments, and everyone agrees.

"Oh well, I'll have to find lactose free versions of all this shit! Anyway, where's Maritza?" Ouija asks.

"Mari ain't gonna show...she's still traumatized from fuckin' Humps," Flaca grumbles.

"Ew, he better be six feet under right 'bout now," Blanca says.

"Yeah!" the rest of the girls mutter in unison. Flaca and Daya hug Alex, her mother, and Michelle as a greeting, and Blanca and Maria give Diane and Alex friendly smiles and wave at them, but they wrap their arms around Michelle. Ouija, Pidge, and Zirconia reluctantly do the same. They know they have to be civil, but it's hard to be nice to someone who's basically guilty by association. Piper was always the closest to Alex out of her group of followers.

"Can I get you girls anything?" Alex wonders aloud pleasantly.

"We'll have cheeseburgers and fries, please," Michelle requests and then plops down between Pidge and Zirconia.

"Alright, comin' on up!" Alex winks at her and she grins back at the taller white girl and gazes after Alex with her chin in her hands. Ouija rolls her eyes internally at how smitten her friend is.

"Hey, Ms. Vause!" Alana announces as she enters the restaurant.

"Alana, hi!" Diane responds.

"Maria, Flaca, just the people I wanted to talk to!" Alana begins to run over to them, but she crashes into a nearby table instead and stumbles over a chair leg. Zirconia and Pidge stifle their snickers behind their palms and Ouija bites her lip so she doesn't make a sound. The last thing she wants is to be scolded by their former English teacher.

"Land on your hands and knees!" Alex shouts just as Alana does so and this time, she doesn't break her nose. Everyone breathes sighs of relief. "Next time, just walk and watch where you're going, okay?"

"She is so adorably clumsy, and in serious need of a makeover," Flaca points out quietly.

"Yeah, like Tai in _Clueless_ ," Daya adds.

"I'm sorry," Alana mumbles while getting up. She readjusts the chair and continues towards Ouija's table. "So...I wanna join the band. I'm such a great singer...I could belt out something tonight."

"O...kay?" Maria says uncertainly. "We ain't doin' tryouts."

"I know...but I heard you needed another member...Pennsatucky's out?" Alana wonders aloud nervously.

"Nobody ever said that, like officially, but I wouldn't mind giving you a shot...Maria?" Flaca turns to Maria and gestures to Alana. "She's got the perfect hair for this." Alana beams and blushes at the compliment.

"Sure," Maria relents. "We gotta consult with the others if we're gonna add you for real, but for now, you show off your talent and learn to fall correctly and be more careful of your surroundings. We don't want you tumbling off the stage or nothin' because of a fuckin' wire."

"I know...I'm a klutz!" Alana glances at the floor. "I'll get better at my balance."

"Glad to hear that," Flaca tells her.

"Try looking up, not down!" Michelle recommends.

"Hold up!" Pidge cuts in. "Nah, are you serious?"

"We're an inclusive group. You got a problem with somebody, talk it out with 'em," Blanca tells her in a no-nonsense tone. "Exclusion is bullying."

"What?! I'm not..."

"You're mean, Pidge!" Alana declares as her eyes fill with tears. "Why did you punch me that one time, and you and Zirconia both poked fun at me when I hit myself with the door! What are you, Piper?"

Rage boils in the pit of Ouija's stomach. She can't stand anyone putting down her best friend, yet deep down, she knows Alana is right, and she hates it. "Don't you fucking dare compare my girl to that cunt!"

"I...I'm not trying to," Alana mumbles as tears roll down her cheeks. "I'm just saying-"

"Stop crying, you're not a baby!" Zirconia practically yells. She's about to get into Alana's face, but Maria and Blanca prevent her from getting any closer to the upset girl.

Pidge scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Please, I'm nothin' like that bitch..."

The girls stare at Pidge meaningfully and Alana sniffles. "At least Piper never slapped anyone." Her voice cracks at the end of her sentence.

"Oh, shit...well you _did_ kick me first!" Pidge states. "Remember, we was building those forts in detention...Ouija and I were together, draping the blanket I knitted over the backs of two chairs. Michelle and Zirconia were playin' foosball...who the fuck else could it have been?"

"That was Humps, not me!" Alana protests. "I swear to God...I never touched you." Her eyes go round and she makes a praying motion, pressing her hands together. "Please...you have to believe what I'm saying. You know how he causes fights, or did you forget the Nichorello thing? I saw that...that monster...smirking when you finished socking me in the face. My nose wasn't even finished healing."

Pidge backs down a few moments later. "Well shit, then...I'm sorry. Why the fuck didn't you tell me he started our problems?!" She doesn't hold eye contact with Alana for more than a second. "I'll wait for you to quit blubbering like an idiot."

"I thought you knew, but you did it on purpose because I'm such an easy mark."

Silence falls between the two of them until Diane serves them their meal. "Enjoy, ladies!"

"Thanks, Diane!" Daya calls after her.

"You're welcome!"

Flaca claps her hands a few times. "Yaaaay, you'll probably be friends now, you got somethin' in common! We all do, like, all of us were united that day..."

"I don't think that's possible," Pidge mutters.

"Me neither," Alana chimes in.

"Well, look at me and Gloria, we're hella tight, but when I first met her, she called me a coconut once because I couldn't speak Spanish!" Daya informs them.

"She called you a-" Ouija breaks off cracking up, and Blanca and Pidge join in.

"Where's your partner in crime, the poi snorter?" Zirconia asks Alana, referring to Stephanie.

"Her people don't eat that," Alana replies blankly. "I don't know why you care..."

"I'm just making conversation!"

"It's not really your business, but she's with her mom."

Just then, the door opens and Aleida's hot boyfriend and the school janitor come inside. Alana isn't really paying attention since she's scribbling something, probably song lyrics. "Oh my-" Ouija begins to whisper.

"Don't," Daya cuts her off and kicks at her ankle under the table.

"What? Quiero que golpee su martillo neumático dentro de mí..." Zirconia trails off, waggling her eyebrows and smirking while fanning herself. Daya scoffs and shakes her head, but Pidge and Ouija giggle while trying not to stare at his handsomeness.

 **I want him to pound his jackhammer into me...**

"Pensé que te gustaba Luschek," Flaca hisses.

 **I thought you liked Luschek.**

"Está en tríos, me dijo," Zirconia murmurs.

 **He's into threesomes, he told me.**

"¡Estoy seguro que no con los hombres!" Michelle says.

 **I'm sure not with men!**

"Veo tu punto...el novio de Aleida es rudo y desgarrado," Pidge tells Zirconia while reaching over Michelle to pat Zirconia's shoulder.

 **I see your point...Aleida's boyfriend is rugged and ripped.**

Michelle, Daya, Blanca, Maria, and Flaca exchange looks of displeasure. "Suficiente, dumbasses," Daya snaps, surprising all of them. She's never spoken a word of Spanish in their presence before.

"It ain't like he can understand us," Ouija says in a low voice.

"He's dating a Puerto Rican lady! He's learning our language for her!"

"Shit, well...he don't seem bothered," Zirconia murmurs.

"Good thing y'all were talkin' softly then!"

* * *

"Why?" Gloria asks when Aleida decides aloud that she isn't going to have an abortion.

Aleida frowns. "I ain't killin' babies, they didn't do nothin' wrong. I can't bear the thought of doin' that when it hasn't even had a chance to grow yet and flourish and I don't wanna punish my child just because he or she is part of my rapist!" She exhales. "I know that some women say it's a painful reminder, but this little human being in my womb is the only good thing that came out of it! I just...I hope it has none of that motherfucker's qualities or looks. I really want a girl, but I'll accept a boy, too...I just gotta raise him to respect girls and women."

"We should talk to Lourdes...her Santería works wonders."

"Nah, that's just...that ain't gonna do nothin', no offense."

Gloria raises an eyebrow. "Five years ago, I thought I was gonna have a girl...then Lourdes did her magic and it turned out that I had a little boy growing inside me!"

Aleida gasps. "That ain't possible, girl."

"Ask her yourself if you don't believe me."

"Fine! I will!"

* * *

"Would you like me to attack the bitch?" Suzanne asks.

Vee finishes off her Pink Lady apple and snickers. "Not yet, child. Just make the entrance we practiced when you return to school tomorrow."

"Hold up, who y'all talkin' 'bout?" Taystee wonders out loud and narrows her eyebrows. "You throw one more damn fit and hurt somebody, we gonna dog pile you, Suzanne!"

"No, you don't understand." Suzanne gets up from the sofa with widened eyes. "I'm defending Vee because Gloria, the Mexican lady who works with Red, is trying to steal Vee's fiancé!"

"He's gonna make us rich!" Vee adds.

"Yeah, bring on the monaaaay!" Cindy sings.

Janae guffaws. "It's about time we got cash legally!"

"Okay, but Suzanne, I don't think violence is necessary," Taystee points out. "She ain't much competition if she ain't even feelin' him, anyway!"

"I heard from Abdullah that them crackers and skinny beans was tryin' to hook her uncle up with Gloria. You should talk to _them_ instead!" Cindy advises Suzanne.

Taystee pats Suzanne's back softly. "Emphasis on _talk_."

"Your little friend Poussey is dreaming about some television chef making her money to bring Brook to Amsterdam!" Vee declares. "She has better luck if I marry Fahri and she becomes one of my girls, but too bad she's so stubborn."

"Yeah," Suzanne agrees. "He could buy me a frog shaped bounce house!"

"I'm getting some rims from him!" Janae adds excitedly.

"Okay...that'd be nice of him to give us presents, but we don't gotta treat him like your sugar daddy, Vee," Taystee interjects.

"Taystee Girl, don't you want to meet D'Angelo in person?" Taystee chuckles at Vee's question while nodding eagerly. "Well, after four years of waiting, now's your chance! Fahri has a limo, too!"

"I know!" Taystee squeals loudly. "He's gonna take us in there for the homecoming dance!"

"Yes, _ma'am_!" Cindy hollers and hi-fives Janae.

* * *

"Yo, I got an idea...how about you think up a solo performance and sing it while Diane teaches Leon dance moves?" Maria suggests. "They need music!"

Alana's eyes gleam with excitement. "Aw, okay, I will! I've actually been writing some lyrics for fun, so...and if you want and Diane allows it, you can bang wooden spoons on pots and pans as a pretend drum set whenever you think parts of my tune need it."

"Oh, that sounds cool!" Maria exclaims and the other girls, even Ouija, Pidge, and Zirconia, seem to be enthusiastic about this. Diane is already getting out the materials needed and she sets them on a table. Maria sits at it and tests out the fake drums. The utensils hitting the surfaces make satisfying sounds that echo through the whole restaurant. She chuckles to herself. "I can see why children love doing this shit so much!"

Diane pulls Leon up. "Okay, first is the waltz, which I learned in many a ballroom dance class, then breakdancing," she lets him know.

Leon grins widely. "I will surprise you with my hip hop moves!"

"Don't step on my feet!" she instructs him, but in a teasing manner.

"I wouldn't dream of it!"

"Okay, here are the beginning steps of the waltz...six inches between us...relax your shoulders and look up at your partner." Leon does as Diane says and Alex begins playing waltz music. "Put your right hand on my lower back and my right hand will join with your left. We glide along to the gentle beat...I step back, you step forward, and we both step to the side." Diane explains further as she demonstrates. "Then you turn me." Leon spins her around. "Good job!" she praises him. Their faces are so close together, emanating lots of heat. Even though there is nothing romantic about this, Diane blushes. She can see why Aleida has completely fallen head over heels for him, and she feels like Aleida should dump Cesar like last week's garbage because Leon is a lot better, both looks and personality wise.

"You guys make such a cute couple!" Alana squeals.

"Actually, we're not dating," Leon corrects her, and he and Diane both chuckle awkwardly, along with Alex.

"Yeah, I'm just giving him waltz lessons so he can impress his lady with his smooth moves," Diane adds. "We're real good friends."

"Oh, I was gonna do a love song for you, but I'll do something else."

"Let's hear it!" Flaca says cheerfully.

Alana takes a deep breath before starting. "Okay, a five, six, seven, eight! She's got rings in her no-ohhs..."

 _Clang!_

"Bells on her toe-ohhhs..."

 _Clang!_

"And earrings where they shouldn't beeee..."

 _Clang!_

"She also gets F's and Deeees..." _Clang!_ _Clang!_ _Clang!_

"Livin' large, ditchin' schoooool...doesn't listen to anybody's ruuuuules..."

 _Clang!_

"Always in detention, in trouble with police..." _Clang!_ "I think she wants attention..."

"Yeah, it's true, she dyes her hair..." _Clang! "_ Different colors, she couldn't care. She sneaks out at night, she's in a gang, she beats people up, _boom, pow, pow, bang_!" Alana swings her hair all around. _Clang!_

"She smokes a lot, polluting the air..." _Clang!_ "She does drugs and shoplifts in a lot of malls, she cheats on tests, she lies and swears." _Clang! "_ I guess that's why she's in juvy hall. She wears too much makeup, ripped black clothes...she's got too many tattoos, she's way too expo-hosed..."

Alana sighs and bounces in place. "...but that's the way she is, and she's my girl..." _Clang!_ "The one who makes my head whirl, she's bad but good, she's crazy but fun, she smiles like the summer su-un..." _Clang!_ _Clang! "_ That's why I love youuuu..." she croons and then trails off when she's out of breath. Her audience is quiet, but then they start clapping and cheering wildly. She curtsies a few times. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"You're so in!" Flaca screams over the noise.

"Yes!" Alana cheers and pumps her fist in the air.

Then, Diane and Leon have somewhat of a dance-off to hip hop music and he shocks her with his multiple leg spins. "Ohhh!" she shouts while giving him space to do his thing. "Go, Leon! Go, Leon! Damn, that's fancy! Aleida will be so awed!"

"Thank you."

* * *

"It's true!" Lourdes insists. "It was confirmed Gloria was gonna give birth to a baby girl, but after my magic, she was pregnant with a boy!"

Aleida twiddles her thumbs. "Okay. So...I just want it to take after me. I wanna forget I got that demon seed inside me."

"Lay back on the bed," Gloria instructs Aleida as Lourdes squeezes honey into a yellow bowl and lights a match. Gloria's aunt waves a small lit candle around Aleida's flat belly, blows it out, and shakes a tiny gold bell over her tummy. Then, the older woman kisses the gold necklace she's wearing.

"Now what?" Aleida wonders out loud.

"We just wait," Lourdes responds. She and Gloria are practically glowing with eagerness as all three women cross their fingers and toes.

"You don't gotta say nothin' like a prayer?"

Gloria shakes her head no. "We just think it in our heads and let the hokey pokey do the work."

"Okay..."

* * *

Once the girls go home after dinner, Taystee watches her favorite show, _Toddlers and Tiaras_ while eating chicken wings, but she can't stop wondering why Arturo is no longer in the picture and is now being replaced by Fahri. Vee changes her mind way too much. During the commercials, Taystee heads into the kitchen where the older woman is eating curry soup with noodles. She stuffs her hands into her pockets. "Yo, Vee, just curious. How you move on from one boo to the next so fast?"

Vee chuckles slowly. "Oh, my dearest Taystee, you think I wanna be with someone just as poor as me? I had no interest in him...we were friends with benefits, that's all."

"Yeah, but before, you said we was gonna be a family..."

"I believe that was _you_."

"You didn't say it wasn't serious, so like, a sister's perplexed here!" Taystee fiddles with her dreadlocks and pushes them back from her face.

"I'm proud of you for using big girl words!" Vee grins. "Fahri doesn't cook in flip flops, so that's a good thing. You'll like him as a father figure. He's _fine_ , too...and he's nothin' like your previous male guardian, who was so gross I had to rescue you from him. Ain't you excited to finally be able to get whatever you wish for, whenever you want it?"

"That's real nice and all, but I don't wanna become like a spoiled rich white lady because I let all the fortune get to my head!"

"First of all, you're still a girl, as long as you live in my house and under my roof. Your porky ass is in school again since you flunked out of English, all because you chose to use bad grammar, and you don't make enough money to move out and get yourself an apartment. Secondly, I don't think you're stupid enough to turn into a cunt just because you're wealthy. Fahri isn't that way, and I hope you won't be like that either. I didn't raise you to not have your own mind. You are not crazy like Suzanne. I expect a lot more from you!"

"I know." Taystee exhales heavily. "Why you always call me fat? Miss Claudette never does."

"She's obese, too, in what way would she notice how wide your butt is? Just work out more, and stop eating that trash you think is food! I'm not gonna let you buy that shit any longer!"

Taystee knits her brows. "Fine, whatever. I ain't gettin' into this with you. Marry who you feel like, and I hope y'all love each other." With that, Taystee exits the kitchen and continues her program. She plans to hang out with Poussey later tonight.

* * *

"Shit!" Charles yells, and Diane rushes to his side where he's wiping his hand down his face. "I can't believe that fucker..."

"What happened?" Diane asks him with deep concern seeping through her tone. She's still shaky from Piscatella forcing her to work faster than her normal speed by gunpoint, even if it only lasted for a second.

"Jack escaped prison, his lawyer just emailed me of the news. I called Lourdes, but no answer...she probably helped him out. I started tracking them...they're headed west."

Diane feels the color drain from her face and her heart clenches. "You mean...Aleida's attacker?"

"Yep," Charles says stiffly. "I've gotta deliver the horrible news to her. I'll have officers stationed at the next state they stop in-"

"You can't give up on catching this terrible excuse of a human being and giving Aleida a proper trial," Diane murmurs as she wraps her arms around him from behind and rests her chin on his shoulder. "She's one of my girls, not just one of your cases."

His hands massage hers. "I'm not, baby, I'd never do that, Aleida deserves to be free of him forever. It's just that when he's caught, they'll bring him back to me...or I'll go grab him myself if I have to...and I gotta inform her that her trial is gonna take longer because of this."

"Oh, okay." Diane sighs sadly. "Poor Aleida."

Charles appears to be just as upset. "I know. I'll tell her in person tomorrow."

"Good idea. Hey...do you mind checking to see if there's a camera in the shower again? I'm probably being paranoid since we already destroyed it, but I would feel a lot safer." Diane hugs herself and shivers at the very thought of taking her clothes off in the bathroom, stepping into the tub, and running the water. Last night, she had only tried to take a bath, but she ended up curling into a ball and squeezing herself into a corner. She was soon trembling and crying out for Alex's assistance, and her daughter quickly came to her aid.

"Certainly, my princess."

Diane beams. "Thank you."

* * *

"What the fuck is wrong with some people?" Nicky almost shouts. She's at Maritza's guesthouse for a huge sleepover, along with Lorna, Alex, Flaca, Daya, Ouija, Pidge, Maria, Blanca, Alana, Michelle, Allison, Poussey, and Pennsatucky. The African American girl is making them drinks because they need it.

"That's the same question we all ask ourselves every day," Alex says. "Who are you referring to?"

"Have you seen the news lately? Some lady threw her baby in the dryer and ran it...the kid was in there for forty fuckin' minutes!"

Lorna wrinkles her nose and shakes her head rapidly, and the other girls look just as disgusted. "Oh my goodness, that's awful! I can't imagine _any_ mother doing that to her own helpless, innocent child!"

"That story makes me wanna barf and take Pepa with me everywhere I go, even school." Maria sighs. "I miss her. If somebody did that to my little girl, I'd kill 'em...seek revenge."

"Me too, about Farah," Allison agrees.

Daya and Ouija put their hands on their bellies instinctively. "Ugh, that sounds like somethin' Vee would do," Poussey mutters.

"Yeah, or those methhead potatoes with eyes we love to hate," Pennsatucky chimes in.

"It wasn't them, but my guess is drugs or a severe mental illness, like worse than yours, because I know you'd never do something that horrible! I wouldn't either, but when I was hooked on heroin, the shit was the only thing I thought about," Nicky admits. "I'm relieved I never got pregnant...no offense to the teen moms present."

"Well, I'm glad we're both better," Lorna tells the blonde while squeezing her hand and smiling up at her.

"Same here, kid."

Taystee arrives late and greets everyone with a cheerful hug. She and Poussey grin at each other. "Hey, P!"

"Wassup, T? Your ass is late!"

Taystee bats her eyes. "Sorry, Mackenzie, I was begging my daddy to take us on a cruise to Spain!"

Poussey gasps dramatically. "Cool, sounds like a nice vacation, Amanda!"

Taystee giggles excessively loud. "Yeah, he gives me whatever I want, unlike stupid Brad! I'm glad I'm with Mark now! He's vegan like me, and he runs this American bistro with tasty flavored soda with aromas like lavender and rose petal and peach."

"Yum! I should go there with Chad sometimes after our yoga class!"

"He does everything for you. Tell him to buy you a pony and we could both ride it!"

"Oh, girl, you know I will! Our sexy time is promptly nine at night, but we make sure to be silent."

Taystee pretends to cry. "You missed my point! Daddy didn't get me the pony I wanted!"

"Mine didn't give me the latest iPhone," Poussey whines in a feigned sad voice. They both pretend to wail but then burst into uproarious guffaws while doing a handshake, and the rest of the girls join in the laughter.

"How long you been doin' this?" Pennsatucky asks.

"Goin' on two years!" Taystee responds. She turns to Alana. "Yo, where's Steph? I never see you without her, Alana!"

"She had a family thing," Alana answers Taystee.

"Her mom probably had another episode," Maria says.

"We shouldn't talk about it," Alana states. "Let's move on to other topics!"

"I'm glad that kahuna ain't here anyway...she attacked me outta nowhere one time!" Ouija mutters as Daya is painting her nails in an alternating pattern of skulls and bunnies, beginning with a skull.

"Well, your bestie did that to me, so now we're even!" Alana replies.

Pidge throws her hands up in the air. "It was an accident!"

"Yeah, you're gonna make me mess up my nails," Ouija piles on.

"Okay, I can't do this when you're moving, and you two fighting is distracting me," Daya grumbles and stops her work. She sits back and waits for Ouija to calm down.

"It was all because I reported that _jefa_ bullying Maria and Blanca to Ms. Vause, and Stephanie was stupid enough to actually do Chapped Lips' dirty work," Ouija says bluntly. "I figured she was a cool adult but didn't condone that behavior and could stop the big bad bitch. Obviously, she got in trouble with Ms. Vause, so therefore, Stephanie tackled me to the ground."

"Ouija was our hero," Blanca puts in.

"Stephanie regrets hurting you...she told me she never wanted to do it in the first place, but she felt obligated to," Alana informs Ouija while sitting down.

"That makes sense, actually...if you were friends with Chapman, you were afraid to disappoint or go against her," Nicky says, and the brewing fight between Ouija and Alana dissipates. Daya goes back to painting a bunny on Ouija's index fingernail of her right hand.

"Anyway...I also invited Zirconia, but she told me she don't do sleepovers," Maritza announces.

"That's too bad, she's missing out," Allison replies.

"Yeah, and Brook was supposed to come with me, but she doesn't do slumber parties or even spend a night at my house when it's just us two on school nights. She's such a nerd!" Poussey says jokingly. Nicky and Lorna chortle to themselves.

While Flaca, Maritza, and Lorna straighten Alana's hair and arrange it into a half pony with strands framing her face, paint her nails, and try different outfits on her like she's their little doll, Ouija, Pidge, Maria, Blanca, and Alex explain what went on the whole night at Friendly's. Like the past two nights, it started out fun, but turned into a nightmare. "At least he's been stabbed now!" Pidge mutters.

"Yeah, and Lexi totally clobbered him with that crowbar!" Maritza adds.

Alex scrunches up her face. " _Lexi_?"

"That sounds so wrong, no offense," Allison murmurs.

"What? It's cute!" Flaca defends Maritza.

"I adore that nickname for you!" Lorna agrees.

"I do as well," Alana puts in.

"People named Lexi don't beat up large men," Alex points out. "Sorry, girls, but _Alex_ sounds more badass! It's stuck since kindergarten."

"You let your mom call you Allie!" Blanca protests.

"My mom has lots of pet names for me that none of you will ever hear of! Allie just so happens to be one of them."

"It could be lengthened to Allie the Alligator, that's probably why it's been revealed to us," Maria guesses. "Those are horrifying little shits like Pidge over here."

"Hey!" Pidge complains and lightly kicks Maria as both girls crack up.

"Alligators are tough, and so am I," Alex says proudly.

"What does Alex stand for anyway?" Michelle wants to know. "Alexa, Alexis...?"

"Alexandra! Like Alexander the Great, but the chick version."

"Aww...how about Zandra?" Michelle suggests. "It's pretty and unique!"

Alex's eyes light up and she beams. "Sure!"

"I still feel terrible for you girls and Diane," Lorna states sympathetically after they talk about how much they love the name Michelle had made up for Alex.

"Thank you...it was scary," Alana says from her chair in front of Maritza's vanity mirror.

"How about we just...talk about happier stuff?" Flaca suggests. "You know, like we were just doing with Alex's name."

"Mm-hm, of course, well, Alana, you're gonna look so hot and stylish when we walk you into school tomorrow!" Maritza squeals as she smooths her hand down Alana's now sleek hair. "You might even score yourself a date for homecoming."

"I wouldn't go that far," Alana says. "It's cool that I'm pretty for myself."

"Yes, obviously!" Lorna's eyes light up with excitement as Alana giggles shyly. "Oh, makeovers are one of the best things in the world! In the morning, we'll apply eyeliner, mascara, and eyeshadow on you...and obviously, red lipstick!"

"There's one thing you can't fix, though...I snore like a motorboat because of my stupid gigantic uvula. At camp, I kept my bunkmate up for six hours straight, she was sleeping on the bed under mine! That's why I tried to decline your invitation to this slumber party, Maritza. I'm sorry...I'll doze off in another room so you won't hear me!"

"We don't wanna leave you out," Blanca says.

"Maybe that girl was sleep deprived, and I'm just sayin' that because before, when Red was exhausted, noises in general annoyed her when she was trying to get some rest...like sirens going off outside or whatever," Taystee puts in.

Alana shrugs. "From what I remembered, nobody else was bothered by my snoring, so maybe she was a light sleeper."

Flaca and Maritza soon put the video of Alana singing on YouTube and then play it for them all. They're amazed by Alana's impressive voice and then, the whole group records themselves dancing to music that Maritza starts playing. Then, they watch one of Taystee's favorite movies called _The Wiz_ , with Diana Ross.

"I would've picked _Harry Potter_ , but it's a school night and we only have time for one movie. If I'm watching _Harry Potter_ , I'm havin' myself a marathon of it, and that sadly can't happen tonight!" Taystee informs the group. "Oh, lord, I'm glad Sankey and her band of Hitler's bitches ain't here to ruin _The Wiz_ like, not even halfway in!"

"Same here!" they concur in unison.

* * *

"How'd it go tonight?" Aleida questions Leon wearily. She's exhausted, but she can't sleep without him, so she'd been working on keeping herself up until one in the morning when he'd gotten back home at last. "You finally shoot him dead?"

"Not quite." The mattress sinks as he climbs under the sheets with her. "There were a number of people there, including Daya, Maria, Blanca, Ouija, Pidge, Zirconia, Michelle, Alex, this other white girl whose name I can't remember, and of course, Diane-"

"Why you know Pidge and Zirconia? They never been over here...and Ouija, just one time."

"They introduced themselves to me. I caught 'em staring at me a number of times, so I had to turn around."

"Jesus fuck, bitches need to keep their eyes off you," Aleida mutters to herself. "I would've been there if I hadn't been feeling so bad. So, what happened with that monster?" she asks anxiously.

"They were all prepared, Daya's friends...with weapons of their own, such as sharp knives and a police baton that Alex had borrowed from Charles. Piscatella took his gun out of his belt and aimed it at Diane, but Alex came out from behind the counter and whacked the back of his knees with the baton, which made him lose his footing...he then fell on about six knives that Daya, Blanca, Pidge, Michelle, Maria, Ouija, Zirconia had been gripping in their hands. Alana was hiding behind Diane."

Aleida gasps. "Daya cut that motherfucker?" She'd never known her daughter to be violent, but she's proud of Daya for protecting Diane. She'll ask Daya how she got the knife tomorrow.

"She took a part in it. Fahri then took the bastard's gun he'd dropped and I whipped out my own. We both pointed them at either side of that square he calls his head. He begged us not to kill him." At this, Aleida cackles. "It was a glorious moment, but Diane eventually got him taken away in an ambulance."

"She should've let him die there...and why didn't neither of you pull the trigger? It woulda been so damn easy to put bullets into his brain!"

"Maria said that walking tree isn't worth going to jail for. There was evidence everywhere, and even though Charles is on our side, Diane is afraid that those animals' lawyer could get rid of him for good if their captain is dead because of us." Leon scoffs and shakes his head. "I'm praying that he'll eventually bleed out."

"He won't," Aleida mumbles helplessly. "He's been thought to have croaked twice, and then he shows up again and again, bigger and badder than ever. Yeah, there's third time's the charm, but I don't wanna get my hopes up for nothin'. Then, he's gonna tattle on y'all when he gets better...and those racist, mysoginist officers, except Charles, will definitely believe a white man over an African American man and an Arabian man and several Latinas who ain't even adults yet, and even if Alex resembles Snow White, they ain't gonna take her serious because she's just a teenage girl. It's so _fucking_ unfair! I'm even surprised my rapist got arrested. I'll probably lose the trial."

"Why do you say that, sweetie?"

"That's the way the world works!"

"I know, but...the trial. We have evidence and witnesses...he's going down!"

"I'm a working class Puerto Rican lady who hasn't even graduated college and I was a drug addict, treated my kids like shit...and he's a _rich,_ _upstanding_ _American citizen_ who plays golf and is a loving husband and father in the eyes of the public..." Aleida tells him weakly as she muffles her voice with his shirt.

"Baby, how you were in the past doesn't matter, and neither does the color of your skin or your financial status. Did someone say something to you? Let me talk to 'em!"

"I...I'm pregnant...and it's his..." Aleida says quietly while glancing up to the ceiling. She squeezes her eyes shut and finds that they're flooded with tears. She had been fighting back the urge to sob all this time. Her lower lip trembles as she whimpers and he draws her into his gentle arms. _Help me_ , she mouths, but she's not sure if she'd said it out loud.

"I'm so sorry, honey. If you want to get an abortion, I'll drive you to the hospital-"

"I ain't gettin' rid of my baby. It ain't their fault they came from that pig!"

"Of course not. Well, you know I'll support you and raise that kid with you as if they were my own."

"Yeah. You're a good one."

* * *

Once the girls are all in their sleeping bags side by side, squished together and spread out in the guesthouse's living room, they start giggling because they're so comfortably close and happy. It's also because most of them are a bit drunk. The warm feeling of friendship fills the entire space. They're all talking and laughing and having a wonderful time. They're exhausted after a night of dancing and makeovers. Lorna is cozy between Nicky and Alex, and the whole group bursts out snorting with laughter and hitting Nicky with their pillows when she comments that this looks like one huge orgy.

"You're fucked up, man!" Ouija answers and rolls her eyes. Lorna shakes her head while chuckling to herself. "Is that all you think about?"

"Says the chick who was drinking when she's pregnant!" Nicky retorts. "Seriously, not a good idea...my mom drank martinis on the regular when I was in her belly, and look how I turned out...addicted to heroin! You gotta stop that."

"Okay, fine! I was just teasing you, Nichols...and I'll quit the alcohol until Miguel is born. I will admit, though, that sex is a better thing to have your mind on than drugs."

"Yeah," the others agree.

"Uncle Fahri rented a stretch limo for us to take to homecoming!" Allison announces.

"So did my mom," Maritza adds. "I ain't sure who's all going, but I know my main crew...Alana, you can come with if you want."

"Sure!"

The girls gasp. "That would be my first time being in such a fancy vehicle!" Pidge says enthusiastically.

"Mine, too," Blanca agrees, and the others echo her.

"At one of the first high school parties I had ever been to, I played Spin the Bottle with Alex, Daya, Flaca, Piper, Vinnie, Larry, and some other guys Piper had managed to gather up to join our game," Lorna tells them out of the blue. She's a lightweight, so her head is buzzing after only one drink and her voice sounds like it doesn't belong to her. She cracks up as she remembers the moment. That was the night of her first kiss, and her cheeks are burning just thinking about it.

"Noooo, we both promised each other to take it to the grave!" Alex whines, just as hammered. "Lornaaaaa..."

"Oh, god," Daya murmurs through a grin and Flaca hoists herself up to a sitting position, appearing to be equally amused.

"What?!" Poussey asks eagerly.

"Nothing!" both Alex and Lorna exclaim.

"Okay, now you gotta tell us! Please..." Michelle begs.

"Piper got Larry, of course, and it was how Flaca met Ian...he was the older brother of the host...then it was Lorna's turn," Alex begins to explain reluctantly.

"I was praying hard for it to land on Vinnie..." Lorna continues.

 _The suspense builds as the bottle spins around faster and faster in the middle of the circle. Every time it passes Vinnie, Lorna is disappointed. She watches it carefully until it stops moving completely, and then she's surprised since it's directly in front of Alex. Piper guffaws. "Go dyke it up, Lorna!"_

 _"Uh...it's okay, we don't have to," Alex mumbles, clearly humiliated._

 _"I...I could go again," Lorna_ _offers. "You know, if you ain't comfortable smoochin' girls or whatever."_

 _"Yeah, actually, the point of this is to make out with whoever the bottle points to," Larry says with a stupid smirk plastered on his features. He waggles his eyebrows. "What are you afraid of?"_

 _"If they ain't cool with it, they don't gotta do it!" Flaca snaps, and Daya nods subtly._

 _"Okay, so I'll demonstrate the_ right _way to kiss a girl, you dumb fuck!" Alex fires at Larry. She stands abruptly, pulls Lorna to her feet, puts her hands on either side of Lorna's face, strokes her cheeks gently with the pads of her thumbs, leans down, and their mouths connect ever so softly. A small moan slips through Lorna's lips and it's unfamiliar to her. Alex smells like marzipan. Everyone around them is cheering wildly. Lorna's eyes are closed because she's never been touched in such a way by another person, and it's such a wonderful feeling. She's always been attracted to boys, but her best friend is so good at this, that Lorna senses herself blushing and not thinking straight, both literally and figuratively. She grabs Alex's hair, stands on her tiptoes, and slips her tongue in between the taller girl's lips, causing more wolf-whistles. They don't stop until they need to breathe, and they're currently holding hands._

 _"That was amazing," Lorna murmurs and shares a smile with Alex. "Joke's on Larry!"  
_

 _"Yeah...I enjoyed it, too," Alex whispers and winks at her._

 _Daya and Flaca stare at them in stunned silence and Piper scowls. "Just one peck was necessary, you're now disqualified for showing off!"_

 _"Oh, can it, ya Debbie Downer!" Lorna groans._

 _"Yeah, Pipes, you're just jealous that Larry's not good like I am," Alex mutters._

 _"Ohhhh!" a group of kids chorus._

 _"She smoked you, bro!" Vinnie tells Larry._

 _"Shut the fuck up!" Piper growls, and Flaca and Daya fall into each other, giggling. Alex and Lorna join in, and Larry slobbers all over Piper because he's bad at this romance thing._

"Holy shit!" Nicky hollers through the girls' shrieking and cracking up behind their palms. "That was totally unexpected! I...I mean, Vause, I can understand, but like...wow! Lorna...I thought us having sex was your first experience with another girl!"

"Well, the fucking was new...but that's probably why I initiated the kiss between us." Lorna smirks and pats Nicky's cheek.

"Jesus, kid, you're full of surprises." Nicky presses her lips against Lorna's temple. "You burned Chapman pretty good that night, too, am I right?"

"Yeah, but it was mostly to get back at that shit-for-brains Larry!" Alex replies.

"I hope I didn't lead you on by going further into the makeout sesh," Lorna tells her guiltily. "It's just that you were so pretty, and I couldn't resist..."

"You didn't! I wasn't into you like that."

Lorna exhales loudly. "Well, um...back then, I...I kind of imagined what it would be like...if we really did date."

"Come to think of it, I did, too. I had always wanted to come out, but Piper kept making things awkward. I didn't wanna prove her right. As much as I loved her, she was hard to talk to about deep stuff, since she just saw it as juicy gossip."

Michelle plays with Alex's hair and hugs her from behind. "That sucks!"

"I'm glad I have you, baby," Alex tells her and wraps her up in a passionate hug.

"Me, too!"

"Any more juicy shit from back then, babe?" Nicky asks Lorna.

"I think Piper was her bitchiest self at the very end," Lorna slurs. She probably shouldn't have said this in a room full of people who disliked the former Queen Bee, but the words had fallen out of her mouth before she could stop them. She doesn't want to see Alex's reaction.

"That's mostly why I was so fucked up when she was murdered," Alex mumbles. "We were all super pissed at her. I saw her macking on Stella and I was so heartbroken. She told me she wasn't even into girls."

"I remember us having a slumber party and not inviting Piper, but she came anyway," Flaca mumbles.

"Stella Carlin, Miss Crocodile Dundee herself with the Ninja Turtle tattoo?" Maria asks.

"She was often seen with the white power group, otherwise known as the Nazi hos," Taystee adds.

Alex scoffs and then sniggers. "The very slut."

"Yeah, I hate her. She called me a drongo," Maria lets everyone know.

"She ruined the word _lovey_ for me," Nicky says. "I mean, I never liked it to begin with, but she made it worse!"

"She inked Piper's side with _Trust No Bitch_ in white lettering, but then Piper said it got infected after Stella robbed her. That's when we knew she was about to have a downfall from her throne," Daya reports.

"What, like her credit card she got from her rich, white parents?" Poussey wonders aloud.

"Not her _money_ money...the cash she made from...selling used panties to perverts," Lorna explains sheepishly.

Pennsatucky chokes on her Mountain Dew laced with beer. "Excuse me?!"

"Yes, that's right. She recruited us...and others, like Stephanie, Gina, Stella, and Polly, to wear lingerie and ship them to gross buyers through a website she named _Fresh Young Scents_ ," Alex says, and Lorna wants to gag. She's glad they'd deleted the website right after Piper was declared missing. Alana appears as if she's about to puke and Michelle stares at Alex in disbelief with her mouth gaping.

There's a moment of silence before Nicky, Poussey, Taystee, Maria, Blanca, Ouija, Pidge, Allison, and Pennsatucky erupt into a few rounds of laughter. "It's true!" Flaca protests. "Why y'all think this is funny? It's one of mine and Lorna's biggest regrets! Fuck, man, we were thirteen years old!"

"Yeah, we refused to do it," Daya chimes in and gestures to herself and Alex. "Lorna, Flaca, Piper, Gina, Stella, and Polly on the other hand..." She trails off and shudders.

"Oh my god, really? Was it to like, cute guys?" Maritza asks, her eyes sparkling with interest. "I love that idea! Flaca, we should do it, just us, and be panty twinsies! We'll call our little club _Panty Galore_!"

"Nah, I don't wanna," Flaca responds stiffly and winces as she buries herself deeper into her sleeping bag. Lorna feels just as ashamed of herself and can't even meet Nicky's eyes.

"Why? We could make serious cash off simply wearing thongs, which I love, by the way! What's the big deal, horny teenage boys and girls are like, all over the internet these days."

"It does seem like a neat business, but _panty twinsies_ is a dumb phrase," Maria says. "We could all wear slipper socks."

"Oooh, I want mine in pink!" Maritza exclaims.

"Sure! I bet you'd be such a boss undercover baller!" Maria compliments her.

"Don't you girls get it?" Lorna almost shrieks. "These were grown-ass men, not kids our age, who were giving Piper the dough. They were pedophiles, well over eighteen! Piper tried to make us think it was okay because they wouldn't know how old we were just by our smelly underwear, and I always imagined them not being too much older, so did Flaca."

"Eeeww!" Nicky makes a sour face. "Well, you know that's not either of your faults, right?" She gathers Lorna into her arms and Maritza does the same with Flaca.

"Piper was a master manipulator, and those assholes were like, stupid to buy shit from strangers online. They'd hopefully kill themselves if they discovered you were barely teenage girls," Maritza throws in.

Allison folds her arms across her chest. "Wow, that's sick...she pimped y'all out like prostitutes, basically."

"That's the true definition of a monster," Alana adds.

"Since we're all talkin' shit about her, I always had the urge to beat her up," Pidge mumbles.

"I got completely trashed and slapped her once," Alex confesses, and the girls gasp out loud. Lorna never thought Alex would do that. "I was so pissed at her since she was grossing me out!"

"Good job. She even had the nerve to put together all the Nazi girls at school and tattle on the Dominicans for every little thing we did," Blanca chimes in. "She was a dictating demon out for blood, and I'm sorry you were friends with her."

Alex frowns. "She was acting like she was in a prison gang. She kicked Flaca out since Flaca was asking for more money, and the rest of us thought that was completely unfair of Piper to do, but we didn't want to lose her respect, so none of us dared to speak up. We just let Flaca beg and then go to Gloria for advice after Piper accused her of stealing her moolah."

"What a conniving jerk!" Michelle comments.

"Gloria lectured Piper real good and I was let back in after all that, but Piper was like a complete fuckin' stranger to us by that point. That was the worst part," Flaca says, and Maritza presses her lips together while soothingly running her hand down the creases of Flaca's sleeping bag where her girlfriend is hiding. "Mari...how you not disgusted by me being so dirty?"

"You ain't! I promise, you're still my favorite girl in the whole wide world!" Maritza assures Flaca, who peeks her head out. Maritza bends down and they start to make out a bit.

"I'm sorry I laughed, my princess," Nicky apologizes and kisses Lorna's hand, then her cheek. "It just seemed weird."

"I get it...I would've had the same reaction. You're forgiven, hon." Lorna holds Nicky's face and pulls her in for a mouthwatering liplock. "You must think I'm such a whore, though!" she cries.

"I could never!"

Lorna smiles up at her girlfriend. "That's a relief!"

"Don't nobody say anything to your friends who aren't here, this was top secret," Daya announces. "All our parents and trusted adults such as Gloria, Red, Ms. Berlin, Anita, Ms. Black, and Ms. Jones know is that we was sellin' clothes."

"You knew Boo when she was Carrie Black and used to work at the school," Pennsatucky realizes aloud.

"Okay, no worries, we won't spread it around or nothin'," Ouija says, and the others nod in agreement.

"Yeah, it's just a night of bonding and hard truths. This conversation isn't gonna leave the room," Allison chimes in. "I promise."

* * *

"Hey...I got a question for you," Daya starts out while she and Nicky are working on the mural in school.

"Shoot."

"Did you ever refer to Red as _Ma_?"

Nicky pauses in her painting of the bee in the middle of a clear blue sky. "Yeah...why?"

"I was just wondering...and like, when did you officially start calling her that?" Daya twiddles her paintbrush between her index and middle fingers, splattering blue paint on her shirt and cheek. "Ah, shit, forgot this was wet."

"Last week, I believe." Nicky chuckles and points at Daya. "Someone's distracted."

"Oh, well, um...see, I'm real tempted to give Leon the _Dad_ title, since he acts so much like one, but would that be weird?"

"Yeah, actually...he and your mom haven't been dating that long."

"Alright," Daya says glumly. "Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime."

Nicky and Daya step down from their ladders and stand back to admire their artwork. "It's beautiful!"

"We did great," Daya agrees proudly. They hug and then hi-five each other. "Teamwork! Our friends are gonna love this!"

"Yes, girl! Whoo!" Nicky pumps her fist in the air a few times, and then they meet up with the rest of their group. People around them are staring and clapping, and they quickly see that it's because Flaca and Maritza are linking arms with Alana, one on each side of her. She's completely transformed, with her hair silky and flowing behind her as she walks with careful steps, her makeup perfect, mascara making her lashes long, glittery navy eyeshadow, winged black eyeliner, blush coating the apples of her cheeks, and blood red lipstick, her outfit being a dark blue skirt, nude tights, black boots, and a matching black leather jacket over an extremely light pink V-neck cami, and a silver chain necklace accenting her entire look. Daya grins to herself since she remembers being the center of attention after a makeover. She'd never felt so good about her appearance, and it seems as if Alana is satisfied with her new look, too. Maritza and Flaca reach over her and high-five each other and then Alana.

"Whoa!" Stephanie exclaims. "Look at you, girl!" She takes Alana from Flaca and Maritza and twirls her around.

"Flaritza says it's like I went from drab to fab!" Alana gushes.

"I never thought you were drab..."

Alana shrugs nonchalantly. "Yeah, I know, but I got sick of hiding myself."

"What inspired the change?" Stephanie asks.

"I'm in the band now!" Alana responds cheerfully.

"That's amazing!" The two girls embrace and they continue strolling alongside Daya and the rest of her friends.

Daya and Adarsh are in the middle of the two straight couples of their crew, Blanca and Diablo and Maria and Yadriel, and Daya suddenly has the urge to ask if they want to go on a group hangout sometime, like her lesbian and bi friends had done.

"So, what'd you do last night?" Daya asks Adarsh. "I was having some girl time at Maritza's, she had a bunch of us over at her guesthouse!"

"That sounds fun! I had a boys' evening with Diablo," Adarsh replies as his hand brushes against Daya's, and they link pinky fingers while exchanging a smile. "Yadriel had to stay home with Pepa since he couldn't find a sitter."

"We played video games and then b-ball," Diablo chimes in while slinging his arm around Blanca. "It was awesome! We kicked each other's asses, so there was no real winner or loser."

"Oh, good!" Blanca comments. "I'm happy to hear that, babe."

Adarsh and Diablo grin at each other and bump fists. Yadriel is talking to Maria about how it went with their daughter, and it seems like things were fine.

"I am a garden rose!" Suzanne announces when she walks into school and slides up next to them, and Flaca, Maritza, Daya, and Alex exchange glances of displeasure. She points at the girls and glares at them meaningfully. "Y'all are just a bunch of weeds in a cornfield, blowing side to side on a windy day. That's what Vee said."

Ouija scoffs. "Okay? Fuckin' weirdo," she mumbles under her breath.

"Don't let her hear you, she can snap anytime," Pidge tells Ouija just as softly.

"My love, you have returned from the confines of that ugly hospital bed!" Maureen tells Suzanne dramatically and nearly barrels her over with a hug. "I hope the straps around your limbs weren't too tight!"

"Whatcha talkin' about? Vee made sure I didn't have to go to that horrible place, but I had to take a break from school for a while until Vee gave me the courage to come right back into these crowded halls!"

"Why didn't you ever call me, then?" Maureen places her hands firmly on her hips and gives Suzanne a stern look.

Suzanne winces. "Sorry...I wasn't in the right state of mind."

"Let's keep going," Allison advises them in a hushed tone. "She'll stop her creepy talk and leering if we don't pay her any attention."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, MinervaSnape394, Guest, Double99, CoffeeWritingAddiction, and A Star in My Universe!**


	49. The Past Will Always Haunt Us

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! ¡Felíz Cinco de Mayo!**

 **Elizaveta and Vadium are Red's parents.**

 **Warning: mentions of death, domestic and child abuse, anti-Semitism, and hate speech.**

 **te quiero-I love you (family member)**

"What do you think she's gonna give us?" Charles asks.

He and Diane head to the backroom since she's just gotten a text from Gloria that Celeste Chapman has brought something for them and the other Gen-Xers, and she needs all six of them in the same place. Diane slips her hand into Charles' and their fingers interlock. As they travel through the cafeteria, students and teachers alike start wolf-whistling and clapping for them. Diane just beams proudly and walks taller and with more confidence than normal. Charles appears to be so enthralled to have her alongside him.

"Nothing bad...she's always been nice," Diane answers positively. "She didn't deserve Bill as a son."

Once they get to where Fahri, Gloria, Aleida, and Leon are sitting on the counters, waiting with the older woman, Celeste introduces herself to the men and shakes hands with them.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Leon says politely.

"You too."

"Yes, and I'm terribly sorry about your granddaughter," Fahri adds.

"Thank you for your condolences, young man. I loved her so much...I'd tell her to go out and eat the world, not to become some guy's little housewife. Do you know that I gave her knitting lessons?"

"That's great. I enjoy knitting," Charles comments.

"She spent six months on a blanket for her stuffed monkey, but then my selfish daughter-in-law hosted a yard sale and gave it away. She charged a quarter." Celeste sighs. "When my husband passed, I invested in the stock market and moved to Wellfleet. I also kayak."

"Oh, cool," Diane tells her.

Celeste brings out a tin from behind her back and opens it. "I made these sugar cookies for you, as an apology gift for my son and his wife's behavior. What they said to you at the game was so disrespectful. Carol's sister Kathy is much better."

"Okay, but this don't mean we gonna be friends with 'em," Aleida mutters and takes two. She hands her other one to Leon and they start eating theirs. "Wow, this is hella good, though!"

Celeste shrugs. "I understand. I'm pleased you like my cooking! These are famous, I share them with everybody."

Gloria, Fahri, Diane, and Charles each pluck one cookie out of the container and munch upon them. "Mmm, thank you!" Diane murmurs after swallowing her bite. "You really didn't have to do this for us."

"No problem, dear! I just felt it was the right thing."

"It was pretty cool of you," Gloria chimes in. "You gotta give us your recipe!"

"I will! One time, when she was ten, I let Piper assist me with these. She accidentally overdid the baking soda and just...burst into tears, poor child. 'Oh my gosh! I wrecked Christmas, I'm so sorry, Grandmother!' I assured her they'd turn out okay, and she actually made it better. I told her that life is made in mistakes. After she went home, I made them over again."

The adults give Celeste sympathetic smiles, even Aleida, who had declared her hatred for Piper many times through the years past. "I'm real glad you had her, then," Aleida murmurs.

"Yeah, and the other way around, too. Not many people have such sweet grandmothers such as yourself," Gloria states. "You gotta meet my aunt, I think you two would get along well."

"Oh, okay!" Celeste replies brightly. She gives them hugs and bids them goodbye.

* * *

After Lorna has finished squealing about how she'd sensed chemistry between Alex and Michelle while the three of them had fun working with Daya in Spanish class, she pulls out a piece of paper with her dainty handwriting on it. "I wrote Angela a letter. I'm real good with words, I suppose. It's nothin' bad, I swear, so don't give me that raised eyebrow, Nicky! Y'all can read it."

Nicky composes herself and sighs. "Okay, let's have it. Hand it over."

Lorna places it into Nicky's waiting hands and she scans it.

 _Dear Angela,_

 _I'm so sorry for what I did in trying to steal Christopher. I was wrong in what I did, and I hope you can forgive me. I promise that I'll never do it again. Neither will I bother Christopher anymore. Also, I'm totally over Christopher. You would make a great girlfriend for him. If you don't want to forgive me, I understand. However, I have a gift for you, and I hope you like it. Look inside this envelope. I hope that you will accept my apology and we can start over. Those past three weeks, I was very inappropriate and selfish, but I've changed. Anyone can change. My girl, Nicky, used to be addicted to heroin, but she's clean now. I will not bother you or Christopher ever again, I promise. I know you might not trust me because I'm not your friend, but I'm Nicky's girlfriend, and the others are my besties. They're all nice, and there must have been a reason they chose me as their friend. Anyway, I'm not trying to brag. All I'm saying is that I have changed, and even though I was mean before, I'm not like that anymore, and I'll never be like that again. Angela, you are nice, funny, pretty, and you're a great girlfriend for Christopher. I hope that you will accept my apology, but if you can't, I won't blame you._

 _Love,_

 _Lorna_

 _P.S. I'm sorry for causing drama and fighting with you. I was jealous, immature, and selfish. Don't worry, I've changed._

"I don't think you should give this to her! It may bring up more problems..." Nicky lets Alex, Michelle, Daya, and Flaca read it. "What do you think?"

"Yeah, she might rip it up," Alex says and Flaca, Michelle, and Daya nod in agreement.

"What else did you give her, though?" Flaca wants to know, and Lorna snatches back the letter and sticks it into the envelope.

"Lipstick! I'm just tryin' to do a nice peace offering."

"She'll think you're being a kiss-up. Some people just ain't worth it!" Daya proclaims.

"Yeah, it ain't like she was your best friend, significant other, or a family member or nothin'," Michelle points out. "You're like, dead to each other."

Disappointment clouds Lorna's features. "I just wanted to be the bigger person here."

"I know, baby, and you're hella sweet, but it's not necessary to apologize to someone who most likely won't listen. Don't waste your time on her," Nicky recommends.

"Okay..."

Adarsh passes them with Yadriel and Diablo behind him. "Hey, Daya, we'd be totally down to chill with you, Maria, and Blanca! Does Friendly's on Sunday sound good?"

"Yeah, it's perfect," Daya responds with a grin from ear to ear.

"Cool."

Red approaches them and the boys leave. "Lorna...do you have someplace to stay tonight?"

"Yeah, at Alex's place, and tomorrow, a bunch of us are goin' to Flaca's. You don't gotta keep checkin' on me, Red. I'm couch surfing for a week, is all, and once things are settled, me and Franny and Lida would switch back and forth between our houses."

"What about your brother?"

"Franny's tryin' to reform him, but if he doesn't behave in a few days' time, she'll have him live with Frieda since that lady can keep him in line and she only has one job, which is being an English teacher! On the contrary, Franny is busy as hell with her bartending and working at Starbucks and she only has a few hours per day for down time, which she would use to attend to our parents, but now, she's free to hang out with me or Lida. So far, Mikey has called Charles the N word because he wishes his father wasn't in prison and keeps blaming Charles for his arrest. He'd also peeked in on Lida in the shower, so Franny scolded him, he talked back, and then she slapped him for not listening and taking Lida's discomfort seriously," Lorna informs the girls and Red.

"Good!" Maritza comments. "He better not report that since he deserved to get hit!"

"Yeah..."

"Frieda could probably whip that punk into shape. How dare he, feast his vile eyes upon Lida, who is like a daughter to me? If Vasily was home...well, I shouldn't tell you want I want my son to do to your brother, Lorna, but it's not a happy scenario that I'm picturing in my head right now."

"I get it, I'm sorry he's such a bratty pig fucker...he didn't touch Lida, but she was creeped out and she yelled a lot of Russian swears at him. He says she's a witch...even though he's only twelve, he knows what he's doing isn't okay since me and Franny and Ma have told him over and over again not to ever copy his father's bad habits, and he doesn't give two shits about our rules. He has gotten out of control, so he'll most likely need Frieda."

Red smirks. "Very well."

* * *

Two figures are making their way towards Diane in the mostly empty hallway, and once she sees who they are, her blood runs cold and she quickens her pace. She never thought she'd have to deal with them again. She clutches onto Charles' upper arm and tries to rush them inside her classroom, but a firm hand clamps tightly around her wrist from behind and pulls her back.

"Hey, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" Charles demands, getting in between Diane and the older couple.

"We're her parents," Edward Vause snaps. "Leave us be." He spits at Charles' shoes. "Niggers like you don't belong here, especially around white folks."

Diane closes her eyes in humiliation and then mouths an apology to her boyfriend. "Oh my god! Stop it! Don't you _dare_ talk to him like that!"

"Your father can say whatever he pleases," her mother, Phyllis, growls. "I see you haven't strayed from the dark side."

"Neither have you, from the bitch side!" Diane retorts.

Their faces turn red with anger. "Come outside with us _now_!" her father roars, and they both drag her away by her hair, forcing her to run with them to their car and locking her inside, despite Charles trying to fight his way through them to rescue her from their evil grasps.

"I'll be fine, go back to work!" she urges her boyfriend. "Your break is almost over, don't get fired because of me! Please just go, it'll be better if I do what they say."

"Alright," he says uncertainly. "Text me when you can, baby!"

"I will!" They blow each other kisses and then he leaves, but he keeps looking over his shoulder at her until he gets into his vehicle.

"Look what he's done to you!" Edward bellows.

"He didn't..."

"You like being punched by a spook?" Phyllis asks. "He caused your eye to be as black as him!"

"It was actually-" Diane begins, but she's interrupted by Edward backhanding her so hard that she's now quivering and sweating. His ring had scraped against her cheek and she's sure she's bleeding a least a tiny bit. She can't find her voice and she blinks rapidly while gasping in shock.

"We should have sold you when we had the chance, you nasty little bitch!"

"Are...are you gonna...kidnap me?" Diane asks shakily. "My man's a cop, so you'll be arrested right away. I'll tell him about everything you're doin' to me."

"Relax! Your father and I just wanted a word with you, since we heard about our granddaughter being in the news and we wanted to meet her. You've turned into a lovely woman, we did very well." Phyllis goes to comb her fingers through Diane's hair, but Diane pushes her away.

"Don't fucking touch me, _Syphilis_! I don't need to get infected with the disease of bigotry. You don't even deserve to know my daughter's name, let alone meet her in person!"

Edward glares at her and Phyllis grits her teeth in fury. "We'll have to work on that nigger lover shit," he grumbles. "We had the perfect man for you, so rich and handsome...and it's quite unfortunate that he died."

"He was a horrible old person, though, ain't that funny?" Diane quips.

"Now, every couple needs exquisiteness and wisdom...you supplied the beauty, and he was the brains."

"I hated him, Mommie Dearest. Relationships and marriage are built on love!" Diane insists timidly.

Her father practically yanks her hair out of her scalp. "Do you know I never wanted you to begin with? Your mother saved your ass from that orphanage's steps! Your eyes and your gigantic tits made you the biggest prize on the black market, and all the men wanted you, even from childhood..."

A queasy feeling spreads through her and she lets out a few whimpers as she chokes up. "I wanna go. Please let me outta here!" she begs.

 _"It's very nice to meet you, ma'am, sir," the elderly man tells Diane's parents while shaking their hands. "I will take your daughter off your hands as soon as possible. I'm part of the Aryan Brotherhood, have been for a long while, since we captured the Mockys and wiped 'em out of Germany, and I can keep whores in line." He stares at Diane with a hungry look in his beady eyes. "She'll be a good girl, or she'll be going into the gas chamber."_ _She's like a solid ice block at this point, she's so afraid._

 _"That might mess up her appearance," Phyllis mutters._

 _"Yeah, you shouldn't do anything where clothes or makeup can't hide it," Edward adds._

 _"She'll be on a torture rack, naked with her limbs all stretched out, then."_

 _"So...so you're a Nazi?" Diane pipes up nervously. "I'm sixteen, I'm too young to get married...I have to graduate high school first." She flinches when he snarls low under his breath. "My...my parents would agree...prob...probably..." She's terrified to even glance in his direction and she jolts in her seat when he takes his belt out of the loops on his pants and winds most of it around his hand, leaving the belt buckle dangling. He licks his lips and cracks metal on the wood floor all of a sudden. Diane shrieks and claps her hand over her mouth. Her parents, who are supposed to love and protect her, don't even budge, but this doesn't surprise her in the least. They've never shown an ounce of compassion or endearment towards her, and they won't change their ways. She wishes her big brother were here to whack these incompetent adults in the backs of their empty skulls._ _He was extremely lucky to escape their parents' cult by going to college for football, and they'd just destroyed her only hope that they'd allow her to go to Julliard where she could become a famous dancer and never see them again. She cannot get out. With this Nazi veteran, her dream won't have a slight chance of coming true._

 _"You talk out of turn again, I'll whip you with this. I'm just Master to you, my small, submissive pet. You have no right to know my name...or anything else, really. You may not speak first or have the last word. Your stage and slut name will be Molly. Do you understand?"_

 _"Yes, Master," she answers quietly, and her soft response brings a twisted grin to his face._ _He's soon pushing his dirty mouth onto hers and she cries silently at how powerless she is right now._

Luckily, the bell ringing is what makes Diane's parents release her. She just about throws herself out of the car and runs at full speed back into the school, hyperventilating all the while. Diane takes a moment to lean against the wall in the staff bathroom and get her breathing under control again. She cleans the blood off the small cut on her cheek and touches up her blush so it doesn't show. She wants to sob, but she knows she has to hold it in until at least the end of the school day, so she does.

* * *

"What do you mean you haven't even started, Trish?" Allie wonders out loud at lunchtime. "It's due on Monday...we've had a week!"

"It's a stupid poem!" Tricia snaps. "I can't think of shit!"

"My mom won't make anyone read theirs out loud, I promise." Mercy squeezes Tricia's hand under the table.

"Mm-hm...and we're aware that you don't know much about your parents or grandparents, but you can write about memories you've shared with your sister and Red so far," Neri recommends. "Cal's grandma isn't with anyone, so he just used his late grandpa he never met. Ms. Valduto doesn't care, the point of the assignment is to follow the style of "Where I'm From", like how George Ella Lyon wrote it."

Tricia scoffs. "You don't even like seventh grade English, Neri."

"No, it sounds scarier than sixth. What's your point?"

"I dunno. Nothin'."

Grace hands Tricia a piece of lined paper filled with her writing. "Here's mine, if you want an example."

 _I am from Barbie dolls,_

 _from dresses and princess movies._

 _I am from Toys 'R' Us_

 _Tempting, fun._

 _(as comfortable as my doll, Natalie)_

 _I am from the playhouse that my dad and I built,_

 _toy cars that I rode around the house_

 _as if the house were a racetrack._

 _I am from Sweetheart and lovely singing voices_

 _from Jane and Dennis Sr._

 _I'm from the chatty kathies_

 _and the wild bunch_

 _from Get off the computer and No more T.V._

 _I'm from reading books_

 _with my favorite music playing_

 _and eating cookies that I can make myself._

 _I'm from Modesto and_ _Chesapeake_ _Bay,_

 _pasta and Gatorade.  
_

 _From bike-riding on the weekend to everything my sister needs my help with._

 _In my office was a photo album filled with pictures of my relatives,_

 _a sift of loving faces_

 _to drift beneath my dreams._

 _I am from those moments-_

 _and looking forward to my future_

 _leaf-fall from the family tree._

"Well, that's pretty vanilla, you're the only one out of us girls who's had a normal childhood. Great job, though!"

"Thanks..."

"Oh, anytime! Look, I appreciate you tryin' to help me, but I might just go to Red and Nicky for this one."

"Okay, then."

* * *

"Mommy, I made a new friend today!" Christina announces happily as she skips inside the apartment ahead of Aleida, who's carrying Emiliano. "Her name's Lindsay and she likes Barbies and scooters and the color pink, just like me! She always wears super duper high pigtails and I never had a friend who was a girl before! She said she doesn't got cooties, but she's cool with Benny, only 'cause he and I are real close."

"That's awesome, baby!" Aleida beams down at her daughter as she locks the door behind them and adjusts Emiliano further up on her hip. He's sucking his thumb and sleeping with his head on Aleida's shoulder. Mrs. Abdullah had reported that he was so energetic at nap time that he stayed awake and is now extremely exhausted.

"I know! Can I invite her over? _Pleeeeease_?"

"Sure, when would you want to? I'll bake cookies so you girls can decorate 'em and shit."

"Coooool!" Christina squeals. "How about Saturday since you'll be home then? I want her to meet you first. She wants you to make her nails pretty like you do for me."

A surge of pride rushes through Aleida. "Alright, that sounds great!"

Christina jumps up and down and hugs Aleida around her waist. "Yay! Thank you, Mama!"

"You're welcome!" Aleida strokes Christina's hair and kisses her cheek.

After she places Emiliano into his crib and puts Christina's brunette curls into two French braids, a knock sounds at the front door. Emiliano starts crying suddenly when Aleida is just about to answer whoever's outside. "Dios mío..." she mumbles. "So much happening at once..."

"I'll get it!" Christina volunteers, relieving the momentary stress. Aleida quickly runs into the nursery room and picks up her wailing son. "Okay...shhh...shhh, buddy," she whispers as she jiggles him in her arms and slowly walks around in circles. "I know, you're a tired boy." He screams louder and then an unpleasant smell wafts through the air. "Oh, did you shit? Lemme change you."

As soon as she gives him a fresh diaper, he's cheerful again, but still yawning. She tries putting him back to bed, but he wants to stay with her. He clings to her legs and she sighs while lifting him up and adjusting him so he's against her chest again. His little hands clutch onto her shirt and he looks so innocent and docile that Aleida beams. "You're so adorable, mijito," she tells him while nuzzling noses with the little boy. He reaches up and touches her face gently as he giggles. "Te quiero."

"Love you too, Mommy."

Christina enters the room. "Mama, Charles is here, and he wants to talk to you. I told him to wait and then I showed him my Barbies and my scooter so he wouldn't be bored."

"Thank you, baby girl." Aleida kisses her index and middle finger and touches Christina's button nose with them. "I'll be right there in a second! I'm coming now." She rushes behind Christina to where Charles is on the couch and reading one of Leon's Time magazines. He stands up when she arrives and they exchange a grin while waving hello to each other. He gestures for her to take a seat near him, so she does. Christina sits between them, swinging her legs back and forth and making her Barbie doll dance on her lap. Aleida bounces Emiliano on her knees while holding him tightly, but not enough to hurt him.

"Hey...so, I'm guessing this is news about my trial? Like, you got an official date yet?"

"About that...hold up...where's everyone else?"

"Leon and Glo are working, Daya's at a friend's house, and Benny and Julio are with their aunt. What's up?"

"This is important, but I never got the chance to tell you until now." Charles frowns and appears to be sad. He glances over at Christina. "Listen, kiddo...you mind if I talk to your mama alone?"

Aleida runs her knuckles down the side of Christina's little face. "Why don't you get Emiliano his favorite toy and play with him for a bit?"

Christina nods. "Okay, it's grownup time, I get it!" She runs off and comes back with Emiliano's mini yellow tow truck and a few ABC blocks. To Aleida's delight, this distracts Emiliano right away. He slides off her knees and begins entertaining himself with what Christina has brought him. The children quickly go into another room and Aleida braces herself for what Charles has to speak with her about.

"When we goin' to court?" she asks him.

"Uh, there was a complication, he broke out, so as soon as I catch that mongrel..."

It's like the air has whooshed out of Aleida's lungs and she gasps. "What?!"

"He and his wife are on their way to Illinois. Cops have been following them, but they're driving at full speed," Charles informs her gravely.

"I hope they crash and die," Aleida mutters. "Fuck that motherfucker!"

"I know...but we'll get 'em. It's just gonna take more time."

"Cesar told me that he'd give my rapist a good slocking...I guess he wasn't fast enough." Aleida sighs shakily. "They've always wanted to go to Arizona...I ain't givin' him a chance to get to Tuscon with Lourdes! I can't stop 'em, but...I won't just let 'em go. He ain't gettin' away with his crime!"

"I know. I won't let him."

"Oh, good." Aleida begins hyperventilating rapidly and she grabs his hand. "It's like I can't breathe or somethin'..." Her chest constricts in agony and her heart races erratically. She lets out a series of whimpers as tears crawl out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Try inhaling deeply through your nose and exhaling out your mouth." Aleida does what Charles recommends, but she's still trembling and feeling extremely weak. "Aleida, it's all gonna be okay, I promise."

"Ay dios mío," she mumbles between sobs and nearly slides off the couch with her eyes closed. She's so lightheaded that she doesn't want to look at anything or anyone right now. She senses him keeping her in place. "I'm having a panic attack, what do I do?"

"Stay in the present moment...tell me what you can hear, see, taste, smell, and touch...five things for each."

Aleida nods slowly and tries to focus. "Alright, first, sounds...my kids' giggling 'cause they playin' together, the clock ticking, outside noise like...an ambulance siren goin' off...my heartbeat thudding, and my...my breathing. Tastes...spicy, sweet, salty, sour, cold. Touch...rough, soft, warm, freezing, hot. Smells...the flowers Leon got me, the fresh enchilada casserole in the oven for dinner tonight, my perfume, Leon's cologne, and chocolate the little ones must be eating right now. Sights..." She opens her eyes slowly and rubs them to get rid of the blurriness. "The sofa we're sitting on...a multicolored blanket behind me, a wooden table in front of us, a red lamp above the kitchen table, and...and you." She manages a smile through her tears as she relaxes. "I'm at home, safe in my apartment. Thanks...that really helped." Aleida throws her arms around Charles and he hugs her back. They stay in that position for a few seconds before releasing each other.

"You're very welcome!"

"How will this trial go?" Aleida wonders aloud. "Don't tell people, but I'm nervous, and I don't wanna admit it to nobody else!"

"Some survivors cry during their statement and it's okay to show emotion-"

"Well, you might just get your wish!" she snaps.

"It's not that I'm hoping you'll be visibly upset...it's normal, is all. It's fine if you aren't, though. You'll tell the judge and jury and audience what happened and you'll be cross-examined by his lawyer. He's gonna try to trick you with questions such as what you were wearing or drinking or if you said or did anything that made him do it...you just answer honestly, but say that it doesn't matter because rape is a straight-up crime regardless. He and the perp will make you nervous-"

"I ain't gonna let 'em see it on my face when his bastard lawyer is askin' me shit. I don't wanna make 'em feel like they got somethin' over me like power."

"That's good. You gotta keep your cool, because the defense _wants_ to see you crumble."

"Yeah, I know."

"If you need a break, you can ask for one."

Aleida nods her head in understanding. "Okay."

"Also, he'll be there...and you can look anywhere but at him if you want."

"I'll face the clock or my people like I did back in high school when I had to give oral presentations."

"One last thing...and this is just a confidence boost. You're not a victim...you're a _survivor._ You're brave."

She stares at her lap glumly. "I'm dead inside sometimes, though."

"That's understandable...you were put through something horrible and you're traumatized from it." He rubs her back in soothing circles and she leans her head on his shoulder for a few seconds.

"My family and friends make me more alive, and school is a nice distraction...it's just when I'm alone for brief moments, like I'm hyperaware when I go anyplace by myself at college or work, and I got a icy feeling of dread...or if I see some ugly old white man, that does it for me, too."

"I'm so sorry...that must be tough."

"My boss ain't that bad since he wears a toupee, which I find hilarious since it looks so dorky!" She and Charles both snicker at this, and she's suddenly feeling a lot better.

* * *

"Oh my god...what the fuck? Where am I?" Alex slurs while breathing heavily. She bangs on the circular glass pane and realizes with horror that she'd been locked in her own dryer, or Charles', rather. "Shit, not again! Help!" she shrieks over and over again until her voice grows hoarse. It's no use, since nobody has come in. They're not even home. She's trapped in the confined space until Diane or Charles has to do laundry, and then she'll have to explain how she got there in the first place. She doesn't know how to and she has an inkling that P had done this to her, but it could've also been Vee. Alex is extremely close to crying and if she didn't have claustrophobia before, she's definitely suffering through it now. Being so tall makes it worse, since she's more cramped than a smaller person would be.

"Alex?" a distant voice sounds from outside.

She jumps back when she sees Piper through the glass, kneeling down with a worried look on her face. "Whoa! This isn't real...I'm seeing shit..."

"I'll get you out." With a grunt, Piper opens the door with ease and Alex halfway falls out with her hands on the floor and her glasses slipping down her nose. "I'm skilled in this, if you recall. Mr. Luscheck just didn't explain how to open Myra. This one's easy."

"I can't believe he hired me and Pennsatucky to do his fuckin' laundry," Alex replies, surprising herself because she's basically talking to a ghost. "Wow, I must really be high." She crawls the rest of the way out and sits against the dryer while pushing the door closed. "What am I even doing here..." Alex groans while massaging her temples. "I probably need fuckin' water." She turns away when Piper starts stroking her cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. "Don't...now's not the time. I have a girlfriend anyway."

"Come on, Al. You and I both know it's not gonna last...especially since her friends say she's sleeping with the enemy, who is obviously you! They'll soon convince her to leave you." Piper leans close to Alex's face, and Alex turns away from her. "I'm just warning you. Hey...you were the best out of all the girls. You always forgave me...you loved me more than my own family did...our friends turned against me, but you never did." Alex shrinks back when Piper kisses her gently, and she hates the pleasurable sensation that courses through her veins as her muscles relax and her lips are now tingly and warm when she touches them. "I can't wait til we're twenty-three and going to Paris and then the Seychelles for the first time ever...won't that be marvelous?"

"I'm dating someone, and you're dead! It's too late for all this..." Alex rolls away from Piper, but the blonde keeps threading her fingers through Alex's hair.

"How'd you even get into this situation?"

Alex shrugs. "I have no idea! I mean like, I don't know who pushed me in since me and Pennsatucky are good now."

"I bet P got the idea from her," Piper mutters.

"Do you know their identity?" Alex asks hopefully. "I double checked to make sure nobody followed me home...and the front door is locked! All the windows are shut...it's impossible for any intruders to get in."

"I did...easily."

Alex rolls her eyes. "Of course you did, you're an optical illusion because I'm on weed...and I've got a few hours to come down. You didn't answer my question...from before. Who's P?"

"Can't tell you," Piper says mysteriously.

"Don't be a jerk, Pipes...this is serious."

"Look...last time I opened my big mouth, it got me into some dangerous shit. I can't risk that anymore."

"My head is pounding and my heart is popping out of my chest with how fast it's beating...I'm probably gonna throw up soon because of the withdrawal symptoms, but I'm not finding myself all that addicted. I'm asking you one thing...please..."

"We can leave here together, or I'll never visit you again."

* * *

"Hey, Ma, I'm goin' to put my stuff away in my room and then I'mma head over to Alex's," Daya calls out once she walks into the house. She sees Aleida setting up a blue rocket ship tent with yellow stars that looks tiny enough for the little ones to play in. "Oh, they're gonna love that!"

"Yeah, they're learning about planets and outer space in Emilio and Julio's class, and Christina and Benny love that shit, too."

"I miss when science lessons used to be so innocent and fun," Daya murmurs wistfully. "Now it's like...dissecting animal brains!"

"At least you don't got Humps no more."

"I know, I shouldn't complain...but Ms. Bell is graphic, more like Ms. Berlin, though...so not in a _personally attacking us_ way. I'm grateful."

"You should be! I completely understand wanting to be a kid again, though."

"Yep..." Daya throws her blue backpack on her bed and returns to the foyer, about to leave her apartment again.

"Hold up, I wanna talk to you." Aleida guides her to the sofa and Daya frowns at the interruption.

"What? Ma, I gotta go."

"You can in a minute. We ain't had time to say much to each other all day, and I was wondering...where'd you get the knife you hurt Piss-cuntella with?"

"Oh, uh...just one of the girls in Maria's crew...Zirconia. She's an expert at fake holding a gun, like she puts her fist in her pocket and sticks out her thumb and index and middle fingers in the formation of a gun." She demonstrates it for her mother, who appears to be stunned. "Why does it matter?"

"It was only a question. You ain't never even bumped into someone on purpose...so it was shocking to find out from Leon that you stabbed somebody."

As she thinks about it, Daya can feel the cold handle of the knife as if she's still gripping it, and the pressure of the huge body sinking into the blade. "Yeah, I guess I'm like a warrior now. We were protecting Diane, and I told them to bring weapons! It was fantastic harming the beast."

"I hope he gets slayed soon, though."

"I do, too."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it was nothin'." Daya shrugs. "He's a monster, what the fuck do I care?"

"You're right."

* * *

"Can I go to Dylan's house with Michael this weekend?" Benny asks as he and Gloria watch Julio do an art project with purple dot paint on green construction paper. "He loves fire breathing dragons, he's got a gazillion shirts of them and has two big brothers who play baseball, Peter and Michael...but Michael wants to be a cool dude and he told Dylan to call him Mike. They don't play with trucks, but me and Dylan and the _other_ Michael...our friend in kindergarten, we do."

"Sure, I don't see why not!" Gloria beams at the fact that Benny is making more friends.

"Yaaaay!" Benny hops in place, alternating from his left leg to his right. "He said his mommy and daddy can watch me while you have fun with the grownups!"

"Oh, well, that was nice of them!"

"Dylan almost fell out a window and went to heaven," he mumbles. "His mommy and daddy were really scared."

Her heart breaks at how quickly the topic had changed from light to dark. "Who the fuck was watching him?"

"I think he said her name was Suzanne, but she's not s'posed to see him anymore. She'll get in big trouble since she took him away from the park and he even called nine-one-one because she said he couldn't go home."

"Shit...that must've been terrifying. I'm glad he's okay."

"What's heaven?" Julio asks.

"You 'member I told you, it's up in the sky where the angels are," Benny informs his younger brother.

There's only one girl named Suzanne in Martin Van Buren High who would do something like that, and Gloria hopes this has pushed her parents to finally get her some mental help. She's sure that Suzanne wasn't aware that what she'd been doing was wrong. "It's a place where good people go when they die. If Benny's friend Dylan died, he would be there, and not here on Earth anymore. His body wouldn't move at all, he wouldn't be able to breathe or play or run or jump or laugh or nothin'," Gloria explains further. "He'd be an angel with God."

"Oh," Julio says.

"Yeah, that's what happened to Daya's friend. She was sad...but I'm confused, since some other big girls said she's in Hell, which is where bad people go and it has a lot of fire and it's under the ground." Benny glances at Gloria, puzzled. "So...is she up in heaven or down in Hell?"

"Probably neither one since some liked her and some didn't. Maybe purgatory, which is in the middle."

"Okay. I can't wait to play with Dylan!" Benny switches the subject back to being a happy and carefree one, and Gloria is glad for that. Talking about morbid things like death, especially of children, makes her depressed. She only wants to see evildoers rot in hell, such as her ex, Aleida's rapist, and the despicable former teachers, and it seems like that won't be happening anytime soon.

* * *

After getting ice cream at King Kone, Nicky and Lorna sit on a curb and people watch, when they notice two families of four, a set of parents and their two small children in each clan. One is eating their treats at a table and they appear to be happy, but the other stands out more. The father is giving his daughter a piggyback ride while the mother and son are talking back and forth and holding hands, reminding Lorna of how Gloria is with her boys. It's very sweet, but the little girl being so cheerful with her daddy is what makes a lump grow in Lorna's throat. She notices that Nicky's eyes appear to be glassy.

"Hon...if they're making you think about what you're missing, then we don't gotta be here no more." Lorna squeezes Nicky's hand and leans into her, forgetting her dessert momentarily. She sets the plastic bowl full of her Oreo sundae beside her.

Nicky wraps her arm around Lorna's shoulder after wolfing down a bite of her cookie sundae. "Nah, babe, I'm alright. I got who I need right here." She licks her lips and kisses Lorna's chocolate-coated mouth. "Red and Tricia are at home, but I'll see 'em shortly. Even if I don't have the perfect bio mom and dad and sister or brother, you three are more than enough. They're my family, and so are you, and all our friends, really."

"Oh, okay...it's just that you seem upset."

"I remember watching this sappy shit...like, in movies and television shows about _normal_ dads doing cool stuff with their daughters, and I...I never thought it existed. Even in real life, I assumed that it was fake and I didn't want to see more than a second of it. You got no idea of what happens behind closed doors, I mean, that father could be abusing his wife or kids, or that mother could be bribing her children with ice cream so they'll forgive her for...for neglecting them for the whole week, basically. It's fucking depressing and a complete mask of domestic bliss for the rest of the world." Nicky bites her lip and stares at the sky while shaking her head. "I didn't mean to damper your mood, I'm aware you wanna think positive, but uh...you can't deny the truth of my lousy childhood traumatizing me so much that I assume the worst."

Lorna sniffles at Nicky's words and senses her eyes brimming with tears. "I understand that...I just kinda reveled in it...living in others' joyous moments, imagining that I was them. Believe it or not, but I was close to my dad before he...you know. In fact, all the Morello guys were shitty except for him, but then he showed his gross side. I will never have a grown man to look up to as a father figure. Daya's got Leon, Alex has both Charles and Fahri...they're lucky."

"Yeah, they are," Nicky agrees bitterly. "I'm happy for 'em, though."

"Same here." Lorna sighs shakily and Nicky rubs her back until she composes herself, and then they continue eating their ice cream. "Was your dad like mine? I'm sorry if that's too personal. You don't have to answer."

"Not in the pedophile sense, more like...barely in my life. He cheated on Marka, so she fucked my uncle Ray. He was out of the house, his brother was in. It was fuckin' weird and both of them had bad taste. I was like an outsider in my own home, at least when Paloma wasn't around. The drama and arguments sometimes got so loud that, uh, Paloma, she'd take me to fun places and that was cool."

"I'm glad you had her, then."

"Me, too."

* * *

Alex jumps when the doorbell chimes and she blinks a few times as soon as Piper disappears from her sight. She sees a message on her phone and then a window shuts from another room. _Next time, don't smoke Mary Jane, you dumb bitch! -P_

A few raps on the door later, Alex opens it to reveal Lorna, Flaca, and Daya, and she stumbles back while letting them in. "Oh, hey..."

"You look like you just seen a ghost!" Flaca points out.

"That's probably because I did, sort of," Alex mumbles.

"Why is there reefer coming off you?" Lorna fans herself and wrinkles her nose. "You smell like Nicky did when I first met her."

"Are you stoned?" Daya wonders aloud in an accusatory tone.

Alex shrugs and nods sheepishly. "Yeah, but it'll wear off soon." The girls raise their eyebrows at her and she folds her arms across her chest. "Okay, don't judge me, I had some dope for fun! I'm not hooked on it. I was able to walk home just fine...I didn't even black out...until I got into the apartment, I suppose." She walks to the kitchen sluggishly to get herself a glass of water, and the other girls follow her.

"That's still hella dangerous, Al!" Flaca says. "How'd you even get it?"

"I found a box of cigarettes in my backpack after school," Alex lies easily. "Some bitch is probably trying to frame me."

"Really?" Lorna asks incredulously and the rest appear to be just as disbelieving. "You're lucky to be alive," she adds.

"We don't wanna lose you, too," Daya chimes in.

"I know, and I'm sorry for worrying you!" They all go into Alex's room she sometimes shares with her mother. "The bigger problem is that I think P locked me in the dryer and I saw Piper!"

"No way!" everyone cries in unison.

"That's impossible," Lorna murmurs.

"I think you're making sense, actually," Flaca tells Alex. "When I was on serious meds in the hospital, she visited me, too."

"She came into Flaca's room while I was sick in her bed one morning," Daya puts in. "I was so delirious."

"Why is she seeing all of you, but not me?" Lorna wants to know.

"We're all out of it...and we're just seeing things that ain't there...or people, in this case. You ain't never been passed out or nothin'!" Flaca informs her.

"Plus, you wiped her from your brain completely, it seems like," Alex says. "I asked her who P is and she knew, but she refused to say a name."

"She was all mysterious with me as well," Daya mutters.

"Yeah, same," Flaca murmurs. "It's gotta be like, a subconcious thing. We're trying to figure this shit out, but we don't know the answers. It's like when you wake up from a flying dream nobody tells you nothin' about how you're able to do that, or a nightmare about dying, because we don't know what happens after we die."

"She kissed me...and it felt so _real_ ," Alex says quietly. "Then, she faded away like...kinda how they do in _Charmed_."

"Weird," her friends say in unison.

"Even though it never actually happened, I feel guilty that my body enjoyed it...my heart is with Michelle, though."

"You got nothing to feel bad about," Lorna reassures her. "You always wanted to have another chance at love with her."

"Yeah, you're right. It was all in my head, so it shouldn't be a big deal...but I was trapped in that fucking dryer...how could it have opened by itself but I was imagining Piper doing it?"

"Maybe it wasn't locked and it just opened by itself," Daya guesses. "I bet one of those fuckin' methheads thought it'd be funny to sneak in here and shove you in when you were at your physically weakest moment."

"I just remember opening the door with my key, stepping inside, and then I could barely keep myself upright and I was drenched in a cold sweat...shit!" Alex groans while clapping her hand on her forehead. "I'm such an idiot!" She had gotten a ride home from Fahri after their smoking session with Kubra and their co-workers, and Fahri had asked her if she was alright, and she kept her cool and pretended to be just fine. Unfortunately, he bought it and had driven away as soon as Alex got inside and closed the door. "I had the strangest afternoon ever," she mumbles as she lays face-down on the bed and breathes in and out with shuddering gasps of air and the girls rub her back in comforting circles. "P was here...in this house...oh my god..."

"I know, it must have been terrifying! Thank goodness they're gone now," Lorna says.

"Yeah...but maybe we shouldn't have said all that shit about Piper last night. P has been awfully silent until now, and they even helped with shooting Dixon. That wasn't for me, though, I bet. I don't wanna even think this could be true...but what if one of Maritza's guests she had over is out to get us? Nicky _did_ say it's always someone you least expect."

"I doubt it," Flaca murmurs as she strokes Alex's hair and begins putting it into a single braid.

"Mm-hm, if that was true, then even the adults we're close to are suspects," Daya continues. "I can't see anyone who hated her betraying us...especially since we never said nothin' nice about her since she died!"

"Except for at the funeral, but that's normal," Lorna states.

"Well...good thing I purposely told them the wrong name of the panty business so they wouldn't find it if they searched. Are we sure that _Spunky Young Gals_ is one hundred percent deleted?" Off Alex's question, the girls nod their heads yes. "Okay, then...that's awesome!"

* * *

"I know Grace was trying to get my brain into gear, but her experience is nothing like mine," Tricia says as she paces the room. "This is such a _traditional family with two sets of parents and grandparents_ shit poem! Some of us had terrible childhoods or one grandparent, and in this poem, it's the father's side! I got nobody!" Tricia scoffs. "Yo, what if your father was an orphan at a young age before you were born or what if he wasn't in the picture at all or an absolute motherfucker? I didn't have nothin' great until I met you two. I'm too old for Barbie dolls and Toys 'R' Us now, I've never done shit with my mom and stepdad...I'm from drugs and beatings and child molestation...not somethin' I wanna share! I hope somebody kills me before this is due on Monday."

"Stop that, Trish, we'll take a look at it," Nicky tells her.

Red slides on her purple glasses and glances over the sheet of instructions. "It's quite insensitive, honey, I agree. Should I speak with your teacher, see if you can do an alternate assignment?"

"Oh, you gotta do one of those motherfuckers...requiring you to talk about your childhood as if it's something to reminisce," Nicky mutters as she peers over Red's shoulder. "I just lied through the whole thing...or I didn't do it at all and failed the class, but your girl still graduated middle school!" She offers Tricia an encouraging smile, and the younger blonde grins back at her. "You don't gotta do what you're not comfortable with, kid. Don't stress yourself out."

"I already talked to Mrs. Valduto and said I had no awesome memories whatsoever. She told me I could write about wonderful things in my life since I'm living with you two. That's cool, but I gotta be honest. I wanna do like, all the painful shit first and then have it turn into the best experiences ever. I've gone through eleven and a half years of horror, but now and forever, it's a fairytale with my mom and my sister. Mrs. Valduto promised me that only she would read it and I don't have to recite it out loud. I just wanna compose my story like I'm in _The_ _Freedom Writers Diary_ by the Freedom Writers and Erin Gruwell. Yo, but I'mma be private about it. I gotta mention somethin' one of you lost...normal people lose teeth to the tooth fairy growing up, but Nicky lost them to drugs or fights, so maybe I can just talk about that beast depriving you of sleep, Red?"

"That's a smart idea," Red comments. "I just thought you didn't want to do it?"

"I don't...but I gotta be straight up, yo. I always am, even when I used to shoplift. I stole a pair of headphones that were twenty bucks and paid the dude back for them two years later." Tricia plops her open journal face-up on the kitchen table where Nicky and Red are sitting. "I owe people still, but it's too late...what's done is done. Sometimes you gotta do shit you don't wanna do, you know? I can't lie, and if I do, it comes out eventually when I confess."

"True," Nicky murmurs. "You want us here while you brainstorm?"

"I don't need to...it's already there." Tricia taps her temple. "Fresh like Ma's pastries and your breath before goin' out with Lorna, or hold up, if we're talking about bad shit...skunks!"

Both Red and Nicky chuckle at this. "Aw, my girl, you're becoming so wonderful in English class!" Red praises her.

"Thanks!"

About an hour later, Tricia hands it to Nicky and Red so they can read it.

 _I am from a broken home,_

 _from smashing glass and screaming._

 _I am from scars_

 _(Bruises, hurt,_

 _it was as if I were a punching bag.)_

 _I am from the unwanted touches,_

 _the hard belt slashing across my skin,_

 _making blood spill like a waterfall._

 _I'm from piroshkis and chuckles,_

 _from Elizaveta and Vadium._

 _I'm from the no-nonsense folks_

 _and the clever ones,_

 _from Turn down your music! and Stay out of trouble!_

 _I'm from sobbing about my past_

 _with my headphones on_

 _and a hip-hop beat I can dance to myself._

 _I'm from Weehawken and Queens,_

 _Russian dishes and soda._

 _From the many hours of sleep my mother lost because of an animal,_

 _drugs, shoplifting, and homelessness my big sister keeps me away from._

 _In my room was a collage,_

 _stuffed with pictures of my new family and I,_

 _a sift of loving faces_

 _to drift beneath my dreams._

 _I am from those moments-_

 _and my life just keeps getting better -_

 _leaf-fall from the family tree._

They end up beaming and hugging Tricia while all three of them are crying tears of joy. "Fantastic work, kid!" Nicky compliments her.

"I'm proud of you," Red chimes in.

"Thanks, yo!" Tricia says with a smile.

* * *

The phone rings and Diane picks it up right away. "Friendly's, how may I help you?" she asks cheerfully. All that can be heard on the other line is deep, labored breathing and static. "Hello?"

Leon sends her a quizzical look, as does Fahri. Alex isn't at the restaurant since she's having friends over and she doesn't feel like going out right now. _Who is that?_ Leon mouths.

"I got no clue," she responds.

The creepy inhales and exhales continue, and then they stop. "When my...health improves...I will...rape you...then strangle you to death...if you do not go out with me...willingly," a dreadful voice threatens her. She can tell who it belongs to. "I want you...and Hot Pants...both," Dixon growls, and she drops the phone in horror. Quickly, she picks it back up with shaking hands and hangs up on him.

"That big lard...he's terrorizing me again, but over the phone!" Diane explains. "No matter what I do, he won't leave me alone...or Gloria, he lusts after the two of us. He's relentless!"

"So are we when we're protecting someone we care about. If he should ever get out of that hospital, we'll make sure he goes straight to the morgue," Fahri promises, and Leon nods in agreement.

"I'm glad. I just don't wanna answer the phone no more in fear that it could be him...or his disgusting buddies."

"I'll get it each time."

Diane beams at Leon's words. "Thanks! I'm relieved I have you two."

"No problem! Friends protect each other to the end," Fahri points out.

"Mm-hm..."

* * *

"¡Tienes que ayudarnos!" Michelle cries as she, Ouija, Pide, Zirconia, and an unfamiliar woman burst into the bodega in a panic. It's the first time Gloria had ever seen the girls so vulnerable and afraid.

 **You gotta help us!**

"Sí, el novio de mi madre está detrás de ella, ¡y necesitamos un lugar para escondernos!" Zirconia explains further.

 **Yeah, my mom's boyfriend's after her, and we need a place to hide!**

"De acuerdo, la trastienda es un buen lugar, vamos." Gloria quickly ushers them into the backroom without a second's thought. Deja vu washes through her and she remembers when _she_ was the one who was hiding from her abuser. Lourdes gazes after them in concern and the boys are innocently building a rocket ship with magna tiles, not quite fully aware of the situation.

 **Okay, the backroom is a good place, come on.**

"¿Que pasó?" Lourdes wants to know.

 **What happened?**

"Estaba a punto de golpearla de nuevo, así que lo noqueamos con sartenes, ¡pero él podría levantarse en cualquier momento y encontrarnos!" Ouija replies.

 **He was about to hit her again, so we knocked him out with frying pans, but he could get up at any minute and find us!**

"¡Me va a matar!" Zirconia's mother says. "¡Mi novio!"

 **He's gonna kill me! My boyfriend!**

"Llama a la policía, por favor!" Pidge almost screams.

 **Call the police, please!**

Gloria quickly springs into action and dials Charles' number. "Voy a. Tu pesadilla va a terminar pronto, ¿de acuerdo?"

 **I will. Your nightmare's gonna be over soon, okay?**

"Gracias," the frenzied woman and girls chorus.

 **Thank you.**

"De nada."

 **You're welcome.**

Once Charles lets Gloria know that he's on his way to arrest the asshole, everyone is able to breathe a sigh of relief. Even though Gloria had never met the other lady, she instinctively hugs Ms. Cabrera, who's just as frazzled and bruised as Gloria had been only a month and a half ago. Lourdes and Gloria exchange a sad smile, both knowing exactly what Gloria has in common with the woman. Lourdes and Michelle are assuring the boys that everything is okay. Michelle even offers to babysit them anytime, which Gloria finds incredibly sweet, and she takes Alex's girlfriend up on her offer. Michelle only charges ten dollars an hour.

"Don't say nothin' to the rest of our crew, alright? They don't gotta know, it ain't their business," Zirconia mutters. "Besides, the past will always haunt us in flashbacks...we don't need nobody repeating this incident out loud."

"Yeah, it'll also make us look weak, and we wanna show we're anything but that," Pidge tacks on.

"It's okay to be frightened, girls-"

"Nah," Ouija cuts Gloria off. "You can't let your guard down, man. We gotta make sure you keep your lips sealed."

"I promise...I won't talk to nobody about this, not even my family or close friends," Gloria informs them sincerely. "Y'all have my word."

They give her small grins of appreciation and stay for a bit until it's certain that Zirconia's mother's boyfriend is locked up. Gloria agonizes over what had just occurred and tries to forget it and how it relates to her own traumatic past, but it's extremely difficult to erase domestic violence from her memory after living it and then, seeing it secondhand.

* * *

The girls are about to sit down and catch up on _George Lopez_ episodes when the doorbell rings. "That must be the Chinese food we ordered!" Daya announces.

"Imma answer it," Flaca volunteers.

"Thanks, I'll get the television set up," Alex tells them.

"That leaves me to put dishes on trays and get out silverware and napkins!" Lorna says, and Alex grins at her appreciatively.

Flaca pays the woman and closes the door behind her. They each take one box to open. Daya goes first and upon noticing what's in there instead of rice or noodles, they shriek in horror and Flaca wants to gag, she feels so sick. They can't even look. They're all equally repulsed at the slimy worms that are crawling around in a pile of dirt where their meals were supposed to be.

"What the fuck?" Alex shouts.

"Ohhh shit, this spells out Humps, I _knew_ it!" Flaca declares. "That disgusting son of a bitch!"

"Eeewww," Lorna groans. "It could be Angie, too...when I used the shower after her once, I practically threw up because she shit and there were icky worms..."

"I gotta puke, and it ain't got nothin' to do with me being pregnant," Daya mumbles as she rushes to the sink and vomits while coughing violently. Alex holds her hair away from her sweaty face and Lorna rubs her back soothingly. Flaca sees all of their phones, including hers, light up.

 _You should've been at Friendly's instead of discussing who I could be all night! Fucking kiss my ass, bitches! Xo, P_

"That motherfucking asshole!" Flaca yells as her friends put their heads in their hands and make sounds of displeasure all at once.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star in My Universe, Double99, CoffeeWritingAddiction, and MinervaSnape394!**


	50. Dancin' The Night Away

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Ms. Basara is still Allison's mother and the preschool teacher for Emiliano and Julio, but I changed her last name because I had it as Hassan's previously, forgetting that he and Allison aren't actually married in this fic! My bad lol**

 **You're also gonna see some euphemistic backronyms in this chapter, which is basically a series of words that have first letters to form one single word that one doesn't want to say in public, whether it's a crude word or part of a secret. For example, Winners Have Obeyed Rules Every Second could stand for _whores_. **

**Warning: Islamophobia**

Fun salsa music flows throughout the dance studio as Aleida comes inside after her night class. She takes yoga in that room as a way to relieve stress because Lourdes had said it would help with her recovery process. Aleida had forgotten her multicolored beanie in a cupboard and only remembered it now because it's getting cold. The song is playing as Gloria and Leon are dancing together around the otherwise empty room in an almost sexy manner. Aleida doesn't say a word since she's majorly pissed off. They don't notice her since they're moving incredibly fast and it's so loud that the floor is vibrating. Instead, she just storms out with her heart and stomach in knots, even though half of her had wanted to interrupt them and ask why they would do this without her knowledge.

She waves at her ride home, who is Lourdes, and then runs towards her beaming headlights and goes around to the passenger's seat, and she suddenly feels like a teenager being picked up by her mom after school. It's usually her friends carting her around, but Lourdes is much older and could be mistaken for her mother. Aleida tries to hide her bubbling emotions and compose herself enough to stop tears from coming on, but Lourdes seems to see right through her. It doesn't help that Aleida is struggling with her seatbelt and swearing when it keeps getting stuck or twisted. She gives up after a while and huffs as she folds her arms firmly across her chest.

"Aleida, déjame ayudarte." With ease, Lourdes fixes the seatbelt for Aleida and puts it across her, seeming to be careful that she doesn't invade too much of her personal space. "You should be good now."

 **Aleida, let me help you.**

"Gracias," Aleida mutters shortly.

 **Thanks.**

"¿Qué pasa, cariño?"

 **What's wrong, sweetheart?**

"¡Nada!"

 **Nothin'!**

"No, dime, por favor. ¿A quién debería matar?" Lourdes asks protectively. She places her hand over Aleida's and squeezes it comfortingly. "¿Alguien te está haciendo pasar un mal rato en la universidad?" The affection that Lourdes is showing Aleida warms her heart. She wonders how Gloria's aunt just _knows_ and doesn't ignore her loved ones' feelings. It makes Aleida want to open up more to the elder woman, so she decides she will at home.

 **No, tell me, please. Who should I kill? Is somebody giving you a hard time in college?**

"Nah...no es nadie!"Aleida turns on the music and begins grinding in her seat to it while singing along to the radio edit of _Wannabe_ by the Spice Girls. "Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want..."

 **Nah...it's nobody!**

"Está bien...hablaremos más tarde si todavía estás preparado. Realmente me gustaría ayudarte en todo lo que pueda."

 **Okay...we'll talk later if you're still up for it. I really would like to be of assistance to you in any way that I can.**

"Claro." Aleida gestures to where the sound is coming out. "¿Te unirás o no?"

 **Sure. You gonna join in or not?**

Lourdes chuckles. "Claro, cariño."

 **Of course, honey.**

"...If you want my future forget my past.

If you wanna get with me better make it fast.

Now don't go wasting my precious time.

Get your act together we'll be just fine.

I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want.

So tell me what you want, what you really really want.

I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really really want is to get get down.

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends.

Make it last forever, friendship never ends.

If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give.

Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is..."

Once they pick the toddlers up from Farah's house and the kindergartners up from Michael's, they go to the Diaz-Mendoza apartment and get the children settled in bed once again and down for the night. Aleida expects Lourdes to go home right away, but she doesn't. Instead, Lourdes guides Aleida to the couch and examines her nails that she'd done herself. "Dios mío, ciertamente tienes talento, cariño. ¿Te importaría darme una manicura algún día?"

 **My goodness, you certainly have a talent, dear. Do you mind giving me a manicure someday?**

Aleida beams proudly. "No, en absoluto. Llegará un día en el que te acusaré a todos en mi salón."

 **Not at all. There's gonna come a day where I'mma charge y'all in my salon.**

"Lo sé, y valdrá la pena ya que haces un trabajo tan hermoso. ¿Cómo está la escuela?"

 **I know, and it'll be worth it since you do such a beautiful job. How's school?**

"Gracias." Aleida beams at the praise. "La escuela es dura, pero estoy manejando. Um...¿cómo estuvo el trabajo?"

 **Thank you. School's hard, but I'm managing. Um...how was work?**

"Muy bien, pero quiero hablar sobre _ti_ ," Lourdes plays with Aleida's hair a little and her hands are so gentle as she makes her a braid. Aleida leans back against her and sighs in content. She'd never gotten this kind of treatment from her own mother growing up, and Lourdes is replacing her quite well. "¿Qué tienes en mente, hmm?"

 **Very good, but I wanna talk about _you_. What's on your mind, hmm?**

"¡Ese hijo de puta puta que pensé que me amaba...y esa puta mentirosa a quien llamas sobrina!" Aleida hisses. "¡Se están enganchando a mis espaldas, al igual que Lourdes les dijo que deberían hacerlo!"

 **That son of a fucking bitch who I thought loved me...and that lying whore you call your niece! They're hooking up behind my back, just like the mean Lourdes said they should do!**

Lourdes raises an eyebrow and pauses in doing Aleida's hair. "¿Gloria? ¿ _Mi_ Gloria?"

 ** _My_ Gloria?**

"Oh, sí...¡tu preciosa niña y Leon estaban dando vueltas como si estuvieran en una jodida competencia de baile de salón!" Aleida gripes. "No solo eso...he tenido mis sospechas por un tiempo, empezando cuando Mean Lourdes abrió su estúpida boca. Los miro con mucho cuidado...incluso retomé el consejo de Lorna, que era seguirlos cuando iban a lugares juntos sin mí, como a la tienda o cuando él le mostraba la mierda que construyó para sus hijos y la mía...y Gloria hablando con él realmente suave cuando creen que no me doy cuenta." The lump in her throat chokes her up and she bites back a sob. "Tengo esta pesadilla recurrente de que León me está engañando con ella. Cuando se lo conté, siempre me asegura que me ama, o me gusta mucho, y nunca me engañaría. Todavía tengo que asegurarme de que él me dice la verdad ya que todos mis novios me han dejado o han engañado, y me han dicho que también me amaban." Her voice breaks and she tucks herself into Lourdes' arms for comfort.

 **Oh, yeah...your _precious_ girl and Leon were whirling around like they were in a fuckin' ballroom dance competition! Not only that...I've had my suspicions for a while, starting when Mean Lourdes opened her stupid mouth. I watch 'em extra careful...even taken up Lorna's advice, which was to follow them when they'd go places together without me, like to the store or when he would show her the shit he built for her kids and mine...and Gloria talkin' to him real soft when they think I don't notice! I have this recurring nightmare that Leon's cheating on me with her. When I told him about it, he always assures me that he loves me, or likes me a lot, and wouldn't ever cheat on me. I still gotta make sure he's telling me the truth since all of my boyfriends have either left me or cheated, and they've said they loved me, too.**

"Sé que Gloria, ¡ella no traicionaría así a su mejor amiga! ¿Ella no siempre ha sido buena contigo? Él solo tendrá que ser constante y demostrarlo," Lourdes murmurs and strokes her hair.

 **I know Gloria, she wouldn't betray her best friend like that! Hasn't she always been good to you? He'll just have to be consistent and prove it to you.**

Aleida sniffles. "Sí, ella tiene. Me temo que me dejará por una mejor actuación debido a mi equipaje emocional. Lo malo es que Lourdes tenía razón, él y Gloria estarían bien juntos."

 **Yes, she has. I'm afraid he'll leave me for a better acting girl because of my emotional baggage. Mean Lourdes was right, he and Gloria _would_ be good together.**

Lourdes scoffs. "Oh, cállate, he visto cómo él está a tu alrededor. Ese joven está enamorado de ti, y de nadie más." She tips Aleida's face up with her knuckle under Aleida's chin so they can look at each other. "Olvida lo que ese puta te dijo, ¿está bien? Está tan equivocada como la basura que sirven en las cárceles en estos días!"

 **Oh, shush, I've seen the way he is around you. That young man is in love with you, and nobody else. Forget what that puta told you, okay? She's as wrong as the slop they serve in prisons these days!**

"¡Eeew!" Aleida wrinkles her nose at the imagery and then giggles. "¡Ahora que es hella bruto!"

 **Now that's hella gross!**

"Sí, bueno, ¡ella también debía arrojar esa tontería!" Lourdes insists.

 **Yeah, well, so was she to spew that nonsense!**

"Lo sé, pero ella puso ideas raras en mi cabeza y básicamente las estoy acechando y no quiero que estén solas juntas."

 **I know, but she put weird ideas in my head and I'm basically stalkin' 'em and I don't want 'em to be alone together!**

"Es comprensible. Creo que deberías hablar con Gloria sobre esto y yo manejaré a tu hombre."

 **That's understandable. I think you should talk to Gloria about this and I'll handle your man.**

¡Sí, gracias! Hablaré con ella."

 **Yay, thank you! I'll talk to her.**

"De nada," Lourdes tells her and then kisses the top of her head sweetly. She continues with Aleida's braid and Aleida is all smiles again. She understands now why Daya was so close to Gloria before and now, still. Aleida had failed in motherhood, just like her own mother had, and Lourdes is so similar to her niece, in the way that she's taking care of Aleida. Gloria is to Daya what Lourdes is to Aleida, and for that, Aleida is grateful for her. Gloria stepped up and really changed her life for the better. Because of her, Daya now has a decent mom. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Aleida, because her own mom can't change, but she feels extremely lucky to have Gloria's aunt as a stand-in mom.

 **You're welcome.**

* * *

"You told me you was shoppin'!" Aleida starts out angrily as Gloria and Leon come through the door together and separate. "You in the same fuckin' car as my boyfriend!"

"Hey, mama, relax!" Gloria shouts. "Where the fuck this comin' from?"

"I saw you...when I got my hat from the dance room earlier tonight. You was doin' the salsa with Leon!" Aleida glares at her.

Gloria sighs and puts her hand on her forehead. She had tried her best to keep that a secret from Aleida, since she knew the other woman would be jealous, even if she shouldn't be. "Ay dios mío...he ain't even my type and I ain't interested in him as more than a friend! Not only are we loyal to you, we're kinda like brother and sister! We don't feel comfortable with that ho trying to set us up together! Just because she made that stupid suggestion don't mean I'mma follow it, and neither will Leon!"

"Why were you both groovin' so provocatively like that, then, huh?" Aleida folds her arms across her chest and she and Gloria both take a spot on the couch.

"I was teaching him those particular moves so he could do 'em with you tomorrow night like a pro," Gloria responds. "It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Oh...now I feel silly." Aleida lets out a light, awkward laugh. "I'm sorry, then."

"It's okay."

* * *

"You really just wanted to amaze your girlfriend with your fancy steps you were learning from my niece?" Lourdes questions Leon.

He nods. "Yeah. I'm so sorry for any confusion...I honestly do love Aleida. I feel bad that she thought I was cheating on her!"

"Well, good," she says sternly. "If you fuck with either of the girls, you'll be lucky if you come out of your coma in the hospital!"

"Yes, ma'am, I hear you!" he responds seriously.

Aleida comes into the room and her eyes glisten with tears. "I been eavesdroppin'. You really sweet, babe!"

Leon gets to his feet and gathers Aleida in his arms while kissing her lips. "I'd never hurt you, Lei."

"That's a relief!"

* * *

As Baxter opens the school's main door for Gina, Lorna squeals. "Oooh, the dance hasn't even started yet, but there's already romance blooming over there! My heart flipped!"

Taystee presses her lips together to keep from chuckling and shakes her head. "Nah, girl. He probably just bein' polite so he don't seem like the typical bourgeois gets-away-with-anything white boy. Besides, ain't he with Jessica? P told me they goin' steady."

Lorna frowns. "Yeah...but it looked romantic."

"Lots of things do, but it ain't always the case. They ain't even cute together. I hope you still takin' your meds."

"I am, don't worry! Maybe I should ask her, just to be sure...or warn her that he's got a girlfriend."

"She does, too, she a lesbian!" Taystee calls after Lorna, but the smaller girl has already sprinted away. "She came out on Facebook just this year..."

"Who did?" Ouija asks. She's walking through the halls with Flaca, Maritza, Allison, Pidge, Alana, Maria, Blanca, and Pennsatucky.

"Gina...you know, Gina Murphy, uh, Norma's foster daughter or whatever."

"Oh yeah. Why you talkin' to yourself?"

"Lorna mistakened Gina and Baxter for a budding couple just because Baxter let Gina through the door before he walked inside, and I tried explaining it all to her, but Lorna got away before I could finish. Sister sure can run."

"Yeah, like how the fuck is she faster than me if we're both pint size?" Pidge wonders aloud.

"Uh, maybe because she skinnier and two inches taller than you," Taystee points out, and the girls all giggle together, even Pidge.

"Well, our girl's always been a hopeless romantic, so I can totally see her doing that!" Flaca exclaims. "It's hella adorable."

"Mm-hm. She's also super optimistic, despite everything that's happened to everybody so far," Maritza chimes in.

"I am, too!" Alana pipes up.

"That's an amazing quality for a person to have, it shows strength," Allison says, and they all nod their heads in agreement. "Anyway...Hassan's decided to take both me and Sahar to homecoming, he'll dance with me every other song, so we each get half the time with him. That's better than nothing, though, right?"

"Of course, but it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself to believe that," Maria states.

"I may have complained about it before," Allison admits. "I'm more focusing on the fact that he loves both of us equally now and we're a happy family with Farah, and that's what's important. Uh...where's Nicky? I thought she'd be with her band people."

"She and Alex are having a saltine cracker eating contest," Pennsatucky lets her know. "Nicky's record is five, she says six is impossible!"

The girls chuckle. "That's funny!" Blanca comments.

"I know. So, what about you, Ouija? Still goin' stag?"

Ouija scoffs at Flaca's question as they walk through the halls. "Hell no. I'mma get that fuckin' Backstreet Boy no matter what."

"Who are you talking about?" Alana wants to know.

"You know, Barney Butt. Dude who wears purple briefs every day," Pidge answers.

"That's _my_ nickname for him! Josh is _mine_!" Ouija stresses.

"Captain America don't even like you, bitch!" Cindy snaps as she passes them, and Ouija gives her the finger. Taystee doesn't even want to get involved. Cindy stops in her tracks suddenly. "Yo, but if you wanna get into his Facebook account and mess with him a bit, his password is six, like just the number itself, then P-K-A-B-S. I wanna see them things." Taystee and Allison guffaw at this, remembering how she, Cindy, Allison, and Janae had teamed up, cornered the school board member, and tricked him into sharing his password. He had since then stopped posting stupid things on Facebook, but Ouija doesn't need to know this.

"Uh, thanks...I guess." Ouija pauses in her step. "So you hacked into his account once?"

Cindy is already gone, but Taystee continues to explain. "Nah, it's not even active no more...see, we was so mad at him because he on the school board and we caught him talkin' to Caputo about sending Poussey to juvy for having barely half an ounce of weed in her possession, while Baxter, who had been full-on smokin' marijuana with whiteys one, two, and three, was gonna get away with it...like just get off with a warning! Also, he didn't punish Bayley for playfully putting Poussey in a chokehold, we wanted to make a video about it and post it on his page. It didn't really get nowhere, but he and Caputo learned their lessons. I punched the motherfuckin' principal, man...gave him a bloody nose, too! That's the other part of why I flunked senior year...I got suspended for protecting my best friend. So did Allison, Cindy, and Janae. It was worth it, though."

"Wow! Bad ass!" Maria compliments her and they all give Taystee hi-fives.

"Yeah, and that pretty boy, Josh...he thought she was adorable. That fucker is like thirty years old!" Taystee exclaims. "He got no right to be lookin' at pictures of a girl who's fifteen!"

"Gross," Maritza says. "Not only he look like a douchebag, but he one inside, too."

"His buddy Zach was real lucky that he left before we got our asses over there," Allison points out.

"Oh man, this is a story for our other crew," Flaca murmurs. "Can we share it, please?"

Taystee smiles. "Hell yeah, for sure! I'm real proud of us! Poussey was over the moon when I told her."

"I bet," Alana murmurs while beaming.

* * *

"So, uh, who'd you vote for to be homecoming king and queen tonight?"

Poussey scoffs at Nicky's question. "Girl, please, like you don't know! My best friend T, of course! As for the dude...Clarence. I feel bad that his ex is a methhead ho, he's cool and he deserves happiness." The two of them, along with Daya, Alex, Flaca, Maria, Blanca, and Lorna are in art class, chattering away as they're making ceramic pots that they will later paint.

"I'm rooting for Taystee and Clarence to win, too, even if I don't really know him. I saw Angie mackin' on some heavily bearded white guy and completely fucking up her lipstick." Nicky rolls her eyes. "She looked like a damn clown when she was done. Rumor has it, she's getting drugs from him. He doesn't attend this school, but he always visits her."

"Yeah, either that, or she's stealing nutmeg from the kitchen's backroom when the lunch ladies aren't there. I heard you can get seriously high off that shit. She and Leanne bragged about it to me once," Poussey mutters and the other girls shake their heads while rolling their eyes.

Alex pulls a face. "They're straight outta the Dark Crystal."

"Angie can't even pronounce _congregating_! First, she said _congress_ , then _conga_ , she's so stupid!" Maria exclaims softly and they all grin while trying not to snicker.

"Leanne would make a terrible lesbian, you know why?" Nicky asks in a whisper. Her friends appear to be interested. "I mean, first off, she calls her vagina a soggy box."

They stifle their giggles behind their fists. "Oh, dear," Lorna replies quietly.

"Secondly, and really the most important problem she's got...she has jagged nails since she has a habit of biting 'em." It takes a moment for them to get it, but then, they start giggling all together.

"Ouch!" Flaca squirms in her seat. "That'd be hella painful!"

"One time, they got so stoned that they started pantsing people...Taystee, Gloria, Stephanie, and Pennsatucky included," Daya chimes in. "Taystee kicked their asses...literally! They unfortunately succeeded in pulling the other two's pants down, even though Gloria told 'em to stop...they're such fucking babies! Gloria, Pennsatucky, and Stephanie felt violated and real pissed off. It ain't like Gloria can hit 'em, because she's a staff member. They ran away, cackling like hyenas, but Red and Miss Claudette caught 'em and took 'em to Fig's office!"

"Yeah, it was great seeing those stupid bitches get in trouble," Blanca murmurs and Poussey nods in agreement.

* * *

"Here, I'll get that for you," Fahri offers and takes a heavy stack of trays out of a cabinet that Gloria is standing on her tiptoes to reach. She relaxes instantly and stands with both of her feet flat on the floor again. Normally, Claudette would do it for everyone since she's the tallest and strongest out of all the lunch ladies, but Fahri wants to be a lot more of a help besides simply cleaning up. He realizes he's always assisting Gloria in that now, and other things, too. Every morning, he's excited at the thought of seeing her and he makes special trips to throw away something in her presence. He's also swept something into the dustpan that was by her feet, and it took him a few seconds to figure out that there wasn't even a little bit of a mess. He was just distracted and forgot what he was doing.

Gloria smiles at him. "Thank you! I really appreciate it."

"No problem!" He continues getting out trays as Gloria stands back. "So, chicken today? I see it's been seasoned with salt and pepper, which is my favorite way to have it!"

"Mine, too! Yeah, that and mashed potatoes and Red's special corn and leek quiche." She takes a pair of plastic gloves out from a box and hands them to him. "You gonna need this if you're gonna touch the food, you know." She winces. "Not that you have to, but...just if you wanted."

"Sounds good!" Fahri grins while sliding on the gloves. Claudette, Red, and Norma are shucking corn over a trash can while Aleida is mashing the potatoes in a separate pan. Gloria cooks the chicken and he passes her the pieces. Of course, he's noticed how beautiful she was before and all the time, but under the lights, she's glowing. Not only is she pretty on the outside, but she is on the inside, too. She's kind, intelligent, and is a great friend and an excellent mother to her children. He's really looking forward to dancing with her tomorrow and he feels like he has a stronger connection with her than he does Vee. That's when he knows he should ask Diane and Alex how to break up with Vee and call off the marriage without hurting her feelings.

* * *

"Hey, girls, just wanted to let you know there's a Halloween party at my pad!" Eddy, Daya's lab partner, announces. Two guys are behind him, including Three-D and a boy they've never met.

"Cool, you hostin' this thing, I bet," Daya tells him.

"Yeah, and so's Three-D here."

"Oh, that's neat y'all struck up a bromance so you could both throw it without nobody fighting over the leader position," Michelle points out.

"Just warning you, there's drugs, Morello, so I'd miss out on this if I were you," Three-D recommends.

"I can still go! It ain't like I gotta take 'em. Oh, but maybe my girl Nicky shouldn't come with us since she used to be an addict."

"Mm-hm," Alex agrees. "We'll just have to keep away from the weed brownies and heroin...we'll distract her." She turns to Lorna. "It'll be okay, promise!"

The unknown kid with them gestures to Lorna. "I think I've seen you somewhere...uh, in a pink and white striped dress?"

"I was a candy striper nurse at the hospital...ring any bells?"

He nods. "You took care of Rosa and Anita, right?"

Lorna smiles at their names. "I did, and Jimmy too! Um...are you one of the staff members' kids or another volunteer?"

"Neither, I'm a patient...or _was_. I had cancer, but I beat its ass. My name's Yusef Miremadi."

"Lorna Morello," she informs him, and they shake hands. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you. I just wanted to make you aware of the fact that Rosa is in remission, she'll probably be fine for another fifteen years, but nobody has a clue about anything after that."

"Oh, that's fantastic!" Lorna beams. She hugs him and he returns the gesture. "I appreciate you telling me so I can get back in touch with her."

"Sure, no problem. Anyway...you don't need drugs to have fun."

"I'm with you on that!" Lorna switches her attention to the bald African-American boy. "I heard you're doing homecoming with Janae...could ya maybe try to steer her on a better path? Vee, her mentor, is a bitch and it's like she's running a cult. I know we're not really friends with her, but I get kinda scared of her sometimes, and maybe if she was nicer, I would feel more...comfortable...in her presence."

"Yeah, definitely. I mean, that stunt she pulled with Dante was fucked up, but I think she was tired of the _good girl_ image...it's just...she don't gotta go full-on gangsta."

"I know, just regular," Daya says.

"Do you know if Pidge is single?" Eddy asks. "Not for me, Little Frank's asking. She's like, one of the only four shorties at this school and not taller than his five feet five ass. Plus, he says she's fine."

Michelle grins widely, as do the others. "He could ask her to dance...she ain't really lookin' for nobody, but they'd be cute together. He can be a dumbass, but maybe he'll wise up around her. She's real good at gettin' dudes to stop bein' douchebags."

"That's great!"

"We'll let her know he's asking, just to prepare her in case she says no," Alex tells Eddy.

"Cool, sounds good. See you 'round."

"Bye!"

* * *

"Yo, one time, when I was in Newport, I mugged this lady...I stole her shoes and her matching purse! I then found out they belonged to Linda Ferguson, the cunt on the school board who was responsible for hiring those motherfuckers!" Pidge announces proudly after Brook has talked everyone's ear off about how she's never been in a limo and that it's so cool. Daya notices Suzanne and Maureen watching them all and probably judging them, but she tries to ignore it. The new subject change is a pleasant distraction. Pidge shows off her black high heels while smirking. "Fuck yes, bitches!"

"Please watch your language!" Fahri says from the driver's seat.

"Oh, I love those!" Blanca exclaims as everyone laughs out loud while rolling their eyes at Fahri's request. "They're cute."

"Thanks, girl!"

"God, she's so annoying!" Alex high-fives Pidge. "Good job."

"Thank you!"

"I don't understand how Boo can still like her, after what she did," Pennsatucky grumbles. "Or Caputo, for that matter."

"They might just think it's teens hating on authority figures, and that Linda didn't really wanna wreck our lives," Nicky mutters.

"She even acts like she better than the staff members she ain't dating!" Maria states.

Michelle snuggles into Alex. "She's such a _see you next Tuesday_!"

"Just say _cunt_!" Ouija whispers between snickers, and the others join in. She spreads her freshly curled hair out and over her shoulders, showing off her dangly fake diamond earrings nicely.

"Nah, we can't disrespect my uncle Fahri's wishes," Allison says.

"Okay, then, she's a _hang over_!" Lorna adds as Nicky kisses the top of her head, and everyone cracks up.

"Yeah, or a _Princeton University Top Alpha!_ " Flaca and Maritza shout together, and this gets them all to cackle even louder.

"I think she really _was_ a top alpha," Stephanie tells them. "At least after she let her big sister in her sorority freeze to death! She became a complete effin' _boy in the cottage house_ after that."

They all gasp. "Where did you hear about that?" Alana wonders aloud.

"You don't think I investigate shady people who work at our school?"

"I think that's more Blanca and Red's fortes," Maria pipes up.

"Well, it's mine, too!" Stephanie insists. "Hey...I don't mean to change the subject, but who's hungry for some Burger King?"

"Meeeeee!" everyone choruses.

After getting cheeseburgers, they continue on to homecoming. "So...any of y'all had a standin' up to teachers moment?" Poussey wants to know.

"Or even the principal? Like, besides the big ol' cafeteria thing," Taystee chimes in.

"Even get a little violent, 'cause, you know, the white dude can't always win!" Cindy adds.

"Ours was glohhhrious!" Janae sings.

"Flaritza told us, we know!" Daya informs them cheerfully. "I myself have actually done that...like I was constantly called _Lumps_ by Humps, just so he could name us _Lumps and Humps_ while winking at me and pointing out my chubbiness at the same time," she says in a sour voice.

"I'm sorry he did that, he's so disgusting," Adarsh tells her, and the others verbally agree.

Daya exhales a deep breath. "I never got it as bad, but after knowing what he did to y'all...like, the day before he got thrown into prison, I got in his face and slammed the beaker full of blood up into his crotch...I didn't even give him a chance to tell me whether or not it was Gloria's. He was in so much pain since it broke against him, he had to get it stitched up that day! I got small cuts on my hand, but they were so worth it!"

The girls giggle while the guys guffaw. "You go, girl!" Lorna cheers.

"Why you never tell us, you badass?" Flaca asks while nudging Daya.

"Nah, more like Sexy Ass Diaz!' Maritza chirps. "Ain't nobody wants their ass to be bad."

"That don't sound tough...Cold Ass Diaz is better!" Flaca retorts lightly. "Maybe The Dominator?"

"She ain't a porn star," Maritza points out.

Daya rolls her eyes at their silliness. "I don't need a nickname, I was tellin' my story!"

"Oh, I have an idea! Cold Hard Diaz!" Alex raises her eyebrow at Daya. "Huh? You like?"

"Yes, I love that!" Daya squeals and squeezes Alex's hand. "Everyone in favor, say _aye_!"

"Aye!" the large group responds.

"Daya's actually warm and soft," Adarsh murmurs while gazing into her eyes and she bites her lip. He begins to go in for a kiss and their friends are laughing and cheering for them. Daya blushes while giggling when they pull away from each other. "Like I'd ever do that without your permission!"

"Aaaawww!"

Daya squeals with amusement. She kind of wants to know if they have a spark if they kiss, but at the same time, doesn't want to fall in love and get her heart broken in the same month. "Keep it in your pants, dude!" she shrieks and then giggles.

* * *

The students, chaperones, and Mr. Caputo are very impressed with Daya and Nicky's artwork of a bee, accompanied with the words _Bumblebees at Homecoming, Buzz On Over Here_ and they compliment the two girls, who seem very proud of themselves, as they should be. "Thank you!" Nicky tells the crowd, and she and Daya bow dramatically. Then, they all go inside. Loud, thumping music makes the floor vibrate and the disco ball starts spinning colorful dots around the room. There's also a large glow ball that turns the space different colors. The theme is _Party Like It's Ninety-Nine_ , and the first song that plays is _Mambo Number Five_ by Lou Bega. They all take pictures and Nicky isn't shy to groove with Red, who has decided to chaperone, along with Diane and Gloria.

It turns out that Pidge does seem interested in Little Frank as she's grinding on him flirtatiously in her black dress with long, see-through sleeves. She's wound her hair into a bun on top of her head. The girls had told Ouija to stop obsessing over Josh, since he's never going to return her affections and she's coming on a bit too strong. Lorna suggests she dance with Yusef, so Ouija does. Her off-shoulder, cleavage baring navy blue dress goes great with his dark blue tie, and Flaca wonders if Lorna had arranged that all along. Ouija's hair is down and tightly curled and her silver earrings are dangling from her ears. Zirconia, who's wearing a red strapless dress, and Alonso, Maria's cousin, who's in a fancy suit like all the guys are, start grooving to the hip hop music. Cindy, dressed similarly to Ouija, but her hair in a topknot, is back with her on-off boyfriend, Martin. Janae and Three-D appear to be more than friends, as their moves are making all the students form a circle around them while _Have You Ever_ by Brandy plays.

"Look at Janae and my man Three-D!" Little Frank hollers, and Pidge cheers them on, along with everyone else.

"Yeah, we just dancin' the night away!" Janae points out cheerfully,

A lot of the girls seem to be wearing their hair up, except for Alex, Nicky, Ouija, and Alana, from their crew, at least. Even the methheads and the weirdest couple in school had cleaned up nicely. Leanne had chosen a yellow dress while Angie has on a black pantsuit, Suzanne is in pink, and Maureen is wearing a black dress, and the four of them look nearly unrecognizable. The students and chaperones dance to _Unpretty_ by TLC without a care in the world. They're all glowing with happiness.

All the couples sway to the next song, _Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know_ , by Britney Spears. Maritza places her hands on Flaca's shoulders and Flaca holds the shorter girl close to her. They make out a few times while holding each other's faces.

 _My friends say you're so into me_  
 _And that you need me desperately_  
 _They say you say we're so complete_

 _But I need to hear it straight from you_  
 _If you want me to believe it's true_  
 _I've been waiting for so long it hurts_  
 _I wanna hear you say the words, please_

 _Don't, don't let me be the last to know_  
 _Don't hold back, just let it go_  
 _I need to hear you say_  
 _You need me all the way_  
 _Oh, if you love me so_  
 _Don't let me be the last to know..._

"You're so pretty...I love your hair up," Flaca murmurs to her girlfriend, and Maritza smiles adorably. "You were right...light blue is totally your color! It's perfect on you."

"Gracias, babe. Your hair's fantastic, too...and in the same style as mine, which is super cool! The tiara with your pink flowy dress really makes you look like a princess, which you are!" Maritza compliments her back, and Flaca beams. "This is a lovely song, by the way."

"Thanks, sweetheart. I know! It kinda relates to us."

"Yeah..."

 _Your body language says so much_  
 _Yeah, I feel it in the way you touch_  
 _But till you say the words, it's not enough_  
 _C'mon, and tell me you're in love, please..._

"I should've told you sooner," Lorna admits to Nicky as the blonde spins her around slowly.

"No biggie. You had to figure out your feelings, even if they were obvious to most people." Nicky leans down to touch Lorna's lips with her own. "I love your dress, it reminds me of a fairy...rose gold with the sequins...kinda similar to Flaca's, did you two get 'em together?"

"Thank you, hon!" Lorna shakes her head. "No, hers is more feathery. I'm glad you like it, though."

"Anything on you is beautiful," Nicky tells her while fingering a fake diamond earring, and Lorna grins up at her favorite girl.

"Your black off-the-shoulder dress is stunning," Lorna murmurs.

Nicky smiles cherubically and strokes Lorna's cheek with her thumb. "Thanks, baby."

 _Don't, don't let me be the last to know_  
 _Don't hold back, just let it go_  
 _I need to hear you say_  
 _You need me all the way_  
 _Oh, if you love me so_  
 _Don't let me be the last to know..._

"You're a dream in white," Michelle says against Alex's chest. "It's so sparkly and shimmery...and your earrings...your hair down and slightly curled...your emerald green eyes goin' well with your dress...gosh, you're too pretty for words. Then again, you always are."

Alex beams. "You're too sweet, babe, thank you."

"I mean it!"

"I know. Well, you in royal blue is enchanting. It really brings out your eyes."

Michelle presses her lips together and glances at her black shoes while blushing. "Janae's wearing the same color, but I have a different style dress. I've never worn a wrap dress before. How'd I do?"

"Wonderful." Alex lifts Michelle's chin up and green eyes lock on brown. Their mouths connect and Alex picks Michelle slightly off the ground, making the shorter girl giggle.

"Gracias, princesa."

"Oh, this is another great slow song!" Alex exclaims as _I Knew I Loved You_ by Savage Garden begins to play. "My mom enjoys dancing to it with Charles!"

"Yeah, it is," Michelle agrees. "That's cute!"

 _Maybe it's intuition_  
 _But some things you just don't question_  
 _Like in your eyes, I see my future in an instant_  
 _And there it goes,_  
 _I think I found my best friend_  
 _I know that it might sound_  
 _More than a little crazy_  
 _But I believe_

 _I knew I loved you before I met you_  
 _I think I dreamed you into life_  
 _I knew I loved you before I met you_  
 _I have been waiting all my life..._

Daya had just been dancing with Adarsh, and she seems like she's having just as much of a magical night as everyone else is with their significant others. He treats her so well that Flaca's heart bursts with joy and she swoons for one of her best friends. Daya's gold dress is absolutely fabulous with Adarsh's black tuxedo. She has a low ponytail that makes her straight hair appear longer, if that's even possible, and it displays her long gold hoop earrings.

 _There's just no rhyme or reason_  
 _Only the sense of completion_  
 _And in your eyes, I see_  
 _The missing pieces I'm searching for_  
 _I think I've found my way home_  
 _I know that it might sound_  
 _More than a little crazy_  
 _But I believe..._

Flaca's eyes trail over to four other straight couples-Pennsatucky, Nathan, and Maria, all in black, Yadriel, who has a white suit on, Blanca, who's wearing a long-sleeved, high-necked white sequined dress, and Diablo, sporting a white suit and black bowtie underneath his black tuxedo. Allison is in Hassan's arms as he rocks her gently. Her black sheer long sleeved top looks so fantastic over her strapless satin blue gown and her black and blue patterned hijab matches her outfit. His blue suit and black tuxedo and slacks go well with what Allison is wearing. Each pair looks so much in love.

 _I knew I loved you before I met you_  
 _I think I dreamed you into life_  
 _I knew I loved you before I met you_  
 _I have been waiting all my life..._

In another corner of the room, are Poussey, Brook, Gina, and a girl Flaca doesn't know. Poussey is in a black sequined gown, while Brook has on a bluish-gray dress that's puffy at the bottom. Gina is wearing a black pantsuit with a white polka-dot tie while her date is in a teal green skirt and top. Flaca sees Clarence take Taystee's hand and start dancing with her, making her sparkly black and red dress fan out around her. She looks extremely happy and then Flaca gloats at Angie as Maritza chortles.

 _A thousand angels dance around you_  
 _I am complete now that I've found you..._

* * *

The row of single people sitting in chairs is the saddest thing ever. Alana, having chosen to put on a red dress, and Stephanie, dressed in navy blue, had been together, twirling each other around, but now, Alana is apparently determined to dance with a guy and doesn't want to be with Stephanie, so naturally, her best friend is a little ticked off at the moment.

"Fine, I'll dance with someone else!" Stephanie snaps. She eventually finds a girl named Randolita, but Alana still appears to be incredibly lonely.

 _Spend all your time waiting_  
 _For that second chance_  
 _For a break that would make it okay_

 _There's always some reason_  
 _To feel not good enough_  
 _And it's hard, at the end of the day..._

Daya goes up to her just as a soothing melody begins to play, _Angel_ by Sarah McLachlan. "Hey, Alana...I get what you're going through. Not really being with a special someone sucks."

"Yeah, it does...Steph doesn't really understand. She thinks all you need is your girls," Alana says within earshot of Alex.

"Well, that's true, but it's also nice to have someone to hold you and kiss you all night long and shit."

"Try telling _her_ that!"

 _I need some distraction_  
 _Oh, beautiful release_  
 _Memories seep from my veins_

 _And maybe empty_  
 _Oh, and weightless, and maybe_  
 _I'll find some peace tonight..._

"Hey, Michelle, is it cool if I go over there and comfort Alana with Daya?" Alex wonders aloud. "I'm pretty sure she needs some company from girls who have also been rejected."

"Oh yeah, sure, go ahead!" Michelle nods encouragingly.

Alex makes her way over to the other two girls and she and Daya both hug Alana, one on either side of the shorter girl. It's a good thing that Michelle isn't jealous or doesn't get that way easily. She would never intentionally make her girlfriend feel bad.

 _In the arms of the angel_  
 _Fly away from here_  
 _From this dark, cold hotel room_  
 _And the endlessness that you fear_  
 _You are pulled from the wreckage_  
 _Of your silent reverie_  
 _You're in the arms of the angel_  
 _May you find some comfort here..._

"The o-only person w-who I did like turned out to b-be some f-fucked-up teacher...R-ratman," Alana mumbles shakily, and the girls only squeeze her tighter between them while moving from side to side slowly. The fact that she's calling him by his deserved nickname at last is significant. She's finally realizing how horrible he really is. Her chin quivers and she bites her lip to keep from crying.

"I know, we went through the same thing...being into idiots who aren't equally attracted to us, but there's still time for you to find someone, that fucker isn't the only dude in the world!"

"He broke my heart, though," Alana insists glumly and brushes a stray tear off her cheek and puts her arms around Daya's and Alex's waists.

"I'm well aware on how that feels," Daya sympathizes with her. "Mr. Bennett was such a wimp that he left me when I was pregnant and wanted to keep my baby, like killing him or her is somethin' I could ever do."

"Aww, I'm sorry," Alana replies and then sniffles. "How far along are you?"

"Like, four and a half weeks."

"Oh, I see. Well, he was a jerk."

"Yep..."

 _So tired of the straight line_  
 _And everywhere you turn_  
 _There's vultures and thieves at your back..._

"Piper was a bitch, not because she didn't love me back, but I hated that she had to lead me on," Alex mutters.

"I apologize...but I'm glad for you that you have a girlfriend who's much better than Piper. Daya, you and Adarsh would make the sweetest couple ever, if you wanted to go for it. You guys were so cute in the limo, and I can tell he's genuine with you." Alana sighs wistfully as Daya and Alex smile at each other sadly. "All I want is a hundred flowers from a guy who truly loves me."

 _The storm keeps on twisting_  
 _Keep on building the lies_  
 _That you make up for all that you lack_

 _It don't make no difference_  
 _Escape one last time_  
 _It's easier to believe in this sweet madness_  
 _Oh, this glorious sadness_  
 _That brings me to my knees..._

After the song ends, they scope out boys for Alana and eventually find Richie, who is the designated driver in his group. Janae had recommended him, and it turns out that he's perfect. He compliments Alana and respects her, from what Daya can tell, and she and Alex hi-five each other on a job well done.

* * *

Everyone dances wildly to Jennifer Lopez's _If You Have My Love_. Allison and Sahar seem to be both vying for Hassan's attention, grooving next to each other and grinding on him. Allison senses that they're actually fighting over the guy. She can't take Sahar being this close to her man anymore. It breaks her heart just thinking about it, but seeing them act like a couple is worse.

 _If you had my love_  
 _And I gave you all my trust_  
 _Would you comfort me_  
 _And if somehow you knew_  
 _That your love would be untrue_  
 _Would you lie to me_  
 _And call me baby_

 _Now if I give you me_  
 _This is how it's got to be_  
 _First of all, I won't take you cheating on me_  
 _Tell me who can I trust_  
 _If I can't trust in you_  
 _And I refuse to let you play me for a fool..._

"You did two slow songs with him already!" Allison protests. "You are _not_ rubbing your ass against his crotch!"

"We agreed on every second song," Sahar insists.

"Technically, it _is_ Al's turn," Hassan agrees, and Allison chuckles in victory. He glances at Allison. "I _did_ promise Sahara a couple fast dances after I had some with you, though, Masha-Allah...my princess, as pretty as a picture."

 _You said that we_  
 _Could possibly_  
 _Spend eternity_  
 _See that's what you told me_  
 _That's what you said_  
 _But if you want me_  
 _You have to be_  
 _Fulfilling all my dreams_  
 _If you really want me, babe..._

 _If you had my love_  
 _And I gave you all my trust_  
 _Would you comfort me_  
 _And if somehow you knew_  
 _That your love would be untrue_  
 _Would you lie to me_  
 _And call me baby_

Allison glares at him. " _Don't_ try to be sweet and call me cute names. I've told you before that I'd rather be described as smart and strong." She faces Sahar with fire in her eyes and pokes her chest. "As for you...you're way too involved in mine and Hassan's life with our daughter. I am so sick of this polygamous relationship!"

"Farah is already attached to Sahar-" Hassan starts, but Allison puts her hand in his face as means to silence him.

"She didn't give birth to her!" Allison turns to Sahar, who is quirking up an eyebrow. "That's right, I said it! You're not her biological mother! I want you the fuck out of my life! She ain't even gonna remember you since she's only one year old!"

"Yes, you go, sister! Tell 'em!" Janae encourages her, and her friends cheer loudly.

 _You said you want my love_  
 _And you've got to have it all_  
 _But first, there are some things you need to know_  
 _If you wanna live_  
 _With all I have to give_  
 _I need to feel true love or it's got to end, yeah_

 _I don't want you_  
 _Trying to get with me_  
 _And I end up unhappy_  
 _I don't need the hurt_  
 _And I don't need the pain_  
 _So before I do_  
 _Give myself to you_  
 _I have to know the truth_  
 _If I spend my life with you..._

"Well, I'm not the one who got knocked up at fifteen!" Sahar shoots back at Allison, and almost immediately, the anger that Allison is feeling is replaced by hurt. She never thought Sahar would be that rude.

" _Ohhh_!" a few people shout.

"Oh, _hell_ no, she didn't!" Cindy exclaims.

"Oh, shit!" Daya murmurs. "She really went there."

"Somebody lookin' to get her ass beat," Maria comments.

"How'd you like our fists in your face?" Ouija challenges Sahar.

"That was a low blow," Hassan tells his other girlfriend. "She didn't get pregnant by herself. You should probably apologize."

"What?! She's treating me like I'm your side whore, when I'm clearly not! You love us the same!"

"No, I'm his favorite!" Allison links arms with him. "Right, dear?"

"Honey, I could never choose between the two of you," he responds, and her heart twists in pain a little more.

Sahar smirks. "See? Now stop being such a whiny baby and get over yourself!"

Allison raises a hand to slap her. "Yeah, I wanna see a couple terrorist cunts smack each other down!" Anders, Kasey's disgusting, snaggly-toothed, redneck boyfriend, jeers. His new girlfriend, Corinne, snickers at his horrible comment. It makes Allison put her hand down. She doesn't want to hit her rival and encourage the stereotype that Muslims are dangerous terrorists, and the Nazi couple bullying her about it doesn't help either. Instead, she shoves past Sahar. "Bitch," she mutters under her breath while walking away. The girls she came to homecoming with are trying to comfort her, especially Alex, Taystee, Poussey, Janae, and her fellow teen moms. "Leave me alone!" she cries, so they do. She's glad they understand she needs some space for the moment, as she's very overwhelmed with emotion. Hassan isn't following her, to her dismay, but at the same time, she wants him to think about the problems he's causing between them and eventually choose either her or Sahar. She really hopes it's her, though, and he dumps Sahar politely.

She doesn't sob her heart out until she reaches a bench outside the building. Allison falls onto it and hugs her knees to her chest as she wails helplessly. She wishes Hassan could hold her, but of course, he deserves to have a break from this drama, too. He could also be breaking up with Sahar at this very moment, but Allison doesn't want to get her hopes up too high.

"You got Anders thrown out because of you calling attention to yourself, terrorist! They're accusing him of hate speech, when he was just expressing his opinion! I'll blast you with your own bomb and string you up by your fuckin' headdress!" Corinne snaps and Anders goes to snatch Allison's hijab off her head when she sees Alex, Michelle, Taystee, Janae, and Cindy throwing punches at him and Daya, Maria, Pidge, Ouija, and Poussey warding him and Corinne off until they're far away from her and can't touch her anymore. She's still shaking at the thought of them violating her like that. The terrible former teachers would always remove her hijab in a fast, messy manner, even pulling at her hair underneath it, and hit her with it while sniggering and calling her Osama Bin Laden's wife. She's crying so hard that she doesn't notice someone standing in front of her, until they begin to talk.

"May I sit here with you?" Allison recognizes the warm voice as Gloria's. She looks up at the older woman and sniffles while wiping her nose that's dripping with snot. She silently nods at Gloria's question, and the Puerto Rican lady takes a spot beside her. Allison puts her head on Gloria's lap, throws her hijab off when another one of those Nazi assholes call her a terrorist one last time, and bunches up the fabric of Gloria's pink dress as she whimpers into it. She glances up at Gloria, who's giving Jennifer a dirty look. "Shoo, go away!" Thankfully, the bigot mumbles to herself about it not being the right time, and exits the area.

"I-I'm sorry for getting my germs on your dress," Allison apologizes through her tears. "You like, barely know me..."

"Honey, it's okay. You're allowed to be upset...I mean, you're being harassed by these motherfuckers and to top it all off, your boyfriend's bein' a two-timing bastard!" Gloria picks Allison's hijab off the ground. "Here...don't let their ignorant taunts stop you from wearing this. It's important to your religion, and you don't deserve their blatant disrespect. They're fugly, you know."

"Yeah, I do," Allison mumbles through a slight giggle. She shakes her head no. "I refuse to put it back on, though."

Gloria sets it next to them. She lovingly strokes Allison's dreadlocks. "I never knew your hair was red."

"Yeah, nobody did, really. It made some of my girls laugh and tease me when they first saw it, Cindy and Janae, especially. They said it reminded them of Little Red Riding Hood, Raggedy Ann, Ariel, and a fireball."

"Well, it's a nice color for ya."

"Thank you."

Gloria continues stroking Allison's hair and the side of her wet face comfortingly, then rubs her shoulder in the same soothing manner while humming to her. It's such a sweet lullaby, that it causes Allison to manage a smile.

"How do you know that word... _fugly_?" she asks and then snickers to herself.

"I've seen _Mean Girls_ with Daya and Aleida. I know some shit, I'm not _that_ old!"

"Oh, yeah, I know! To some high-schoolers, thirty might seem over the hill, but not to me. I ain't tryin' to kiss up to you, but I just get a _cool adult_ vibe from you."

"I appreciate you sayin' that. Daya sees me as a _hip to the times_ aunt, or a second mother figure."

"She's lucky. I've never been that close to any of my aunts, and they're biological." An urge to ask Gloria to take her uncle out of Vee's grasp swims up inside of Allison, but she holds it back because she thinks Gloria should hear that her uncle is engaged to Vee from the man himself, and he should be the one picking Gloria over Vee without anyone else's influence. Allison just wants to hang out with Gloria a lot more after this, so they can become closer. It could also help her uncle realize that Gloria is much more nurturing and kind than Vee, who seems like the evil aunts from _James and the Giant Peach_.

"My tía's like my mama. That's the Spanish word for _aunt_. She raised me since I was ten...my parents were killed in a bad car accident."

"Oh...I'm sorry, though, it's great that you have her. Uncle Fahri said you were into this neat thing called Santería and your tía taught you it."

"He talks about me?" Gloria sounds a bit nervous.

"Yeah, sometimes, but nothing bad! Don't worry." Allison has the energy at last to sit up and just lean into Gloria while putting her hijab back on. "If you'd like, will you educate me a bit on your practice?"

Gloria composes herself. "Oh, that's good. Sure, I'd love to! I'm real proud of it. You can teach me some Islam things as well, as long as you're okay with doing so."

"I am."

"He tell you we going dancin' tomorrow night with our couple friends?"

Allison grins slyly. "He might have mentioned it once or twice. He's real excited. My uncle is a hella good dancer, trust me."

"I am too, not to brag."

"Oh, really?" Allison raises an eyebrow while smirking.

"Yo, I'm 'bout to have a little dance-off with Diane in there, to _Let's Dance_ by David Bowie!" Gloria tilts her head towards where homecoming is. "You ain't so bad yourself." She nudges Allison's chin teasingly.

"Thanks, Glo." Allison closes her eyes and opens them to check if Gloria is offended. "I'm sorry, that just slipped out...I've heard Aleida call you that, and we all kinda refer to you as Glo now."

"It's fine. It makes me feel young."

Allison pushes Gloria playfully, but not enough to hurt her. "Girl, you're already young!"

"Aww...you're a sweetheart." Gloria pats Allison's cheek and squeezes her hands. They both beam at each other.

"I could say the same for you." A few seconds of quiet pass. "Um...we could arrange a playdate for Farah and Julio, if you're comfortable with that."

"Of course! I can't believe he remembered my kids' names. They never been that important to my previous boyfriends."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that. Your children should always be treasured by the important people in your life, otherwise, maybe they don't deserve a place in your heart. They're just motherfuckers."

"You're right, cariño. That was probably the biggest lesson I've ever been smacked with." Gloria's eyes have a darkness in them, as if she's haunted and far away, but then she comes back to the present. "Anyway...our two little ones can chill at yours tomorrow, perhaps, while I'm out...I'll pay you whatever to babysit, if you're alright with that?"

"I totally am! Only, I'm not charging you if our kids are just chillin' together. I'm only Julio's friend's mother. You can give me cash if my baby or my mom isn't there."

"Okay, if you're sure."

Allison nods. "I am." She hugs Gloria. "I'm so grateful for your support."

Gloria returns the gesture. "It was really no problem. You come to me anytime, okay?"

"Mm-hm."

"Hi, Gloria! Allison? You alright, champ?"

"Hey, Uncle Fahri." Allison lifts her head from Gloria's shoulder to face him. "Yeah, everything's good."

"I notice tear streaks...have you been crying?" he asks in deep concern.

"Yeah, but I'm fine now! Gloria was taking care of me."

His attention turns to Gloria. "That was nice of you! Thank you for being there for my niece."

"Hey, it was my pleasure. Have a seat." Gloria gestures to the place beside her and Allison.

"Sure!" He plops down next to Allison. "Wanna tell me what happened, Al?" he asks.

She had almost forgotten, because of her bonding with Gloria. "Oh...just dude problems."

"If the father of your daughter is making you upset, I'll straighten him out!" he says protectively and wraps his arms around her while pecking her temple. "Or was it those Hitler freaks? I got no problem making sure their parents kick their asses!"

"It's okay, Uncle Fahri. I can handle it, but sometimes, the strongest people break."

"Ain't that the truth," Gloria mumbles.

"Well, I'm glad that Gloria was here." The two adults exchange a smile.

"Yeah, me too."

To Allison's delight, Hassan comes back to her. "So, your friends talked some sense into me...bopped me upside the head, too...and I want to say I'm terribly sorry for not simply accepting that you had changed your mind on polygamous relationships. I love you more than Sahar, I honestly do. She'll be in our lives, but just as a family friend."

She stares at him quizzically as he helps her stand up. "Really? Are you positive she's okay with that?"

"She doesn't want to lose her connection with our daughter. She's not a horrible person, Allison...she just said mean things out of jealousy, and she knows she was being nasty. She went home, but she left you an apologetic voicemail."

Allison sighs. "Okay. I'll listen to it later." She waves at Gloria and her uncle. "Bye, guys! See you in a bit!"

"Bye!" they call out in unison.

Allison and Hassan walk back into the building while making out heavily, and their friends cheer them on.

"Okay, that's enough! Get a room!" Taystee hollers, and the others laugh out loud.

* * *

"Bring it on!" Diane challenges.

"Oh, girl, I'll bring it!" Gloria replies.

"Ready, judges?" Daya asks her friends and Red.

"We're ready!" Nicky calls out.

"Go!" Red says, starting the music, and Flaca and Maritza begin to film the women's dance-off.

 _Let's dance_  
 _Put on your red shoes and dance the blues_  
 _Let's dance_  
 _To the song they're playin' on the radio_  
 _Let's sway_  
 _While color lights up your face_  
 _Let's sway_  
 _Sway through the crowd to an empty space_

 _If you say run_  
 _I'll run with you_  
 _And if you say hide_  
 _We'll hide_  
 _Because my love for you_  
 _Would break my heart in two_  
 _If you should fall into my arms_  
 _And tremble like a flower..._

The students and other chaperones clap and cheer them on as they gyrate against each other and do fancy spins around the floor, back to back, and then facing each other. They appear as if they're having more fun than competing for first place.

 _Let's dance_  
 _Let's dance_  
 _For fear your grace should fall_  
 _Let's dance_  
 _For fear tonight is all_  
 _Let's sway_  
 _You could look into my eyes_  
 _Let's sway_  
 _Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight_

 _And if you say run_  
 _I'll run with you_  
 _And if you say hide_  
 _We'll hide_  
 _Because my love for you_  
 _Would break my heart in two_  
 _If you should fall into my arms_  
 _And tremble like a flower_

By the time it's over, Gloria and Diane fall down, laughing and panting, and they're so sweaty from dancing.

 _...Let's dance  
Let's dance  
Let's dance, dance, dance..._

"You are both exceptional dancers," Lorna compliments them. "It's a tie!"

"Yeah, and I'm not even embarrassed that you participated in this, Mom! You're really good!" Alex lets Diane know, and Diane grins proudly.

"Whoohoo!" Gloria and Diane exclaim together and hi-five. The homecoming dance continues until the end of the night, and the girls are delighted to see that Allison is back on good terms with her boyfriend. Then, it's time to see who are the winners for homecoming king and queen.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, CoffeeWritingAddiction, A Star In My Universe, MinervaSnape394, and Johanna002! I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day, whether you celebrated your mother (or grandmother, or aunt or any woman really that you look up to) or if you're a mother or aunt yourself!**

 **Also, I started a new story, Keep Me Safe, if you wanna check that out.**

 **Summary: Nine years ago, a woman and her young daughter vanished. After being tortured for so long, she gets rescued and returns along with the dark secrets she's harboring, as do her child and eleven other missing girls a while later. She's afraid to love again and new complications arise because her best friend is keeping a deadly secret from everyone, which may just destroy the strongest bonds between friends and lovers. The parents will go to great lengths to protect their kids. Very AU, ships: Nichorello, Flaritza, Alex/Michelle, Daya/Adarsh, Maria/Yadriel, Blanca/Diablo, Pennsatucky/Nathan, Poussey/Franziska, Aleida/Leon, Gloria/Fahri, Diane/Charles, also includes Taystee, Ouija, Pidge, Alana, Margarita, Red, Lourdes, Frieda, Claudette, Tricia, Allison, Zirconia, Cindy, Janae, and other parents of the kidnap survivors. Very dark and OOC, the Litchfield ladies aren't in prison.**


	51. Can't Bring Me Down

**Thank you for beta'ing and getting me my 300th review, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Warnings: mentions of the KKK, racism, and abuse.**

"I hope you had a lovely evening, folks. Now for the homecoming court," the senior body president announces over the loudspeaker.

"You gonna win, girl, I can feel it!" Poussey says excitedly to Taystee. She bounces on the balls of her feet while holding onto her best friend. Taystee crosses her fingers behind her back and closes her eyes.

"Our king is Clarence Johnson!"

"Bet he got a big one," Reema murmurs, and Taystee pushes her away while rolling her eyes.

"Ho, shut up!" Janae mutters as they all applaud for Clarence, who is going up on stage to get his crown.

"A king is nobody without his queen...and her name is...drumroll please!"

"Why the suspense, man?" Taystee asks rhetorically. "Just fuckin' say it!"

"Tasha Jefferson!" The screams are deafening and Taystee beams proudly while accepting hi-fives from her friends and others as she walks up the steps to receive her tiara.

"Fuck yeah! In yo _face_ , white cracker and Oriental Tradin' bitches!" Cindy hollers and Taystee just chuckles to herself as she spins around dramatically. Her competition is indeed, all white and Asian girls, and they just glare at her while displaying their middle fingers, probably more aimed at Cindy than her. She's all smiles as she returns to her girls, who crowd her in a group embrace.

"Yaaasss, queen!" Maria shouts, and Taystee cackles victoriously. After she shares a lovely dance with Clarence and gets stars in her eyes from the way he'd been looking into them so sweetly and moving her around the floor quite gracefully, the rest of her friends hi-five her and then head back to the limo where Fahri had been chilling all night.

"My mom was so busy with work that she forgot to book a limo for some of us, so she couldn't get one. Sorry, guys!" Maritza announces.

"It's okay, luckily, Fahri's was big enough for all of us!" Alex exclaims.

Daya catches sight of Gloria and Diane. "Yo, wanna see Fahri's sweet ride?"

"Yeah, come ride with us!" Flaca practically begs them while waving them over.

"Alright, if you insist!" Gloria replies.

The girls who want Fahri to dump Vee and be with Gloria start squealing happily. Suzanne glares at her. "He's taken!" she snaps.

"Excuse me?" Gloria asks while raising a suspicious eyebrow, and Diane's eyes widen in alarm.

"Don't mind her!" Taystee cuts in. "She's just having one of her episodes again."

"Her alter ego, Mara, is totally into him, sorry!" Poussey adds.

"Mm-hm," Allison chimes in. She and Hassan restrain Suzanne from coming any closer to Gloria. "Shut up! _Now_!" she hisses through gritted teeth.

"Hey, check out our queen!" Diane exclaims quickly. "Great job, Taystee!" her English teacher praises her.

"Hell yeah, congratulations! Low five, girl." Gloria extends her open palm out to Taystee so Taystee can slap it lightly, and then, they bump fists.

"Thanks, y'all!" Taystee says proudly.

"You're welcome!" Diane and Gloria respond in unison.

"Holy shit, this is huge!" the Puerto Rican kitchen lady comments, obviously referring to Fahri's limo. She goes to where he's sitting behind the wheel. "You drive this thing?"

"Yep!" He leaves the long, sleek, black vehicle and presses a button that opens the doors on both sides. The girls get into the limo.

Gloria whistles and folds her arms across her chest. "Wow...color me impressed. Uh...would it be okay if we went with you? A lot of the girls really want us to...it's okay if you don't. We'll just go, but one of us gotta let Frieda know if you'd like us to join y'all since she drove us here."

"I don't mind at all! I only pull this out for special occasions where there's a large group attending the event."

"Oh, our dinner at La Fontana's was nothin', huh?" Gloria asks him teasingly, seeming quite relaxed.

Fahri smiles. "I didn't wanna freak anyone out." His eyes are only on her as he expresses this. Taystee can't help but admit to herself how natural they are together. If she didn't know any better, she'd think they were best friends, or maybe more than that. He's never come over to Vee's place, since she doesn't invite him, so Taystee has yet to see his relationship with her foster mother. As she thinks about it some more, she realizes that Vee hasn't gone out with him once, besides the time they got hitched in Las Vegas. They probably barely know each other. Taystee is shocked that Vee didn't even come with him to ride in the limo tonight.

Gloria turns to Diane, who is grinning brightly. "Have you been in there?"

Diane nods. "A few times, yeah. I'll tell Frieda we're going home with Fahri. Be right back!"

"Okay!" Fahri answers her. He switches his attention to Gloria."Where do you wanna sit?"

"The front, next to you, if that's alright. I got an urge to pick the tunes on the radio." A flash of nervousness passes over her. "Um, that's up to you, though. You can control your own music. I...I shouldn't touch it," Gloria stammers. "Sorry."

"No, please, don't apologize! Choose whatever your heart desires. I promise, it's okay."

"You gonna take us in this to the Monte Carlo Room?" she asks as he opens her door for her and closes it after she climbs into the passenger seat. She sounds much happier again.

"Would you like me to?"

"Sure, it'll be fun!"

"I will, then!"

She gives him a thumbs-up. "Awesome!"

Diane crawls in the backseat with everyone and starts to sit between Alex and Michelle. "Mo-om!" Alex whines, and they all chuckle, even Suzanne, probably because Maureen is distracting her with smooches. Although Taystee isn't too fond of Suzanne's girlfriend, Maureen is certainly making it easier for her and their other friends.

"I'm kidding! Jesus Christ! Like I'd ever separate you two." Diane tousles Alex's hair and takes her spot in the middle of her daughter and Lorna. "So...y'all wanna sing _Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer On the Wall_?" she asks while pushing back her brunette locks with her fingers and letting it all go over one shoulder. She's one of the only four white women who Taystee doesn't make fun of with Poussey, because she's friendly, respectful of the students, and doesn't act like she's better than others.

Taystee enjoys how cool Diane is being. "Yeah!" everyone cheers and starts belting out the fun song. Flaca and Maritza giggle together as they converse while pointing towards Gloria and Fahri talking back and forth. Lorna, Allison, Daya, Alex, Michelle, Maria, Blanca, and even Diane appear to be intrigued as well. Poussey grins at Taystee and shrugs, and Taystee smiles back at her best friend. Brook, Pennsatucky, Alana, Stephanie, Ouija, Pidge, Zirconia, and the boys seem to be oblivious to the fact that Gloria and Fahri had met and became friends because some of the girls had wanted them to hook up.

"Take one down, pass it around, ninety-seven bottles of beer on the wall..."

Gloria turns the radio up, and then they begin singing along to the music on there. Cindy and Janae catch Taystee's eye and shake their heads in disapproval, but Taystee senses that even those two are having a good time. _Vee would have a field day if she knew. Then again, it's not like Gloria and Fahri had started making out in traffic or holding hands over the seat divider. Vee has nothing to worry about_ , Taystee attempts assuring herself. On the other hand, Vee hasn't made much of an effort to be with him. Taystee just has no idea.

* * *

When homecoming is over, Alex and Michelle go to Maritza's guesthouse for some alone time. Alex needed some comfort from her girlfriend and she knows that her mom wants privacy with Charles. She and Michelle get ready for bed and dive under the covers together as soon as possible. They hold hands and scoot closer to each other while listening to "Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love" by Ella Fitzgerald which is softly playing in the background.

"You know, um...on Monday, right?" Alex starts out.

"Mm-hm?"

"Well, I don't think I ever told you...but I was terrified when the bad men came into Friendly's, and I was afraid for my mom and friends' safety."

"I completely understand that." Michelle says while caressing Alex's cheek and then her hair. "I hope everything's okay now."

"It is. I'm glad we finally got 'em!"

"I know, me too! When I learned that you kicked Humps in the face, that totally turned me on."

Alex smirks. "You pulled a knife on Piscatella, which was so fuckin' amazing!"

"I felt totally powerful in that moment! I bet you did too, whackin' him with that crowbar!"

"Hell yes!"

As they stare at each other some more, the sexual tension between them builds until they can't take it anymore.

 _Birds do it, bees do it_

 _Even educated fleas do it_

 _Let's do it, let's fall in love_

 _In Spain, the best upper sets do it_

 _Lithuanians and Letts do it_

 _Let's do it, let's fall in love_

 _The Dutch in old Amsterdam do it_

 _Not to mention the Fins_

 _Folks in Siam do it - think of Siamese twins_

 _Some Argentines, without means, do it_

 _People say in Boston even beans do it_

 _Let's do it, let's fall in love_

They both start peeling off each other's clothes as they giggle in unison. Their pajama tops, pants, and socks, are soon strewn all around the floor as they roll around under the sheets in their undergarments. They both wear comfortable bras since it hurts Alex to move around with such big breasts and nothing holding them in place, and Michelle has the same reason. "God damn, you're beautiful," Alex murmurs as she removes Michelle's beanie.

"So are you. Behind your cute secretary glasses are the prettiest pair of emerald green eyes I've looked into, and then I'm gone."

Alex presses her lips to every part of the Latina's body, from her injured temple, down her cheek, jawline, neck, shoulder, center of her chest, over her bra while fingering the straps, continues to her belly and waist. She stops at the top of Michelle's thong and just takes her in. "Girl, I'm gonna make you come like you never have before," she promises Michelle. "That is, if you so desire."

Michelle stares up at Alex and bites her bottom lip. "Please...and massage my tits, too!"

"Gladly."

Alex undoes the clasp on Michelle's bra and tosses it aside. She slides the thong down and off Michelle's smooth legs and places a trail of kisses from her thighs to her ankles until Michelle is practically pleading with her to get to the most important thing.

 _Romantic sponges, they say, do it_

 _Oysters down in oyster bay do it_

 _Let's do it, let's fall in love_

 _Cold Cape Cod clams, 'gainst their wish, do it_

 _Even lazy jellyfish, do it_

 _Let's do it, let's fall in love_

Alex causes Michelle to have more than seven orgasms in a row, between rubbing her index, middle, and ring finger over Michelle's clit in a teasing motion which turns fast and has her twitching everywhere underneath her while nibbling on Michelle's exposed skin, leaving behind tiny love bites, and eating her out as the shorter girl clamps her thighs against the sides of Alex's face, thrusting herself into Alex's mouth with her eyes shut tight while she moans. Alex kneads Michelle's perky nipples with her thumbs as she flicks her tongue in and out of Michelle's vagina. " _¡Ay dios mío! Alex, más, por favor! Más!"_ she screams while climaxing. "Ohhh! Ohhh... _sí...sí...sí_!" Her sweet juices slide down Alex's throat. "Mmmm!"

 **Oh my god! Alex, more, please! More!**

"You taste so delicious."

"Fuck me again! My pussy's so wet for you!"

"Mine is too, baby."

"You look real hot on top!"

Alex's heart warms at Michelle's compliment. "Thank you. You're adorable on the bottom...I liked pleasuring you."

"I enjoyed it so much!"

 _Electric eels I might add do it_

 _Though it shocks em I know_

 _Why ask if shad do it - Waiter bring me_

 _"shad roe"_

 _In shallow shoals English soles do it_

 _Goldfish in the privacy of bowls do it_

 _Let's do it, let's fall in love_

 _Other verses I've seen in print follow:_

 _In old Japan, all the Japs do it_

 _Up in Lapland little Laps do it_

 _Let's do it, let's fall in love_

As soon as Alex gets Michelle off again, they flip over so Michelle is on top. "Sorry, I don't have as much experience as you...it's my first time doing it...with anyone," she confesses. "Can you kinda...guide me to your pleasure zones?"

"Of course." Alex puts her hand over Michelle's as she directs her right to her g-spot. "Yeah, right there," she mumbles when Michelle starts fingering her. "Right there...mmm...yes! Yes!" she shrieks as ecstasy flows through her.

 _The chimpanzees in the zoos do it_

 _Some courageous kangaroos do it_

 _Let's do it, let's_

 _Fall in love_

 _I'm sure giraffes on the sly do it_

 _Even eagles as they fly do it_

 _Let's do it, let's fall_

 _In love..._

When they're too tired to carry on, they just relax in blissful silence, with Michelle cuddled in Alex's arms. Alex strokes Michelle's hair and rests her lips against Michelle's cheek. "I enjoyed spending time with you today and tonight," Michelle tells Alex lowly.

"I did, too."

* * *

Upon getting back to Charles' apartment, Diane smiles at seeing his cop car parked on the curb. She also feels a small twinge of guilt at how she'd refused to sleep by his side and even snapped at him to stop talking about what had happened with her parents. It's been twenty-four hours since they'd last spoken, because he'd left for work and then gotten home before she had, and she honestly misses him.

 _Diane is well aware that she needs Alex and Charles more than ever now, but she's tired of being the damsel in distress who always has her boyfriend saving her and her daughter is with her friends. She doesn't want to burden either of them with her problems right now. She'd covered the cut on her cheek with blush and doesn't plan to take off her makeup until everyone goes to bed. They checked on her, but she kept insisting she was fine._

 _"Really, what's going on, baby? I can tell you're upset, and it's because of your parents!"_

 _"I just want to be alone!" Diane grabs her pillow off his bed. "Is that too much to ask?"_

 _"No, it's okay, go ahead. I'm sorry..."_

 _"It ain't nothin' you said or did. I just need space...and I'm stressed out about work. I don't want to say anything nasty that I don't mean. I'll sleep with you tomorrow night."_

 _"Only if you want to."_

 _"Alex's friends are sleeping over, so I'll have the couch."_

 _Charles shakes his head no. "Don't be silly, I'll take it. You can sleep in my bed."_

 _"I will, then. Thank you."_

 _"You're welcome."_

 _As he leaves, she kisses him good night to show him that she's not really mad at him, and they both grin at each other._

She lets herself inside the apartment. "Hey, babe, I'm home!" she calls out.

"Hi, honey!" he greets her cheerfully. He winds his arms around her and their open mouths touch a few times. She giggles when he checks her out. "Whoa! You're so beautiful. You can really rock the red lipstick!"

"Thank you!" Since he's said that, she feels a lot prettier in her black off-the-shoulder dress.

"Oh, before I forget, there was cake at my job site...it was somebody's birthday, and I saved you a piece! You like it warm, right?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to heat it up for me! I can do that. You're incredibly thoughtful, though."

He beams and leads her into the kitchen. He gives her a container with a slice of chocolate cake and white frosting on it. "Your dessert, ma'am."

"Thanks...again!" Diane sticks it into the microwave for thirty seconds. "How was work?"

"We finally caught Jack and his wife!" Charles' voice is full of pride, as it should be.

"Yay, great job!" They both beam at each other as Diane begins eating. "Oh, this is excellent!" she mumbles through a bite.

"Isn't it?" Diane nods happily. "You seem like you're in a better mood."

"I am! I was throwing myself into chaperoning to take my mind off it, but now, I'm ready to discuss it with you."

"Okay, are you positive?"

"Extremely!"

As soon as Diane finishes her treat, she gets changed into pink flannel pants and a loose, white tank top. He's already sitting up in his bed and she takes her place beside him. "Just so you know, my mom didn't really do anything to me except verbal abuse...I'm so sorry for what she and my dad said to or about you. My dad gave me this." She points to the scratch mark his ring had made on her cheek.

"Oh, my cupcake," he murmurs and then places his lips on it softly. "Please don't apologize for their inexcusable behavior. You are completely innocent in this. The racism was nothing new to me...I've had people come to my door dressed up as Klan members on Halloween as a sick joke." Diane's heart stops and then starts again after a few seconds, hearing that. "I had a stern talk with them right away and banned them from my property, but I will arrest your father for hurting your precious face."

"Thank you, but what the fuck? The actual KKK?"

"They were playing a stupid prank, it's nothing you need to worry about. They didn't hurt me, they just laughed at the freaked-out expression on my face."

"If it happens this year, I'll slit their fucking throats. How dare they do that?!"

"Diane, I appreciate you protecting me, but really, I'm okay. Now tell me everything that's wrong with your parents. I'll stay up all night listening."

"I was born in Northampton," Diane begins somberly. "My dad, Edward abandoned me at some orphanage in the freezing rain, but my mom, Phyllis, 'saved' me. I was soaked and shivering and immediately attached myself to her, until I found out that she wasn't very nice. She convinced him that they could make money off my beauty and they used me for my exquisiteness," she explains sarcastically and then scoffs while staring down at her lap and playing with her fingers. "They said that because of my _pretty, unique eyes_ , I would be a good buy. I had to refer to them as _Madam_ and _Master_ , or _Sir_ and _Ma'am_. They ran a brothel and forced me to train to be a prostitute and my older brother, Mitch, a pimp. We were basically in a cult with those assholes."

Diane exhales deeply when she senses Charles wrap his hands around hers, stopping her from digging her nails into her palms. He stays silent and his eyes are filled with concern as he frowns. "See, our horrible father never wanted a girl, but that cunt who gave birth to me, had the idea that because of my eyes, she decided she'd make me into her perfect little doll...and sell me when I became of age, and Edward would abuse me if I put on weight, or made a mess of my clothes. I was really only physically abused as a child, but then I saw girls my age doing everyday things in school and I knew it was wrong what my parents...excuse me, they don't deserve to be called that...Edward and Phyllis...were doing and I always rebelled. I guess they stopped since they didn't wanna murder me. They said they needed me, and I thought that was love. It wasn't. They just tried to put me through different hardships until I broke...even after that. Both of them used to hit me, but when I was older, they simply got out belts as warnings."

"They'd make me get breast enhancements or liposuction and wear makeup as a child. I grew up never going without it since I always believed myself to be ugly plain-faced. I had to have my acne removed...and that's why I'm hyper-aware of my own imperfections, even now, still! Also, I'm young at heart since I never had a normal childhood." She draws her knees up to her chest and hugs them there while resting her head on his shoulder. He goes from holding her hands to stroking her hair and running his fingers through it, which is just as comforting.

"Teachers would suspect, but nobody ever reported it. The Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act was passed in nineteen-eighty, and I was a sophomore in high school around that time. They usually would chalk it up to bad behavior since I was known as a _troublemaker_ with _no future_. They often called me _white trash_ , teachers and fellow students alike who weren't my friends! Sometimes, pedophile teachers and douchebag students would stare creepily and wolf-whistle at me when I came into class because of the tight shit I always had to wear, and they were so weak that they couldn't just ignore it. So, I'd go into the bathroom with a friend and change into an extra set of her baggy clothes, or I'd zipper up my jacket, even if it was a hot day. When one of the only few good teachers I had started getting suspicious and Child Protective Services showed up at our front door, we'd have to move." She stops watching his reaction to each sentence that spills out of her mouth because it's just heartbreaking how distressed he appears to be. She's never seen a man cry before, but it seems like he will pretty soon. She pays attention to the wall as she continues speaking instead. He massages her back and shoulders as she talks, and she melts into him.

"I suffered all four forms of abuse. There was physical, like pulling my hair when brushing it, making my head yank back too fast, or whipping me when I was a small child or forcing me into a corset to keep my stomach flat." Diane remembers flinching when Frieda would fix her hair sometimes and there's been a few moments in her life when she can't breathe because she thinks the corset is still pushing into her. "Then, sexual...Edward would watch me undress and they sent pictures they took of me to agencies and put me in _Playboy_ magazines. I was never raped, but I still felt incredibly violated. I'd try to hide myself behind a curtain or in my closet, but then, he would always make sure my front was facing him and he would strip me naked himself. I...I can't tell you how many times I felt his..." Her breath hitches as her chin quivers. She squeezes her eyes shut and gulps down the lump in her throat to prevent herself from weeping. Her voice is shaky enough. She recollects always locking the door behind her in order to change her clothes if she was at anyone's house except where she used to live, even though her friends, some of her boyfriends, and Frieda respected her privacy and didn't demand to come in. She was surprised when they'd politely knock on the door if they needed to tell or ask her something. "Oh my god, it was so disgusting. I threw up so much. While I was well groomed and had proper hygiene and clean clothes, and wasn't deprived of sleep since they didn't want me to have black circles under my eyes, they made me feel stupid and worthless, which qualifies under emotional abuse, and they neglected my needs or any problems I was having with their parenting methods, and they'd lock me in a closet if I cried or went aga-against them. They fed me healthy food, but I was never allowed dessert. If I gained even one pound more than they wanted me to weigh, they'd make me puke until I passed out from the strain I was putting on my tummy. I had to run to the point of exhaustion." As her voice cracks, Diane presses her lips together and sniffles. Charles runs his hands up and down her arms and then squeezes her hands soothingly. She thinks him doing this is the only thing that's keeping her from sinking into a panic attack.

"I had to participate in ice skating, gymnastic and ballet competitions, cheerleading and dance competitions, beauty pageants, tennis and beach volleyball matches, and talent shows...whatever I needed a revealing outfit for, because that would earn them serious cash. I would be forced to model in skimpy clothes and bikinis to get 'em money...and if I didn't win over my fellow competitors, or I wasn't chosen to be on a front cover or even in the magazine at all, they'd yell at me about how lousy I was, they'd claim I was nothing until I really believed it, they would trap me in a cage that would fit a large dog until the next day, twelve hours later whether that was morning, noon, or night, and they'd shake it until I got dizzy and fainted. I begged the people to give me a gold medal or a first prize ribbon and I bawled like a baby if I didn't get it, since I knew what would happen. Everyone thought of me as a spoiled brat and a sore loser. You should've heard me...I sounded so pathetic. Any other sports were forbidden. In physical education, it was required for me to swim, play basketball, baseball, flag football, and do track and field. I had to shower with Edward so he could remind me that I was a girl, as if I didn't know already...and then he added, ' _with a tight figure, and don't you ever forget it, bitch_!' He may have used _cunt_ , too, but I can't remember. I told Phyllis the first time it happened. I don't even know why I wasted my breath, I was really stupid at nine, which is when I started puberty and realized it was wrong. He would always 'help' me wash myself, but I didn't know he should stop when I became a certain age. She said at least he loves me after all, since he had dumped me on the stairs outside the orphanage when I wasn't even an hour old yet. He had 'really improved' over the years." Diane scoffs and she's suddenly cold and shivering from the goosebumps forming all over her. She takes the comforter and sheet out from under her and covers up with them so they're to her chin.

"I'd go crying to my brother about it, but it wasn't enough. Mitch was also afraid to tell anyone since we could've been separated and he thought he could protect me more if we were together. He also didn't know where I'd end up. He knew there were a lot of bad people out there and he was gonna wait 'til he was old enough to help me outta there, trying to make money to rescue me. Phyllis and Edward kept the child porn a secret from him and I was too scared to say a word about it. Other than that, they never did nothin' illegal. They'd arranged for him to meet a girl who he ended up falling in love with, but he kept that fact from them. They were happy together, and when Edward, Phyllis, and I met her, they acted perfectly normal and the woman said he was exaggerating! I was apparently a great actress, and so were they, because Elizabeth, who became his wife, she believed their performance, and I knew that if I messed it up, I'd only look like a brat who was ungrateful. He even thanked them at the end of the dinner for behaving themselves, and they said that they'd made me famous and I was estactic about it. They hid the abuse from Mitch and claimed that I enjoyed looking extra pretty. I nodded blankly in feigned agreement. He didn't want to show them that he knew I was lying and he was working on getting me out of their cult because then I would get badly punished if they discovered he was hatching a plan." She's openly sobbing and hiccuping now. "I...I was breaking down in the bathroom after they confronted me. Phyllis came in shortly after, she told-she told me that I'd always been a di-disappointment and I-I'm lousy at everything, I couldn't ev-ev-even prevent a rape from h-happening...m-my brother had to die doing it...a-and I was knocked up out of wedlock!" She takes a few seconds to calm herself. "I'm so sorry!" Diane wails. She scoots out of her self-made cocoon and nestles into his embrace, with her back to his chest.

"Oh, sweetie, you don't need to apologize," Charles murmurs while holding her even closer to him. "You don't gotta say no more." He sounds very sad as he traces invisible patterns on her shirt-covered belly. "I wanna kill those motherfuckers!" he adds angrily. "How could they hurt someone as precious as you?"

She inhales sharply and exhales as slowly as she can. "No...I wanna finish. It'll be okay. So...I reminded her that I'm an excellent mother, great dancer, and a wonderful teacher and _she's_ the one who's a piece of shit. Edward came from outta nowhere and he slapped me so hard that a bruise started forming. I shrieked at the sudden contact. I didn't fall, though, I just stood upright, but I was in lots of pain...I stumbled back...and I ran to the nurse's office and told him I needed ice. Anyway, Mitch was so lucky that they let him go to college to play football, but after that, he was expected to become a pimp, a hunter of wild game, wrestling champion, and basketball and baseball star. Of course, he cut off all contact with them, like I did."

"They had no more control over our lives once we turned eighteen. I thought I'd be stuck under their rule forever, suffering from a life I didn't want and being on the cover of _Playboy_ and _Sports Illustrated_ , but my passion for dancing saved me. They were satisfied with just that one thing and decided I was good for that. They later told me they'd sent my photos and videos of me dancing to bad guys so they could get off to that shit. Edward and Phyllis were evil and had already been convicted of hate crimes, so they didn't wanna waste their time committing another felony by selling me to the black market and getting caught. They were so twisted in exploiting me the way they did." Her voice is thick with emotion, but at least she can speak clearly again. She really wants her boyfriend to hear her story. For a long time, she'd tried to forget her disturbing past and pretend that these strangers who had named themselves as her parents, had _not_ destroyed her childhood, point blank.

"They always arranged my dates with arrogant rich guys. My school dances weren't fun in the least. I had to go to all of them with these idiots. If they weren't arrogant, they were just wealthy but not that attractive...they were nice, but old or boring...but if I liked them for more than their money or body and they were my age, our relationship would stop. If there was someone looking out for me, the cult I was born into and myself, would have to leave the area. I would get pregnant sometimes since the boys or men I went to prom or homecoming with, never used condoms. They'd push me into sex. Those sadistic motherfuckers blamed me, of course...told me they weren't surprised that he had his way with me, they used the word _fucked_. I was sexy, they said. They had a plan for me to marry either a rich old geezer or an arrogant, sexist rich guy my age! They picked a dangerous Nazi when I was sixteen, so I was gonna put a metal spoon in my underwear in case I had to move out of the country with this prick. I would then alert airport security that I was being forced into a marriage. My former suitors would try to get me in bed with them again, but I always turned them down. I avoided them at all costs and they eventually grew disinterested in pursuing me. Even though they weren't controlling me in college, I didn't have a boyfriend since I really just focused on my studies. Lee came after college, with him, it was the first time I ever let myself fall in love fully. I was always rigid about it before, acted like me and the guy were friends, even with sex or kissing, no emotional connection with him at all. Until my college years, I had only been on secret dates with rebellious boys and dudes who weren't that well off, but they were very cute. I never cried about potential boyfriends they forbade me to date because I taught myself not to, like it wasn't worth it. If anyone got too close, I'd push them away and break things off. I only dated for fun, I didn't want to develop feelings and I thought they only liked me for my body, but I didn't care. I could not deal with the drama of them finding out, or risk these dudes leaving because of them and not choosing to run away with me or whatever, so I just counted down the days to my freedom. The first time I ever felt special dancing with someone, was with you during our first kiss."

"I'm glad I could make you feel that way, because you deserve to be loved every day, for the rest of your life. I would've whisked you away had I dated you back then," he whispers against her neck and then kisses it gently. She closes her eyes and swoons at the nice feeling he's giving her. "You're too important to give up on, my girl."

"Mmm, I know you would have...I appreciate your kind words, but I didn't trust anyone to be actually head over heels for me back then, really, for something besides my outside appearance and how a bikini looked on me. I wouldn't have allowed you in my heart, not with them in the picture," she admits softly while shaking her head. "Senior year came around and by that point, I was just so broken and quietly accepting of the fact that they had successfully ruined all of my other relationships that I didn't think I was worth the hassle of anyone having to fight for me...and I was afraid that they wouldn't try hard enough, even if I did go against Phyllis and Edward, and then I'd be totally alone. I did once attempt standing up for myself, but they just threatened to sell me or punished me by leaving me in the basement while Mitch wasn't home. I was a hardened teen who only let my guard down and cried in front of Frieda. I met her when I was seventeen at a Prince concert, and later, I came up with an idea. I didn't rebel for a while and I talked about how I wanted to become a famous dancer and make them lots of money and marrying a Nazi while I was still in high school wasn't the way to do it. They could listen to reason up to a point...I even said I could be in Julliard and still be married to the Nazi. Of course, that was a lie, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I knew I had the upper hand once I became close to her. Frieda killed him, she knew his address since I was forced to write love letters as an alternative to marrying him out of high school. He always kissed me against my will, scared the fuck out of me a number of times, sexually assaulted me once without penetration, forced me to give him oral, digitally and anally raped me...and...and bit me down there..." Her breath trembles.

"I'm relieved he's six feet under and can't ever lay his cruel hands on you again!"

"Me, too! So, I wanted a good job. I only had experience at Hookers from when I was fourteen until I quit when I graduated. They forced me to work there so I could show off my _growing body_ ," she mutters in disgust. "Ugh, I'm so embarrassed...I keep telling myself, it was their fault, not mine. They lied to the boss about my age and diploma and for good measure, they made a deal with the boss and promised him I'd give him a...a blow job if he'd let me...have the position...of being a waitress. I had to wear...a white crop top and really short orange shorts." Her stomach churns just thinking back to all those perverts staring at her breasts jumping under her shirt as she walked around and them hitting her butt. "I got cat-called so many times, and I tried to slow down once...but then um, I was told to _let those tits bounce_ by male customers, and they'd even complain to the manager about it when I ignored 'em. He got furious at me a lot and squeezed my boobs hard. 'Don't let this happen again, or I'll bend you over the counter naked and jam my hot dog into your fresh young buns. Now move along, sweet cheeks,' is what he'd always tell me. Edward and Phyllis didn't give a flying fuck. The only people who did, were ladies and girls there, who would slap the guy they were with and give me a pitying stare, or my co-workers. They treated me like their little sister, so that was nice."

"I never called the police, I just moved on with my life. I didn't wanna have to drag up the past and my demons, that would be way too traumatic. After all that torture I went through, I took self-defense classes and swore to myself that if I ever had a child, I would protect them to the ends of the earth!"

"You do. Alex has the best mom I've ever met," he compliments her.

Diane smiles at Charles' praise towards her. "Thank you." Her tone turns dark again. "I wanted to fucking kill myself," she hisses. "I probably attempted to a few times, but I can't recall what I did...probably something to do with sharp knives. I'm glad I never succeeded, or I wouldn't have you or Alex...but Mitch wouldn't have died."

"He didn't die _because_ of you. He _wanted_ to protect you, and something he had no control over, took his life. Do you know that I bless him every night? I say a silent prayer up to the heavens and thank him for saving you." He brushes her stray tears away and trails his knuckles down her unscathed cheek while pecking the other one directly on the spot where it's bruised and tender. "You mean so much to me, and if anything else happened to you, it'd be like I got stabbed. I felt sick at what you'd endured, my love, but what matters most is that you survived." She nods against him.

Her body and heart had endured so much pain that it's a miracle she'd never actually committed suicide. They're quiet as they cuddle, and then Diane curls up into his side so they fit like two pieces of a puzzle. They soon drift off to dreamland.

The next morning, Diane rolls over in bed, thinking of how wonderful her life is now, compared to when she was growing up. It's just a typical Saturday morning, like any other, but last night, she'd spilled just about her entire soul out to Charles. Showing her fragile damsel in distress side to others isn't her favorite thing to do, but she wanted to open up to the man she thought so highly of. She felt like she needed to, because she's testing if he can accept all parts of her, including her bleak past.

"Charlie?" she mumbles, half asleep. She's not quite sure if he's actually laying there next to her, stretching and yawning. She really hopes he isn't a mirage. She rubs her eyes to dispel any illusions, but he doesn't disappear. He never had, and with that thought in her head, she smiles.

"I'm still here, princess," he responds and ghosts his fingertips down the side of her face while kissing her slightly open mouth. "You sleep good, Di?"

"Mm-hm," she answers while nodding. "Did you?"

"Like a baby!"

"See, I don't get that phrase. They don't sleep well...they keep you up all night with their wailin' and fussin'. Trust me, I had experience with Alex! Kid was a handful, but of course, I loved her."

He chuckles. "I believe you."

Diane sighs heavily. "I'm still so exhausted."

"Say no more. I'll make you some breakfast in bed. Why don't you get more sleep, honey? It'll be about another hour."

"Okay," she murmurs while closing her eyes again and curling up on her side in the fetal position.

Charles gently nudges her awake a bit later and helps her sit up against the bedframe after she gets all of the sleep out of her eyes. On the nightstand, is a plate of chocolate chip banana blueberry pancakes, drizzled with syrup and topped with strawberries and whipped cream, and a glass of orange peach mango juice on a tray. A fork on top of a napkin is beside it.

"Oh shit, you're really spoiling me!" she notices aloud joyfully. "How romantic!"

"You deserve only the best, cutie pie." He gives it to her so she puts it on her lap.

"Thank you," she breathes out and then giggles at the new nickname he'd given her. After feeding her the chocolatey-fruity goodness, they make out a few times. "Mmm, this is good!"

"Made it out of love." He gazes into her eyes and she feels her heart skip a beat and then expand.

"Makes it even better."

Diane hears Alex come inside the apartment, and the moment is paused. "Hey, good morning! Something smells great!" Alex calls out. She walks through the open door of the bedroom that Diane and Charles are currently sharing. "Oh, breakfast in bed? Nice!"

"I'll make you some, too," Charles offers.

"It's okay. I'll do it myself!" Alex goes to Diane and kisses her temple while giving her a sweet hug. Diane beams and winds her arms around her daughter.

* * *

"Okay, missy, spill it," Diane tells Alex on the way to yoga.

"What?" Alex's mind flashes back to her time with Michelle and she blushes.

"That!" Diane pokes Alex's dimple. "The reason you're smiling real big and flushin' tomato red!"

"Michelle and I just had a great night, that's all!" Alex insists, but she can't resist giggling. "Why are you so nosy?" she asks jokingly.

"I didn't mean to come off as that, but...you know, I want you to feel comfortable talking to me about anything. I won't judge you or nothin', I'll listen, because you're my kid, and I adore you." Diane puts her arm around Alex. "You don't gotta be shy around me, I promise."

"Okay, fine. We had sex...me and Michelle," Alex confesses. "Don't get mad."

"Aw, _sweetie_! I'm not...in fact, I'm happy for you both. Making love is excellent, when it's with the right person...and you give each other consent...and I know neither of you will have to worry about getting pregnant! Unless...there were no sperm banks involved, right?"

"No! That's gross," Alex replies through a laugh.

"Good. Hey...going to home base is just another step in your relationship."

"You really _are_ the best mom in the world. I can't think of anyone better."

"Thank you, my baby. You know I'll never hurt you, right?"

"Yeah, duh! I'm a good kid."

"Even if you were being a brat, I wouldn't hit you or shun you...we would talk it over. Nobody's perfect."

Alex beams at her mother's words, feeling tears come to her eyes at remembering how badly Diane had been treated when she was young. "I know."

* * *

"Oh, thank goodness you're still here!" Lorna cries as soon as she gets to yoga class with Franny and catches sight of Anita. She runs up and hugs the older Italian lady, who returns the gesture.

"Yeah, this Morton's neuroma can't keep me down for long!"

"I thought...I thought you...because your room was empty when I came to visit you a few days back! I freaked out, but a doctor told me you had just been released! You don't know how relieved I am."

"She really looks up to you," Franny adds while smiling. She shakes Anita's hand. "Hi, I'm Lorna's sister, Franny."

"Nice to meet you. Your sister is one of a kind," Anita murmurs to Franny and she pats Lorna's cheek. "I didn't know you still gave a shit about me, kid."

"Of course I do! I mean, you're the only other Italian lady I know, besides my mom, of course. Who could forget you?"

Anita's eyes twinkle as she grins at Lorna. "Please tell me Erica's still teaching. I haven't done yoga with her in forever!"

"She is! She'll be here soon."

"Who's that fine gentleman?" Anita glances toward the door where Leon is holding it open for a beaming Aleida to walk through.

"Sorry, Anita, he's unavailable! He's with my friend Daya's mother," Lorna responds.

"Oh, well. He's still hot," Anita comments and then wolf-whistles.

"Hey, keep your thoughts to yourself, Grandma!" Aleida retorts sharply. "Yeah, I know who you talkin' about. It ain't just you, everybody all over him these days. He's sexy, I get it! Shut the fuck up about it."

Anita rolls her eyes when Aleida rolls out her yoga mat and seats herself in front of them. "I ain't gonna touch him anyway! I'm just admiring his physique. Also, _Grandma_? _Really_? You're gonna be one in eight months!"

"At least I don't _look_ like an abuela. How you know 'bout that anyway?" Aleida sighs exasperatedly. "Whatever, ain't like I care. He don't like the attention, so _por favor_ , back off."

Anita scowls. "Okay."

Lorna presses her lips tightly together to keep from laughing and Franny does the same. "You shouldn't cause drama on your first day back!" she scolds Anita playfully. "You seriously wanna end up back in the hospital?"

"Please, that twig can't fight," Anita mutters while shaking her head. "One punch in self-defense, and she'd be down."

Aleida twists around to face Anita and glares at her. "I heard that!"

"You know, I was here first, honey."

"Oh, don't you _dare_ start with me! You _really_ don't wanna see my bitch side!"

"Ladies, this is a calm atmosphere, so you two need to cool it!" Ms. Jones interrupts their brewing fight. "I can't allow conflict in here!"

Aleida points to Anita. "Yo, she started it by makin' googly eyes at my man!"

Anita sighs. "Sorry, Erica." She stands up and embraces the tall blonde woman who's her age.

"Hey, I missed you, Anita! I'm glad you're feeling better. You should tell Aleida you're sorry, too."

"Alright." Anita sits back down. "I apologize."

"It's fine," Aleida mutters.

"You know who's more fun to yell at, anyway?" Ms. Jones asks rhetorically. "Judy fuckin' King!" Lorna's mouth pops open in surprise and Aleida bursts out cackling. "Seriously, that bitch is so stuck up with her seltzer maker!"

"Yeah, can't she just drink it from a bottle like everyone else?" Anita mutters. "Dumbass."

Aleida scoffs. "Nah, she too good for that!"

"I don't even know her, and she frustrates me already," Franny grumbles.

"Who are we talking about, because this conversation is delightful!" Alex points out as she joins them while hers and Diane's arms are linked.

"Judy King, the television chef," Lorna answers.

"Oh, her." Diane groans. "She did that racist puppet show with Chitlin' Joe. My...my parents would always watch that, and uh, show it to me for 'educational purposes'. They got a kick out of it, but I was never a moron in the eighties. I didn't believe in stereotypes. I guess that was Judy's problem back then, though...and theirs!"

"My ma's boyfriend, now husband, loved that segment," Aleida mumbles quietly, and the amusement is gone from hers and Diane's voices. They share a troubled glance and Diane gives Aleida's hand a squeeze. "Judy King was his celebrity crush."

"I'm sorry if I said something," Lorna tells them.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Diane mumbles. "You had no idea. Nobody did..."

Lorna glances curiously at Alex, who lifts her shoulders up and down while shaking her head.

"Yo, can we get on with the class?" Aleida asks Ms. Jones impatiently. "We're all ready. Let's do some yoga."

Ms. Jones nods at her. "Alright."

 _Thank you_ , Diane mouths at Aleida, and the Puerto Rican woman nods in response while displaying a tiny smile. Lorna can read lips since she's practiced from when she used to watch Christopher's every move. She can tell that Diane has a secret that's too sad to talk about, so she won't ask her or Alex for details, in order to respect their privacy. She assumes that Diane's childhood wasn't very pleasant.

Afterwards, Lorna sees Alex and Diane wrap their arms around each other tightly. "Oh, my little girl," Lorna can hear Diane telling Alex. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Alex replies, and Lorna beams at their cute interaction.

* * *

"Ay dios mío, tonight's gonna be huge!" Flaca points out excitedly. "Daya, you're going out with Adarsh, and Gloria and Fahri are gonna dance together for the first time ever!"

Daya, Maritza, Lorna, Nicky, Blanca, Ouija, Pidge, Alana, Poussey, and Allison smile at what she's just said, but Taystee frowns when she hears the news of Vee's fiancé going out with Gloria once again. It figures, since she's part of Vee's family. Daya just wishes that Taystee could figure out that Vee is a piece of manipulative trash. Red and the girls are at Friendly's. Tricia is with Mercy, and Michelle and Alex are ready to take orders. They keep beaming at each other like they're sharing a juicy secret. Daya reminds herself to ask them about it later. The men are at work, so Diablo and Adarsh are there to make sure nothing goes wrong, because even though the biggest snakes are in the hospital or kidnapped, in Stratman's case, there are still the high school bullies running around and causing all kinds of trouble. The girls are furthest away from the entrance, but the guys are the closest to it.

Since Diane is on a break from her afternoon shift, Red is currently showing her unsettling pictures of Piscatella posing with his weird collections at some Dutchess County Fair he'd participated in. The women are giggling at the three called _Under the Sea_ , _ArabianFantasy_ , and _Christmas in Vienna_. It helps everyone not be so terrified of him and a coping mechanism is making fun of him instead. Apparently, two of Red's friends, Anita and a lady she calls Gerrman, had come to her apartment and told her about the photos they'd found online, but Red had seen them previously, since she and Shelly Ginsberg snooped through Piscatella's desk immediately after he was fired. Red was the one to post them on the Internet, and the girls and Diane are proud of her for being so courageous. They also find the images to be hilarious.

"Yeah, I'm hella pumped!" Daya exclaims. "Also, my mom is spending time with my little sister and her friend today for a few hours. I'm real happy for Christina. I never thought she'd do that in a million years, but nowadays, nothin' surprises me. She totally did a one-eighty, and I'm on top of the world."

"I bet!" Maritza squeals. "I'm glad I feel okay coming back here...I suppose 'cause it's during the day and a whole bunch of you were chillin'. I didn't wanna miss out."

"Aw, okay, kid. Well, it's great you could join us!" Nicky tells her and then puts her arm around Lorna. Maritza nods while grinning.

"Yeah," Lorna agrees.

The girls then fill Ouija, Pidge, and Alana in on the whole plan of them hooking up Gloria and Fahri, and as expected, Alana is in love with the idea. "I hope they find romance with each other soon!" she gushes.

"No offense, but we never thought she was all that great," Ouija whispers, gesturing to herself and Pidge.

"Mm-hm, or any adults, really," Pidge adds. "Diane's cool, but Gloria seems hella strict, like a stick's up her ass."

"That's 'cause you dumbasses are always bein' rude to her!" Michelle states as she and Alex take their places next to Blanca.

"You just gotta learn how to get along with her, yo. She don't take shit from nobody, so don't give her any," Poussey suggests.

"Everyone else got mad respect for her," Taystee continues. She points to Pidge and Ouija. "You hos are weird."

"She's cool once you get to know her," Alex chimes in. "So is Fahri. We just thought they'd make a good match eventually."

"Well, it won't be 'til she's ready, 'cause she wants to wade in shallow water first, if you get what I mean," Blanca adds.

Allison, Taystee, Poussey, Ouija, Pidge, Michelle, and Alana share a confused glance. "I don't mean to be nosy, but what exactly happened with her exes? Seems like she's had a string of...bad relationships. My uncle actually said her last one was toxic, and then she told me they didn't care about her kids. Y'all don't have to share if you don't wanna. I was just kinda curious and concerned for her safety, since she said she basically learned the hard way to not get close to someone who doesn't really like her little ones that much...was _hit_ with it. She used the word _smacked_." Daya's insides freeze at Allison's words and she tries to appear calm. She notices that the rest of her friends who know the real story, are busying themselves with their meals and drinks.

"That's just a phrase people say," Lorna replies quickly and keeps her eyes trained on her chocolate milkshake as she stirs her straw through it. "Ain't nothin' more to it than that."

"Gloria's been hurt before," Alana guesses quietly while leaning in closer to the group. "I'd seen the bruises on her, clear as day. I thought it was from the awful people who used to terrorize our school, but I've just remembered...the first day of school, she came in with a fading black eye. I know what those look like...I've gotten a bunch from my clumsiness."

"She was in a car accident," Alex lies, taking a small bite of her cheeseburger with tomato inside.

Nicky drums her fingers on the back of Lorna's chair. "It was fuckin' horrible."

"Nah...I saw that, too," Michelle tells them in a hushed tone as she pulls out small strands of her hair from her beanie so they drape around her face. "Also, one of Cesar's cronies mentioned she had a boyfriend who been locked up. Her injuries were from a person... _him_."

"I ain't never thought of it before...but now that you're bringing it to our attention..." Taystee doesn't finish. She digs into her fries instead and points them at the girls with a serious expression on her face.

"Glo was limpin' slightly back then, too...it reminded me of when Suzanne kicked me a dozen times. Y'know, from someone's abuse. I never realized that 'til now," Poussey mentions gravely while fiddling with her black spiked bracelet.

"Me neither. Shit," Pidge mutters and pounds the table lightly. "Now I feel bad for talkin' trash about her!"

"Same," Ouija mumbles while fixing her hair into a half pony. "She had her reasons for bein' a bitch. I'd be mad at everybody, too."

Allison looks around at the others for confirmation. They're completely silent and still, like deer caught in headlights. Daya wants to deny it, but the words are stuck in her throat. "Oh my god. I...I wish I was wrong. I'm so sorry. That poor woman...and her children. Jesus." Allison puts her hand on her heart and closes her eyes, looking pained.

" _Please_ don't tell your uncle," Daya begs her. "Let her reveal it to him when she wants to."

"Of course, I would never say anything about it." Allison pats Daya's hand reassuringly, and Daya grins softly at this. "I promise. It's not my story to disclose."

"Thank you," Daya mumbles gratefully.

"I hope he been sodomized," Poussey mutters.

"Either that or dead," Taystee chimes in.

"He better be both," Flaca and Maritza say at the same time and then hi-five each other.

"So she and her sons are living at your mom's for protection," Ouija realizes aloud, cupping one side of her mouth with one hand to muffle her speech, and Daya nods. "Good thing Leon's there, too." It's the first time she doesn't sound giggly when she mentions him.

"Yep," Pidge agrees.

"Wow," Alana exhales out. "Holy freakin' crap." She chews her bottom lip.

"It's just shocking," Michelle comments and then bites her thumbnail. "She such a badass."

"That's why she had the courage to run," Nicky murmurs.

All of a sudden, the door booms open and everyone jumps and immediately stop what they'd been doing previously. The boys get to their feet right away.

"Someone better hide me-" a shirtless, red-faced Stratman begins, but Diablo punches him on sight, smashing his fist straight into the former corrupt teacher's mouth.

"Don't mess with my girl, you punk!" he shouts, and both he and Adarsh force him out. Blanca just gazes after her boyfriend in amazement. She laughs while she rests her cheek in the palm of her hand, and then runs up to him. He sweeps her into his loving arms and spins her around, just as Daya imagines the men will do with their respective women tonight-and she hopes Adarsh is that romantic with her sooner or later.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, Johanna_002, MinervaSnape394, and A Star In My Universe! Three hundred reviews, I just can't believe it! It's such an honor that you guys love my story so much! Bless y'all!**


	52. Trying to Move On

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Warning: thoughts about an abusive past and threats to murder someone and commit suicide.**

From the moment Lindsay's mommy had dropped her off at Christina's apartment, the two girls hadn't stopped having fun. They'd squealed and giggled at random things, had a glitter fight in the bathtub since that would be easier to clean, Aleida had said, painted pictures of sunsets or clear blue skies, bright yellow suns, green grass, and different colored flowers, played Barbies, and then house, where they took turns to be the mommy or the baby, pretended to ride their scooters to Disneyland, Los Angeles, and the moon, and had a little fashion show with some of Aleida's old shirts, hats, and sunglasses. They'd tried to wear her heels, but she'd told them it was too dangerous and they could fall. They're in Christina's bedroom, playing with Christina's makeup, when Aleida calls them for lunch. Immediately, they come running.

Christina gasps excitedly when her mommy sets out a heart-shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwich on each of their plates. "Yay, white bread!" she exclaims while the girls bite into their food.

"Yaaaay!" Lindsay echoes her. "Ms. Diaz, can you do my nails after dessert? Pretty please, with whipped cream and sprinkles on top?"

"Sure!"

Lindsay beams. "This is yummy!"

"I'm glad you like it, honey," Aleida responds while smiling back at her.

A while later, Christina and Lindsay are playing with their Barbie dolls again. "My Barbie is sad," Christina mumbles.

"Why?"

"Ken's a piece of shit!"

Lindsay forms her mouth into an O shape. "You said a bad word!"

"So? Mommy don't care. She just wants me to be nice to people, and I am."

"Oh, okay. Well...Skipper can help Barbie feel better." Lindsay makes the African American doll go over to Barbie and hug her. Christina puts her doll's arms around Lindsay's doll. "It'll be okay, Barbie. I'll help you find someone else better! Also, we can go to the movies!"

Christina pretends to sniffle. "Thanks, you're a nice friend. I love you!"

"I love you, too."

"Can Stacey and Kelly come with us? I don't have a babysitter for them."

"Okay!"

They stuff as many dolls as they can into the pink motor home and drive it around the room a few times. "Yay, we're here!" Christina says cheerfully.

"Yay!"

Christina and Lindsay smile at each other while giggling. They brush their dolls' hair and change their outfits until they find ones they like. The clothes mostly consist of pink and purple dresses.

"Let's decorate cookies I baked with my mommy in my Easy Bake Oven!"

"Yummy!" Lindsay comments, and they run to the kitchen. Aleida helps them pull out sugar cookies from the small pink oven, and the little girls spread pink frosting over them, and then top them with rainbow sprinkles and peanut butter M&Ms. They have their cookies with Oreo ice cream and it's very delicious, indeed.

Then, Aleida carefully dots Lindsay's tiny nails with light purple polish, as Christina's friend has requested.

"Oooh, pretty!" Christina and Lindsay squeal at the same time, and Aleida grins.

"Gracias," Lindsay says politely.

"De nada," Aleida replies in a sweet voice. "Now, please remember not to touch it for fifteen minutes, or when I say so, because it's wet. Keep your hands still," Aleida instructs her. "You can blow on them if you want."

"Okay!" Lindsay answers cheerfully.

"Good job, Mommy!" Christina exclaims, jumping up and down.

"Thanks, nena!"

"Now we have Barbie colors!" Christina points out happily while showing her friend her bright pink manicure.

"Hip, hip...hooray!" Lindsay cheers and they giggle. "My nails are pretty!" Aleida beams at them and exchanges a hug with Christina.

* * *

"So, basically, don't trust any men named Arturo," Daya informs the girls while Blanca and Diablo are making out in a corner of the restaurant and Lorna is fawning over them instead of paying attention to the issue at hand. Allison had to go home to take care of Farah since Hassan had to visit his father for some guy time, and they're visiting Mr. Abdullah's work site, which isn't safe for babies and children. Daya thinks it's too personal to share with Adarsh, so she doesn't involve him. She shows the rest of them a picture of Arturo's mugshot. Most of her friends had seen him before, but she wants to refresh their memories.

"That was Vee's boo before Fahri...I'm glad she dumped him!" Taystee exclaims.

"Ugh, that bitch don't need much protection, if you ask me," Poussey mutters.

Alana shivers involuntarily. "Eeew, he's so creepy!"

"He gotta be strung up by his nuts," Ouija grumbles.

"Yeah, and I wanna dig his eyeballs out and feed 'em to him!" Pidge chimes in.

"He looks like a pedophile," Michelle adds.

Daya inspects the photo closer. "Oh yeah...he does."

"Gross," Flaca and Maritza say in unison.

"That fucking disgusting mongrel," Alex hisses.

"I wanna punch him through the paper," Nicky comments, and everyone nods in agreement.

After the mood in Friendly's had changed from somber to sweet, the girls invite the boys to sit with them. Diablo has his arm around Blanca, while Daya rests her elbow on Adarsh's shoulder. They settle into easy conversation about school, work, and their families.

* * *

When Diane gets off work, Daya goes up to her. "Hey...I'm sorry to bother you, Diane, I know you're wanting to start getting ready for your date tonight. See, I'm going on one too, with Adarsh." The girl twiddles her thumbs and then laces her fingers behind her back.

Diane beams at this. "I know, Aleida told me. That's great, honey." She squeezes Daya's shoulder fondly.

"I came to you because we're in the same situation with some douchebag leaving us after getting us pregnant, and you give me such helpful advice. I just gotta ask...how did you and Charles fall in love so quickly? Like, when exactly did you meet?"

"The afternoon of Maria's party...so, maybe a month ago? He asked for mini cheeseburgers here and offered me one. We hit it off right away," she remembers aloud and grins to herself. "When he showed up for a late dinner and dessert and comforted me through a breakdown, I was shocked, to be quite honest. I don't recall exactly when we started really liking each other...it could've been during our first date at the Williamsburg Waterfront and dancing and I wanted to wear a cute outfit, not just any old thing...or when he offered me and Alex his apartment to live with him in, instead of allowing us to go homeless...or when he got me flowers when we were just friends before the triple date. Maybe then, because he started holding my hand that night...and I thought to myself, how the fuck is he still here? Why, after I'd told him about all my struggles...but none of it was a burden to him."

"Oh, that's so swoon-worthy," Daya gushes. "When do you think the same thing would happen with me and Adarsh? I wanna be with him, but I don't know when he'll decide to leave, and I can't deal with it again! We've been homies since October fourth. So...November fourth?"

"I have no way of knowing an exact date...I'm sorry. What I would do, is just open up to him. See how he takes it. Cry in front of him or let him offer to help you...and don't be afraid to ask for it, too. You could even try to seduce him if you're both drunk. If he doesn't pounce and he's cool with waiting, he's a good guy." The memory of Diane flirting with Charles and making a fake attempt to get him to make love to her right after their triple date at La Fontana's, is still fresh in her mind. "Have you ever gone to each other's houses?"

Daya nods her head yes. "He comes over to help Leon with the pool and play structure for the kids, and he comes in to talk to me if it ain't too late at night. I never been to his place, but maybe he's shy to invite me. I'll try suggesting I go over there. I should meet his dad and all...I'll meet his mom tonight when she picks us up to go hiking. Our first official hangout was at Dave and Busters, and two of my old friends bothered me a bit, so he stuck up for me! Every time he speaks to me, he's such a gentleman. Adarsh gives me the sweetest hugs and I kinda feel like I'm at home in his embrace. He accepts that he's friends with a teen mom."

"Aw, that's cute. I think you and him would make a nice couple," Diane comments while beaming at Daya's current happiness. "I've seen you together around school...and sometimes, I forget that you ain't romantically involved with each other. He kinda reminds me of Fahri at fifteen."

"Well, now I know that both me and Gloria are in good hands!" Daya says positively. "Thank you for taking the time to talk about this with me."

"No problem!" Diane wraps her arms around her daughter's friend, and Daya returns the gesture.

* * *

Everyone is getting ready for their dates. Daya is attempting to find the perfect outfit and she'd tried on about five skirts and tops that went with a pair of nude leggings and brown boots when Aleida walks in her room.

"Does this look good on me?" Daya asks her mother, posing in a sparkly red top and flowy black skirt.

"Thought you didn't like him that way and it wasn't a date," Aleida smirks.

Daya rolls her eyes. "Shut up!"

"Fine, it looks appropriate. He'll love it on you."

"Thanks for your opinion."

Daya spins around in her mirror, and she has to admit it _does_ look really good on her. She fixes her hair so it's curly and down to the middle of her back. Then, she puts on a long necklace, hoop earrings, and a bracelet. Aleida had curled her hair as well and put on a tight red dress with spaghetti straps and black high heels. She's wearing a chunky necklace, bangles, and gold hoops to match the gold chain stretching across her midsection. The mother and daughter help each other with their makeup and nails, and then, they're both good to go.

* * *

After picking out a nice dress from her closet with Aleida and Daya's help, Gloria takes a quick shower, as Daya, Aleida, and Leon had to do. Nobody wants to run out of hot water. She's less nervous this time about going out with Fahri, since they've spent so much time together over the past couple of weeks. She'd eased her children into being okay with her chilling with Fahri, since she'd explained that it would be just like last time, with all of her friends, and she wouldn't be alone. Gloria had also mentioned that he doesn't do anything bad to her and he loves kids. Also, she purposefully had pointed out, to her sons, his interactions with Farah before taking her into their preschool. She'd spied on him in the parking lot from her car window, since she'd wanted to see his behavior with his great-niece when he was alone with the little girl. He'd taken her out of her carseat, bounced her in his arms to make her giggle, and kissed her temple and then her cheek. Nobody had been around, so it's not like he was faking anything. Gloria had smiled to herself since she'd never seen a man be that sweet and genuine with a child in private, not rush her into anything, and make her give him foot jobs, all at the same time. She'd then taken Benny and Christina to Dylan's house and the rest of the tiny tots to Allison's. She likes Allison and she had enjoyed their heart-to-heart. It was the first time she'd ever spoken to the girl and she didn't even care that she probably gave her a hint to her past, because Allison seemed trustworthy. She has an urge now to tell Allison all about it, even _his_ name, so she can be careful just in case _he's_ to escape.

She washes her face and then scrubs her body clean. Then, she takes a razor to her legs and armpits and shampoos and conditions her hair. Lastly, she lets all the soap run off her and closes her eyes, sighing in contentment at the warm water dripping on her skin, giving off a steamy mist. When she's finished, she gets out, dries herself with a towel, curls her hair with her fingers a few times so it can stay that way for the whole night, and lathers her face and body with sweet smelling lotion so her skin can be soft and smooth and lavender scented. As soon as she gets any remaining water out of her ears with Kleenex and Q-tips, she plucks the dress off the hanger on the door, and slips into it. Her dress shows her figure off a little more than the last one did- it has short sleeves instead of long ones, it's tight over her bottom, and it's gray with pink flowers. It doesn't show even a little bit of her cleavage, though, because she still isn't comfortable with another man seeing that part of her. Plus, she doesn't want her scars from Arturo or Dixon to show, and she covers the ones on her throat with a chunky gold necklace. The faint marks on her arms don't worry her, because the lighting is dim in the club and Fahri will barely notice since he'll just be focused on dancing with her and she'll do her best to impress him because she'd always been expected to entice Arturo before, for two long, dangerous months. Gloria makes sure her dress flows out from her hips when she twirls, and it does, so she's happy. She slides on nude stockings and the injuries that won't go away, are now barely noticeable. She takes them off since she wants to wear heels with every fiber of her being, mostly because Diane and Aleida are going to, and she would rather not be the odd one out. Gloria had always been forced to wear extremely high heels, but this time, it's different, because _he_ isn't here. She's doing it purely by choice, and she'll be damned if she doesn't fit in or allow herself to do whatever she pleases. Gloria doesn't need a man telling her what to do, or anyone, really. It's _her_ decision, and that fact alone makes her smile at her reflection. Her heels aren't too high, either, maybe two inches. She hasn't measured, but she can balance in them and they're comfortable on her feet, which is a good sign.

She'd break her ankle in her five inch stilettos if _he_ had told her to hurry with his meal and bring it to him, or take care of her kids if they cried, because he hated hearing them wail for any reason whatsoever. He'd do countdowns and if she couldn't quiet them down when he reached zero, he would choke her and handcuff her to their bed and burn various parts of her body with cigarette butts that were still a bit hot, or make tiny cuts on her with a kitchen knife and stuff her mouth with a dirty sock and cover it with silver duct tape until she passed out. When she came to, he would release her and apologize and beg her to forgive him. At first, she tried not to take him back. She really did, but he promised he would get help and work on not hurting her. The next time, he'd watched after her children to make up for his behavior and got her flowers and made her have a pleasure-filled orgasm. He'd done so good, that she forgot he was a monster, and the horrible cycle continued. She couldn't run in heels and comfort her sons in the time he allowed, even though she'd done her best. She would always trip. _That part of my life is over_ , Gloria has to keep reminding herself. She leans against the sink and grips the edge, and it steadies her. He used to sneak up behind her while she was gazing in the mirror and scare her half to death, but nobody does that here. They love her and respect her and she has privacy.

With that thought in mind, she grins again and applies her eye makeup, blush, and lipstick. Gloria makes her lashes long with mascara, her eyelids shimmery, and her eyeliner is sharp. She smacks her red lips a few times while putting on her simple gold hoop earrings and arranging her hair around her face. She's positive she looks perfect when she leaves the bathroom, and she can't help but wonder what Fahri will think of her appearance. It kind of excited Gloria when his niece had mentioned that he seemed to bring her up a lot in conversations. Fahri had actually let Gloria control his music, which surprised her. He hadn't demanded or even asked anything from her in return. He'd treated her like a friend and he's patient and kind and although she doesn't fully trust that he'll keep his niceness towards her up, she hopes he does. Gloria spritzes a rose perfume around the room and walks through the floral mist.

"Wow! Glo, you're such a doll," Aleida compliments her. "Seriously...you're beautiful!"

"Thanks, Lei! You are, too...red dress with that low V-neck is like, totally hot...and real pretty! So's that blue eyeshadow and hella red lips."

Aleida smirks. "That's what I was goin' for. Thanks, girl."

"You're welcome!"

"Lemme do your nails!" Aleida offers. "You want acrylics?"

"Si, por favor!"

It takes an hour for them to dry and during that time, Gloria watches a telenovela, reads a magazine, and Aleida gives her a dark pink pedicure. Then, it's time for Daya to go on her hiking date with Adarsh, and she hugs her mother, Leon, and Gloria goodbye and kisses the women on their cheeks.

"Have fun!" she calls out.

"You, too!" Aleida replies.

* * *

Adarsh links arms with Daya and helps her into his mom's car. "Hey, Mom," Adarsh greets her as they climb in. He looks so nice in his red suit, black jacket, dark blue jeans, and black boots. He'd styled his hair so neatly and Daya imagines how it would feel to run her hands through it. She doesn't want to compliment him and sound flirty in front of his mother.

A dark-skinned bejeweled woman with a bindi on the middle of her forehead, a dark purple hijab, and a matching dress, turns in her seat. "Well, hello, Adarsh! Who's this beautiful girl?" she asks with a thick Indian accent, and Daya blushes.

"This is Daya, we're going out tonight," he replies.

"Hello, Daya, my name is Nainika, it's a pleasure to meet you," she says, extending her hand to Daya, and Daya shakes it.

"Nice to meet you, too."

"We're going to work up an appetite by hiking first and then dinner at Lorenzo's," Adarsh informs his mother as she starts up her vehicle. His voice is so alluring that it makes Daya forget what she was about to say. It does wonders to her body. "Daya, is that okay with you? I picked that since you told me you'd always wanted to go there."

"Oh! Oh, yeah, that's fine," Daya responds, trying to hide her blush. "I love Italian food, it's delicious! My ex wanted to take me to that restaurant, but you're a much better dude than him." She wonders what she could afford to eat at this place, though. She didn't bring much with her since she'd expected they'd eat some fast food. Adarsh had said he was going to surprise her, but she didn't exactly know what it would be. She's lucky she picked out her cutest skirt and her boots can pass as adorable, but still be functional. Next time they go somewhere fancy, though, and she knows about it, she'll wear a sexy dress.

"Are you sure you'd like to eat there? I don't care, it's your pick."

"Yep, I've raised you right, son," Nainika tells him proudly, making him blush.

"Adarsh, there's no problem with you being a perfect gentleman!" Daya points out.

"I know."

"I just have one little issue with Lorenzo's," she admits. "It's expensive..."

Adarsh pats Daya's hand and she gets warm and tingly all over. "I'm paying, so don't worry about the cost."

She stares at him in disbelief. "Really?"

"Of course! I made a reservation for us two."

"Holy shit," Daya mumbles to herself when she sees the fancy restaurant come into view. It looks and sounds incredibly romantic. "I'm seriously gonna dine here."

"All right, kids. Here it is. Have fun, I'll meet you guys in this location at around eleven," Nainika said, waving at them as they get out of the car.

"Your mom's nice," Daya tells Adarsh, and he nods.

"So is yours."

"Thanks."

* * *

Just after Daya leaves, Diane beeps the horn twice from her army green car as she pulls up to the curb. Charles is next to her, in the passenger's seat. "You bitches ready to roll?" she hollers out the window.

"Yes, girl!" Aleida shouts back excitedly.

"Whoohoo!" Gloria cheers, and Diane steps out of her vehicle as the ladies walk up to her with Leon behind them. She hugs them and stands back while looking them up and down.

"Wow, you gals are so gorgeous!" she compliments Gloria and Aleida.

"Thank you!" they answer her in unison.

"Diane, you're a babe!" Aleida squeals. "Like, _damn_!"

"Yeah, _whoa_!" Gloria agrees. "It ain't like we didn't notice you were hot before, though."

Diane has on a royal blue dress with lacy cap sleeves and a plunging neckline, showing ample cleavage. Her heels aren't too high, either, and she's wearing silver dangling earrings that sparkle in the setting sun. Her hair tumbles down her back and over her shoulders in loose curls like Aleida's. "Thanks!" Gloria, Aleida, and Leon help themselves into the backseat, and Aleida is in the middle of Gloria and Leon.

"You're real handsome," Aleida murmurs to Leon, and he sends her a grin.

"Thanks, baby. You look hella wonderful."

"Thank you!"

"So, Diane...why the honking?" Gloria wants to know.

"I used to do that when Alex was in fifth grade, but I stopped since she asked me to. It brought back memories...plus, I needed a way to get your attention without going all the way to your door."

"Lazy ass," Aleida says jokingly, and Gloria chuckles while rolling her eyes. Diane doesn't seem to mind. She does, however, playfully give Aleida the finger before starting up her car.

"You didn't have to go out of your way to come get us, Di...I would've been okay with Fahri doing it. He's seen where I live, since he dropped me off last night!" Gloria points out.

"I know, but before, when I was so busy with my four jobs and trying to keep my head above water, getting to take the time to take Alex and you guys out is a novelty!" Diane lets her know, and Gloria immediately understands where she's coming from.

"Ah, okay! I totally get that, since I wasn't allowed to own a car during the time I was with... _him_." Gloria can't say Arturo's name without feeling sick. "He made me sell mine and shredded my license, so I had to get a new one. It was two months out of thirty whole years, but...the relief I felt when I could finally get behind the wheel again was huge. It's like...he took away my freedom, and I haven't taken driving for granted since." Aleida gives her hand a supportive squeeze and Diane smiles at her sadly through the rearview mirror, as do Charles and Leon. "He said it was a privilege, and I lost the right when I took my little ones to the park. I'm so glad it's over now."

"Me too," everyone murmurs at the same time.

Diane brings them to Fahri's apartment, where Fahri's driver is waiting for them by his limousine and Fahri is on the other side of the vehicle. Gloria is still in awe of it. Diane parks her car behind the limo and everyone gets out. She and Aleida greet Fahri with one-armed hugs, and the men bump fists with him. Gloria is shy to really touch him, so she just waves, they share a verbal exchange, and he lets her in through the doors first.

"I...I like your outfit," she tells him cautiously after the others have filed in.

"Thanks, Gloria." She's lost in his eyes and she loves how he says her name. His manner of speaking is so polite. "Yours is quite nice, too!" Fahri grins at her and his teeth are blinding. He's freshly shaved and he looks sharp, with his neat black slacks, white suit, black jacket, matching tie, and dress shoes. His buzzcut makes him appear to be even more polished. She inhales his cologne. He smells so good and he carries himself with a certain strength and confidence that Gloria admires. It's paired with protectiveness and a gentle soul. He's not afraid to show his love for those he cares about deeply, and suddenly, Gloria feels a twinge of jealousy that Diane has known him for Alex's entire life. She wonders why Diane was never tempted to jump his bones after he got to be drinking age, at least. She'd kill to have a man who was always there for her and her babies, even if he was just her friend.

Gloria presses her lips together, but she can't hide her smile. She attempts not to blush as she keeps her eyes on him and she crosses her legs at the ankles. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"So, everyone knows why I chose the Monte Carlo Room," Diane announces proudly. She beams at Charles and scoots closer to him and it's one of the cutest things ever. He holds her in place.

"Yeah, you won't shut up about how you two lovebirds had your first steamy kiss there!" Aleida exclaims while gesturing between Diane and Charles.

"We never told y'all about our song during the moment, though," Charles lets her know. "Wasn't it by Sheryl Crow?"

Diane hits his shoulder playfully with the back of her hand. "I know guys have a hard time remembering shit like this, but I remind you all the time! It was _The First Cut is the Deepest_."

"That's what I was thinking, along those lines!" He pecks her cheek adorably and she giggles. They're causing Gloria to swoon with all the passion that is emanating from them.

"Awww, that one is hella sweet!" Aleida gushes while placing her hand on her heart.

"Mm-hm, it describes you with him perfectly!" Gloria points out while patting Diane's knee, and the brunette smiles even wider than she had been before.

"We were dancing to _Pretty Young Thing_ by Michael Jackson that night, too. Then, we got drinks...you know, white wine for me and beer for him, and that song by Sheryl came on and he just _had_ to kiss me," Diane reports cheerfully.

"I asked her if it was okay, of course," Charles adds. "She said yes."

" _Fuck yes._ I whispered that," Diane murmurs.

"I know, baby."

"He gave me a hickey, too," Diane admits, and the women chuckle. Leon and Fahri give him two thumbs up, and everyone bursts into laughter. She moves her hair to show them her love bite. "It's mostly gone away, but...the man can suck."

"Damn!" Gloria exclaims while fanning herself.

"Owwww!" Aleida chimes in while giggling.

"You two are like teenagers!" Fahri comments and Gloria snickers at this.

Leon puts his arm around Aleida and they touch lips a few times. "We are too, man."

"Ain't nothin' wrong with that," Aleida murmurs.

Diane points at her. "True!"

Gloria sincerely hopes the couples will feel that way about each other forever-purely, blissfully, and wholly in love, since she's never had the experience. She wants that for her best friends, at least, if it won't ever come true for herself.

They exchange mischievous glances, and Aleida and Charles start making out with their partners in front of Gloria and Fahri. It makes sense, since they were the ones to instigate the relationships, and therefore, might be more into public displays of affection. Gloria is dying from their cuteness, but she still wants to tease them. Fahri appears to be awkward and he shakes his head while smiling at her. "Get a room on the count of three?" she asks him discreetly.

He nods in agreement. "One...two...three..."

"Get a room!" they holler in unison and all six adults start cracking up.

"Y'all don't gotta get so hot and heavy in our presence," Gloria complains, but she's unable to conceal her grin.

"We were just trying to help y'all get in a romantic mood and flirt," Aleida says innocently and sends a devious smirk in their general direction.

"Yeah, we'd never do it to be rude or inconsiderate," Diane adds.

"Well, good!" Fahri states.

* * *

As Daya and Adarsh trudge up the hill alongside each other, their hands touch slightly, and she feels a spark shoot up her arm. She wonders if she should take his hand, but she decides against it. Tonight is just a friends thing, and she doesn't want to scare him off. Five weeks ago, she hadn't even noticed Adarsh, so he may think she's just pitying him because she used to be popular and he's been an outcast for most of his life. Daya is starting to like him quite a bit. She wonders if they're still just friends or if it's more. His hand brushes against hers again, probably in hopes that she'll get close to him, and in an instant, she puts her hand in his. From all the attention she's given him, he must assume they might get closer. Besides, she doesn't want to lose her balance, and he seems pretty strong.

"So here it is, the city that never sleeps," Adarsh announces, and Daya gazes over the beauty that is the New York City skyline. They're exhausted after their hike and Daya couldn't even talk, she was breathing so hard. She'd never done it before, but it's an amazing experience to finally see the lovely view from the top of a small mountain.

"Whoo!" Daya shrieks almost right away after taking a long swig of water, and her voice carries through the air. She wipes her sweaty forehead and brushes her bangs back from it. "It's so pretty!"

He chuckles. "I know! It's good that you're not scared of heights!"

"Yeah, but I have you to protect me!"

"You sure do! Hey...let's look at all the stars," he suggests, and helps her sit. She leans back on her hands and he pulls her against him so she can look up while laying her head on his chest. She doesn't think of it as flirtatious, since she does this with her friends all the time.

"They're so shiny," she comments.

"See that one?" Adarsh points to a constellation. "That's the Big Dipper."

"Wow," Daya breathes out. "Yo, that one looks like a halo." She points to a design in the sky.

"Made for an angel just like you."

"Thanks," she mumbles and grins up at him.

They just lay there together on the grass until they both need to eat and then get home.

* * *

For the first half hour they're at the Monte Carlo Room, Gloria and Fahri have watched Diane and Charles, and Aleida and Leon dance together to eighties and nineties music, as they'd requested the DJ to host an adults' prom of sorts, since the women never have had a very positively memorable one. The men spin their ladies around in the middle of the floor and dip them to the fast songs and the couples sway from side to side gently during the slow songs. Right now, they're doing the Macarena. Fahri notices a wistful look in Gloria's eyes as she does the hand movements subtly, and he has the urge to ask her if she wants to groove with him and join their friends. He doesn't want to make her feel uncomfortable, though. _It's a Beautiful Life_ by Ace of Base begins playing.

 _You can do what you want just seize the day_  
 _What you're doing tomorrow's gonna come your way_  
 _Don't you ever consider giving up_  
 _You will find, oh oh oh_

 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_  
 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_  
 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_  
 _I just want to be here beside you_  
 _And stay until the break of dawn..._

He clears his throat and she glances over at him. He's so captivated by her beauty and her kind nature, and her dress is awfully cute on her tonight. Her eyes sparkle when the lights hit them. "So, uh...how are Benny and Julio doing these days?"

She grins, and it's such an adorable and innocent one. "They're great! Benny made another friend besides Christina and Michael, and he's at the boy's house as we speak, and Julio is very active...he enjoys playing with all his classmates, especially Farah. He talks to me about all the towers he builds with her and some of the other children in their classroom. I couldn't be prouder of my sons, they listen so well in school and at home, and they're learning a lot!"

"That's excellent. I mean, I'm not shocked, since their mother is equally fantastic."

 _Take a walk in the park when you feel down_  
 _There's so many things there that's gonna lift you up_  
 _See the nature in bloom, a laughing child_  
 _Such a dream, oh oh oh_

 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_  
 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_  
 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_  
 _I just want to be here beside you_  
 _And stay until the break of dawn..._

Gloria raises a skeptic eyebrow at him and her cheeks flush pink. "You really think so? I just...I don't see it sometimes."

"I honestly do. You're such a fantastic mother that you successfully helped my niece through a crisis...and I don't think I've ever seen you two communicate before. She just had an automatic connection with you." He snaps his fingers. "Like that." It warms his heart the way she'd comforted Allison, and when the girl had only positive things to say about Gloria and why they should be together, he wholeheartedly agreed.

"Well, I just saw her run out, crying, and I figured she needed comfort, so I gave her some. How's she holdin' up?"

 _I just want to be here beside you_  
 _And stay until the break of dawn_

 _You're looking for somewhere to belong_  
 _You're standing all alone_  
 _For someone to guide you on your way_  
 _Now and forever..._

"Things worked out between her and Hassan, so she's just fine! Also, thanks to you, she felt a million times better, even before she and Hassan made up."

"I mean like, in general, with Farah and everything."

 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_  
 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_  
 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_  
 _I just want to be here beside you_  
 _And stay until the break of dawn_

 _I just want to be anybody..._

"She's an incredible mother...Farah is in really good hands with her. My sister and her husband, Allison's parents, help her out a lot...even when she says she doesn't need it. She's pretty capable, but she's sixteen. We want her to be a teenager."

"That makes perfect sense. Hey...you rock as Allison's uncle. You seem to care a lot about her."

"Thank you. I do...we've always been close."

Gloria beams. "Aw!"

 _We're living in different ways_

 _It's a beautiful life_

 _I'm gonna take you to a place_

 _I've never been before oh yeah_

 _It's a beautiful life_

 _I'm gonna take you in my arms and fly away_

 _With you tonight_

 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_

 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_

 _It's a beautiful life, oh oh oh oh_

 _I just want to be here beside you_

 _And stay until the break of dawn..._

* * *

When _Girls Just Want To Have Fun_ by Cyndi Lauper comes on, Diane and Aleida run up to Gloria while squealing. "You gotta dance with us to this one, pumpkin!" Aleida tells her excitedly, and they both pull her off the barstool. She giggles as they do so.

"It's our anthem!" Diane exclaims.

"Hell yes!" Gloria shouts. "Whoo!" They take turns spinning her around and the three of them shake their hair from side to side and shake their hips dramatically as they belt out the words.

 _I come home in the morning light_  
 _My mother says when you gonna live your life right_  
 _Oh mother dear we're not the fortunate ones_  
 _And girls they wanna have fun_  
 _Oh girls just want to have fun_

 _The phone rings in the middle of the night_  
 _My father yells what you gonna do with your life_  
 _Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one_  
 _But girls they wanna have fun_  
 _Oh girls just want to have..._

She's nearly moved to tears when Aleida and Diane wrap their arms around her.

"You okay, girl?" Aleida wonders aloud.

"Yeah...it just kinda makes me miss my folks. The song came out when I was nine, and I never knew I only had one more year with them."

"Why does God take the best people and not dispose of the worst?" Diane asks rhetorically while rubbing Gloria's back in soothing circles.

 _That's all they really want_  
 _Some fun_  
 _When the working day is done_  
 _Oh girls, they wanna have fun_  
 _Oh girls just wanna have fun (girls and boys wanna have fun, girls wanna have)_

 _Some boys take a beautiful girl_  
 _And hide her away from the rest of the world_  
 _I want to be the one to walk in the sun_  
 _Oh girls they wanna have fun_  
 _Oh girls just wanna have..._

It's during the song, that Gloria realizes the lyrics really pertain to her. She's having a blast with her girls, but like the singer, she had decent parents who would probably act like Lourdes did when she was a teenager and had extremely late nights and phone calls at inappropriate times, and she had recently been with someone who hid her, or in other words, had taken away her spirit. She would conceal both the marks he made on her, and her true self, so she wouldn't risk being in trouble with him. Now, though, she has the chance to shine, and she couldn't be more than happy.

 _That's all they really want_  
 _Some fun_  
 _When the working day is done_  
 _Oh girls, they wanna have fun_  
 _Oh girls just want to have fun (girls and boys wanna have fun, girls wanna have)_  
 _They just wanna, they just wanna_  
 _They just wanna, they just wanna, oh girl_  
 _Girls they wanna have fun_  
 _They just wanna, they just wanna_  
 _They just wanna, they just wanna, girls_  
 _They just wanna, they just wanna, oh girls_  
 _Girls just want to have fun..._

She goes back to sit with Fahri as _The First Cut is the Deepest_ begins, and the couples slow dance again. Diane and Charles are smiling so much because it's their song. It's about a girl attempting to love another guy after heartbreak, and once again, Gloria finds herself connecting with the artist. She wants to tell Fahri it's okay if they dance together now, but she decides not to, since Diane and Charles are the stars of this thing. Aleida and Leon aren't, really, since they didn't have their first kiss to this particular song, but they're in love and Aleida's first boyfriend never lasted, just like Diane's hadn't, and both women have such great men. The longer Gloria looks at Fahri, the more tempted she feels to take him out on the floor and let him hold hands with her and twirl her and dip her low to the ground. At the same time, though, she's afraid-not of him, but the mere prospect of giving herself to a person who might break her in the end, like what had happened twice before.

 _When I think how life used to be,_

 _Always walking in the shadows._

 _Then I look at what you've given me, I feel like dancing on my tip toes..._

It's only when _Blessed_ by Christina Aguilera plays, that she gathers up the courage to say something. "Hey, Fahri. You wanna go out there?"

"Do you?" he wonders aloud.

"I asked you first!"

Fahri smiles at her. "Okay."

 _I must say everyday I pray_  
 _When realize you're by my side,_  
 _I know I'm truly_

 _Blessed for everything you've given me,_  
 _Blessed for all the tenderness you show,_  
 _Do my best with every breath that's in me,_  
 _Blessed to make sure you never go..._

Gloria jumps off her barstool at the same time he does and walks alongside him to where their friends are moving slowly to the beat. She chuckles nervously as they stand across from each other. "I haven't done this in a while." She takes a deep breath and puts her hands on his upper arms and then his shoulders, and finally, laces her fingers against the nape of his neck and rests her elbows on his shoulders. "Been so close to a man during a slow dance," she clarifies and bites her lip while glancing down at their feet gliding in time with the melody. Gloria is up to Fahri's nose and he puts his hands on her sides, but no higher, nor lower. He has the gentlest of touches, and it makes her heart go wild.

"Is this alright? I want to make sure you're absolutely fine with this."

She nods her head yes. "Mm-hm."

 _There are times that I test your faith, 'til you think you might surrender._  
 _Baby I'm, I'm not ashamed to say, that my hopes will grow in splendor_

 _You walked by in the nick of time_  
 _looking like an answered prayer_  
 _You know I'm truly..._

She's not sure whether to look up at him or rest her cheek against his chest, so she alternates between the two. "Can you spin me?" she asks him timidly. "Sorry...I don't mean to sound desperate, and I ain't tryin' to tell you what to do or nothin'."

"You don't need to apologize, you're just requesting something of me, and I have no problem doing it. Sure thing," Fahri murmurs, shocking her. A pleasant expression crosses his face and he carefully takes one of Gloria's hands in his, interlocking their fingers. He swivels her a few times so that the skirt of her dress swirls and fans around her. She suddenly feels like a princess because he's treating her as such.

 _Blessed for everything you've given me,_  
 _Blessed for all the tenderness you show,_  
 _Do my best with every breath that's in me,_  
 _Blessed to make sure you never go..._

Their dance changes to a faster tempo when _Kiss Me_ by Sixpence None the Richer starts to play.

 _Kiss me out of the bearded barley_  
 _Nightly, beside the green, green grass_  
 _Swing, swing, swing the spinning step_  
 _You'll wear those shoes and I will wear that dress_

 _Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight_  
 _Lead me out on the moonlit floor_  
 _Lift you open hand_  
 _Strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance, silver moon's sparkling_  
 _So kiss me..._

She feels like some magnetic pull is between the two of them as they stare into each other's eyes. Her heart beats so fast, it sounds like it could jump right out of her chest and her insides turn to jelly. Butterflies flutter in her tummy and she grows weak in the knees. _Come on, Gloria, you just met him! Don't fall in love with him right now. You're in too much emotional pain for_ _romance_ , the little voice in her head scolds her, sounding a lot like Lourdes.

 _Kiss me down by the broken tree house_  
 _Swing me, upon its hanging tire_  
 _Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat_  
 _We'll take the trail marked on your father's map_

 _Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight_  
 _Lead me out on the moonlit floor_  
 _Lift you open hand_  
 _Strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance, silver moon's sparkling_  
 _So kiss me..._

Gloria keeps giggling as he lifts her up slightly off the ground and twirls her around. He spins her under his arm and she's so carefree with him and shakes her hair and hips all around. "This is a hella fun song!" she exclaims cheerfully.

"I know!"

 _Kiss me beneath the milky twilight_

 _Lead me out on the moonlit floor_

 _Lift your open hand_

 _Strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance, silver moon's sparkling_

 _So kiss me_

 _So kiss me..._

 _So kiss me_

 _So kiss me..._

"Allison was right, you're a terrific dancer!"

"Thanks! You are, too!"

"Thank you." Salsa music comes on all of a sudden. "I'm real good at this, though, especially!"

He watches in awe as she does the movements required and then she beckons him forward to join her. He does, and they move together as one. They're quick in their steps and make fast, short twists and turns, and they're both sweating and gasping in and out deeply by the end. She can sense his sweet, hot breath on her, and her brain is turning to mush.

"God, you're amazing," he compliments her and then he turns red at what he's just told her. "I mean...at the salsa." She presses her lips together and covers up her smile with her fist. She clears her throat and collects herself while grabbing his hand again.

Then, their friends applaud for them. Their hands separate and they create more space between their bodies. Gloria can't believe she'd just danced with this guy to a song about kissing, and then shared a sexy salsa dance with him. That would get anyone in a certain mood, if they were with the right person. Her hands are so clammy that she has to wipe them on her dress and her heart continues to race. She doesn't remember a time she'd ever crushed so hard on someone who hadn't pushed her into a relationship. There's so much more she wants to know about Fahri and say to him before getting close to him physically, though, and she's fully aware that she'll have to share her past eventually. She doesn't want to keep secrets from him-he deserves to know, and that's probably why she'd hinted to Allison that she was abused. She'd thought she'd feel nothing while dancing with him, like he was Leon, but she was very wrong. She's melting from his smoldering gaze on her, although he isn't doing that anymore.

"The way you two whirled around the floor like that was so elegant!" Diane gushes. "It was practically a scene out of a movie."

"Yeah, you're hella perfect together," Aleida puts in. "Like, as dance partners, you know?"

Gloria nods quietly and sneaks a peek out of the corner of her eye at Fahri's reaction. He grins. "Thank you!"

"Mm-hm, thanks," Gloria echoes him while beaming. She's flushed all over and needs to splash herself with cool water and take calm, deep breaths because of her intense emotions and she wants to fix her hair and reapply her lipstick and make sure her eye makeup hadn't run since while she was cracking up, she was also tearing up a tiny bit. It was purely out of happiness, though. "Excuse me...I gotta use the bathroom, I'll be right back!"

She has to keep reminding herself it's only been nearly two weeks, and they're not even dating yet. As far as she knows, Fahri might just be doing this with her because everyone is encouraging him to and telling him she's a nice lady and he should be her boyfriend or at least her friend. It took Arturo one week to get her in bed, and her, two weeks to fall prey to his tricks and confess her undying love for him because he'd told her he enjoyed her body even if she thought it was ugly and played with her children and acted like he was their dad. She'd seen his monstrous side two weeks after that. She's breathing heavily by this point.

She gets an odd feeling of someone tailing her, so she rushes into the throng of women waiting in line.

* * *

"How's the wedding planning goin'?" Aleida quips as soon as Gloria takes off for the women's restroom. Aleida glares at Fahri. "I'mma join her over there, 'cause you never know what could get ya." She storms off before he can answer her, and Leon follows her.

Diane wants to go with them so she can check on Gloria along with Aleida, but she also needs to talk to Fahri about his marriage to this lady he barely knows. She can see that Gloria and Fahri are really hitting it off and tonight, they'd acted more like a couple than they ever had before. Her idea of bringing them closer by arranging this triple date at a nightclub with nonstop dancing and romantic music, had worked better than she thought it would.

"I may have made a mistake," Fahri admits sheepishly as he shoves his hands into his pockets. He, Diane, and Charles sit at the bar and save room for the other three people they're with. "How can I break it off with Vee without hurting her feelings?"

"When would you wanna do it?" Diane wants to know.

"Sooner rather than later," he responds. "I just danced with another woman...and felt...things."

Diane smirks. "I could tell! It reminded me of when Charles and I were dancing on our first date, and then at Red's housewarming party, and all the times here. It was the song and the dude." She and Charles smile at each other and he takes her hand and kisses it. She swoons like she'd done during all of their intimate moments, which was cuddling on the couch or in bed or making out here and in the cab and limo.

"Then it's gotta be tonight, man," Charles advises him while absentmindedly stroking Diane's hair. "It's better to break up than cheat."

She nods in agreement. "Nobody deserves to be led on. If you're gonna end it, make it right after deciding that you're positive you don't wanna be with the person."

"You're right, that's uh, what I was thinking. Thanks, guys."

Diane swats his shoulder with her knuckles. "Next time, idiot, don't fuckin' say yes when somebody you don't know, asks you to marry 'em! This ain't medieval times!"

"Ow! Lesson learned!"

* * *

"Table for two please, and it's by the fireplace," Adarsh is reminding the maitre d, and Daya gets a little excited. He wants them to be alone together, and that probably means he likes her. Still, she wants to take things slow. She'll let him make the first move so she doesn't appear to be overly eager, and she won't allow him to do anything with her further than first base, holding hands, and cuddling. "Saxena."

"Yes, sir, right this way." The man takes them to a secluded area with a table decorated with candles and roses. Adarsh pulls out Daya's chair for her and she sits down on one end.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome...ma'am." They both share a chuckle.

Adarsh takes a spot across from her. "You're beautiful, as always," he comments to her, and she blushes.

"Thanks!" she says, beaming and propping her chin up on her fist and letting it rest there. "You look hella handsome...you sure know how to dress up." Daya gestures to Adarsh's outfit.

"I could say the same for you. You're absolutely lovely."

"Why, thank you!"

He smiles at her. "Any idea what you want?"

"Well, fettuccine and Caesar salad sound real good right about now," she answers with a grin. "Later, dessert, of course! Remember, I gotta eat for two."

"Yeah, that's what I'm getting, too."

"Cool, maybe we could share a Chocolate Banana Cream Pie?" Daya asks.

"Sure!"

When they get their waters, Daya takes a sip of hers. "Let's have a toast," she announces, holding up her glass and glancing at Adarsh's. He raises his glass up to hers.

"To us," he says, and then they both laugh. "Cheers!"

* * *

A few minutes later, Gloria returns with Aleida and Leon. "Are you okay?" Diane asks Gloria, the concern in her tone evident. "This ain't too much for you, right?" she whispers.

"Yeah, we can go home anytime," Aleida tells her at the same low volume that Diane had used.

"Nah, like I told you and Leon when he offered to tell Fahri that we needed to leave, not at all! I'm havin' a blast," Gloria responds truthfully. "I was just hot from dancing and needed to...rinse the heat off a little, and touch up my hair and face." She squeezes their hands. "I love you for lookin' out for me, though." The three ladies beam at each other.

"We heart you too, sweetie," Diane answers.

"Mm-hm, totally," Aleida adds. "To the end of time!"

"If you want to stop dancing with me, you can let me know," Fahri tells Gloria.

"I will!"

"You don't need to talk to me or hold my hand if you'd rather not do it. Basically, don't feel pressured!" Fahri continues.

"Yeah, and if you feel uncomfortable for any reason, we'll get you out of the situation," Leon adds.

"You can give us a signal, like putting your finger on your nose and pointing at us," Charles suggests.

"Alright! Sounds good, thank you." Gloria pats the guys' shoulders fondly while beaming. Then, the women start giggling because a hip hop beat booms from the speakers and the men are breakdancing to it. They cheer the guys on and when it's over, Leon and Charles jog to Aleida and Diane and kiss them.

"We should make use of the bar!" Gloria exclaims as Fahri takes a spot next to her, like he'd done when they first got here.

"What's your favorite drink?" he wants to know.

"Piña colada. Yours?"

"Scotch!"

"I'll buy us drinks," she volunteers pleasantly. Fahri most likely won't slip anything in her beverage if he pays for hers and his, but she wants to be extra cautious.

"Okay, sounds great!"

Once they receive their orders, they clink their glasses together while beaming and locking eyes, and they take a sip at the same time.

"What are we toasting?" she wonders aloud.

"Our...combined fantastic dancing talent!"

She giggles. "That works!"

"I like your laugh," he tells her with a sincere smile.

Gloria rests her chin in her hand and covers her blush with her fingers. "Thank you," she says softly. She chuckles again.

"You're welcome!"

* * *

"Yo, she hasn't texted us in the past few hours!" Maria exclaims. The girls, Diablo, Yadriel, and Hassan, are meeting in a restaurant for a group date, directly next to the Monte Carlo Room, spying on Gloria and Fahri. They had already witnessed Daya and Adarsh's adorableness, and they want to see how the relationship between the lunch lady and the janitor is developing. "Daya must be havin' a real good time..."

"She's just trying to move on from that dimwit Bennett," Yadriel reports. "That's what she told me."

"No shit, _chico_! Hey...check those two out." Blanca nods towards the window of the club, where Gloria and Fahri are chattering away over drinks at a bar and laughing their heads off.

"They seem to be getting along," Flaca says happily to Maritza.

"Yeah, they're holding hands!" Maritza points out giddily.

"Hey, chickadees and dudes!" Alex greets them, waving to them and sitting down with Michelle.

"Perfect, we're just in time for the food," Diablo mutters, taking his place next to Blanca while the waitress comes over to get their food ordered. Everyone wants ravioli and tortellini.

"When is your uncle's stupid wedding?" Michelle asks Allison, who grimaces at the question.

Allison pinches her bottom lip and lifts her shoulders up and down. "I dunno, they haven't set a date."

"Then you have an unlimited amount of time to ruin it!" Hassan lets her know, and he puts a reassuring hand on her back. _God, he's so sweet_ , she thinks.

"How would your girl, or any of us, stop two individuals from marrying, bro?" Diablo asks him. "I know you're trying to make her feel better, but...we gotta be real here. Crashing a wedding would probably not be effective."

"Well, it'll be easy to get rid of Vee," Nicky informs everyone with a evil grin stretching across her face.

"What's your idea?" Lorna asks her excitedly. "You got a prank up your sleeve you can pull on that cooze?"

"Oh, do I! Okay, did you guys ever see _Cheaper by the Dozen_?"

"Yeah," they all chorus.

"You know when they soaked meat in Hank's underwear?" Nicky wonders out loud, and Allison snickers.

"Oh yeah, that was hysterical!" Alex remembers, giggling.

"Every dog in the neighborhood went after him and his car!" Michelle adds.

Allison chortles, recalling it from her memory bank now. "That's right..."

"We gotta show Farah the movie when she's older!" Hassan tells her, and she nods in concurrence.

"Same with Pepa," Yadriel lets Maria know.

"Mm-hm!"

"Anyway...let's do that to Vee to dispose of her! She'll be mauled to death!" Nicky clarifies.

"Excellent plan, my friend," Blanca murmurs, hi-fiving her.

"You're so smart!" Lorna squeals, pecking Nicky's cheek. Then, the blonde pulls her brunette girlfriend in for a passionate kiss that lasts quite a while.

"Not when I'm eating!" Maria complains. Yadriel kisses her cheek just to tease her. She kicks his leg under the table.

"Don't mess with the pixie," Flaca says, giving Maria a playful glare.

"Not bad, Morticia," Maria snickers.

Maritza flips her off and everyone laughs.

A while later, they have to go home, since the adults had left already, and it's almost midnight. They hug each other goodbye before the bus drops each of them off at their stops.

* * *

As Daya and Adarsh stroll to his mother's car, she links her arm through his. Later, while he walks her up to her doorstep, she says, "This date was fun, Adarsh. Why don't we do something like this again? Maybe you can come over and we can hang out here." She unlocks the front door, opens it, and hugs him goodbye. She's not close enough to feel his boner, so that's a good thing. He's so into her, but he knows not to do anything without her permission.

 _Damn right we'll hang out here, and I'll fuck you all night like you've never been fucked before. You'll scream my name so loud it bursts both of our eardrums and I'll put my hands all over your nice big-_

"Adarsh? What do you think?" she asks, kicking him out of his perverted reverie.

He's ashamed of himself for even being turned on by her because she would be grossed out if she knew or touched it accidentally. He tries to ignore his hard-on. "Oh! Oh, that would be fun. Yeah, sure, Daya, that would be great." He needs to stop his ridiculous rambling as of now, and just leave her apartment.

"Terrific!"

* * *

"Where the fuck were you?" Vee demands as soon as she lets Fahri in. "Your ring is gone! If you lost it, I'mma shoot you dead!"

"I thought I told you...going out with some friends." He scratches his head. "Uh...and about that, I need to make a confession to you. I have the ring at home, but I'm gonna give it back to you and you can sell it or give it to someone else who really loves you. I can't be your husband, because I...it just doesn't feel right to Gloria. I'll still be your pal and help you with the baby-"

"You will not be alone with her again!" she yells in his face. "You're getting way in over your head with that cunt!"

"Would you not use that word aimed at her or any woman, in fact? She and I haven't even had the chance to date yet, and that's fine, but tonight, I danced with her, and there was a spark."

Vee huffs. "She's not even into you back!"

"Like I said, something was blooming between us...she was genuinely cheerful with me, and she seemed jealous when Suzanne said I wasn't available last night in the limo-"

"She _went_ with you?" Vee growls.

"Yeah. I asked you to come with me, but you didn't want to. You wanted it all to yourself...and you called Alex and Allison brats, which I did not like!"

"They are! They tried to drive us apart."

"Gloria and I might always be friends, but even so, I only think of you as a work partner. Nothing is between us, and I deeply apologize for that. I just felt like you pressured me, and I didn't want to hurt you. I come here all the time, but you've never showed at my house, even when you've said you were going to. I don't think you care about me either. So, in that case..."

"I'll kill myself!" Vee seethes.

"You don't need to do that, I'll get you help! I know you're upset..."

"I'll slit your throat in your sleep."

Fahri sighs hopelessly. "Oh my god. I'm going to leave now. Just...goodbye. I'm sorry." With that, he walks away and wishes it could've gone a little better.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, MinervaSnape394, and CoffeeWritingAddiction!**


	53. For Old Time's Sake

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! This chapter is for CoffeeWritingAddiction since I'm gonna write more Nichorello in it! Happy Pride!**

 **mis hijos-my kids**

"Hey, check it!" Alana shows the girls a small tattoo of a skull on her left hand, just below her thumb. "I got it brand new for the band." They're at Flaca's apartment for a sleepover. Half-eaten bags of Hot Cheetos and Takis are spread around Flaca's bedroom floor, along with a plateful of snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies with M&Ms baked inside, which is what Lorna had supplied. She made them and everyone thinks they're delicious.

"Yes, girl!" Flaca cheers.

"Aw, it's so cute!" Maritza coos.

"It's cool, too!" Pennsatucky continues.

Maria examines Alana's hand and squeals. "That goes with the band's theme, definitely!"

"I just love it!" Alex exclaims.

"Me, too," Michelle chimes in.

"So do I, holy shit!" Nicky adds.

"Whoa, nice," Ouija comments.

"Mm-hm," Pidge continues. "How you gonna hide it from your tía, though?"

"I'll wear gloves, it's easy! If she ever notices it, I'll tell her I drew on myself. It's no big deal."

Taystee grins. "That's our rebel!"

"Hey, why do you look so tired and have bite marks all over your neck?" Nicky asks Alex once the taller girl takes off her knitted purple scarf she'd borrowed from Lorna.

"Oh, haven't you heard? Vampires have invaded Queens, and they came for me last night!" Alex beams, and they all snicker.

Nicky can see through her lie. "More like Michelle came for you and you both got fucked within an inch of your lives!" At once, everyone wolf-whistles and cackles hysterically.

"My goodness, Nicky!" Lorna squeals through her cracking up. "Ain't nobody can hide shit from you!"

"Nope!" the blonde agrees with a smirk.

"Wow..." Blanca murmurs.

Alex and Michelle glance at each other and giggle together. "Okay, fine, Heroin Barbie, you caught us," Alex mutters, and both girls blush deeply.

"Not anymore!" Lorna points out. "Nicky stopped doing drugs!"

"Oh, no, it's okay, babe. It's just mine and Alex's inside joke." Nicky turns to the rest of the girls. "I happen to know she's gotten her pubes braided before!"

"That was a dare!" Alex defends herself off their disgusted looks.

"As much as I adore you, Zandra, I'm glad I didn't see that shit!" Michelle lets her know.

"Trust me, how I dressed in the fifth grade was a lot worse." Alex folds her arms across her chest and gives her girlfriend a pointed, but playful glare. "I stunk to high heaven and I wore tan pants with different colored patches covering the holes and a blue and white jacket with silver duct tapes covering the rips on it. I'm glad they were ruined in the flood. My white beanie with the red stripes was kind of cute, though."

"Yeah, but you couldn't help being in serious poverty. Your mama did the best she could, buying you clothes at hella cheap prices," Flaca tells her while squeezing her hand in support.

"Those bitches were poor people-phobic," Michelle throws in.

Alex nods and winces. "I know."

The past week has been busy, and Nicky hasn't checked Facebook in a long time. She had started communicating with Pavel on Tuesday, and he was planning to come tonight. She had gotten some messages from him yesterday, so when her phone vibrates with his latest one, she opens it and scrolls through it.

 _Where is your mother right now? I just flew into New York City, and I want to surprise her. I am going to stay in a motel, as I don't want her to feel pressured to invite me into her home._

Nicky grins cheekily at her phone and lets out a quiet chuckle under her breath. _Sorry for the late reply, dude. She'll be at a restaurant_ _in Queens-Red's Russian Market at one-thirty in the afternoon, to be exact. Her piroshkis are divine, you gotta try at least one before reconnecting fully with her._ She types out the address and sends the completed message to him.

"Who you textin'?" Poussey wants to know.

"Red's ex, who will hopefully be her lover again soon!" Lorna responds while peering over Nicky's shoulder, with her chin resting on it.

"Shit, Nichols, I never thought of you as the hopeless romantic hooking up people type," Taystee murmurs.

"I'm not, really! Lorna talked me into it, though, and I wanted my mom to be happy and in love with someone who treats her with the utmost respect, she deserves that," Nicky tells her.

"Aww, you softie," Alex teases her, but Nicky merely beams.

"What can I say, man? I'll do anything for my girl, my sis, and Ma...and even my best friend in the entire world, if you're nice."

Alex chuckles and rolls her eyes. "I'm _always_ nice!"

"Yeah, you are," Michelle agrees and leans up to kiss Alex's cheek.

"Aww!" Lorna, Alex, Flaca, and Maritza coo in unison.

* * *

After the adults' evening out, Diane takes Gloria and Aleida to where their children are currently staying so the women can pick them up. She'd had a drink, but it wore off after an hour, so she was okay to be behind the wheel. First, she drives to Dylan's house, since she would be dropping Gloria off at Allison's. Daya and Allison had made a plan to go to Flaca's slumber party together, even though it's late, nearing midnight. Allison would drive them, but Gloria needs to be in the passenger seat with her, as Allison had just gotten her license. Aleida wants to know how Daya's time was right away, but Gloria doesn't plan on pressing the girl for details until she's willing to give them. Dylan's mother opens the door after Gloria and Aleida had taken turns knocking on it and ringing the bell.

"Oh, hi, Gloria, Aleida!" Dawn greets them pleasantly. "Before you ask, they were great, some of the sweetest kids ever!" She takes a step back to let the ladies inside. "They all dozed off around half past nine, except Christina. She couldn't sleep since my husband is here and she doesn't like strange men, Benny said, so I had her stay up with me and watch _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_."

"Thank you for letting me know, and taking care of our babies! Oh well, we were gonna pick 'em all up, but I guess we'll just bring Christina home," Gloria responds, peeking around Dawn at Christina, who's eyes are glued on the screen. "My baby's first sleepover..." Her heart melts at this. "So, how much we owe ya?" she wants to know as she pulls her wallet out of her purse.

"Don't worry about it! Dylan considers Benny his friend, as much as he does Michael, so this wasn't really a job. It was enjoyable, actually. So, you can't pay me. Put that money away, Gloria!"

"Okay, fine," Gloria mutters while doing as Dawn has told her.

"Well, Christina ain't spendin' the night, and she's my daughter, so here..." Aleida plucks three twenties out of her wallet and hands them to Dawn. "Ten bucks an hour."

"Thanks!"

"Mommy!" Christina squeals excitedly and runs up to Aleida, hugging her tight. "I had a lot of fun and Dylan's mama is really nice! Me and the boys were really silly! We had Spaghetti-Os and av-cado and tomato for dinner and then s'mores for a treat, and they was so yummy! We played with trucks and I put my Barbies in them and we danced to the _Hippy Hippy Shake_! Then, we sang 'We're Goin' On A Bear Hunt' and built a house out of soft blocks." Christina's eyes widen and light up. She jumps up and down, the skirt of her pink dress bouncing around with her. "Ooooh, can Mister Leon make my dollies a house? Benny said he could, 'cause he's a con-tuckin' worker." The ladies smile at her cute speech impediment.

"That's great, nena!" Aleida murmurs while scooping her up and kissing her cheek a few times. "I'm glad. Of course, he'd probably love to! He was plannin' to, anyway."

"Yaaay! Can I finish the movie? Esmeralda is my faaaavorite!"

Gloria taps Christina's dimple and pecks the top of her head. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but Diane is waitin' for us outside, so we gotta go! You can see it again tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Yo, where's your Barbies?" Aleida wonders aloud. "Don't forget 'em!"

"Oh yeah, they're in the living room!" Aleida sets Christina down and the little girl runs off to retrieve her dolls. She comes back with them and then, they're ready to go. She winds her arms around Dawn's legs and then skips out the door, with Aleida and Gloria behind her.

"Huntin' a bear, now what kinda idiot motherfuckers would do that?"

Christina giggles. "It's just a silly song, Mommy!"

Next, they get Julio and Emiliano. Once they arrive at Allison's, the teenager swings the door open since Gloria had already texted her to let her know they were on their way. "Heeeyyyy!" Allison greets them happily and winds her arms around Gloria, who returns the gesture.

"Hey!" Gloria and Aleida reply at the same time. "So, how'd it go?" Aleida asks her eagerly.

"Your children were no trouble at all." Allison tells them with a grin. She sighs and then chortles. "It took them a while to close their eyes and rest, though, because they kept giggling with my baby girl. You should've seen 'em, they were hella cute and sweet. I had to sit between Julio and Emiliano and cuddle Farah in my lap, since they all couldn't stop having staring contests and repeating each other's names. Check it out, I took pictures!" Allison pulls out her phone and shows the women. The toddlers are indeed, adorable, with the way they appear to be so cheerful.

"Aw...I'm sorry, though," Gloria apologizes, though she's overjoyed that her normally quiet child, was playful and entertaining himself with Emiliano and their new friend, and she feels that way about Benny, too. Her kids deserve a normal childhood, and the only pain they should know is tiny scrapes or bumps on the playground. Gloria beams and blinks back happy tears.

"Yeah, me, too," Aleida concurs. "Even if they _did_ look cute."

"It was alright, I promise! I made sure they eventually got some shut-eye. My mom helped, and around ten, I went out with friends, so she took over," she admits with a shrug. "You can give her the cash instead."

"Alright, this is for her, then," Gloria informs Allison while handing over sixty dollars. "What else they do together?"

"Dinner was cheese and rice enchiladas with carrots, for health reasons, and then for dessert, an ice cream sundae. Uh, well, my mom and I sang songs from their preschool and they danced to those, and also they played with magna tiles and Farah's dolls, they took turns dressing them up and takin' em around in strollers, and when it was still light outside, the little ones rode in toy cars and on pretend scooters to various places...the city, the bodega, Hawaii, and Disneyland were most common," Allison reports. "They had such a fantastic time, and I don't think they're gonna wanna leave!"

"Wow, that's wonderful!" Aleida comments and Gloria smiles while nodding in agreement.

"Mm-hm, I know! We can try gettin' 'em without wakin' 'em up...and Allison, would you mind if we took Farah with us so she can still be with our boys? I gotta make it fair since I let my older son stay with his friends overnight."

"No, not at all, go ahead!" Allison allows.

They tiptoe into Allison's room where Farah is lying in her crib and the other kids are snuggled in blankets on rubber mats with their tiny heads on pillows, small chests going up and down, and their eyes closed. The sight the women and Allison are gazing over is extremely innocent, and both Gloria and Aleida put their hands on their hearts. Gloria swallows a lump in her throat. She'd seen her babies asleep before, but to always remember the two months of comfortable peace they had while drifting off that was stolen from them, was gut-wrenching, and she's relieved that they'll never have to go through it again. She bends down and lightly kisses her son's forehead and skims her knuckles down his soft cheek. "Mama's here, _mijo_ ," she whispers and gently lifts him up. Aleida and Allison do the same with their kids.

"Our babies are so innocent, aren't they?" Allison murmurs.

Aleida nods. "Yeah, and little...even though Emiliano wasn't my first child and I wasn't like, all shocked at how small he was, the feeling of having someone so tiny in your arms...it just gives me a hopeful sensation. Each time, I felt that way."

"I'd done this giving birth and being blessed with a newborn thing three times before Julio, but I was still elated and crying tears of happiness because he was finally out and with me."

"I remember the first time I held Farah. She stared up at me, her eyes huge and trusting and full of wonder. I suddenly got the need to protect her at all costs." Allison pecks her daughter's cheek lightly.

"I promised all my babies the day they were born, that I would go through hell before it could touch them," Gloria says.

"When my children were infants, I'd tell my boyfriends the same thing...nothin' could go wrong, because my daughters or my son just came into the world, with their help." Aleida sighs sadly. "Little did I know, they were all useless sons of bitches and it made me bitter and hateful, especially towards _mis hijos_. They didn't deserve it, and there's nothin' I regret more than that."

"Your babies were all you needed," Gloria lets her know.

"I'm aware of that now." Aleida swallows hard and holds her son even closer to her and a tear glistens in the corner of her eye. "Come on...we should go. Christina and the others are waiting for us."

They tiptoe and move slowly so they don't cause their little ones to stir, and they're successful in getting the boys into Diane's backseat where two carseats are installed, and then Gloria hugs Diane, Aleida, and Leon good night and tells them all, including Charles, that she'll see them later. She walks to Allison's car with her and Farah, and helps Allison strap Farah into her carseat nice and tight, but not so much that it's uncomfortable for the little girl.

Gloria drives them to her apartment, and Allison is in the back with Farah, looking down at her with nothing but love. She'd been introduced to motherhood so early in her life and had to learn quickly, but she seems like a natural already-much better than Gloria had been. She doesn't know how Allison can handle it. Sure, the teenager has her boyfriend and her parents, especially her mother, to help her, but Gloria had Lourdes, and she still was incapable, wanting to focus more on her schoolwork than being a mom. A sharp pain drives through her heart because she imagines what things would be like if she hadn't left her girls with their father. She would check in often, but then he told her to stop and leave them alone, because it wasn't fair to them, and he was right. She'd reminded him that he'd poked holes in the condom, and he quickly shut her up by telling her she was a deadbeat, that she didn't love them because they were accidents to her, and that she needed to be cut off from them completely.

"What's wrong, Gloria?" Allison wonders aloud, interrupting her thoughts.

"Nothin', honey."

"It's just that you haven't said much...and don't you usually play music anytime you can?"

Gloria's hands tighten around the steering wheel and then she releases it. "I...I gotta pay attention to the road, okay?" She adjusts her rearview mirror so it doesn't show Allison and Farah in the backseat. She can't choke up now, not while she's driving. "When you're in charge of getting your peeps somewhere, you can't be yappin' with 'em all the time. That can cause accidents." She hates how harsh she sounds. "I didn't mean to offend you...I apologize."

"Right...I'm sorry, that's fine. I'll shut up."

"You...you can still talk to Farah," Gloria tells her guiltily.

"I will."

Gloria moves to the passenger seat when they get to her and Aleida's place. Allison leaves the car, carrying her one-year-old, and knocks on the door. Daya opens it for her and the two girls hug. Daya fawns over Farah silently, and is probably showing Allison where to put her. On the way to Flaca's apartment, Daya cheerfully tells Allison and Gloria all about her date. It brightens Gloria's mood a bit and reminds her of her own night out.

* * *

"What'd we miss?" Allison is asking once she and Daya are let into Flaca's apartment by Kubra and meet up with their friends in Flaca's bedroom. She plucks a bag of Takis off Flaca's magenta pink comforter and fans Daya with it before digging into it. "Girl, you're sweating again."

"Don't I know it," Daya murmurs under her breath, and Allison just smirks. Daya quickly picks up a package filled with Hot Cheetos, pops it open, and starts chomping.

"Well, first, Alex and Michelle fucked like rabbits last night," Blanca reports, gesturing between the two mentioned.

"Congratulations!" Allison gives them both hi-fives while sitting cross-legged beside them as they all snigger.

"Yeah, and Red and Pavel are gonna see each other tomorrow afternoon at her work for the first time in twenty-odd years," Alana informs Daya and Allison. "It'll be such a cute reunion," she gushes. "Nicky's gonna secretly record it on her necklace so the rest of us can watch it, too!"

"Oh, wow, that's great news," Daya mumbles and then grins. She's happy for Alex and Michelle, and Red possibly getting back together with the man she loved in her college years, but she can't stop thinking about Adarsh. She sinks to the floor against the wall, in a daze, almost crushing a purple package of Takis, before Maritza grabs it out from under her and rips it open. At first, Daya hadn't wanted to make a big deal about it, but now, she wants to spill everything. Her snack drops out of her hands and she licks her red-dusted fingers semi-clean.

"Hey, I know that look!" a very excited pixie pipes up, surprising her. "You're in love!" Lorna sits down next to her. "So, how was it? Did he kiss you? Did you kiss him? Did you guys grind each other? Did you-"

Daya chortles at her perkiness and holds her hands up for Lorna to shut up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, girl! Calm down! We didn't kiss. I don't wanna rush things, and I'm sure he don't either. We had some laughs, some great food, some exercise, some stargazing, it was real fun. The table he got for us was real romantic, too. We didn't dance, you're getting me mixed up with Gloria!"

"I know, sorry, I'm just real in love with love, and when one of my best friends just had the best date of her life, I can't help but be enthusiastic about it!" Lorna squeals. "So...what's next for you and your boy?" Their other friends are watching and listening to their conversation in piqued interest with pleasant expressions on their faces.

"I dunno if he's mine yet, exactly, but he wants a second date! He's coming over to my place next time!" Daya informs her giddily. "Like, not just for five minutes after working with Leon on the backyard or watching baseball or whatever with Leon there with us, but us two, alone on the couch and _I'm_ choosing the movie or series! We'll be couch potatoes together, which I'm totally fine with! Then, he'll stay for dinner!"

Lorna claps her hands. "Yay! Your family likes him?"

"Yeah, they do."

"That's so awesome!" Lorna gives Daya two thumbs up and embraces her. Daya hugs Lorna back and grins even wider than she had been before. "He don't think they're too much of a big clan and all, right?"

'Nah, he's cool with 'em!"

"As he should be, 'cause they're one of the most amazing families to exist!" Ouija exclaims.

Michelle leans into Alex's side. "Yeah, I wish I had a family like the rest of yours." She beams at Alex. "Your mom hugged me and I almost cried."

Alex beams sadly. "Aw...well, she does have that effect on people, I suppose. I guess I'm too used to it."

"Mm-hm." Michelle clears her throat. "I'm super happy for you, though, Daya!"

"I am, too!" Alex agrees.

"Me, three!" Flaca concurs.

"Me, four!" Nicky chimes in.

"Same here!" the rest of them cheer and envelop Daya while giggling.

Then, Daya and Lorna teach the others how to play MASH, which they'd discussed with Piper during that one time when Flaca was given the boot and Alex wouldn't talk to their leader. Piper had thought it was stupid and insisted that she wasn't twelve or younger anymore. "The title, MASH, stands for Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House," Daya explains. "It predicts your future."

"Oh, wow, that's so interesting!" Maritza comments.

"Well, I never did it...I already lived in a shack, why would I need some stupid pencil drawings reminding me of that?" Alex mutters, and Michelle squeezes her hand supportively.

Daya gives Alex an understanding smile. "I got the shack all the time. It was annoying after a while, but now that my family life is a lot better and we're more financially supported, I'm okay with doing it again."

"Same here," Lorna agrees. "It lets you know three facts-your spouse, your vehicle, and the number of children you'll be blessed with. You make a spiral, count the lines, then you get a magic number, and _bam_! Your fortune is foretold. _"_

"Cool!" Nicky exclaims.

"We let Piper in on it, and we wanted her to join us in the game, but she refused to participate since she was apparently too grown up. She didn't wanna do it after age twelve. We were just like, whatever, bitch! She'd just tell us she didn't have a mansion, but that ho be talkin' nonsense, 'cause we counted five bathrooms when we went over there, actually saw the half bath and the playroom, and met the housekeeper, who was Spanish," Daya continues. "Her only complaint was that she was a lonely child."

Poussey scoffs. "Get the fuck outta here!"

"I felt so bad that I couldn't speak the language with her," Daya puts in.

"It's a good thing I did...it made Carol and Bill uncomfortable as fuck!" Flaca states, and all the girls snicker.

"We play MASH a lot, too," Ouija informs them while gesturing to herself and Pidge.

"Yeah, but about people we can't stand, not ourselves," Pidge chimes in.

They have fun with this for a while, and then get their pajamas on with their backs to each other, for privacy. Most of them are wearing camisoles or loose shirts with shorts, but Daya, Taystee, Allison, Ouija, and Pidge are wearing tight sweatpants and a long-sleeved top. "Wow, I never saw pink on you, especially not on the bottom! Those are cute, where did you get 'em?" Lorna asks Allison while gesturing to her pants.

"Oh, thanks! Macy's! Yeah, I never really saw myself in the color, but I decided to try these on for fun!" Allison checks herself out in Flaca's mirror and does a fancy pose. "They show off my ass good?"

"Damn, girl, you be bangin'!" Taystee murmurs.

"Hell yeah, chica," Blanca adds and then playfully hits Allison's butt with the back of her hand. "Hassan's gonna be like, baby, you smokin'! Diablo always tells me that!"

"Mmm-hmm!" Maria agrees, and everyone giggles. Allison blushes while smiling. Pretty soon, they're all playfully smacking each other's rear ends while cracking up hysterically.

* * *

When they get tired, they settle into their sleeping bags, but Alex needs to use the bathroom. Before walking out of Flaca's bedroom, she pulls down the hem of her black shorts and yanks up her thin red tank top so it covers her huge cleavage, which she's been self-conscious of ever since that creeper who called himself her birth father made such an awful comment about her body. She then begins to walk down the stairs and moves to the side so Kubra can pass her. "Oh...hi," she mumbles awkwardly. Her boss has never seen her in this kind of outfit. She doesn't even have socks on, and she never wears anything with spaghetti straps in front of him, since it would look inappropriate.

"Hey, Alex," he greets her back in a friendly tone. "I, uh...I like this on you for the job," he says in a low voice.

She glances around nervously, not wanting anyone to hear their budding conversation. " _What_?" she hisses. "It's totally unprofessional, wouldn't customers think I'm a tramp or just rolled outta bed? These clothes are literally cotton material! I can't sell _drugs_ like this!" _Neither can you_ , _with your red Stanford sweatshirt and gray athletic pants,_ she thinks to herself, since that's what he's currently wearing.

"Only if they were sexist assholes! Of course, I'd recommend you add fishnet tights and heels and a form-fitting shirt...and your whole outfit needs to be leather or jean with chains...lots of 'em, and always remember to smile. They're like tight panties, they make your cheeks rise." He grins at her with his full set of teeth showing. "Frowny faces are never attractive. Well, I shouldn't bother you when you're with your friends. See you later!"

"Okay!" They wave goodbye at each other and Alex tries to brush off the weirdness she'd felt at interacting with her boss when she hadn't been working. She hadn't realized how full her bladder was since she'd closed her urethra since talking to him, but now, she has to run to the toilet. She sits down and does her business.

All of a sudden, the door creaks open and she jumps while letting out a short squeak. Upon seeing Kubra, she hugs herself around her middle and bends down so he can't see anything except for her bare legs with her shorts and underwear around her ankles. She can barely look at him. "Oh, shit, sorry, you forgot to lock this!"

"Just go!" She attempts not to raise her voice, since he's above her in every sense of the word, and it was an accident, after all. "Please?" To her relief, he's gone. She brushes it off like it's nothing.

Alex returns to Flaca's room with her mind reeling. She's so embarrassed, and she hopes Kubra will let her live that moment down and never tell anyone. She'll definitely keep it to herself and probably have a chuckle about it maybe a few years later.

Michelle pulls her aside. "Zandra...what the fuck was he doing, standing so close to you like that and lookin' at you up and down? It was like, weird staring."

"Who, Kubra?"

"Mm-hm!" Michelle folds her arms across her chest and sets her mouth in a thin line. She appears to be deeply concerned.

"We were just talking! I can't just squeeze by him and not say anything!"

" _Excuse me_ and a polite smile are the only words needed there. None of us know him that well, except Flaca. What were you guys chatting about, anyway?"

Alex racks her brain, trying to think of a good lie. "He was seeing what Flaca's favorite band was, so I told him The Smiths, and he said he'd get their family tickets to a concert if he can save up enough money in time, or if Morrisey doesn't cancel again. It's supposed to be a surprise."

Michelle's facial expression softens. "Oh, well, that was nice. She'll love that!"

"Yeah, I know!"

* * *

Once the doorbell rings the next morning and Dawn announces that Gloria is here to pick the boys up, Benny, Dylan, and Michael rush into the closet and close it while giggling together. "We aren't here, we went to Hawaii!" Dylan calls out.

"Yeah, so I can't go home, Mommy!" Benny calls out.

"Bye, Ms. Mendoza!" Michael adds.

Gloria opens the door, despite their protests. She shakes her head and smiles.

Dylan pouts. "Aw, man!"

"No fair," Michael grumbles.

"We're going to Disneyland now!" Benny insists, even though he's happy to see her.

"Nice try, boys! Michael, I'm taking you to your moms' house! You get to spend a little more time with Benny in my car. Y'all are gonna see each other tomorrow in class! I'm glad y'all had fun!" Upon seeing his mother, Benny gets excited. He enjoys the company of his friends, but he loves to hang out with her, too, as well as the rest of his family. After he and Michael hug Dylan goodbye, he runs into Gloria's arms, and she scoops him up and kisses his cheek. "Mmm, I've missed you so much!"

"Me too, Mama!"

"Come on, _cariño_ ," Gloria puts Benny down and leads him and Michael out the front door. She waves goodbye to Dylan and his mommy.

They take turns telling her all about their sleepover and then Gloria and Benny walk Michael to his door. Sophia opens it and envelops Michael in her arms. "Thank you for taking him home, Gloria!"

"No problem! See you later!"

"See you!" Way above Benny, Gloria and Sophia exchange a friendly smile.

* * *

By noon, most of the girls have left Flaca's apartment after they'd all agreed to see _Shall We Dance_ in theaters on Monday night, and only Maritza remains. They go to Maritza's guesthouse for more privacy and they're making out in bed when Flaca's phone buzzes beside them. Out of the corner of her eye, Maritza sees an unknown number displayed on the screen with a message under it.

 _Maritza, Yessica, who knows her real identity? You got no idea who your girlfriend is! That's funny. She's a total con artist, and you fell right for it! Xo, P_

Maritza's lips pause on Flaca's and she grabs the phone before Flaca can while rolling off her girlfriend. "What the fuck is this? You been tellin' people my fake name for when I rip off creepy or pathetic old white dudes in the future and spreading it around that I'm a scammer?"

"No! Look, it ain't nobody important...people make shit up all the time! Somebody probably overheard you talkin' to me...everyone's aware of what you wanna do, even Gloria!"

"Yeah, but not _Yessica_ , that's between the two of us! I trusted you with a secret, and you really let me down, Flac. Like, every time you get some weird text, you're all like, 'oh, it's nothin'!" Maritza glares at her. " _Really_?"

"That's because it _is_!"

"Quit lyin' to me! It's like you're keepin' things from me, and I ain't vibin' it! Either you can let me in on the big secret, or you can leave my house!"

Flaca shakes her head slowly and sighs. She yanks her phone out of Maritza's hands, throws it into her purse, and walks out. Maritza presses her lips together to keep from sobbing until the door slams shut.

* * *

"Look, she's probably trying to protect you," Nicky tells Maritza over the phone after she'd heard from Flaca that Maritza now knows about P, but not everything. She's on her way to Maritza's guesthouse.

Maritza sniffles. "From _what_? Why did Lorna tell _you_?"

"She was worried that she was Piper's friends' anonymous stalker, ya know, P."

"Why would she torture herself? That don't make no sense."

"Well, to take suspicion off of her...but I really doubt she's P. None of us know who it is."

"Have you gotten anything from this P bitch?"

"No, which is strange...since I know about 'em, but they helped Lorna in getting her arrested for the Christopher bullshit, ran under Flaca, locked Alex in a dryer, and forced Daya to eat an abundance of cupcakes, and douchebags made fun of her for her weight." Nicky scoffs. "They gave the girls worms instead of Chinese food one lovely evening," she continues sarcastically.

" _Ay dios mío_ , this cunt almost killed my girl and put her in a fuckin' wheelchair?! Eeew, _worms_...how disgusting!"

"Yeah, and encouraged mine to stalk that idiot and make a complete fool of herself and become the target of horrible bullying! Uh, by the way, I'm outside, could I come in?"

"Sure, but why...?" Maritza opens the door and both girls close their phones with a grin. They exchange a hug and Maritza lets her through the doorway.

"It sounded urgent. We significant others of the girls in Piper's clique gotta support each other, right?"

"Yeah. Hey...you think Michelle knows about this?" Maritza wonders aloud.

"Nah, Alex would've told us she found out. You got any suspects?"

"Well, based on all the history I've learned thus far, ummm, Leanne, Stephanie, Ouija, Pidge, Zirconia, Maria, and Blanca seem likely, and it could be one of the hateful former teachers, but the one I saw on Flaca's phone didn't sound like a straight white man. It could be Piss-cuntella, though...but he uses his own bare hands as weapons! He don't seem like he'd write petty texts."

"I agree with you. Leanne and Angie actually sent them a text about kidnapping Ratman, but they were both in the video...I dunno who likes 'em enough to film it for 'em!" Nicky shrugs. "Everyone and their mother thinks they're dumbasses!"

"Maybe Stephanie, then, or Zirconia, 'cause the others hang out with us like whatever went down between them and Piper had nothin' to do with her friends!"

"They could be just chilling with us to get inside scoop...that's why I don't spill any secrets I don't mind being repeated to others."

Maritza's eyes widen. "You could be right! Still...we can't narrow it down to more than seven...eight, if you count Piss-cuntella."

"Shit," Nicky grumbles. "It might be multiple people. I'd get Taystee to track the number, she's good at that, but P might know some stuff about her, too, and use it against her."

"Like what?"

Nicky mentally slaps herself for raising Maritza's curiosity, because she'd promised RJ that Taystee wouldn't ever know about him until Vee was long gone. "Oh, things that could incriminate her, and she's eighteen now, so she'd go to adult prison. It's personal."

"That's okay, I won't press you for details."

"Thank you." Nicky breathes out a sigh of relief. She stares out the window and sees a couple locking lips on the sidewalk. They pull away from each other, and Nicky gasps while grabbing Maritza's arm, getting her attention. "That your ma? You never told us she had a boyfriend."

"She doesn't..." Maritza turns her head and her pupils grow as big as saucers again. "Fuckin' Christ. Come on, we're investigating. They're probably tryin' to get some alone time."

"Time for a rude awakening," Nicky mutters.

"Nah, it's okay, I'm glad she's happy, but I wish she introduced us. They better have just met!"

They walk back onto the porch silently and tiptoe down the steps as Juliana and the man hold hands while facing each other. He slaps the woman's ass and she beams while giggling loudly.

"Ugh, I'm never gonna be able to unsee that!" Nicky complains in a hushed voice while wrinkling her nose.

"¿Mamá?" Maritza asks as they walk closer to the adults. The guy and Juliana suddenly glance at them like deer caught in headlights.

Nicky sees that the guy Juliana is with looks awfully familiar. "Oh my fuckin' god! Uncle Ray?"

"The one who fucked your mom?" Maritza whispers.

"Yup," Nicky mutters.

"When did this start?" Maritza demands.

"Um, about two weeks ago," Juliana admits sheepishly. "I just thought it was a bit soon for us to go public. This ain't an affair or nothin'! I promise, baby." She pats her daughter's cheek fondly.

"It sure seems like it," Nicky tells her, but stares at her uncle plainly.

"Nicole, I have so much I need to explain, but we need to sit down, just the two of us-"

"It's _Nicky_!" she snaps. "You've been with that goddamn Marka for too long!"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I...I forgot," Ray stammers. "I'm done with her for good, though, I swear! Nicky. I'll remember that from now on."

"You better," Nicky grumbles while folding her arms across her chest.

Ray nods. "Is two this afternoon at Central Park okay?"

"Well, I need some time to process this...but sure. I can only talk for like, fifteen minutes, though. My girlfriend and I are going to the Wildwood Ferris Wheel in New Jersey, and it takes us almost three hours to get there by cab without stopping! The sunset is at six-oh-four this evening, so we gotta start on the road about two-thirty, go on the Ferris wheel, then return home after having dinner about half past seven." Nicky was planning on taking Lorna there yesterday, but the brunette Italian had wanted to watch Gloria and Fahri together instead, so they're going tonight.

"You planned it out well, but it's a school night...is your guardian fine with this?"

Nicky shrugs. "We'll be back by ten-thirty. Look, uh...we barely know each other. I haven't seen you since I was like, twelve. Why do you care?"

"You're my niece, and I want to work on being a better uncle and more involved with your life than I was before, that is, if you're cool with it. I won't try to pressure you or anything."

She scrutinizes him and decides to give in because she was never close to her father's side of the family anyway, and he hadn't ever been horrible to her like Marka was. Whenever he'd come over, he'd watch a movie with her if Marka wasn't in the mood, or he'd give her treats or presents. The only downside to him was that he stuck up for Marka if Nicky complained about her because he was brainwashed, but Daya forgave Aleida after the woman took her awful boyfriend's side over her daughter's. Nicky thinks she should at least try to bond with her uncle, especially since Marka is gone from the picture and can't influence him badly anymore. He is, after all, the only blood family she has. "You get one chance. You fuck up, you're outta my world for good."

"Thank you, and I would ask you not to swear, but I get where your head's at." He grins and turns to Maritza. "Alright...I should go. It was great to finally meet you, Maritza, your mother has told me lovely things about you."

Maritza smiles for a second and then looks up at Juliana. "You did?"

"I always got bragging rights when it comes to my daughter!"

"Well...that was sweet. Nice meeting you too, Ray," Maritza says shyly and they shake hands.

"Alright...catch you later," Juliana murmurs and then kisses him. He gets into his car and she gazes dreamily after it as he drives away.

"Mamá, you're so cute when you're goin' gaga over somebody!" Maritza gushes.

"Yeah, you go, Ms. Ramos!" Nicky cheers Maritza's mother on, and she laughs.

Nicky's phone vibrates in her pocket and she reads her new text from Lorna. _Honey, where are you? I'm ready to do this thing!_

"Oh shit, sorry, you two! I gotta go! Bye!" Nicky and Maritza hug each other quickly and then runs for the train to take her to Red's store. Luckily, she arrives exactly on time. She and Tricia stand guard outside while they watch for Pavel.

"What the hell were you doing?" Tricia hisses.

"None of your concern, but Maritza needed my help for a second," Nicky answers Tricia shortly. Just then, a tall man with cropped gray hair and a matching goatee, and dressed in jeans and a dark red and white plaid button-up, strides through the parking lot, making his way toward the restaurant, and Nicky gasps. "Oh, oh, that's him! Holy shit!"

"Send it!"

"Right!" Nicky had already prepared what she wanted to tell her girlfriend, since she knew her hands would be sweaty and shaky at what she was about to make happen, with her sister and Lorna's assistance. _Play the song. Now!_

* * *

While squealing under her breath, Lorna hits the button on her pink iPod to begin "Time after Time" by Cyndi Lauper, so that it sounds through the whole restaurant, thanks to speakers that Nicky had hooked up earlier in the week. Red smiles to herself and starts humming while preparing a piroshki that Lorna had ordered.

 _Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,_  
 _And think of you_  
 _Caught up in circles confusion-_  
 _Is nothing new_  
 _Flashback-warm nights-_  
 _Almost left behind_  
 _Suitcases of memories,_  
 _Time after-_

"It's a nice one, huh, Red?" Lorna asks brightly while resting her chin on her fist and swinging her legs to the beat.

"Well, the tune is pretty, I agree, but the lyrics are a bit depressing!"

Lorna smirks while swaying. "In the music video, she has red hair...like you. The couple gets back together at the end. It turns out to be very romantic!"

Red beams. "That's true."

"Her man has long brown hair, like..." Lorna's voice trails off as Pavel walks through the doors, and Nicky and Tricia stroll in behind him, but quickly go in the opposite direction.

"Like who?" Red glances at Lorna with a curious expression on her face, but then her eyes gaze over Lorna and she narrows them in confusion.

 _Sometimes you picture me-_  
 _I'm walking too far ahead_  
 _You're calling to me, I can't hear_  
 _What you've said-_  
 _Then you say-go slow-_  
 _I fall behind-_  
 _The second hand unwinds..._

"Galina? Eto pravda ty?"

 **Is that really you?**

Red is rendered speechless for a second, and Lorna eagerly squeezes both Nicky and Tricia's hands under the table. "Da...no kto ty? Ty govorish' po-russki?"

 **Yes...but who are you? You speak Russian?**

"Konechno! Galina...Mne tak zhal', chto vse eti gody nazad ya obmanyval dzhinsy. Na samom dele oni stali ochen' populyarnymi, i teper' ya ponimayu, pochemu vy reshili sdelat' bol'shiye izmeneniya posle Nadezhda. YA nikogda ne mog dvigat'sya dal'she posle tebya."

 **Of course! Galina...I'm so sorry for wimping out about the jeans all those years ago. They actually did become very popular, and I understand now why you wanted to make a big change after Nadhezda. I never really could move on after you.**

 _If you're lost you can look-and you will find me_  
 _Time after time_  
 _If you fall I will catch you-I'll be waiting_  
 _Time after time..._

Red gasps and places a trembling hand over her mouth. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears. "Pavel? Oh...YA dazhe ne znayu, chto skazat'. Proshlo dva s polovinoy desyatiletiya!" She chews on her nails and Lorna thinks it's too adorable how flushed she is around him.

 **I don't even know what to say. It's been two and a half decades!**

"You don't need to say anything. I'm only asking for your permission...if we could start over?" He has a thick Russian accent, but the girls can still understand him.

"No way," Nicky and Tricia whisper in unison.

"Yesss!" Lorna squeals.

He gestures to the dark blue jeans he's wearing. "Look, I'm even wearing jeans!"

Red chortles, comes out from behind the counter, and takes a few steps toward him while undoing her hair that had been previously pulled back into a ponytail, and then, spreads it around her shoulders. "Ah, yes, I see. They look very nice on you!"

"Thank you. I've always loved you in them, too," Pavel compliments her. "Democracy, empires crashing down. I liked how the world was changing, and I wanted you to enjoy it too. I'm glad you did."

"You told me that when I first started wearing them. Although, I don't have a Charlies' Angels' butt anymore."

"You're still beautiful, since the first time I saw you."

Red beams and her cheeks turn a deep scarlet. "Thank you. I never forgot your handsomeness either." It's then she realizes, that Lorna has never watched Nicky and Tricia's mother figure flirt before. The older woman is practically glowing with how happy she is. "So...you learned some English?"

"I heard excellent things about America. I came here five years ago and took many lessons at night school."

"Well, you're very good!" she praises him. "Do you ever go back to Russia?"

"Of course, for summer vacations!"

"I do, as well."

 _After my picture fades and darkness has_  
 _Turned to gray_  
 _Watching through windows-you're wondering_  
 _If I'm OK_  
 _Secrets stolen from deep inside_  
 _The drum beats out of time-_

"Forgive me for asking, but what happened with Dmitri?"

"Oh...he was a desperate hamster." At this, the girls stifle their laughter with their fists and Pavel cracks up while Red just smirks and rolls her eyes. "Actually, a gerbil, since hamsters bite. He chatted about taking me to Odessa and Lake Chernobyl, but never followed through on his promises, and I didn't want to break up with him, otherwise, I'd be on turbine duty, like poor Yuliya Ovechkova, whose hands became wrinkled and dry at only twenty...and that was _before_ we got married and moved to the United States. I wanted to go to Leningrad, and then Vladivostok, but too many fish were there. It wasn't fair that they let the Jewish people emigrate from Russia, but not us."

"That's right, you worked in the factory! I remember now...you looked adorable in your light blue uniform and matching hat."

Red hits his shoulder playfully and shakes her head, but she's grinning from ear to ear. Lorna can't quit fawning over their cuteness. "Stop it!"

"You did!" he insists and pulls out two chairs for them to sit in, opposite each other. "So, Dmitri's finished for good?"

"He had a plan for us to get to America-we'd have a fake wedding and I would live my own life in America. I felt bad that he pined for me so much, so I tied the knot with him for real. He was boring, and he still is now, so I divorced him. We have three sons who are all in college."

"I thought Nicky and Tricia were your daughters."

"They are, but not from him, or me, either. I think of them as mine, though. Wait...how do you know-" Her eyes travel to the blondes and Lorna, and then Pavel, and finally, back to all of the girls. "Did you three ask him to come back for me?" They nod their heads yes. Red puts her hand over her heart and beams at them. "Thank you," she mouths, and they give her smiles back.

 _If you're lost you can look-and you will find me_  
 _Time after time_  
 _If you fall I will catch you-I'll be waiting_  
 _Time after time..._

"You know, I rejected Dmitri's offer of a Georgian restaurant with chakapuli so I could go to your party. I _despised_ those back then." Red scoffs. "Accordion music, soggy herring, and anxious men wanting me to dance with them!"

Pavel sniggers. "You must've really hated that guy!"

"Yes, but I never regretted going and meeting you. It was nice going to that speakeasy of yours. Nadhezda and I were always like, _two cabbages and a soup bone_!" They share a laugh. "I'm sorry...I keep thinking of you with brown curly hair just a bit past your shoulders," Red murmurs while gently touching his upper arm.

"I've always pictured you as the girl with long, red, straight hair."

"They call me _Red_ for a reason. Although, sometimes, I think there's more purple than red in my hair dye."

Pavel scoffs. "Bah! Like you even need it."

"Smooth," Nicky murmurs and the other two girls smirk.

"What?" Red waves him off. "Oh, hush, you!"

"No, really, I mean it! Uh...so you own this place?"

"I sure do! Let me whip you up something." Quickly, Red makes another piroshki and serves it to him while rubbing her dark red lips together. "Go on, eat it!"

When he finishes the treat, he gives her a thumbs up. "You are a magnificent cook!"

"Thank you!" Red tells him while taking her place beside him.

"Galina...for old times sake, would you like to go dancing with me? We can do the Barynya and get some liquid courage, preferably vodka!"

"Of course! I'd love to!" They exchange a sweet hug with their cheeks touching and Red's chin resting on Pavel's shoulder. Under the table, Nicky, Lorna, and Tricia hi-five each other.

* * *

"I'm so sorry about how Marka treated you," Ray starts out as he and Nicky sit on a bench at Central Park, with Lorna close by. She'd told her girlfriend that her uncle had been going out with Maritza's mother for a while and she just so happened to see him again today after four years of no contact. Lorna was shocked, but also happy that Nicky's uncle was making an effort to get to know her and be somewhat of another parental figure to her. Lorna knows very well that Nicky thinks Red is more than enough of one, but it's nice when a person can have even one family member who is bonded to them by blood, be close in the heart, too. Nicky hopes Ray will turn out to be great and someone she can count on.

"Don't be," Nicky tells her uncle. "Seriously, man...she was a bitch, but you don't gotta apologize for her ass!"

"I know...I just feel terrible! I sat there and...I didn't listen to you. She was heartbroken over my cheating brother and wanted me for comfort...but she mistreated you! She ended up betraying me, too. I'm glad I have Juliana now, and I would like to reconnect with you."

"That'd be awesome."

"Who are you staying with?"

"This lady who works in a Russian market and the school cafeteria. She's the best! Her name's Galina, but she insists that people call her Red. You'll see why when you meet her."

"Oh, that's interesting! Uh...what's your favorite music nowadays? I'm thinking I could take you and your girlfriend to a concert."

"Right at this moment, I'm really loving Fiona Apple! Her song, 'Criminal', is my favorite," Nicky responds.

"Cool!"

"I have a sister, too. Uh, well, I met her on the street and we became friends, but she's eleven, so I took her under my wing. We were both really into drugs, especially H...you know, heroin...but Red got us off that shit, like, forever!" Nicky fiddles with her St. Joseph's necklace.

"That's good! I'm glad you're not going to make those kinds of choices anymore. You don't need dope to have fun. I strongly discourage it."

"Ah! You do have a point. So, how's my dad doing? I can understand why he cheated on Marka..." _That cunt_ , she adds in her head. It's too vulgar to say in front of him, and besides, he used to date her. The wound she'd left could still be fresh. "I mean, I-I barely knew him, since he really only existed if he was fighting with Marka, but now that she's with Paolo, maybe he can focus on me?" she asks hopefully.

"Well, I wasn't sure how to approach you with this, but he died in a freak accident three years ago...while on a business trip, there was a tornado and he was hit with a flying tree," Ray answers her solemnly. "My condolences."

"Jesus! That's depressing!" Nicky doesn't know what else to say. She isn't upset, because he wasn't that much of a father to her, more like a stranger. She feels nothing, in fact.

"Yeah...I'm sorry, kiddo."

"Uh...I probably gotta go now," Nicky excuses herself.

"I could drive you girls," he offers as she stands up.

"No, it's okay. Maybe next time! Thanks anyway, though!" she calls out as she leaves. "Bye!"

"Bye!" They wave at each other and Nicky joins Lorna outside the park where she's waiting with their things and flagging down a cab.

Nicky almost wishes she'd told him yes, but she doesn't want to get too comfortable just yet. "What did you guys talk about?" Lorna wants to know as they get into the vehicle.

"He volunteered to take us both to a concert...Fiona Apple!"

"Oh, neat! What else?"

"He apologized for Marka's behavior, and I told him he didn't need to do that. Then, he told me he was sorry for not doing much to go against her when she'd be so cruel to me. He asked me who was taking care of me, and I let him know Red, and that Tricia's my sister...and I mentioned you as my girlfriend, of course!"

"Aww, that's sweet," Lorna tells her.

"Which part?" Nicky wonders aloud.

"All of it!"

"He informed me that my dad was killed by a tree in a tornado while I was on the run, if you can believe it!"

Lorna gasps and touches her forearm tenderly, and Nicky melts inside. "Oh my goodness! I'm real sorry, hon!"

Nicky gives a light shrug. "Ehhh...he never meant much to me anyway, so I'm not like, sad or anything. It's more like, I feel bad for Uncle Ray that he lost his brother, and he was a human being, so that's terrible in general."

"I understand." Lorna interlocks her fingers with Nicky's and squeezes her hand tightly while offering a gentle smile, and Nicky grins back at her. Their first stop once they get to New Jersey, is the Starbucks in Hoboken. "This brings back memories of when I used to go here with Franny!" Lorna says excitedly and then sips her drink.

"Aw, that's cute!" Nicky comments.

* * *

As Nicky and Lorna board the giant Ferris wheel when it's nearing sunset, Lorna is jumping up and down inside. She's wearing her favorite jean dress and her hair is in a half pony. She knows she's too bejeweled for a ride and her face is coated in makeup, but she doesn't care. She's with the love of her life, and she wants to look her best. Nicky has on a dark blue top, black skirt, nude tights, brown Uggs, and bangles around her wrists. Her eye makeup is smoky and her lips are covered in light pink gloss, whereas Lorna's are bright red.

"It's a hundred and fifty-six feet tall, one of the biggest in the East Coast!" Lorna exclaims.

"Whoa! Holy shit! This is my kinda ride! The very top is gonna be amazing!"

"I know, you love being way above ground like that!"

Nicky grins at her and it warms her heart. "Views are my thing, you do know me well, my girl."

"Mm-hm!" The ride starts and Lorna cheers as they hold hands while sitting across from each other. She wishes she could be next to Nicky, but they have to even out the weight and be safe. It can't hurt to take a picture or kiss for a few seconds, though.

"I thought me and Vinnie had a real deep connection, like I was part of him, forever. He was my manicotti, and I was his little lasagna."

"Okay, that's gross," Nicky states through a chortle. "Why are you bringin' that knucklehead up?"

Lorna scowls. "You gotta let me finish, Nicky! I was like that about Christopher too, but I was wrong! Both of them were such jerks, but not you. Third time really _is_ the charm! Sure, Vinnie wore a gold chain and made me feel safe, and those two things go together, but not only do you have gold bling around your neck and protect me, you also are the most wonderful, understanding, patient, kindhearted and loveliest person to ever grace me with your presence." As they get closer to the top, Lorna's eyes fill with tears. "I am so glad to have you!"

Nicky sends her an emotional smile and reaches forward to place her open hand on Lorna's cheek and her thumb strokes a stray tear away in a gentle manner. "Lorna, baby...so am I. It's pretty heavy goin' for us lately, with bad things happening, but I'm lucky that you're my main squeeze!"

After confessing their undying love for each other, they share a passionate liplock and pull away just as quickly. Lorna takes her Motorola out of her purse and turns on the front facing camera while plopping down beside the blonde. She snaps a picture of the two of them holding hands and beaming brightly, faces touching, with the whole amusement park and the boardwalk, including other fun attractions such as Sea Serpent, Teacups, Ignis Fatuus, Super Scooters, and Musik Express in the background once they're at the highest point. Then, they take two more with them pecking each other's cheeks. She'll treasure the photos as long as she lives.

While Nicky is getting their dinners later, Lorna arranges to meet in the cornfield with Juan since he'd been texting her a lot and asking her why she isn't interested in a relationship. She thinks the answer should be obvious, but he might just need mental help, like she did. She tells Nicky that she's going to the bathroom, but then goes off to where Juan is.

"What happened to your best friend you beat up? Did you stop being close?" Juan wants to know as they're taking their places on the ground.

"We're girlfriends now."

"Why did you reject me? You found someone and I didn't...but I thought we would hook up, maybe, seeing that we have this in common."

Lorna plays with the tall weeds, braiding them, and then letting them go. "It'd be cheating on my girl...and not only that, we're too far apart in age...I'm talkin' a whole generation. You could be my father!"

"I always thought age was just a number, but alright, that makes sense. A Gen X'er shouldn't be with a millennial. I don't think of dating as commitment, though, never have. I didn't think you were faithful."

"Well, I am. To her, I'm a hundred percent devoted." She chuckles. "Gen X'er...that's what my besties' moms and auntie figures and their friends call themselves. You'd fit right in with them."

Juan slides closer to her and she allows herself to relax while also watching where his hand is hovering from her peripheral vision. "That's nice. You know where Vee's at right now?" He doesn't let her reply. "She's fucking another drug dealer she proposed to in Vegas! She's got pictures all over Facebook that I hope get taken down, and that's just the two I saw on her main page. I can't see them all, since she blocked me."

"That sucks." The longer she's with him in person, the weirder she feels. "Hey...can we keep this friendship online, because I had to sneak out to see you last time and it almost killed me...I had to climb out the window and I'm terrified of heights! I only came so I could tell ya face to face. I can bring Franny with me if you want to continue these visits, and I'll introduce you to the other adults I know."

"Sorry...I'm too busy for social interactions...you're a special case, but if you're more comfortable with an Internet friendship, that's okay."

"Oh...alrighty, then. We can still hug."

Juan grins and then they bid each other goodbye. He snakes his arms around her and then they separate.

"Lorna?" She jumps at the sound of Nicky's voice as the blonde approaches her. "Who were you just talking to?" The blonde has a corn dog and an Icee in each of her hands and she gives one drink to Lorna, who takes it with a thankful smile.

Juan is nowhere to be found, which Lorna is grateful for. "Uhh...just myself, I suppose. Sorry, I...I musta got distracted and wanted to explore my old hometown after using the little girl's room."

"Well, let's get outta here, this place is fuckin' creepy at night!" Nicky helps her up and they link arms while strolling to a bench beside the condiments stand. The couple watch the beautiful neon lights flash on all the rides as they drizzle ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise on their food. They proceed to eat and then drink their wild raspberry and cherry flavored Icees while occasionally grinning up at each other.

Out of the corner of her eye, though, Lorna spots Juan leaving the area while clenching his hands into fists and shaking them, but he doesn't see her.

 **Thank you for reviewing, CoffeeWritingAddiction, A Star In My Universe, MinervaSnape394, and Johanna-002!**


	54. You Know I Always Look Out For You

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe! Yay, the trailer is out! Finally! It looks sooooo good!**

 **Warning, racist, sexist, homophobic, and Islamophobic slurs, anti-Semitism, and sexual and verbal harassment.**

It's eight-o-clock at night and Friendly's is buzzing with conversation, two tables in particular. Daya, Adarsh, Yadriel, Maria, Blanca, Diablo, Hassan, Allison, Pennsatucky, and Nathan, are on their quintuplet date, while Red is with Frieda, Lourdes, Norma, Anita, Ms. Jones, Claudette, Taslitz, and Celeste.

"I got you a comic book from your favorite store on Morris Park," Adarsh kindly lets Daya know and hands her it. She appears to be absolutely delighted and she grins as she hugs him. "Just because."

"Aw, thank you! I hope it wasn't outta your way or nothin'."

Adarsh shrugs with a smile gracing his features. "It was a little, but I didn't mind."

"After you," Diablo tells Blanca and pulls out her chair for her, as all the other guys had done for their girls. She plops down and beams.

"You're too sweet!" Blanca murmurs and winks at him flirtatiously.

"Okay, so 'Push It' is totally our song!" Maria announces and gestures to herself and Yadriel. "Why else would we name our daughter Pepa?"

"You sound like a combination of Lorna, Flaritza, and Diane," Allison points out. "Nothin' wrong with that, but I didn't think you had a sappy bone in your body. I mean, you punched Yadriel in the face when you gave him back his stash at his boxing practice."

"Damn, harsh," Hassan adds while shifting his eyebrow at Maria.

"Yo, that was a mistake! I challenged him to fight me for his drugs and he didn't even block me!" Maria defends herself. "I thought he would, since he's a boxer." Thinking of the first time she'd seen him shirtless still makes her melt to this day, but she feels guilty that she'd connected her fist with his jaw.

"It's alright, man," Yadriel chimes in and holds Maria's hand in both of his. "I still love her more than anything. I even stole flowers from my crackhead cousin's funeral for her."

Maria beams. "He's really the best."

"Awww!" Daya gushes and pats her heart. "So romantic."

"Yeah, and there ain't no such thing as the perfect couple."

Blanca nods along to her boyfriend's statement. "Exactly. They just got their own way of being perfect."

"I don't think I've ever heard how you and Diablo met," Pennsatucky informs her and waves her wrapped straw between them.

"Oh, tell her, it's a cute story!" Daya encourages Blanca.

Blanca rolls her eyes but smiles. "He used to be a gardener for this churchgoer named Patty, he did good on her shrubs. Then, he worked for Millie, who I was the caretaker of. 'Put the soup on the stove, not the microwave!'" she mimics the cranky woman. "Just on and on with this old bitch. She constantly called me Bianca because she misread my name as that. She preferred it over Blanca, it was the stupidest thing ever. She only wanted me to herself and to stay in her house. Margaret, her daughter, wanted her in a nursing home, and I wish she'd been in one, but if she was, I would've never gotten to know my other half." Blanca's eyes trail over into Diablo's warm brown ones and she beams. "Once I looked out the window and Diablo and I saw each other, my job became a thousand times better. He also helped me with Millie."

"It was all for Blanca. I told her I robbed a jewelry store and got juvy, but she just liked the fact that I was a bad boy," Diablo continues, and she massages the muscle in his shoulder.

"His name's really Dario, but his nickname is 'devil' in Spanish."

"Yep, Satan worshipper over here," Diablo admits while showing off the tattoos of the devil and the upside down cross on his upper arm. "I totally freaked out Mrs. Taylor with that shit, but she asked about 'em, so..."

"Well, they scared Millie off too, but I think those are hot," Blanca states and smirks.

"Cool!" everyone else exclaims in unison.

Diablo fiddles with Blanca's fingers and grins at her. "Thanks, babe! So...you wanna travel, where to?"

"New York City!"

Their mouths connect. "We'll do that!"

"You guys _are_ hella adorable," Allison states.

"Wild, too," Blanca lets her know and Daya snickers behind her fist. "Millie wouldn't let Diablo work for her because he and I were in love and she thought I couldn't work properly, so we literally fucked in front of her while she was snoozin' away...until she wasn't anymore!"

This causes the others to crack up hysterically. "Oh, god," Daya mumbles through a few giggles. "What do guys you think I should do for a career, like once my baby's born?"

"Painting pictures for scenery," Maria suggests almost right away.

"True, you'd be good at that!" Adarsh puts in.

"Thanks, that sounds great! I hope my kid learns piano. I could try teachin' 'em, otherwise, they get lessons."

"I'm sure you'll do fine!" Allison praises her, and she beams.

"I wanna be a dental hygienist, improve people's smiles by getting rid of the yellow, boost confidence levels, and I ain't squeamish neither. Like, if some motherfucker tried to scare me with a rat on my porch, even a bloody one, I'd sweep that thing off!" Maria claps her hands and Daya and Allison both jump. "Boom! Gone, like...well, just plain gone. Decomposing in the ground and shit." She'd wanted to say _Chapstick_ , since she'd hated the bitch so much, but she opts against it.

"Neat," Pennsatucky comments.

"Wow, I'm impressed! I'll call you the next time we get one of those unwelcome intruders and neither Hassan nor my dad is around," Allison chimes in.

"That's my girl," Yadriel murmurs and Maria beams. "As for me...working at a gas station seems ideal. When I used to live in Texas, my family moved around a ton of times so my dad could find work, sometimes I didn't know where we'd end up, all night long, we would drive, but we stopped for gas and I'd go into a convenience store for a snack, like ice cream or candy."

Pennsatucky gives him a thumbs up. "Those are always delicious!" She pats Nathan's back. "I know my man here is gonna be a doc!"

Adarsh raises his hand. "I am, too!"

Nathan hi-fives him. "Awesome, bro!"

* * *

"I'm just worried he won't be able to get it up!" Red discreetly tells the women she's about to have a large Royal Banana Split with. "Pavel and I haven't been...intimate...since seventy-nine. He's probably almost fifty by now, and so am I! We were in the same graduating class."

"So? I ain't done it with nobody since Bone in eighty-two just before he left for Guatemala!" Frieda says in a quiet voice like Red had used. "If he ever returned from the damn place, I would be perfectly fine if we only did botany together for the rest of our lives!"

Erica wags her finger at Frieda while shaking her head no. "You are _lying_ to yourself!"

"That's correct, Jones," Taslitz, another friend of Frieda's, says.

Anita gestures to Red and clicks her tongue. "Just have Pavel use Viagra!"

"It works for Jean," Claudette murmurs.

"Viagra?" Lourdes scoffs. "Red's not _that_ old! Pavel is her age!"

"You tell 'em, Lourdes," Celeste mutters, and Norma grins at them. She hands Red a handwritten note on a napkin and gives her the evil eye.

 _You're forty-seven! You're the baby out of all of us! The fuck are you complaining about?_

"You're right, Norma. I'm sorry..."

Alex clears her throat awkwardly. "So, here's your dessert, ladies!"

"Thank you, honey," Frieda says while taking the dish from her.

"How much of that conversation did you hear?" Lourdes asks nervously.

"Nothing, really!" Alex chirps and then walks away.

* * *

"Now tell me, what was that _Children of the Corn_ stunt all about?" Nicky hisses once she and Lorna are inside their cab. She's mad that Lorna put herself in possible danger, but also worried about her girlfriend.

"What? You and Alex got high in the cornfield!" Lorna protests.

"There's a difference, we were together, and it was during the day! _Please_ don't do that to me again! I couldn't find you for a while, and I was terrified that something could've happened!" Nicky wraps her arms around Lorna tightly and kisses the top of her head. "You gotta be careful!"

Lorna rolls her eyes and huffs. "Fine! Jeez, you're soooo overprotective! I'm sorry for scaring you, though. I won't do it again."

"Promise me?"

"Yes, I won't go anyplace by myself! You apparently think I'm a baby."

"Look, I don't want you to disappear like Piper did! Of course you're nowhere near an infant, not even a child, but it's unsafe for a chick to be alone at night. I know I did it for three years, but deep down, I was terrified that one day or night could be my last. I wished so hard that men's curfews were nine at night."

"Oh yeah, but then women and girls with great guys or gay couples couldn't go out late..." Lorna trails off at Nicky's raising of her eyebrow. "You mean the seedy kind, right! Well, I remember being super scared when I spent the night out on the streets to give it a try. It's just safety in numbers, I guess."

"Exactly!"

* * *

"I wish the weekend could last forever," Pennsatucky mutters and stabs a fork into a chicken tender. "I don't wanna go back to school."

"Yeah, it must be hard always having to face Conniving Connecticunt who's dating your mom while secretly doing it with Caputo after his break from Fig, just so she can be the vice principal," Maria sympathizes with her. "Or is Boo the other woman she's keeping from Caputo?" She sips her milkshake a few times and Yadriel grins at her while throwing his arm over her shoulders. He's munching on a Sriracha cheeseburger.

Pennsatucky points at Maria with an approving grin. "First of all, good one. Secondly, nope! She and Boo are so in love that she makes Boo call her Amelia Von Barlow, and Boo is perfectly fine with that! She's got my foster mama wrapped around her finger! It's so _fucking_ annoying!" Pennsatucky hisses. "Boo don't even got time for me no more, that bitch is taking it away. She's too busy doin' the dirty with Lin-dumbass, who I don't trust, since she's a school board member! People tell me _I'm_ fucked up?" She shakes her head. "Aw, _hell_ no..."

"Ooooh, you should call her that to her face, Penns!" Alex exclaims while passing their table with a tray of fries and onion rings with ketchup in small cups.

"Are you shitting me? I would get _so_ expelled, not to mention grounded for all eternity!" Pennsatucky responds. "Nah, man, I'm keepin' my comments to myself here, although, I would love to smack the shit outta her and leave a nice red handprint mark!"

"I'd pay good money to see that," Blanca murmurs just before biting into her cheeseburger, and the rest of them, including Alex, nod in agreement.

"I punched Ratman yesterday afternoon," Diablo informs them proudly. "It felt good gettin' that fucker and defending my girl!"

Blanca stares at him proudly with stars in her eyes, and the others seem to be as impressed as Pennsatucky feels. They all give him hi-fives and cheer.

"You're real lucky you can kick a person of authority's ass like that without consequences, Diablo, but technically, he ain't one anymore," Pennsatucky mumbles.

"I'm sorry it's so difficult at home and school, babe," Nathan tells Pennsatucky and squeezes her hand in support.

"I just miss her," Pennsatucky mumbles sadly. "She taught me to read and floss...and told me I had to brush my teeth after they got repaired...and every night, without fail, we have a snack of snickers, skittles, and Three Musketeers. One time, she said Helen Van Maele was on steroids, which is so true!" Everyone laughs at her last comment and she sighs heavily. "Daya, I dunno how you, Alex, and Flaca don't feel that way about your mamas dating! Maybe I'm just more needy because Boo is the first mama figure I ever had. I mean, the only good thing my bio mama did was make the yellow drink that some idiots think is piss, but it's really just lemon candy flavored water that y'all say is delicious."

"I'm sure Boo isn't trying to ignore you," Daya assures her as Pennsatucky stuffs the chicken tender through her lips and starts chewing. "The honeymoon stage makes people do weird shit, like serious public displays of affection and zeroing in on their significant other, but they still care about others in their life. I know my ma's trying, and Alex and Flaca's moms always put their daughters first. Doesn't Boo do the same thing, even if she has a girlfriend?"

Pennsatucky shrugs. "I guess...she has enough love to go around! It's just stupid when she brings the tramp home and I can hear 'em boning all the way from my bedroom. She screeches... _loudly_. I'd rather Boo went to her place so I could sleep in peace! Boo has told Connecticunt to keep her voice down since I'm there, and then I can hear 'em giggling, mostly _her_." She doesn't tell them about how she's also being bullied and she doesn't know who to turn to now, since she doesn't want to bother Boo or her boyfriend or Nicky or the other straight couples she's trying to be closer friends with.

"Lindumbass seems inconsiderate," Allison mutters, dipping a mozzarella stick into marinara sauce and swirling it around. "You could try to take a picture of her with Caputo to show Boo some proof of her cheating! That'll break 'em up!"

"Oh yeah, good idea, sweetheart!" Hassan praises Allison and kisses her cheek, causing her to beam.

Two years ago, Pennsatucky would've never interacted with Allison, or anyone of her religion, because she'd learned in church that those who wear hijabs are Christ's enemies, but now, she couldn't care in the least. She just thinks the word _hijab_ sounds bouncy. She smiles at the Muslim girl. "Okay, but I don't wanna see his dick! Eeeww!"

"Alex and Piper saw it once," Daya whispers, and everyone glances at her in disgust. "He'd sent a sext to Fig and they had her phone because she made the stupid mistake of leaving it at Piper's house when she visited Carol. Piper said his...thing...was formidable, but Alex said it looked like a chicken's neck and almost puked in her mouth. We all hit Piper with pillows for her comment and took Alex's word for it." Pennsatucky may have despised Piper, but she enjoys hearing these incriminating stories about her.

The group cracks up while wrinkling their noses. "I never said anything about 'em fucking! Only kissing!" Allison protests. "Thank you for that mental image, by the way," she adds sarcastically to Daya.

"Just block it out, like..." Daya makes a swiping motion with her hand across her forehead. "Ladies, always imagine your boyfriends' and forget his." She pops a pizza bite into her mouth.

The girls' faces light up as they look at their guys. "Ahh, okay!" Maria says cheerfully. Pennsatucky bites her lip in a sensual manner and casually rubs Nathan's jeans-clad crotch under the table and they share a smirk. "So, um...Allison, I really like that idea. I'll spy on 'em, definitely!"

Allison beams. "Awesome!"

"Your hijab's pretty, it compliments your outfit." Pennsatucky can't resist saying the word, but it's also true. She does think Allison's flower-patterned hijab goes great with her casual red long-sleeved dress.

"Thank you," Allison responds pleasantly.

"No prob!"

"Is it true that Lindumbass is really the Counterfeit Cunt of Connecticut?" Blanca wants to know. "Alex says she's an actual cunt, which is right!"

"She made a fake ID in college, but it didn't work," Pennsatucky reports. "She claims she can forge drivers' licenses and birth certificates and ten buck bills, but I don't believe her for a second!"

"Me neither," Nathan agrees and twirls one of her blonde-highlighted pigtails around his fingers. Pennsatucky feels so lucky to have him. Her magic man who gave her such amazing orgasms and just pure love, almost had to move to Wyoming, since his coal mining dad got drunk and lost his job again, but Nathan had gotten himself a good job and an apartment to live in, after Boo encouraged Pennsatucky to tell him she's been raped twice and really needs him with her as her white knight in shining armor at school and teen parties, two places that Boo wouldn't be at.

* * *

"You're so lucky you got true love, Aleida. I always notice how your man looks at you, like you put the stars in the sky or somethin'." Gloria and Aleida are washing their hands in the women's bathroom just after they finish their meal with Fahri and Leon before going to watch _Raise Your Voice_ in theaters for their double date. Diane hadn't wanted to see it since it would remind her too much of Mitch dying, as the main character, played by Hillary Duff, thinks it's her fault that her brother passed away. Besides that, Diane and Charles are working. "I need that so bad, you know?"

Aleida nods in understanding as she poofs out her curly brown locks. "Mm-hm. Well...I wish I had a good relationship with an older family member, like you got your tía, who's your ma, basically."

"We both got something the other wants," Gloria realizes aloud while adjusting her green and purple headband and taking some strands of black hair out to frame her face with them. "I'll share Lourdes with you if you'd like me to."

"Of course!" They exchange a delighted grin. "Hey...would you wanna try cuddling with Fahri tonight at the movies? You can tell him to put his arm around ya, I'm sure he ain't gonna mind."

Gloria shakes her head no, although that does sound exciting. "I can't seem too eager. I'll just talk to him instead."

They finish up in the restroom and leave to meet up with the guys with their arms linked. Gloria ushers Aleida into Leon's embrace and then takes her place next to Fahri as they all walk out of the restaurant. This time, they're dressed a bit more casual. Gloria is wearing a dark purple scoop-neck silk blouse with sheer cap sleeves, a worn gray leather jacket over it, and a black skirt, but Aleida is in jeans like the men are, only hers are skinny and high-waisted, and she'd paired them with a pretty, low-cut, cold-shouldered pink and white flowered top. Both of the ladies are in tall black boots. Fahri has on a black peacoat and a red top while Leon dons a grayish black shirt. He's holding his blue hoodie and telling Aleida it's hers for the night if she wants it, since it can get cold in the theater. Gloria thinks Aleida didn't bring something to put on over her outfit on purpose.

"I'll get us a large popcorn and four Icees," Fahri announces.

Gloria beams. "That'll be great, thank you."

"Yeah, thanks, man," Leon adds and he and Fahri bump fists.

"I appreciate that," Aleida chimes in. She glances up at Leon and he bends down to kiss her slightly open mouth. They're gushing out so much passion for each other, and Gloria loves it.

"Aw, they're so cute together," Gloria murmurs to Fahri, and he grins in response. "Genuine romance must be a beautiful thing, it's just too bad I ain't never experienced it."

"Oh, I bet it is. That sucks big time, though, me neither."

"You had bitchy girlfriends or somethin'?" Gloria folds her arms across her chest and peers up at him. They lean into each other as they stroll along.

"Yeah, or we just weren't compatible, and it's just been really hard to find _the one_." Fahri stuffs his hands in his pockets and shrugs.

"I feel ya, dude," Gloria says glumly.

Fahri's gaze meets hers and he smiles down at her with a twinkle in his eye. "I am glad, though, that out of all the women the girls could've introduced me to indirectly, it turned out to be you."

Gloria's cheeks warm and she presses her lips together while beaming. "Same."

"Hey...you ever try to help the girls or even lecture 'em, and they just didn't wanna listen to you, simply because you're not their mother?" Fahri asks.

"Oh yeah, sometimes." Gloria rolls her eyes, remembering how she grounded Daya for getting high the night of Aleida and Leon's first date, and then again for lying and going out with her teacher behind Gloria's back. "Dayanara thinks I'm real unnecessarily bossy sometimes."

"So does Alex, for me. It's like, no shit, kid, of course I'm not your father, but that doesn't mean you can just blow me off and not take my advice!"

They share a look of annoyance. "Fuckin' díos, I know...we're older and wiser than them, and as close to parental figures as you can get...like, an aunt and an uncle."

He sweeps his hand towards her. "Exactly!"

Gloria smiles thoughtfully. "I never had the pleasure of knowing Dayanara when she was a baby, but I have seen pictures and heard stories...she was adorable!"

"Alex was, too," Fahri tells her fondly.

"Oh, for sure!" Gloria makes a mental note to herself for her and Aleida to hang out with Diane at hers and Charles' apartment, since they'd never been there before. "Diane's shown me childhood photos of her at their trailer park. She had us lunch ladies over a lot before we got real close."

"Yeah?" She nods at his question. "That's cool! Uh...your headband's cute," he compliments her. "In fact, your whole look is. I hope that didn't make you uncomfortable, I'm sorry..."

"No, it's fine, thank you," she mumbles shyly as she beams. She wants to giggle like he's her first crush and she's twelve years old, but she doesn't. "Same goes for your ensemble."

"Thanks!"

They all get their tickets, snacks, and drinks, and then file into their seats. As expected, Aleida snuggles into Leon as the ads begin. Gloria and Fahri have their hands on the armrests and their pinkie fingers bump.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she whispers and lets her hand fall back down on her lap.

"It's no big deal, don't worry about it. We can share the armrest."

Aleida, who's on the other side of Gloria, hands them the bucket of popcorn as she makes out with Leon, and Gloria and Fahri both reach into it at the same time. Their hands touch again and Gloria pulls hers to her side. "I'm so sorry," she apologizes again in an anxious tone. "You can go first."

"It's fine, Gloria. It really is," he assures her warmly, but it doesn't stop her hands from shaking slightly. If she ever touched Arturo's food when he was eating it or reaching for a bite, he'd twist her wrist until it popped or the bone snapped. In a restaurant, he'd do it under the table and she'd hide her anguish under a mask of a stoic expression on her face, and in a movie theater, even if they were with his friends, it was dark and they were distracted and not paying attention to her silent screams. She lets out a trembling breath and attempts to slow down her rapidly beating heart. Aleida and Leon would never let anything happen to her, but at the moment, they're not paying attention to anyone except each other. There's nobody else in their row, and the rest of the seats are mostly empty. She realizes quickly that her couple friends are actually helping her be alone with him so she can see if he's a ferocious monster or not. So far, he seems decent.

She gulps. "Are...are you sure? You ain't gonna..." Gloria stops herself and squeezes her eyes shut and chews on her thumbnail. _Hurt me?_ She chooses her words carefully. "Be mad at me, that I, um...took your popcorn without a word?" She wouldn't dare to even ask Arturo for a bite. He'd just mock her and snigger when he knew she was terrified of him.

"What?" Fahri appears both perplexed and concerned. "No, of course not! This is for all of us, but even if I bought it for myself, I'd offer you some or give it to you if you asked."

"Oh, that's good. Okay..." Gloria cautiously picks out a handful of popcorn and eats it. "Mmm..." she mumbles as the buttery goodness hits her taste buds. "Delish!"

"You have my sentiments!"

Gloria chuckles awkwardly and slurps her drink. "I apologize for being so jumpy, I never really gone out with a dude as friends before. They always wanted to get in my pants and shit, like, right away." She scoffs and he frowns. "Every fuckin' time. So...I, um, I'm grateful you ain't like that."

"Jesus, how disrespectful of those assholes! No, that doesn't describe me at all, I swear to you. I'll wait. I don't care how long it takes, or if you want to remain pals, I'm cool with that, too," Fahri murmurs softly, and her heart leaps and soars at what he's just told her.

"Thank you."

"Anytime, but you don't need to thank me for being a gentleman since that's socially acceptable."

"You gotta meet my babies," Gloria lets him know. "In person, officially...would tomorrow night at Friendly's be alright? I'm aware you talked to Benny a little that time he was panicking about us chillin' with our gang at first, but the only way to get him and Julio used to you being anywhere near me, is to spend a bit of time with 'em. You can bring Farah, and all the children can play together. They can see you're great with kids that way. They don't really remember their father, and they never knew the girls', who of course, ain't related to them. The only other guy I've been with romantically in their presence, was...not the best example of a real man, and he and I were...I dunno, at odds about little ones and he didn't wanna deal with 'em when they threw tantrums." She doesn't mention the consequences she'd receive from _him_ if she'd failed to calm her kids down in the time he'd allow, because she isn't ready to spill her complete nightmarish past just yet. "I'll even get 'em to behave for you and everything...that's a serious promise. I feel hella guilty that Benny cried and then swore in front of you...he just ain't good with me goin' out with men he don't know."

"I'd love to come, and of course I'll take Farah with me. You don't have anything to feel bad about. I completely understand Benny's distress...he's acting out because his mother, who he loves dearly, is being set up with a stranger, and he's accustomed to a loser dating you, basically," Fahri informs her sweetly, but matter-of-factly.

Gloria swallows the lump that had been forming in her throat. She wants to cry because he got it exactly right, his gentle tone is making her melt like she's ice cream on a sunny afternoon at the fair, and he actually wants her children to feel comfortable with him being around. "I ain't gonna fail him nor Julio again."

"You didn't. You just had no idea that your ex was Mr. Wrong. Nobody can predict that kinda stuff. It's that idiot, not you, who was the bad person. It was in no way your fault."

She beams. "All my girls and the teens and Leon and Charles tell me that, too."

"Well, they're correct! Hey, just wondering, who's babysitting your kids and Aleida's if not my niece or sister?"

"My tía, Lourdes. She don't charge us, of course, so that's cool!"

He grins. "It is."

"I don't wanna just be friends no more," Gloria admits through an exhale. She scoots closer to him and goes to push the armrest up and out of their way, but decides against it. "I don't wanna do anything further than holding hands, either."

"Alright...how about we just start by doing that, then? I'd really like it if we did." Fahri offers his hand, and she bites her bottom lip as she threads her fingers through his. Then, their palms kiss as they close their fingers on each other's knuckles. The same spark she'd felt when they were dancing together comes back, and she suddenly wants him to put his black peacoat around her so she can feel like he's holding her lovingly. He delicately strokes the side of her thumb in small circles. "Is this okay?"

Gloria nods bashfully. "Yes." He doesn't know this, but he's keeping her breathing under control after the mini panic attack she'd given herself.

"You can let me know when to stop, or just pull your hand away."

"I will. Right now, though, I'm enjoying this. I wouldn't even mind if you put your arm around me..."

"Are you positive?" he asks.

"Mm-hm."

After her confirmation, Fahri lays his arm over Gloria's shoulders. He shifts his elbow upwards when she raises the armrest. That way, it's more comfortable for her to rest her head on his shoulder and prop her feet up on Aleida's lap as she lays across the seats, but sits up against him. He holds her hand with his free one and plays with her fingers. They share popcorn with their couple friends. The film begins, so Gloria and Fahri can't talk to each other anymore, but he's still making her feel more amazing with each second that passes. When the brightness from the screen shines on Fahri, he's grinning like Gloria is, and when it makes Aleida and Leon's faces glow, they're smirking at Gloria snuggling with Fahri.

When they finish the popcorn, though, he brushes over a raised scar on the inside of Gloria's wrist, from where she'd been given many a rope burn or the handcuffs had been embedded into the skin there for so long, that it made an injury that would never fade entirely. Her hand twitches violently in his, and he immediately lets go with an alarmed expression on his face. "I'm so sorry," he whispers. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know, it's okay." Gloria's hands are trembling in her lap now, but she wants him to take her hand again, in fact, both of them. He's so good at calming her down. It just surprised her when he touched her in that particular spot with much tenderness. She despises her post-traumatic stress disorder and wishes it would disappear when she's with him. "Can you like, caress my left hand again? That's really keeping away my anxiety."

"Sure!"

She puts her left hand in his right, and he rubs soothing circles all over it. It's such a pleasurable sensation and leaves her tingly.

Once Gloria gets home and follows Aleida and Leon inside with her heart fluttering in her chest, she has to stop in the foyer to catch her breath. They seem to understand that she's still gushing like a schoolgirl over Fahri. She locks the front door behind her, and she thinks of the things Fahri did with her and how his strong arms felt around her slender body, and how his calloused hand fit around her soft one so well, just like when they were dancing together last night, and she'd nearly fainted on her bed because of so much swooning. "Oh my god...oh my god," she whispers to herself. With a long sigh, she slides down the wall and tilts her head back so she's resting it on the wall. She sits there for a few minutes with her legs outstretched before getting back up again.

* * *

"Hey nigger lover," Brent Moxley greets Diane rudely as he comes up to the counter with a bunch of his equally racist friends. He gives Alex a head-nod. "Trailer trash. How's about you cook me and my cousins up some delicious All-American food?"

"What the fuck did you just call us, douchebag?" Alex growls before Diane can snap back at him.

Brent sneers. "You heard me, bitch. Just make our dinner!"

"I can't serve customers who spew hate speech," Diane tells him sharply.

"Whatever, smoke jumper." He makes the vulgar hand sign for oral sex and directs it at them, and they shudder and turn away.

"That's the fucking skinhead's ex," Allison hisses as he and his many cousins stalk past them, but then they pause and start sniggering. Nobody can tell them apart, since they all look like Brent, with thinning brown hair, cold gray eyes, and a Hitler style mustache.

"If we had a time machine, I'd totally go back and murder Hitler," Pennsatucky mutters.

"Hitler's our hero," Brent insists. "My former girlfriend, Brandy, said she wished that early on, he'd seized Suez Canal so the Nazi regime gets oil easily."

"Yeah, I remember that, in front of Flaca, Ouija, Pennsatucky, and Ms. Berlin, she came out with that trash, and they just looked at her weirdly." Diablo narrows his eyes at him. "Nobody gives a fuck."

Brent holds his hands up. "Hey, I'm just saying, Pablo-"

"My man ain't no Pablo!" Blanca pipes up angrily. "It's _Diablo_! Or Dario if you wanna get technical. Idiota."

Brent chuckles lowly. "Hey, I mean no harm, nacho. There's so many of you Mexicans here, invading America, that I can't remember everyone's name!"

"Excuse me?!" Diablo practically shouts. "The fuck you just call my girl?"

"You want me to add a teardrop tattoo on my face after I destroy you forever with my bare hands?" Yadriel threatens the teenage Nazi.

"Babe," Maria says gently and pats his thigh. "I don't want you in jail for murder. This cracker ain't worth it." She scowls at Brent.

Daya stands up and scrapes her chair back noisily as other patrons start to look over at their table and a crowd starts to form. "Yo, y'all gotta leave. You're making this environment hostile and callin' attention to your dumbass selves!"

"What'd you say, you dirty, fat spic?" one of the nasty boys asks, stepping closer to her and clenching his jaw and fists, but Adarsh blocks his path.

"Don't call her that!" Adarsh tells him in an even tone while staring him down.

"Get your racist asses outta here!" Alex demands while folding her arms across her chest. She remembers seeing Piper's swastika on her forearm in her hallucination after noticing a large one on the back of Brent's neck in the same place Brandy had her confederate flag tattoo, and she's thoroughly disgusted.

"I'm really about to hit the security button," Diane snaps.

"Go back to the Middle East, retard," Brent grumbles and pushes Adarsh away from him. He shoves past Daya, who falls into Adarsh.

"Oh, just fuck off and let him be!" Daya fires back.

"If this escalates any further, you should," Alex tells Diane, and her mother nods. "It's too bad the elders left. They could end this whole shebang in seconds!"

Pennsatucky groans. "You're giving me a bigger headache than the ones I get in Best Buy! Quit your ignorant slurs!"

"You got a bomb hiding in here, cunt?" Brent yanks Allison's hijab off her head and his cousins jeer at her bending down to pick it up and put it back on. "Yeah, show us that ass!" Her friends form a protective circle around her.

"You're such a sadistic creature!" Alex cuts in again.

"Whoa! Stop it! That's highly inappropriate!" Diane yells and slams her hand on the white knob, causing a high-pitched siren to go off. Hassan assists Allison to her feet and everyone covers their ears with their hands.

"Turn off the stupid alarm!" Brent smashes the white button and shuts off the constant wailing of the distress signal. "We'll be out shortly."

"You okay?" Hassan wonders aloud, and Allison nods her head yes.

"You broke that, you're gonna pay for a new one, I want it in my hands tomorrow morning!" Diane commands him as he strides away from her sluggishly. "You understand me?" She begins to follow Brent, but she gasps all of a sudden. Alex glances at her worriedly. "I'm fine, honey, my heart just lurched, you know it's got problems during stressful situations. I'm more concerned about Allison." She goes over to the girl who's readjusting her hijab. "I'm sorry, Allison...I never thought it would go that far, if I had, I would have stepped in."

Allison smiles at her. "I know. It's cool, Diane."

"I'm usually peaceful, but-" Hassan swings his fist into Brent's face and the asshole stumbles back. "Don't lay another hand on my girl, or me and the boys will really give it to you next time, more than a single punch!"

"What'd I tell you?" Brent asks, panting and wiping his bloody nose as his cousins surround him. "Terrorist as the day is long!" He points at Hassan while glancing over at Diane. "Take care of this moron, look what he just did to me!"

Allison glowers at Brent. "That's what you get when you mess with me and the rest of us, fucker."

"Yeah," Diane agrees. "You were being extremely disrespectful and removing a hijab without the person's permission is like taking off clothing. Of course Allison's boyfriend is gonna hurt you!"

"I knew it! Once you go black, you never go back!" Brent grunts. "You're just like the rest of them apes, whore. Let's go, boys."

"Don't you talk to my mother or about African Americans that way!" Alex says in a strong voice, but she only receives the vile teens' middle fingers in return.

Another cousin of Brent's gives her a fake grin before they walk out the door. "Your words mean nothing to us, taco shell. Enjoy those beans before they lose their spice. You'll be begging me to fuck you in the ass soon enough."

Diane separates the boys and grips them by the backs of their shirts as she pushes them the rest of the way out the door. "You better shut your garbage mouths about my daughter before I do it for you, fucking half-wits!" she warns them.

Brent shoves Diane off him, punches the guy's shoulder, and snickers. "The tits are better, man, trust me."

This fires Alex's rage and she wants to puke on them, but she keeps her cool, since she doesn't want to keep fighting with people who won't listen and are exiting anyway. Besides, most of the older ladies have showed up and can deal with them. Diane breathes out a sigh of relief and hugs Alex close to her while the guys hold the girls they came to Friendly's with.

"We heard a bunch of hollering in here!" Frieda says and roughly slams Brent and his cousin into the wall outside Friendly's with her hands pressing against their skinny necks. Red, Lourdes, and Claudette are close behind her, giving the other cousins the same treatment. "Plus, I know what you said to Diane and Alex and what you did to Allison." She kicks Brent in the nuts and cracks her neck while Taslitz sneaks up behind the other guy, giving him a wedgie, pulling his boxers up and over his sagging jeans in a fast manner, making him whimper in pain. Norma pushes them both onto the pavement and then, she, Anita, Ms. Jones, and Celeste offer the girls friendly embraces while smiling, which they gratefully take.

"You'll be okay," Ms. Jones assures them and rubs Alex's back soothingly.

"Mm-hm, we're all here now!" Anita puts in.

Red and Claudette spit at the boys they're physically shaking with her hands clutching their collars and then the two women throw them to the ground on top of Brent. "You're all despicable!" Red snaps.

"I should choke you to death," Claudette snarls at them.

Lourdes hisses Spanish phrases at the ones that are in her grasp, which Alex can't translate well in her head, but it sounds like a curse. Gripping them by the backs of their necks, she makes them headbutt and then trip over each other and their cousins until all six bigots are in a groaning heap. " _Adiós_." She brushes her hands off and then, Brent helps his cousins up and they all run away.

The Golden Girls, including Red, head back to their car after making sure that everyone's alright. The teens and Diane are just a little shaken, but they're fine otherwise. "Thank you!" Diane calls after Frieda and the others.

"You're welcome!" Frieda replies. "You know I always look out for you!"

* * *

"I saved you half the piece of cake Charles gave me two nights ago," Diane informs Alex once they get home. She had informed Charles that she and Alex missed each other and wanted to hang out a little before she joined him in bed, and he was of course fine with that. She opens the freezer and places the wrapped-up treat in front of her daughter, who grins with delight.

"Yay, thanks, Mom! I'll heat it up and have it with ice cream! It's a little late night snack, which is awesome!"

"Okay, honey!"

Alex begins to prepare her dessert. She puts some vanilla ice cream on her freshly warmed cake, drizzles it with whipped cream and strawberry syrup, and finally, tops it off with rainbow sprinkles. She gets a spoon out of the utensil drawer and digs in. "Mmm!" she mumbles while giving Diane a thumbs up with a smile. "This is good!" They both sit down at the kitchen table.

"When ain't it?" Diane asks her teasingly with a grin.

"Never! Hey...I've always wondered why my middle name is Pearl. Isn't it quite soft for someone like me?"

Diane chuckles. "Well, I love pearls and I wish I could afford to wear them, but I can't. I don't like the fake kind on my neck since it's plastic. I called you, my baby, Alexandra Pearl, because I looked down at you and thought, such a beautiful baby I have, like a pearl! _Alexandra_ sounds like a strong-sounding name, and it fits you well. So...strong and beautiful."

Alex beams. "Awww, I love that!"

"I knew you would! You were also one of the only good things in my life at that time, so you were precious, too." Diane pats her daughter's cheek fondly.

"You always said I was your little princess," Alex remembers pleasantly.

"Yep! You still are," Diane reassures her.

"I thought so!"

"Are you sure you're alright after that fiasco at the restaurant?" Truth be told, Diane is slightly rattled, because she hasn't encountered a male Nazi in twenty-two years and hearing Brent's comments made her not only sick, but traumatized all over again. Not just that, but his remarks about her daughter angered her. She'll probably have nightmares because his lousy words reminded her of the Confederate she was going to be forced to marry. She's told Alex about her past with him and how Edward and Phyllis were so awful to her, but she'd never talked about the child porn.

Alex nods. "I am. What about you?"

"Kinda...I'm just relieved we and your friends are safe."

"I thought you were really brave."

"Thank you, but I was trembling on the inside. When he started targeting you girls, though...I let my mama bear side take over." Diane winds her arms around Alex and pecks her temple. "I'd do anything for you, sweetheart."

"I would, too." Alex puts her hands over Diane's and they share a smile. "Thanks for watching all those Disney films with me, even if it was because you never got to enjoy those when you were a little girl."

"You're welcome. While it's true that I wasn't allowed to be one and I was living through your glorious childhood, I would've done that anyway, because I love you!"

"Aww, I love you too! Hey...you know, this funny thing happened." Alex glances down at her treat and swirls her spoon around the bowl. "Uhh...last night, Kubra, who's dating Flaca's mom...he was there...when I was sleeping over at her place, and he by mistake walked in on me when I was taking a piss! It was so weird and humiliating, but like, he apologized and left, so whatever." She lifts her shoulders up and down.

This is concerning to Diane, but she's relieved that Kubra hadn't done anything horrible to Alex on purpose, so she doesn't react in a huge way. It'll only make Alex worry. "A grown-ass man doesn't know how to knock?" she mutters.

Alex glances at Diane sheepishly. "I didn't lock the door, so...my bad. It happens. Not everyone charges in on someone in the bathroom with twisted intentions."

Diane shivers, thinking of her bleak childhood. "You're right, darling."

* * *

A knocking at his front door after work on Monday causes Fahri to glance up from the book he's reading. He sets it down and answers whoever is there. He makes sure to peep through the hole at first, and he's relieved to see that it's only his niece and Alex, plus a few of the other girls behind them. He lets them in. "Hi, girls-"

"You need to dump Vee, like now!" Allison starts out. She crosses her arms firmly over her chest.

"Yeah, it can't go on like this, Fahri," Alex mutters.

"We all can see very clearly that you love Gloria," Lorna points out while poking his chest. "You two were so romantic when you held hands on your double date, we heard, you shine when you're with her, and she enjoys being in your presence, but we never saw you and Vee together."

"Mm-hm, you can't be all playin' here comes the bride with some other ho," Flaca chimes in and rests her elbow on Daya's shoulder. She purses her lips and raises an eyebrow.

"You gotta choose one chick, man," Nicky adds.

Fahri holds his hands up. "I'm fully aware of that, which is why I did break up with Vee on Saturday night! Honestly, I'm done with her."

"Good, 'cause Gloria's had it up to here with motherfuckers," Daya lets him know.

"How'd Vee take it?" Flaca wonders aloud.

"Not well, but that's normal, I mean...of course she's angry."

"What'd the bitch say or do?" Nicky asks.

He winces and rubs the back of his neck with his palm. "Uh, death threats to me and herself that she never followed through on, which is good, and I offered to help her with her mental issues and her baby, but she's just...I dunno, seems like she's not interested in that. She didn't even cry."

"Oh my, that is strange, but she's just heartbroken. She was probably holding in her tears. As long as she doesn't stalk you or try to blow up Gloria's car, you should be fine," Lorna assures him lightly. He shivers at the possibility of the second thing Vee could do that Lorna had mentioned, happening. He can turn Vee in to Charles if she follows him anyplace, but he can't bear the thought of Gloria being harmed. When she was almost raped, and before that, tortured with drinking her own blood, it made him absolutely sick.

Alex rolls her eyes. "Oh, please, Lorn, she's not actually upset over losing Fahri himself. Do not for one second think that."

"She's pissed since she can't get money rolling in if she doesn't marry you," Allison lays it out, and it makes complete sense to Fahri. "Oh, I would _love_ to spit gum in her hair!"

Fahri grins and shakes his head at Allison's last comment.

"She better move on fast and not touch a hair on Gloria's head," Daya puts in.

"Don't worry...I'll make sure Gloria is safe from Vee's wrath," Fahri assures them.

Lorna puts her hand on her heart. "Oh, that's incredibly cute! I'm happy you will."

"So am I," Flaca agrees.

"Me, too," Daya concurs.

"We feel the same way, obviously," Alex murmurs while gesturing between herself, Nicky, and Allison, and to Fahri's surprise, they all hug him before goodbyes are exchanged.

* * *

Just before he's about to leave for the police station, Charles notices that Diane is sitting on the side of their bed, still and silent. She's slouched over and clenching the comforter in her hands. She doesn't have her normal posture with her shoulders back, her chest out, and her spine straight. What frightens Charles the most, though, is the vacant look in her ocean blue eyes. They've lost their shine and are just staring at the wall in front of her. Diane's usual smile is replaced with her lips forming a thin line and her skin is paler than it always is when she isn't sick. She doesn't seem like she's even aware that he's in the room. She's probably having a gone day and isn't feeling up to moving or talking, but that doesn't settle Charles' nerves. He leaves her alone for a while since there's no medical emergency, but he decides he'll take a sick day and care for her. She's never in this state, though, so he calls Frieda to see if Diane has ever experienced this before, but Frieda's line is busy. He then dials Alex's number. After she answers her cell, he begins to explain what's going on.

"Yeah, but Mom gets those rarely. They're like quiet panic attacks. She's shrieking inside, but she doesn't want to make a sound. I've witnessed it enough times for it to be a normal thing. There was a Nazi bastard from our school at the restaurant last night, so maybe that triggered it today. That hateful creature was probably on her mind for like, eighteen hours, and then it was too big for her to ignore."

"Did he do something to you and your mom?" he asks, deeply concerned. "Last night, she woke up screaming and sobbing because of a bad dream, and I just held her."

"No, I mean, he verbally harassed us and made sexual comments toward me, but nothing else, like, illegal. Just seeing him must have been horrifying for her."

Charles wishes so hard that he could arrest this subhuman and shoot him, but he's aware that he unfortunately can't. He doesn't even know what the asshole looks like. "That makes sense. What have you done when she's gone through it before?"

"When I was five or younger, before I knew what a panic attack even was, I told her not to be sad and assured her everything was okay. I'd cry when she did. As I got older, I either asked another adult nearby for assistance or if we were alone, I just sat with her and tried to comfort her. Just stay by her side...soothe her so she feels better, and hold her. Ask her if there's anything she needs and help her into bed, since she might just want a nap so she can have peace and quiet as she relaxes with her eyes closed."

"Alright, thank you for that information!" Charles tells Alex gratefully.

"Anytime!"

"Diane?" he asks tentatively once he hangs up. "Sweetie, do you need anything?"

She glances at him curiously, like she'd just discovered he was standing in front of her. "I just wanna not be here for a few hours. Like...vanish," she mumbles.

Diane's fragile voice cracks in places and he can barely hear her. "Charlie...I'd like a knife."

"Why?" he wants to know. He keeps his tone neutral, even though he's freaking out inside. He knows her past with hurting herself and attempting suicide, and her whole heartbreaking childhood that is probably the reason why she's being like this. Charles takes a spot next to his girlfriend so they're at eye level, but he doesn't touch her. He doesn't want to startle her.

"I don't got energy to live right now," she replies weakly, and it snaps his heart in two. Her voice is so small, Charles can hardly recognize it.

"Death is permanent. I won't let you use a sharp object or any kind of weapon on yourself."

She whimpers and tears leak out of her eyes. "I don't think I meant that literally...I just wanna feel the pain...something. I'm numb, like everywhere."

"Well, cutting isn't good for anyone, okay?"

Diane buries her face in her hands and lets out a shrill squeak. "No shit, but it is for me. You'd agree if you were in my situation."

Charles takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Would you like me to just be in our room with you? I'll place the sheets over you and you can get some rest if you want."

"I need you, babe. I can't sleep without you here...or anyone else important to me."

"I'm here, honey, I'll look after you," he assures her, and she inches closer to him. "Is it cool if I stroke your hair while I hold you?"

Diane nods and sniffles. "Mm-hm."

"Can I wipe your tears away?"

"Of course, please do."

Charles slowly brushes the moisture off her cheeks and under her eyes and then gathers her in his arms. He hums a lullaby to her and keeps his lips in her hair as he rocks her back and forth. He gets her to where her head can lay on her pillow and she curls up in the fetal position. He gives her Kleenex so she can blow her nose and not have to breathe so raggedly. She begins sobbing hysterically all over again in his chest, getting his shirt damp with her tears and she keeps hiccuping between wails of anguish through her gritted teeth as she clings onto him tightly. He switches from smoothing his hand over her brunette locks to running his knuckles up and down the side of her face and lifts her quivering chin slightly so he can look into her beautiful eyes and so she can see that he's being sincere. She's extremely innocent under his gaze and it shatters him to know that she was so viciously mistreated for the first seventeen years of her life, and then even after being free, she was almost raped and her brother lost to an anyerusm after she became twenty-one, and at twenty-four, Lee abandoned her when she got pregnant, and she and her daughter had to deal with poverty for another fifteen years. Just last week, her abusers had returned, and a Hitler lover was at Friendly's eighteen hours ago. It's no wonder she has meltdowns and sometimes, seems a lot younger than her actual age-it's simply been one thing after another. She's strong, though, because through all the pain she's suffered, she still finds reasons to smile and laugh and be kind, and it's never affected either of her careers. The fact that people could take advantage of her big heart is devastating and cruel, as the world can be. After he tucks her in, he holds her face in his hands, cupping her cheeks delicately. "It's alright, baby...just let all your emotions out. Nothin' bad's gonna happen." Diane looks up at him with widened eyes full of fear and then she blinks. "I ain't gonna let anything hurt you. I promise, my compassionate, lovely princess."

* * *

"We was bunkmates at camp and hit it off instantly," Maritza reminds Flaca. "You're my best friend, my soul mate, and my girl all at once, and I love you too much for this to be over. I already found out about P and that this bitch keeps bothering y'all, so it's not like breaking up or never talking to me again will reverse things. It'll just keep both our stomachs and hearts in knots, and I didn't mean to kick you out of my house. I was just mad, and we tell each other everything, you know?"

Flaca nods and gives Maritza a tearful smile and then they join hands as they walk into Pizza Hut. They'd come here before Taystee's shift and their friends hadn't arrived yet, either. "I do. I'm sorry I didn't say nothin' about P...I should've let you in. I guess I was scared they'd do somethin' to you, and I was-"

"Trying to protect me," Maritza finishes Flaca's sentence, using Nicky's exact words.

"Yeah," Flaca murmurs.

Maritza throws her arms around Flaca, and Flaca wraps her up in a long hug. They kiss and giggle together. "I realize I overreacted, and I apologize, too. It's hard to talk about being harassed by some stranger. I would've found it difficult myself, so I understand."

"Thanks."

* * *

When Nicky, Lorna, Alex, Michelle, Alana, Daya, Allison, Poussey, Blanca, Maria, Ouija, and Pidge come through the doors, following Taystee, Flaca and Maritza greet them with embraces and cheers. They get three tables mashed together and sit down, all ready to eat. Everyone is overjoyed that Maritza and Flaca have made up. As they're chowing down, though, a lady who appears to be in her seventies, walks in. It seems like she's focused on Alex, who glances down at her food awkwardly.

"Fucking weirdo keeps looking at me," Alex mutters under her breath.

"Oh, creepy," Michelle answers.

"Who is that?" Lorna wants to know.

"Why is she coming towards us?" Flaca wonders aloud.

"God only knows," Alex responds with a shrug.

"Hello, ladies," the old woman starts out, and they turn to her. She points at Alex. "You're very beautiful, my dear child. It's clear that you're Gertrude Saurer's daughter. I'm glad to have met her exquisite spawn. Now, I just need to find the gentleman who created you and get you some contacts and cut your hair to remove the blue poison."

Alex is thoroughly confused, and her friends wear equally perplexed expressions on their faces. "Excuse me? What are you going on about? My mom's name is Diane, I don't know any Gertrude...whatever." A long time ago, Diane had told Alex about her revolting birth name, but Alex had always vowed to keep it a secret and she'd never really thought about it until now.

Nicky stifles a laugh behind her fist. "Holy shit. That son of a bitch was no kind of man. He left them a long time ago."

"Watch your language, pet. Your words are as ugly as your hair. You'll never get a fellow that way...you should fix that mop-"

"Fuck you, cunt! You don't even know her!" Lorna shouts, standing up, her eyes full of fire.

"Now you, little girl, I like the makeup and done-up hair, but not your tone."

"I'm a lesbian, and my girl ain't little," Nicky informs the now horrified old lady while smirking. She puts a hand on Lorna's back and kisses the Italian brunette's neck, despite the nosy woman's disgusted reaction. "It's not up to you what I do with my life, because my girlfriend's right...you got no clue who any of us are."

"What gives you the right to come in here and act so nasty?" Allison demands.

"I cannot believe this. She has bred someone with the worst kinds of friends...well, I'm not surprised, I suppose, since she's dating a nigger. Spics, darkies, terrorists, dykes, what's next? She allowed you to get tattoos, I see," the elderly woman says.

"That swastika on your wrinkly skin don't look good," Michelle shoots back at her, and she and Alex start making out heavily with tongue, just to spite her.

"Nice one," Alana praises Michelle.

"Yeah, it makes me wanna punch you, cracker," Daya adds.

"I can throw a clean one," Pidge chimes in.

"She's right," Alana confirms.

Alex gets to her feet. "Hold up, girls. I'll handle this." She folds her arms across her chest and stares the bigoted lady down. "How do you know Diane?" she hisses. "How did you guess correctly that she's my mother? Tell me you aren't..."

"Why, I'm hers, of course. She completely screwed you up, like I knew she would. You chose the path of the wicked. You'll be engulfed in the flames that burst from Satan's hands!"

" _What_? No, she didn't, she's such a great mom...but you sure messed up _her_ life...some of it, but enough to make her scarred. It's actually _you_ who's going to Hell. Me liking girls is just part of who I am. Why were you named after an STD, _Syphilis_?" Alex sniggers, just like she and Diane both had when her mother told her about the nickname for Phyllis.

The girls crack up behind Alex, and Phyllis' face grows stern and red with anger. "You shouldn't talk this way to your grandmother."

"You and your husband don't deserve any respect for how you treated my mother, so _fuck you_!" Alex snaps while giving her the finger.

"Ohhhh!" Alex's friends chorus. "Burn, whore!" Maritza hollers.

"Yo, Cruella DeVil, you so stupid you apparently don't even remember what you named your own daughter!" Maria calls out, and they all crack up.

"What'd you do, get amnesia and forget?" Nicky wants to know.

"It's probably that old people disease, Alzheimer's," Flaca guesses.

"Hollaaaa!" Taystee and Poussey shout in unison.

"Such a troublesome, ungrateful brat," Phyllis mutters. She glares at them. "I named her after the courageous woman who was a concentration camp guard for those filthy Jews. Gertrude Saurer was my idol, and I wanted my daughter to follow in her footsteps. Once I saw her, I knew she would be someone special...she would use her stunning beauty to lure and then crunch plain and border apes, nachos, hebes, and ragheads of both genders. She'd of course be her trampy self with men and teach women to tame their hair. She was nothing how I'd imagined...she was just misbehaved...a wolf in sheep's clothing is how Edward and I put it. She put her attractiveness to waste, and you did as well. You're both naughty, and so are your friends and that jigaboo who put Edward in prison." Phyllis hacks and spits in their general direction. "Shame on you all, and may you face Satan's wrath!"

Alex rolls her eyes. "Curse us all you want, you evil cunt!" Her blood boils and the palm of her hand connects with Phyllis' cheek a few times. "You're the nasty bitch who abused Diane and gave her a fucking Nazi's name? What the fuck?!"

"It was my friend Millie's idea!" Phyllis protests while stumbling back, but Alex just slaps her repeatedly again, but even harder until her hand hurts and Phyllis crashes to the ground and starts whimpering. She's shocked into silence until a moment later. "I _knew_ she was a terrible influence on you, you little brat!" She struggles to get up and goes to hit Alex back, but Alex raises her clenched fists in the old Nazi's face.

"Try me, cunt," Alex dares Phyllis through gritted teeth. She would never refer to the wiry bitch as her grandmother. "There's a lot more where that came from! I'll beat your ass to kingdom come, and my mom's dating a police officer who hates you and your husband, so I'll get away with it!" She twists Phyllis' arms behind her back, slams her into the wall, and yanks on her hair.

Everyone claps and cheers while pumping their fists in the air. "¡Ma-tar-la! ¡Ma-tar-la!" They chant Alex's name over and over again. "Yeah, get her!" Blanca hollers. "I love this so much! Racist white bitches should get killed!"

 **Kill her! Kill her!**

"Whoooo, this is so hot and hella badass!" Michelle squeals as Alex furiously kicks Phyllis' ribs and makes her choke on her own blood. "You go, mi amor!"

"Please don't," Phyllis begs. "I got your mother off the streets! Edward didn't even want her!"

"You could've given her up for adoption if you were just gonna participate in making her childhood fucking miserable!" Alex grips the woman's neck and squeezes harder. "Locking her up in a fucking cage? Using her to make money? Forcing her to wear a corset and marry some Nazi freak and not letting her be happy in relationships?! Killing her butterflies?! Making her work at Hookers as a teen?! Constantly breaking her?! I hate you!" She punches the gray-haired lady in the face for her grand finale, but continues to press her thumbs into her wrinkly throat and shake her frail body. "Is this how my mom was hurt when she was a girl? I want you dead! Got it?" Tears stream down Alex's face as she gets her rage out on Diane's so-called mother, but she doesn't care that she's sobbing or about to channel Frieda and commit actual murder on someone who truly deserves it. She just sees red, and nothing else.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, Johanna002, CoffeeWritingAddiction, MinervaSnape394, and A Star In My Universe!**


	55. I Scared

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Holy shit that trailer! So intense! Well, the new season is just about here and it's been two years now since I've started this fic (which is probably why this is my longest chapter yet)! Whoohoo!**

 **Diane's flashback with little Alex really did happen to me except that it was at a bus stop and I moved away to stand with two women!**

 **Warning: sexual harassment, voyeurism, hints of pedophilia, and mentions of abuse and murder.**

"We're at Pizza Hut and shit's going down, blows are landin'!" Michelle exclaims over the loud cheering right when Diane calls Alex to ask where she is at the moment. "Zandra's unavailable, sorry!"

"Yeah, and Michelle had to pick up the phone since it's your girl thrown' the punches, but don't worry about it, the old bitch she hittin' totally had it comin'!" Ouija adds, and Diane sits up straight in her bed, pulling Charles with her. Panic flows through her since she doesn't want someone outside Pizza Hut to suddenly see Alex and call the police.

"She probably gon' make this cracker fly off the face of the fuckin' earth," Pidge chimes in, and Diane can just see her smirk.

"What?! Oh my god! I'll be right there, you girls should stop her now...why haven't you already?" Diane throws herself out of bed frantically and puts on her shoes and jacket while holding the phone between her ear and shoulder. "Charles, we gotta go save my daughter before she makes a huge mistake!"

"Alright," he says evenly, but it's clear that he's worried as well.

"Trust us, Alex needed to beat her down! That ugly ho a Nazi, she say she yo mama, and at first, we thought it was bullshit since you ain't nothin' like her, but damn, we feel bad for you, Ms. V!" Taystee responds.

"Thank you, but I don't need Alex going to juvy for this! She'll then go to an adult maximum security prison...she'll just get self defense if she's lucky."

"Oh shit, stop recording, we don't want the fuzz to see this!" Nicky tells probably Flaca and Maritza. "No offense to Charles if he's there, of course."

"None taken," Charles answers. He and Diane leave the house quickly and Diane hangs up as soon as she starts driving to Pizza Hut. Neither she nor Charles care that she's going over the speed limit, and she parks at the curb and quickly bursts through the doors of the restaurant.

The sight she sees in front of her is alarming, as the limp old bat under Alex appears to be almost dead. Diane isn't surprised that Alex would literally go as far as to kill someone for her. Alex had been protecting Diane, and vice versa, ever since she knew she was pregnant with her child. Diane just has to stop her daughter before she actually murders the bitch. She hates Phyllis with every fiber of her being, and she loves seeing Alex taking her down, but her baby being in prison for this would destroy both of them.

"Whoa, Al!" Diane screams at her. "Stop!"

"Yo, we tried to grab her, but she just shoved us away," Flaca informs Diane and Charles. Alex doesn't even notice them, it seems.

 _At the beach, Diane watches three-year-old Alex as she plays in her cute blue bathing suit, building a sand castle. The small brunette girl is concentrating fully on what she's doing, and Diane beams at how adorable Alex looks in her Pebbles Flintstone hairdo, her new glasses, and the way her green eyes widen when she gets excited because her creation is coming out perfect. She'd just finished digging the moat around it and filling it with water from the ocean that she'd gathered in her pink pail._

 _"Mama, look! I did it!" she exclaims happily while pointing at what she made and jumping up and down. She claps and giggles with glee._

 _"I know, I see! It looks wonderful, Allie-cat." Diane gets out of her chair and kneels beside her daughter. "Are you gonna invite mermaids to live here?"_

 _"Yeah!"_

 _"That'll be fun!"_

 _"Tickle me, Mommy!" Alex squeals while laying on her back, so Diane does, right on her belly, and the child erupts with sweet laughter. At once, a person-shaped shadow appears over them and Diane stretches while turning around to face a heavyset man with brown hair._

 _He extends his hand to hers and she shakes it awkwardly, just to be polite, but quickly pulls her hand back. "My name's Mark."_

 _"Okay," she mumbles and tries to ignore him. She shifts her eyes down to Alex._

 _"Hello there," he greets her while smirking. "Do you speak English?"_

 _"No," she responds icily._

 _"I saw you when I first came here a few minutes ago, and I must say you look sexy in that pink bikini that's barely hiding that ass and those humungous tits. Fancy a date?"_

 _Diane steps away from him, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "No...I...I have my toddler here, and you talking about my body like that is really unflattering. It's rude, actually. You're invading my personal space!"_

 _The creep comes closer to her and pats her back. "I knew you were lying to me. What was that? We're friends?" He bumps fists with her twice._

 _"I need my space!" she snaps, but he just snickers, clearly enjoying himself and attempting to get a rise out of her. He must think it's hilarious to spook a woman with barely nobody around. She's way past annoyed and skeeved out, and she's on the brink of anger at this point. He takes a bag of weed out of his pocket and places it directly under her nose, so she pushes it away. She would've flung the asshole's weed into the sand, but she's afraid he'll get violent. "No thanks, I'm not interested." Diane fakes a smile at him and he pokes a freckle on her thigh. She slaps his finger away and proceeds to leave with Alex and their things in tow._

 _Before she's able to, though, Mark snakes his hands around her bare waist and licks his lips. She tries to wiggle out of his clutches, but he doesn't let her. "Come on," he begs through a guffaw. "Forget about your kid for a while." He slaps her butt and she yelps in horror. "I need to hear that shrieking tonight."_

 _"Mommy said no, and we can't touch people's private parts!" Alex pipes up. "Go away, mister bad guy!" She gets between them and hits his shin with the yellow shovel she has in her tiny fist, causing him to release Diane and hop up and down while groaning._

 _"Ah, you little brat!" he snarls._

 _"Get the fuck outta here before I call the police on you for sexual harassment," Diane threatens him. She waves at Fahri, who's returning from the bathroom to join them. "Also, my friend is on his way and he's got an excellent right hook."_

 _"Is that so?" Mark winces when Alex raises the shovel again, and Diane beams with pride._

 _"Mm-hm." Diane lifts Alex high in the air and then brings her back down into her arms. She kisses Alex's cheek. "You better not touch me again."_

 _"Is there a problem here?" Fahri asks as he approaches them. He glares at Mark, who sighs in disappointment as he storms off._

 _"Not anymore," Diane responds._

* * *

As she presses her thumbs harder into the Confederate flag lover's jugular, Alex senses someone holding her back. She tries to struggle against the hands that are pulling her off Phyllis, but they don't let go of her. The person's arms hold her tightly around her waist and effectively yank her away from her victim.

Alex blinks back tears when she sees Diane keeping her in place. "Mom?" She sniffles and frowns. "Why the fuck would you do that? She needs to rot in Hell for all that she did to you!"

"I know, baby." Diane lifts a few strands of Alex's tangled side bangs and tucks them behind her ear. "I would be happy if she did, but that cunt is not worth going to jail for." She wipes Alex's wet face free of tears.

She glares at her mother and Charles. "Oh shit, you're both turning me in?"

"No, not at all! It's just that if another cop or a random passerby saw you, well, then there would be trouble," Charles explains.

"We don't want you to deal with that," Diane puts in. She glances at Phyllis struggling to breathe. "Let's call an ambulance."

"I will," Blanca tells her. She hurriedly dials nine-one-one and they listen to her side of the conversation. She makes up a story about how Phyllis had come in after being physically assaulted and then had passed out on the floor. "Paramedics are comin' in like, ten minutes," she informs them, and they give her a thumbs-up in appreciation for her help.

"I hope you hit her head good so she has amnesia and forgot who did this to her, 'cause if she squawks, police would immediately question you and they'd test for DNA and fingerprints," Charles adds, and the girls gasp in the background. Alex puts her hand over her mouth in fear. "Of course, we'd help you try to get out of it, saying you were both fighting each other, but you'd be caught for attempted murder."

"Oh my goodness, we never thought of that," Lorna says apologetically. "Everything was just bananas up in here!"

"That's why ending her life would've been better," Alex snaps. "I was gonna get Frieda to burn the body and shit."

"Or chop it up and bury the pieces in some abandoned cornfield," Daya pipes up. "Leon found somethin' like that at one of his work sites."

Diane and Charles make a disgusted face. "Ugh," Diane comments. She turns to Alex. "You don't need it on your conscience. You were crying while you were defeating her, so that tells me that you wouldn't take it well once her heart stopped beating. In the moment, I know you were pumped up and couldn't foresee any emotional turmoil this would put on you...the nightmares, flashbacks, paranoia, queasiness, to know that you're capable of something like that. Once someone becomes a corpse, there ain't no goin' back."

Alex nods slowly in understanding, as what Diane is saying makes sense now. "You're right. What's gonna happen if she remembers everything?" She chokes up, thinking of the consequences, hoping this won't ruin her mother's relationship with Charles when he puts her in juvy. "I'm sorry...she was just saying these horrible things, she didn't touch us, but her words...and something in me just snapped. My blood boiled and bubbled over...I couldn't take it anymore!" She breaks down sobbing in Diane's arms. "Mommy...don't make me go behind bars..."

"Yo, this is weird as fuck," Maria points out. "You a strong, bad bitch, Alex. You could rock that joint like nobody's business!"

Alex does her best to narrow her eyes at Maria. "I'm not a gangster, okay?! Jesus, leave me alone."

Maria puts her hands up. "Never said you were."

"You know what, Maria? Just 'cause you had an easy time in juvy don't mean everyone will," Michelle quips and she, followed by the rest of the girls, including Maria, go up to Alex and give her comforting back rubs and hugs.

"I know, I was trying to make her feel better, obviously."

"It _did_ come out kinda harsh and insensitive," Allison informs Maria.

Diane nods in agreement. "Yeah, you need to apologize to my daughter. Friends don't encourage each other to get arrested and be okay with it."

"It ain't cool to be locked up," Charles adds.

"Okay, sorry, Alex. I don't really want you to go to juvy or prison."

Alex gives Maria a watery smile. "Thanks."

Alana suddenly points to the still body on the floor that had previously been writhing around in Alex's grasp. "Oh my god, she's not moving!" Nobody scrambles to her side. Alex whimpers because she may have just killed someone, and if she had, she's terrified of herself now.

"Uh, shouldn't we see if she's really gone for good so we can know if we gotta run or not?" Maritza asks uncertainly.

"Yeah, but I don't wanna feel for a pulse, she's gross," Diane mumbles and shivers. She's honestly afraid that Phyllis could just be pretending and then grab her ankle once Diane leans down next to her. It happens in horror movies all the time.

"I'll do it," Charles volunteers. He kisses Diane's temple. "I got this." He kneels beside Phyllis and checks her pulse. "She's just unconscious," he reports.

Everyone collectively breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god!" Alex says while she puts her hand over her rapidly beating heart. She and Diane wrap their arms around each other.

* * *

"Is your seatbelt on?" Leon asks Benny, who's in the backseat, along with his brother and their mother. He smiles at Gloria's oldest son in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah!" he replies excitedly, and Leon chuckles at the little boy's cuteness.

"Like I'd ever forget to buckle my baby in," Gloria chimes in.

"I know! Just checking in!" He beams at Aleida, who's sitting next to him in the passenger's seat. After sharing a sweet kiss, they join hands over the seat divider and he steps on the gas. They're going shopping and then Friendly's, and Fahri is going to meet them there with his great-niece. Daya and her siblings aren't with them since she's at the movies with friends while Christina and Emiliano are at Lindsay's house for a sleepover.

"You gotta be a bundle of nerves, Glo," Aleida sympathizes with her. "He's like, for real meeting your kids. You sure you wanna do this?"

"Too late to back out now," Gloria answers through a chuckle. "It's honestly fine, girl. I'm real tight with him already. He does hella good with Farah, I saw 'em together with my own two eyes. She's the cutest little bug, and Fahri...you can tell he just wants to make her giggle and enjoy life, basically. I should've at least taken a picture to show ya."

"Nah, yo, that'd be stalking," Aleida points out. "I believe you."

"Farah?" a tiny voice pipes up, most definitely belonging to Julio.

"Yeah, you're gonna see her in about an hour, champ!" Leon tells him.

"Yaaaay!" he cheers adorably, and the adults beam.

When they get inside Bloomingdales, Aleida and Gloria sift through racks of clothes and pick some out, and Aleida gives Leon some shirts and pants to try on that she thinks would look hot on him. The adults plan to model outfits for each other and get the boys' opinions, too.

An unpleasant smell wafts from the stroller. "Aw, shit! Literally..." Gloria groans as she lifts Julio up and out of where he was resting. They all scrunch up their noses in disgust. "Somebody gotta get his diaper changed..."

"I'll help you," Aleida volunteers, and they leave for the women's restroom.

Benny plugs his nose. "Eeew! My brother stinks!"

"Well, they'll get him cleaned up, and it'll be fine." Leon sends the little guy an amused smile. To make it entertaining while they wait for the ladies and Julio, Leon sits Benny on his shoulders and walks around the store. Benny chatters away about everything he sees and he's amazed by what's up so high on the shelves and tries to touch the ceiling. It's too far for even Leon to reach, so Benny can't get to it either.

"You havin' fun up there, sport?" Leon asks him.

"Yeah!" Benny responds happily. "I feel really big!"

"I bet!"

A few minutes later, though, Benny whimpers. "I wanna get down!" he whines, and Leon sets him back on the ground immediately. Tears fill his eyes as they grow huge and round and his chin quivers. He winds his arms around one of Leon's legs and hides his face. "I saw him..." he keeps saying between snivels and gasps of air, like he's hyperventilating.

Leon glances at him anxiously as he gets to the small boy's level. "Who?" He smooths Benny's longish hair back from his face. The troubled expression he's wearing is heartbreaking.

"The evil demon...he hurt me and Mommy..."

"Okay, I'mma look for that devil." Leon mutters. "I thought he was locked up..." He hunts around the area, but doesn't see anyone suspicious. "Benny, can you tell me what he looks like?"

Benny nods slowly. "He has mean eyes like a monster and his head is a square and he has brown skin like mine...and he has a sparkly thing right here." He points to the middle of his stuck-out tongue.

"That sounds like the animal who spooked us earlier," Leon realizes aloud. He does his best not to sound too angry in front of Benny, but he's upset that some cruel individual could be after his family, and it's a real possibility it could've been Arturo or a friend of his. Leon has no concrete proof that the reckless driver or the person Benny saw was actually Arturo, so he doesn't want to jump to conclusions. He's hoping Benny had simply noticed someone who looked like his and Gloria's abuser and they triggered him without meaning to. "I'm sorry, champ, I don't see him anywhere. Sometimes, strangers can look like people we know."

"He's gone now..." Benny's voice wavers again and tears coat his cheeks. "I don't want him to give me and Mama owies no more..."

Leon wipes the moisture away with the back of his hand. He squeezes Benny tighter against him, but not enough to injure him. "I know, and I won't let that happen. If I ever see that bad guy, I'll get him!"

"You promise, Mister Leon?"

Leon nods his head yes. "Of course! I'll protect y'all to the end."

Benny sniffles and lays his head on Leon's shoulder. Leon rubs comforting circles on his back until his rapid gasps of air slow way down.

"What happened?" Gloria wonders out loud as she and Aleida return from the bathroom with Julio.

"He had a little panic attack, but I consoled him," Leon reports while standing, and Benny grins up at him. The child then runs towards Gloria, and she quickly drops to her knees so she can gather him in her arms and kiss the top of his head. Leon won't mention that Benny had thought he'd seen her violent ex, since that would just worry her.

"Oh, baby, you're safe, no te preocupes." Gloria murmurs sadly while running a gentle hand through his hair. She glances over at Leon. "Thank you."

 **Don't worry _._**

"No biggie. I love that kid! There's nothin' I wouldn't do for him, or the rest of my family." Leon and the women share a smile.

Once they get to Friendly's, Gloria orders her children ice cream sundaes after they tell her what they'd like. She's hoisting Julio up on her hip with one arm and placing her hand on Benny's head as he clings to her legs. Normally, they would have dinner first, but she wants to get them in a pleasant mood before they meet Fahri, and nothing amps up a child's energy like sugar.

"Okay, I'll get to making it now," Cheryl, another waitress, tells her.

Benny then runs over to Leon and tugs on his jeans a few times. "I hafta go potty."

"Okay, buddy, come on." Leon grunts as he gets up. He holds Benny's hand and walks to the family restroom. He helps Benny do his business by holding him upright, and then lifts him up so he can wash his hands with soap and dry them.

* * *

"Yo, look who the cat dragged in!" Aleida hollers as Diane comes through the doors of the restaurant. Her face is solemn at first, but she brightens up when she sees Gloria, Aleida, and Julio.

"Hey!" Diane calls out and she hugs the women and then bends down to wrap her arms around Julio. "Hi, squirt!" Benny scampers out of the bathroom, with Leon right behind him. He jumps into Diane's embrace, joining his younger brother, and Diane kisses both boys on their cheeks while tousling their hair. "How you doin', little dudes?"

They giggle together and Julio taps Diane's nose, so Diane does it back to him. "Good," Benny answers her. The other adults smile at the budding conversation and how cute Diane is being with Gloria's sons.

"Where Awec?" Julio asks, and everyone knows he's referring to Alex, but he can't fully pronounce his _l_ 's or _x_ 's yet. It's such a cute speech impediment he has.

"She is at the movies!"

"Ohhh! Daya's there too," Benny lets her know.

"Yeah, all the big girls went." Diane beams at them and widens her eyes. "Who's ready for some yummy Monster Mash sundaes?" It's a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream with three cherries arranged into two eyes and a nose, and two halves of a Reeses peanut butter cup stuck on each side of the 'eyes', like horns. There's also a line of whipped cream behind the 'horns' and chocolate pieces above the 'eyes'.

"Meeeeeee!" the boys shout in unison while jumping up and down.

"Okay, I heard that Cheryl's making some for you, she should be almost done! I'll check up on her." She lifts herself up and squeezes their tiny hands before leaving to the backroom. Within five seconds, though, her co-worker sets the Halloween treats on the table in front of the boys. Diane turns around and places herself behind the counter. Gloria pretends to take a bite out of each of her kids' ice cream, and they just push her spoon away.

"Noooo! Mine!" Julio declares.

"Yeah, Mommy!" Benny adds, and she giggles to herself.

"It's so good, though!" Gloria whines playfully. "Oh, well."

"So...when's Fahri coming?" Diane asks.

Gloria looks over at the clock beside the menu. "In about five minutes."

"You gonna hold his hand like you did last night?" Aleida wonders aloud.

"Nah...we gonna hold off on that until my kids are used to him being simply next to me."

"Good idea," Diane comments, and Aleida and Leon nod in agreement.

"I was honestly surprised he wasn't an animal and he kept it in his pants," Gloria states.

"Well, don't applaud a fish for swimmin'," Aleida mutters.

"Trust me, I ain't doin' that! It's just that he was the first dude who acted...human...when he was around me."

"Awesome!" Diane squeals. "Speak of the devil...er, the angel."

"Yo, I gotta go to class," Aleida excuses herself.

"Yeah, and I'm driving her!" Leon adds. "I'll be back in twenty." The couple hugs everyone goodbye and they leave just as Fahri arrives. Gloria beams instantly at the sight of him. She gets some hair out of Benny's face and moves Julio closer to her and helps him sit more upright, so he isn't sliding off the seat.

"Hey, Gloria," Fahri greets her warmly once he steps inside the restaurant, pushing Farah in her stroller.

"Hi, Fahri! Long time no see," she jokes, and they both chuckle. She glances over at Benny and Julio, who are watching Fahri warily as he walks to their table.

"Why does he have a baby?" Benny asks Gloria quietly.

"Boys, this is Fahri...you saw him the first time I hung out with him and our friends, and Fahri, these are my sons, Julio, and Benjamin, but you can call him Benny or Benito if you want." She gestures to each child as she says their name.

They shyly wave hello. "Hey, guys, it's great to see you again," he replies in a sweet voice. "Look who I brought with me!" He pushes back the top of the stroller to reveal Farah, who appears to be content as she plays with her plush dolly.

Julio's mouth forms into an O shape and he lights up. "Mommy, it's Farah!" he exclaims as he points at his friend and his eyes switch between Gloria and Fahri as the man sits down across from Gloria.

She gasps dramatically. "I know!"

Fahri reaches into the stroller and tickles her little tummy, making her giggle and getting her attention. "Farah, sweetie, why don't you say hi to our friends? You know Julio, but this is his mommy, Gloria, and his big brother, Benny!" he introduces them, and the tiny girl waves at them quietly. They do it back to her while smiling.

"Hi, Farah!" Gloria exclaims cheerfully. "Wow, it's so fun when you see a friend outside of class, huh?" she asks her boys.

"Yeah, like for a birthday party!" Benny agrees, and Julio nods happily.

"Speaking of which, she'll be two soon, and you both can come celebrate her special day with her if you'd like," Fahri offers.

"Milio!" Farah pipes up.

"Emiliano is invited, too," he adds, and everyone grins.

Gloria's sons smile at her eagerly. "I wanna go!" Julio tells him.

"Me too!" Benny puts in, but then he and Julio glance back at Gloria. "Can we, Mama?"

"Of course!" Gloria answers while beaming and then she plays with their hair a little. "I'll help out with whatever y'all need if that's cool," she volunteers. She dips a napkin in a cup of water and wipes away the ring of chocolate around her sons' mouths. He hadn't even snapped at her to clean their faces. In fact, he looked amused at the sight of them enjoying their food. The concept of this man being absolutely fine with her children making sticky messes and not blaming her for it is foreign to her, but she's enjoying it thoroughly.

"Yeah, sure, thank you! It's just a couple hours, starting around eleven, I believe. It's at my sister's place. Allison has a lot of fun things planned and we'll be cooking that morning, cleaning up the house, and baking a cake," Fahri responds.

"I'm awesome at all of that! It'd be my absolute pleasure to do somethin'," Gloria lets Fahri know.

"Oooh, cake! I want chocolate!" Benny comments, his eyes gleaming.

"Chockwit!" Farah and Julio echo him at the same time, and the adults chuckle.

"You know your mommy's making you chocolate cake, kid," Fahri tells Farah and tousles her black curls.

"Yay!" the children shout in unison.

"I could frost it or decorate," Gloria offers. "It'd be less work for Allison to do, besides, it'll be fun, us two chicas in the kitchen, listenin' to tunes."

"Oh, yeah," Fahri agrees. He beams at her.

She peers down at Farah squirming in her stroller, twisting around and waving her small arms and legs about. "What a cutie! It looks like she wants out, though. Would she be cool if I helped her? I'll do it calmly and everything."

He nods. "Yeah, thanks!"

"You're very welcome!" She kneels to the floor so she doesn't look too large in Farah's eyes. "Hey, sweet pea."

"Who you again?"

"My name is Gloria. You need help?" Farah nods slightly while cooing, so Gloria unbuckles her. She lifts the tiny girl from the stroller and then places her onto the tile. She taps Farah's nose a few times and wrinkles her own nose in order to make a funny face at Farah and cause her to laugh. Julio gets down from his chair and gives her a hug. It's so precious that Gloria tears up just watching them. She and Fahri grin at the same time and then Fahri picks up his great-niece and sets her in his lap. After bouncing her on his knees a few times, just like Gloria does with her sons, Farah is soon passed around from him to Gloria, then to Diane, and back to him. Then, Farah has a kids' hot fudge sundae. "So, when is Farah's birthday exactly?" Gloria wants to know. She holds both Julio and Benny in place, one on both sides of her, and her arms surround them so they can feel safe. The two of them don't fit in her lap at the same time, and she doesn't want to leave either of them out. Gloria had told them before that they can feel free to sit on her lap if necessary, but to take turns doing so. The restaurant is very busy with people constantly getting takeout, and Alex isn't here, so Diane has her hands full with both taking orders and making them. She never fails to give Gloria and her sons reassuring smiles, though, as she seems to listen in on their conversation with Fahri. Luckily, it isn't too loud at all.

"The twenty-seventh of this month, but her party is two days before Halloween."

"Oh, nice! Julio's big day is November fifth."

"I tweeee!" Julio adds to Gloria enthusiastically and claps his hands while nodding, and she grins at how cute he is.

"That's great, buddy! Are you having a party?" Fahri asks him.

The little boy sticks his thumb in his mouth and looks up at Gloria curiously. "We're going to his favorite park and inviting his friends," she answers for him. "He really enjoys playing kickball. We'd love to have Farah."

"That sounds fun! I'm sure Allison would bring her...and I can help you, if you don't mind."

Gloria beams. "I could always use the extra hands, I'd appreciate it!" She sighs heavily, since they always go to the park and she wants to provide him with a party that's a little more interesting.

"All right!" Fahri grins at her and his eyes travel to her sons. "So, guys...how's school going?"

"Good," Benny answers him timidly. He keeps glancing at Gloria as he talks, and she gives him encouraging back rubs. He climbs up on her lap. "Me and Christina and Michael and Dylan and sometimes Lindsay play together _aaaaaallll_ the time! We also read books and do math. I hate math. It's stupid!" he continues, but he's not really talking to Fahri. She'd let it slide the first two times, but she thinks it's best if her sons get used to him, especially when she's right there with them.

Gloria snorts and rolls her eyes. "Just wait ten years, baby." She freezes up at her own words and gulps, since Arturo hated her calling the children pet names. She'd been trying to joke around, and she's relieved to see Fahri chortling instead of glaring at her and threatening to call the cops for simply being affectionate with her kids. It was ironic, since Arturo was the pedophile, not Gloria. She'd never fantasize of doing something like that. Every time he and the boys would exchange hugs, she kept a close eye on him, although his preference was girls under eighteen, not guys. Thinking back to this brings a tremor through her and she practically crushes her kids against her. "Sorry..."

"No, no, don't be...what's wrong?" Fahri asks her.

Gloria shakes her head. "Nothin'. I'm fine." She clears her throat and forces the awful memories away. "So, um...Benny, I get what you're sayin' there about math. I got a C in high school in the subject and I was so bad that I couldn't get past Algebra!" She snickers at herself, and the others join in.

"Oh no! What's a Algebra?" Benny asks innocently, and it's quite adorable.

"It's like a level of math that you do when you're fifteen, like Daya," Fahri replies to Benny, and his tone isn't condescending at all. Gloria is amazed.

"Er, I was okay...but I could've done better," she clarifies, realizing that her children don't know what it means to get a C.

Fahri shrugs at her with a grin. "You did your best."

"Yeah..."

He then switches his attention to Benny. "I'm sure you're trying your hardest! I can, uh, do some problems with you if you'd like."

"Oh. No, thank you. Mama and Miss Stacy help me, and Leon, too."

"That's fine! No worries, kid." A shock goes through Gloria's system, since Fahri is excellent at taking no for an answer. He's doing everything correctly so far.

 _For at least three minutes, Arturo had been tickling Julio and Benny, and they'd begged him to quit about two minutes ago. "Te están pidiendo que pares, Arturo, no_ _mas,_ _" Gloria tries to warn him, but he ignores her and laughs evilly. Now, they're crying, and he's beyond fed up. She could've easily taken them from his grasps, but he has her in the kitchen, wearing heels that are much too high for her, and a skimpy bra and thong, as she slaves over the hot stove. He has an electric fence blocking the entrance to the rest of the house from the kitchen, so she can't leave it unless he disables it, which he's currently doing._

 ** _They're asking you to stop, Arturo, no more._**

 _"¡Cállalos!" he commands her, and tears prick at her eyes as he starts counting down from ten. "Diez, nueve, ocho, siete..."_

 _ **Shut them up!**_

 _Gloria races to her sons and comforts them by singing them a lullaby. "Seis, cinco, cuatro, tres..." She shushes them quietly and hugs them close to her. "Dos, uno..." They're whimpering now, and she needs them to stop since he's almost finished and he's furious. "Cero!" he bellows, and she knows what she has to do now._

 _She gets up quickly. "¡Eso es suficiente!" she scolds them, but feels so horrible. She'd stay with them and make them feel better all day if it was possible. She longs to take them out for ice cream and the park, but she'll have to wait until he's away._

 ** _That's enough!_**

"What's your favorite book?"

Benny scrunches up his face in thought. "Hmm...I don't got one. _Five Little Monkeys Jumping On The Bed_ ," he says in a hushed murmur.

"Well, you decided that one fast, my little wild man," Gloria comments and pokes her oldest son's nose, making him giggle. Fahri grins at their interaction. "Hey buddy, can you say that a little louder so Fahri can hear you...and you can look at him, he doesn't bite!" Benny glances anxiously between her and Fahri. "Go ahead, tell him," she urges her oldest son and presses a light kiss to his cheek.

Benny gets up the courage to recite the name of the story he had previously mentioned in a tone of voice that Fahri can comprehend this time. "Also, _Words Are Not For Hurting_ ," he adds.

"Those are both good," Fahri comments. "How about you, Julio? I know you, Farah, and Emiliano love playing together, but what things do you do in preschool?"

Julio crawls onto Gloria's lap. "Ba games and drive cahs and make wava and paint piwate ships aaaaand...go to the moon," he responds shyly, practically burying his face into Gloria's shirt. Then, he peeks out at Fahri from between his fingers.

Gloria rocks her youngest son gently and rubs his back in soothing circles, like she'd done for Benny. "Oh wow that's cool, I bet Fahri wants to hear all about it too!" she tells him cheerfully and kisses his cheek.

"It's okay," Farah tells Julio in a small voice. "He not scawy like monster." Julio slowly removes his hand from his eyes and mumbles the activities he enjoys doing with his friends at school. Tears well up in Gloria's eyes at how brave both of her children are.

"Awesome, I'm glad you guys have fun there!" Fahri exclaims. "Also, Farah's right...I'm not a real monster. However, I pretend to play that game with her, and she loves it. I won't do it with you two if it makes you uncomfortable, okay?"

Benny and Julio nod. "No monster," Julio whispers. "I scared."

"No monster, too," Benny repeats his younger brother. "We don't like that."

"Alright, I get it completely. It's not for everyone. So...what are you gonna be for Halloween?"

"SpiderMan!" Benny answers right away.

"A punkin!" Julio chimes in.

"Jasmine!" Farah pipes up.

"That'll be hella cute!" Gloria comments, reaching over the table to poke Farah's nose, causing her to grin adorably.

"I know!" Fahri agrees. "I can't wait to see everyone all dressed up. The grownups will take so many pictures!"

"Oh, that reminds me! Julio and Benny love their toy camera!" Gloria announces. "They share it and every other day, one of them has it, and they trade off," she explains to Fahri. She glances down at Julio. "Hey, cariño...you wanna show Mister Fahri your camera?"

He nods eagerly and takes it out of Gloria's bag when she opens it for him. He snaps a fake photo of Fahri, who poses and raises his eyebrows while making the peace sign, making Gloria and Benny laugh. Farah claps her hands with glee and reaches for the camera. "No, mine!" Julio insists.

"You can play with it together," Gloria suggests.

"Okay..."

"Well, Mister Benny, I already know that Mister Julio is turning three soon...how old are you?" Benny holds up his hand with all five fingers spread out, showing Fahri his age. "Whoa, you're a big boy!"

"I'm littler than everyone in my class except Chrissy," Benny informs him and pulls a sour face.

"Aw, well that's nothing to feel bad about," Fahri assures him. "Lots of people are short, just like others are tall!"

Gloria taps Benny, and he switches his attention to her. "Lorna's the tiniest out of all your babysitters! Ain't nothin' wrong with bein' a shortie."

"I guess," Benny mumbles. He goes back to playing with the toddlers.

Fahri and Gloria trade a smile. "Shall I get us dinner?" he asks. "You all can let me know what you want."

"Yeah, we're starved!" she responds enthusiastically.

First, they have appetizers, which are chicken quesadillas with salsa and sour cream for the adults and Poppin' Pizza Bites for the kids. The main course is a bacon cheeseburger and fries, in Gloria and Fahri's cases, at least. They expect to have leftovers, which Gloria likes the idea of. She would prefer not to waste food. Benny starts eating his macaroni and cheese and sliced-up hot dogs, while Julio munches upon a cheese sandwich that had been cut into quarters, along with apple slices.

In the middle of their meal, Leon returns and the boys give him hugs, while the women and Fahri wave at him and give him head nods. Later, a trio of Latinos with hard features about them walk into Friendly's. They head towards Gloria and her sons, seeming to study them before approaching the table they're sitting at. "Cute kids," one of them comments while tilting his head towards the little boys, who cuddle further into Gloria's sides. He appears to be the biggest out of the bunch.

"Thanks," she says shortly. She keeps them calm by holding them close to her as best she can and stroking their hair in a soothing motion. They don't do well with strangers, and Gloria isn't very fond of the three customers staring at her and her babies. They're giving off such a bad vibe, and a shudder escapes her as dread creeps over her. She's suddenly scared they could be some of Arturo's friends she'd never met.

"So, are you going to keep making them feel uncomfortable?" Fahri cuts in sharply with a fierce expression in his eyes. "You need to leave." He stands up fast with Farah in his arms and blocks their view of Gloria, Benny, and Julio. She swoons at his protectiveness and she has to remind herself he isn't mad at her. It's the first time she's seen him angry.

Another guy sniggers. "My pal there just gave her a compliment, and she was grateful for it." He lifts his arms in the air and drops them at his sides. "Don't be jealous, bro. Anyway, we're gonna eat now." Everyone looks at them in disbelief as they go up to the counter. "Hey, can you make us the largest combo meal you got?" he asks Diane. They all tower over her and lean towards her more than necessary, so much that she takes a few steps back. "Big beef half pound cheeseburger."

The third grunts. "Yeah, we gotta satisfy our appetites. You may wanna come closer so you can get this right, sweet cheeks."

Leon drums the table angrily and Fahri clears his throat. "Don't talk to her like that," Leon reprimands the idiot.

"I heard you anyway," Diane adds coldly. "I'll begin the meals now."

"Who's that?" Benny asks Gloria in a soft voice. Julio simply chows down in silence, but Gloria can sense that he's afraid or at least nervous like she and Benny are.

"I dunno, honey. Just finish your food." She sends him a halfhearted grin and plays with his long locks. She switches her gaze between her boys. "It'll be okay, guys. Fahri and Leon are here. So are me and Diane. You're safe with us." She's proud of herself that she'd kept the shakiness out of her voice. She's had a lot of practice with that, even when she was lying, just so her kids could breathe easier.

* * *

"Ahh, finally, fresh air!" Nicky inhales deeply and exhales slowly.

"Mm-hm, I know it was a bit stuffy in there," Daya sympathizes with her. "At least _Shall We Dance_ was awesome!"

"Yeah! Oh, there was so much romance!" Lorna gushes.

Flaca and Maritza giggle together while putting their arms around each other's shoulders. "Totally! I'm so glad we're a couple again, yay!" Maritza squeals.

"We never broke up, though...I was just mad, but we're cool now!" Flaca tells their friends.

"Well, a happy one, that's probably what you mean, right, Maritza?" Blanca asks, and Maritza nods.

"What were you two fighting about anyway?" Maria wonders aloud.

"Stupid shit...like, Mari took my apricot facial scrub without asking," Flaca responds.

"It was almost gone!" Maritza protests when Lorna raises an eyebrow at her and the others laugh, even Alex, who had looked pretty downtrodden earlier.

Allison tsks. "You're right, Flaca, that's a dumb reason to be pissed at somebody. I'm glad y'all made up."

"I couldn't agree more," Michelle states. She looks over at her girlfriend, who's quiet as she strolls along with the group to the bus stop. "Hey...you alright?"

"I will be once I get it out of my head that I could've actually been in jail tonight instead of with all of you. It's all like, a shock. I really fucking got away with it. The old bat lost her memory and doesn't have a clue of what even my name is, what I look like, or how she got hurt." They all gasp happily.

"No way," Michelle breathes out. "That's a fucking miracle!"

"Holy shit, no wonder why the pigs never came to take you away," Ouija murmurs. They all grin at Alex and pat her back.

"You're like, a star," Pidge compliments her.

"Yeah, our girl deserves a drink on us!" Maritza puts in enthusiastically.

Blanca and Maria toast with invisible glasses. "Cheers!" they add in unison.

"I...I have the ability to just...stop someone from living, though..." Alex mumbles. "That shouldn't be celebrated."

"You have every right to party about it!" Pennsatucky insists.

"We admire you!" Allison chimes in. "It's not every day that someone kicks a bigot's ass and doesn't have to serve time for it!"

"Yo, don't feel guilty about what you did to that puta! You're our hero, we're all so proud of you!" Michelle brings Alex's face down to hers so they can kiss. "Mmm...I'm so lucky that you're here instead of juvy."

"I appreciate the compliments, and same...I couldn't be more grateful. I'm aware that she deserved it, babe, and my mom was probably like, laughing, in her head, but I actually freaked her out...she's never seen me be violent to anyone before. Do you think she's ashamed of me?"

"Nah! You did a good thing, you know?" Michelle assures her.

Alex manages a smile. "It _did_ feel great," she admits.

"So, the bitch for real got amnesia?" Taystee asks excitedly.

"Dr. Chapman, you know, Piper's older brother, Danny...he reported that she did," Alex informs the group. "I know he's just starting his medical career, but he's well educated on his shit."

"That's amazing!" Poussey tells Alex.

"How exactly did you not get busted if there's DNA and everything?" Flaca wants to know.

Alex beams proudly. "Charles just covered for me and recorded me saying, 'I saw my grandma before it happened, I hugged her and we talked. I don't know who would do this to her, it's cruel and inhumane.' I even faked my tears...Drama class has helped me so much in my acting skills!" She snickers, along with the others, and they hi-five her. "God, he's the coolest guy ever. I'm so lucky my mom's dating a cop!"

"We are too, sister!" Nicky exclaims.

"That's why you kept going on your phone during the movie," Lorna realizes aloud. "Were you checking to see if they believed your fabricated story?"

Alex nods. "Yeah, and my heart was heavy...I was chatting with my mom, just in case I was gonna get arrested right in the middle of the film...I wanted to enjoy my last night of being free, if the worst were to happen. It was like a brick lifted off my chest when she and Charles said Phyllis couldn't remember squat, even about who I was, and uh...the police bought it!"

"Hook, line, and sinker!" Daya hollers cheerfully.

"Congratulations!" Michelle chimes in and hugs Alex.

"Thank you!"

"I wish I were just as courageous," Alana says.

Stephanie rests her elbow on Alana's shoulder. "You are to me."

"You make such a nice pair of best friends," Lorna praises them, and they beam at her.

* * *

After Diane reluctantly serves the skeevy guys, they unceremoniously eat like pigs as they leave the restaurant, dripping sauce, condiments, and bits of onions and burgers on the floor in their wake. Diane scoffs. "Ugh, so disrespectful...and disgusting, too."

"I'm just glad they're gone...but I'm sorry they made a mess," Gloria murmurs.

"Yeah, I know."

"We can clean it up for you," Leon offers.

"Are you kidding me?" Diane asks rhetorically. She points out the door. "Go after them!"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Fahri mutters once he sees a man with an athletic build prowling around outside the restaurant and walking around like he's either intoxicated or high. He'd wanted to confront the other douchebags ever since they'd joined Kubra's drug ring and Alex had pointed them out to him as Duardo, Pepe, and Paco. He knows they're after Gloria and he hopes they haven't gotten far. "Hey, Leon, there's trouble," he tells the other man quietly and tilts his head toward the door. Leon nods in understanding and gets up to follow him. Fahri hands Farah to Diane, and she takes the little girl. "You mind holding her for a sec?" he asks hastily.

"Sure, no problem," Diane tells him.

"We gotta handle this, don't worry, ladies and kids!" Leon lets them know.

"Good luck out there!" Gloria calls out.

"Thank you!" Fahri responds as he leaves the restaurant, and Leon waves at them as he trails after Fahri.

Leon balls up his hands into fists and comes toward the creep who's loitering in the same area he was a couple of minutes ago. "Hey, asshole, you tried to kill over half my whole family tonight?!" he yells at the guy, who just snickers, earning him a punch in the face. He staggers back from Leon and tries to run away, but Fahri grabs him by the back of his shirt to stop him in his tracks.

"What?!" Fahri hisses. "I'll handle this motherfucker, you take care of Duardo and his gang, he's getting away from us."

"Sure." Leon runs to where they are. Duardo is currently bellowing something in Spanish and his cronies escape. "The fuck you want with Gloria? I know you just didn't come in to harass Diane about making you and your buddies food."

"You should know the answer to that, pal..."

"Well, I'm unaware of it! Please enlighten me," Leon mutters sarcastically.

"Who the fuck are you, sleazebag?" Fahri demands.

"Juan..."

"What's my friend talkin' about, attempting murder on his family? Not only is that a crime in and of itself, but you were also looking like a stalker out here!"

"I barely nicked him and the others on the road on the way to Friendly's, and we were in cars." Juan scoffs and rubs his jaw. "He's making a big deal out of _nada_!"

"I didn't see you apologizing once you saw us," Fahri growls. He shoves him hard into the wall and the side of his face starts bleeding. The piece of scum groans and spits up blood. "In fact, you appeared boastful! Why is that, I wonder? Huh? You wanna ruin people's lives like that?" He doesn't let Juan respond. All he can think of is his friends and Gloria's kids who were in that vehicle that was almost purposely struck, and he bashes Juan's face in a few times so he has a black eye about to form and a busted lip. "They could've flipped over, had glass embedded into their skin, permanently in wheelchairs, limbs so stuck between parts of the car they had to be amputated, and not to mention, bloody and bruised and in hospital beds with little to no hope of surviving through it!" Fahri grits his teeth while shaking Juan roughly. "Then you decide to follow them here? What in God's name is wrong with you, dipshit?!"

Juan spits in Fahri's face. "Absolutely nothin', other than the fact that I can't score! I can watch scrumptious bitches from a distance, though, right?"

Fahri wipes Juan's saliva off his cheek where it had landed. "Wrong! You're a putrid snake if you think that's okay! Or you're just plain dumb, which I can buy, too. You're asking for me to get you arrested!" He reaches into Juan's pocket while squeezing both wrists together with his free hand and pulls out the creature's cell phone. "You been taking pictures of them, too?"

"No!"

Fahri doubts that, but he doesn't check, since his vice grip around Juan's wrists is weakening and he can't hold him in place with his whole body for much longer, because of how hard Juan is struggling. "Don't touch them again, don't be in their presence at all, do you understand, you son of a bitch?"

Juan huffs. "Fine. Would you just let go of me?"

"Yeah." Fahri shoves his foot into Juan's back and sends him flying into the pavement.

"We've all told you there was a drug bust, so leave my crew, family, and my girl's daughter's friends, the hell alone, you got that? Or I'll use my gun on your ass!" Leon threatens Duardo.

Fahri doesn't hear Duardo's answer. He just sees him mouth something and then take off in a sprint. Within a few seconds, Leon is hot on his heels and pulling out his cell phone to call Charles, presumably.

* * *

"You boys did so well talking to Fahri tonight! You were real brave." Gloria pulls them both into a hug while beaming. "Hey, but you know Mommy is always proud of you, no matter what, right?"

Benny and Julio nod. "Yeah, but where'd he go?" Benny wonders aloud.

"He had to take care of somethin'," Gloria answers.

"What?" Julio wants to know.

"He's going to protect us from the bad guys that came in earlier."

"Ohh," they say in unison.

* * *

As soon as Fahri gets home and turns on the light, he sees Kubra and Aydin sitting on two of his barstools with a stern expression on each of their faces. Even if Fahri knows that they're both aware of his address and have made it clear they can stop by whenever they want, this freaks him out immensely. "Oh, shit, you guys scared me!" he exclaims while pressing his hand to his heart.

"Okay, whatever. Now, I had a former fellow dealer named Arturo Cazador, but he got arrested. It's not your business where he's locked up, but I need your help in seeing if he recorded anything on his YouTube channel that could link to the drug ring. He has a stock photo image for a profile picture...which is a Chucky doll." Kubra shrugs. "Dude's a fan of slasher films."

Fahri nods at Kubra. "Yes, sir, I can certainly do that."

"Thank you."

Aydin gestures to Fahri's computer. "Get going, lazy. Make us happy." He and Kubra both clap Fahri hard on his back, making him wince in pain and stumble forward as he's about to get online and search for Arturo.

"Ow," he whispers. Once they leave, he gets onto YouTube and types in the guy's name. A whole bunch of results come up, but he knows the right account. He clicks on _Arturo Cazador_ and then plays the first video. It's called _L_ _os niños son estúpidos a veces jajaja_.

 **Kids are stupid sometimes hahaha.**

To his surprise, he sees Gloria in a chair with her hands folded in her lap. She's in a BDSM style strapless dress, complete with leather material and spikes crawling up her neck, pressing into her throat. The hem is so above her knees that it looks like she could be wearing a long tube top. Her high heels appear as though they're a nightmare to even stand still in without falling over. The camera zooms in on her slightly and she smiles as the person filming her, probably Arturo, gets closer to her. They're in a bedroom, since Fahri notices the side of a bed with the post at the end. Photos of chainsaws cutting into decaying humans cover the walls and broken dolls line the top shelf, but that makes sense, since Kubra had said Arturo was a horror movie buff. Handcuffs, zip ties, extension cords, whips, and belts are tangled with clothing on a desk, and Fahri can swear he spots droplets of blood dotting the wooden floor. The longer he stares at the scene, the weirder it seems to be. He pauses it just before Arturo begins to speak. "Okay, so maybe they were into sadomasochism. Not my thing, but everyone's entitled to their own kinks," Fahri mutters to himself. Something tells him to keep watching, so he does, even though it has nothing to do with the drug cartel.

"Eres mi buena chica, ¿eh, perra?" Gloria nods silently to Arturo's question, and Fahri can then see that her grin isn't as wide as it usually is when he's around her. It looks to be almost fake in this, which is strange. Since he only travels to Bali and France, he can't understand Spanish, so he'll have to use Google for translations later. "Whoa...damas y caballeros, ¿no se ve deliciosa esta noche? Ciertamente creo que sí..."

 **You're my good girl, huh, you little bitch? Whoa...ladies and gents, doesn't she look delicous tonight? I** **certainly think so...**

"Tengo que irme por un tiempo, mi mascota. No te cambies de esa ropa, a menos que pretendas estar desnudo por el resto de esta noche, lo cual yo no diría que no." Gloria shudders slightly and bites her bottom lip as he bends down to her neck, the corners of his lips turning up into a snarl. His face is shrouded by a ski mask with holes for his eyes and mouth, and Fahri assumes that it's because Arturo wouldn't want to show anyone what he looks like. He licks his gleaming sharp teeth and she gulps hard as he stands and walks out, leaving the door open. When she moves her chair a bit, Fahri's insides freeze up at the sight of hazardous weapons in plain view, a rifle leaning against the wall and a gun right next to it.

 **I have to leave for a while, my pet. Don't change out of those clothes, unless you intend to be naked for the rest of this evening, which I wouldn't say no to.**

"Now-now that he-he's gone..." Gloria whispers shakily. She glances over her shoulder twice and then faces the camera. She wrings her hands while leaning forward, and he sees that there's some bruising around her left eye. It's light, but evident, and looks as if it's fading. "I...I want you all to know that-" She stops herself when Benny wanders in. The little kid kneels down and picks up the gun. He turns it over in his hand and Fahri gasps in horror, along with Gloria. "Oh my god, baby, you can't touch this, okay?" she instructs him gently in a hushed tone while carefully taking it away from him, and Fahri breathes a sigh of relief. He hopes it's unloaded and locked if it's out in the open like this. "That's Arturo's. It's not yours." She sets it on the dresser.

"Why?" Benny asks, gazing around the space. "Arturo said he'd share his toys with me."

"It ain't safe because it's a real gun, not a pretend one. Mommy's sorry it was out." Gloria kneels down and reaches for him, but he's examining the rifle now, tapping where the bullet would shoot out. It's quite unnerving, and he doesn't want to see Benny get hurt.

"Cool! I wanna play with this telescope..." Benny picks it up, making Fahri's heart skip a beat and he flinches, but then the boy drops it, causing a huge bang to sound when it hits the floor. Gloria shrieks and brings him into her arms. Fahri shakes his head while pressing his fist to his mouth. He doesn't know what kind of idiot leaves dangerous things lying around in a house with children present, and on a live video, no less. Of course, he doesn't blame her-she's trying so hard to protect her son.

"It's not a fuckin' telescope! You can hurt yourself real bad with that!" Gloria is about to put the rifle away when Arturo suddenly pops up behind her with an unhinged expression in his beady eyes, and sharp butcher knife in his hand pointed downwards, causing her to jump sharply, and Fahri does, too. She seems extremely frightened, with the imploring look she's giving Arturo, but she forces out a guffaw, as if she's playing it off as a joke. Fahri has heard her genuine laugh several times, though, it's light and beautiful, carefree-but this one isn't at all. He hasn't seen her this scared since she'd panicked about taking his popcorn without asking. He remembers her thinking he was mad at her. There was also that time when she was nervous to choose which radio station she wanted to play in his limo. "¿Debería hacerte un filete, Regla Arturo Franco Cazador?" she asks calmly, but her voice is trembling.

 **Should I make you steak, Ruler Arturo Franco Cazador?**

"Toma eso del pequeño hijo de puta," Arturo orders her. "Sácalo de aquí en diez...nueve...ocho..." Arturo counts down slowly as Gloria quickly scrambles to grab the rifle. She puts it someplace her kids can't get to.

 **Grab that from the little motherfucker. Get him outta here in ten...nine...eight...**

Fahri knows she hadn't been in charge of putting it out of reach in the first place, since Arturo sounds very controlling and had probably instructed her not to do anything without his approval. Gloria has also told Fahri that she'd had a gun pointed at her before and she's always hated them. She doesn't let Benny play violent video games because of the gunshots, and she feels guilty about not allowing him to do everything he wants.

The puzzle is slowly coming together and clicking in Fahri's head. He's alarmed after watching this video twice because he thinks there was something weird about it the first time he saw it, and most people never notice the background, but he had. He'd gone back and really looked close and saw the marred flesh between the spikes on her neck, and the clang of the rifle smashing on wood when Benny had dropped it, echoes in Fahri's head, even after he goes to a video titled _Living With Arturo Cazador Ain't Easy_ by Gloria Mendoza.

Julio is sat in her lap and Benny is next to her, swinging his legs from side to side. It looks like she's taping herself. Julio grins cutely and reaches out to touch the camera, but she keeps his hand away from it. "Me?" he asks.

Gloria manages a soft smile, and so does Fahri. "Yeah, that's you, honey." She sighs heavily and kisses the top of his head while pecking Benny's cheek. "So as you can see, guys...I love my babies more than anything. I'd _die_ for them. That's part of why I'm making this." She reaches up to wipe under her misty eyes with the pad of her thumb, smudging her eyeliner, and he can see the distinct scar he'd felt on her wrist last night. Fahri pauses the frame and peers at it closely. She'd been burned somehow, and she appears to be terrified. He presses play. "You know why I wear black, right? I got a tender cut here that's still healing, and if it bleeds...I can't have it show on my clothes underneath..." She slightly touches a spot on her chest. "He only lets me have a phone so he can track me. I got like, minutes to post this." Her eyes dart from side to side worriedly and then widen in fear. "I'm aware it's mid July...and way too hot to be wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt, but we went to the park earlier, and we had to rush home since I lost track of time."

He wonders why she's in such a warm outfit during summertime. It's just completely unnatural. She has to be hiding something, like bruises she doesn't want anyone to see. With the injuries he's seen on her person so far, in real life and on the videos, her five-year-old fiercely protecting her when she and Fahri went out at first, her having panic attacks frequently, certain things causing her to react badly, like apologizing over requesting mundane stuff and accidentally spilling apple juice on the cafeteria backroom's floor because of Piscatella scaring her with his appearance, and how violent Arturo seems to be, it dawns on Fahri that Gloria could be a survivor of domestic abuse. This is her silent cry for help, and chills race up and down his spine while his heart aches. He's so afraid for her, Benny, and Julio, even though they're not suffering anymore since Arturo is behind bars like the animal he is.

"I can't film this while I'm watching my kids play, so I gotta do it here. Normally, Lourdes would be helping me...but she's busy with work and I don't wanna bother her. I'm finished with Arturo...I gotta figure out how to tell my little ones that we're leaving him...kicking his ass outta my apartment, my bodega, my _life_. I can't have him near them anymore...I won't allow this bond between him and the boys to grow stronger...it makes the pain worse and harder to say goodbye to him. They'll soon realize it's better for all of us in the future, if he ain't around us no more." Gloria's chin quivers and a tear slides down her cheek. She quickly brushes it away with her knuckles. "S-so if this don't work out, I...I want somebody to take 'em and be the best parents possible. Please," she begs. "My aunt would, but he hates her a-" There are loud, booming footsteps in the background and then the camera instantly shuts off in the middle of her sentence. Fahri's stomach lurches for what might have happened next.

Gloria has eyes the color of melted chocolate, a stunning smile, and a nice figure, but besides her physical attractiveness, she has a beautiful heart to match. She's claimed before a couple of times she was a lousy mother, but to him, she's anything but that. In fact, she's clearly the type of mother who would rush into a burning building for her children or raise hell if harm were to come to them. Both of her sons are sweet and docile, like her, although a bit spunky, which is a trait they obviously got from her, but that doesn't bother him in the least. It breaks his heart at how severely traumatized the three of them are. He hopes he can heal their emotional wounds, one careful step at a time. Fahri is not sure how to approach Gloria with this new information. He feels like he shouldn't ask her about it unless it's brought up and confirmed that Arturo had been a true monster and is responsible for her constant anxiety.

* * *

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Allison is walking Farah in her stroller. As she passes a basketball court on a block with a bunch of ratty apartment buildings, she suddenly takes notice of a sketchy-looking guy casually striding past her. His features are harsh, but she doesn't judge a book by its cover.

"¡La tuve en el maizal! ¡Casi la jodí! ¡Perra estúpida!" he's muttering to himself. Fury reddens his square face, which has been marked up with a shiner, a serious cut on his lip, and a gash on his cheekbone. He looks like he needs a trip to the hospital, and Allison throws him an apologetic glance before continuing on her way. He stops in his tracks and grins. "That baby of yours is adorable. I wish I had a little girl of my own, I just love them."

 **I had her in the cornfield! I almost fucking had her! Stupid bitch!**

"Oh, thanks." She keeps going, but he creeps along with her.

"What's her name?" he slurs while panting with his tongue out. He wiggles it and licks his lips. She notices a ring in the center of his tongue. "I'm Franco."

She'd tell him if he weren't so insistent on being so close to her that she can smell his breath and practically feel his spittle on her forehead. He resembles a pedophile, the way he's leering in Farah's direction and acting like he's hungry. His comment about liking tiny girls makes her queasy. She'd feel sorry for him if he weren't acting like he probably deserved to be attacked. "Will you stop following me?" she snaps while gripping the handles of the stroller tightly.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" he yells when she quickens her step, heading back home.

"You get away from me and my daughter! Get the _fuck_ away from us!" Allison screams at him. She practically runs to the bus. Her heart is beating frantically in her chest as she rapidly motions for the driver to put out the ramp so she can board the bus with her daughter. "Please hurry, I think he's after us..." She checks behind her to see if the stranger is still there, and he is. She feels like she's sinking in quicksand as he's about to catch up with her.

The woman assists her with lifting the stroller up onto the bus and waves her forward, so she hops on. Allison breathes out a sigh of relief when the doors close behind them and the lady drives off.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star in My Universe, MinervaSnape394, and Johanna002!**


	56. Nightmares

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Wow, that new season was intense, to say the least! I'm scared for my babies and hope they'll all be okay for the final season next year...we need justice for Blanca, Gloria, Taystee, Red...and I hope Lorna didn't lose her baby, that would be awful! I'm so happy the kickball game turned into a safe and enjoyable activity! Also Gloria's dancing was fun and sexy (I think Selenis was just being herself in those scenes though lol) and Blanca and Diablo were super cute, I loved her wanting to get pregnant. I obviously don't ship Gloria and Aleida with Luschek and Rick Hopper, respectively, because in my universe, they're with Fahri and Leon, respectively lol...besides, those white guys just don't seem to suit my favorite Latina mamas and they play freakin Fantasy Inmate, which is so dirty. Gloria deserves better and Aleida needs a man who won't let heroin in the house PERIOD. Also, Daddy's gotta go, that chick is a bad influence on Daya. Like, full stop.**

 **Warnings: sexual harassment, racial slurs, violence, mentions of pedophilia, and body mutilation**

As the bus travels further away from Franco, Allison realizes it came from out of nowhere, and the driver appears frazzled and strung out. She keeps rubbing her eyes to keep them open, but miraculously, she hasn't gotten them into an accident. Her stringy hair is a mousy brown color and looks like it hasn't been washed for days, and her teeth resemble that of a drug addict's. She's probably homeless, very mentally ill, high, or a combination of the three options. Allison wonders if this woman even knows what she's doing, picking up random people who may or may not be dangerous. She wheels Farah's stroller back and forth in a calming motion for the little girl and combs through her brain for something to say.

"So, where are you headed?"

"I'm going back home. Uh...it's kinda weird that you stopped here, since there's no-"

"I just saved your ass...and your daughter's, you should be more grateful, little girl," the lady cuts her off.

"You're right, I'm sorry, thank you."

"I gotta be honest here, I'm not even a real bus driver, I stole this and then I saw him and wanted to be a hero. Women look out for each other."

Allison just nods and smiles.

"Plus, I had to get away from the goddamn flies. You know how that is? I really hope they don't come in here!"

"Uh huh...me neither," Allison says awkwardly.

* * *

Ever since Saturday at quarter to midnight, Vee had been in a sour mood. Taystee knows she doesn't love Fahri that much, and she hadn't wanted to be near her for a while. She needed some time away from Vee so she could gather up her thoughts and not have her foster mother's questionable influence seeping into her, like it does Cindy, Janae, and Suzanne, especially the girl who's highly mentally ill. Nor does she want anyone else's opinions, except her own. Being with her friends at Flaca's slumber party, and then Poussey and Allison on Sunday when they spent the night at the Washingtons was so much fun, and she felt like a completely different person around them. Lila, Poussey's mother, had driven them to school Monday. Then, they hung out in the afternoon, along with the rest of their crew, watching Alex tear apart a bigot, and in the evening, seeing _Shall We Dance_. Taystee would've gone to Miss Claudette's place, but she was busy. Besides, Miss Claudette has the company of both her husband and their brand new foster daughter, Odette, a girl who worked at Clean Makers with the older woman until Miss Claudette found out that Odette was being abused by a homeowner whenever she cleaned his house. Taystee had decided to finally come home after watching the film with her girls, when Vee was already in bed, and they'd eaten breakfast in complete silence. Vee isn't mad at her. She knows that Taystee has a life outside of being a drug dealer, and it puts less suspicion on them anyway. They just don't know what to say to each other, until now.

"You're trying to manipulate me into thinking this is okay, and it really ain't!" Taystee declares strongly. She's starting not to care about the wealth, since she wants Gloria to be happy with a guy who seems like he really enjoys her company. She can't bear Vee embarrassing herself any further by working so hard to keep Fahri in their family when Vee only wants his money.

Vee gestures around their apartment. "No, I'm not, Taystee Girl! Look how poor we are!"

"Being rich would be great, but he don't love you, he's more into Gloria, everyone can see that! Let someone else win for a change, alright?"

"I'll do what I want, that bitch was abused by her ex and she's never going to go after him!" Vee states angrily. She glowers at Taystee, who stands her ground. "Arturo told me she asked for it."

"She did _not_! He was one _evil_ motherfucker," Taystee states strongly. "Anyway, I just think it's a good idea to back the _fuck_ down!"

"Alright, fine. I'll make you a deal. If you sell smokes in school, I'll stop pursuing him. Do not say a word about this to Suzanne!"

Taystee ponders this for a moment. "Okay," she murmurs through a sigh. "I can't get in trouble, though...they do Breathalyzer tests and shit."

"I didn't say go to school high! It's just cigarettes...your fellow students can find themselves lighters anywhere. Hide 'em in tampon boxes for girls and distribute it to the boys via small Kleenex packages, I dunno. Slip them through the lockers when no staff is looking."

"Okay, then...you got it." Taystee grins while shaking hands with Vee. "Hey, a sister's wonderin' here...did Arturo hurt you and that's why you split?"

Vee scoffs and sniggers. "Of course he didn't, I'm not some stupid wimp!"

* * *

"Can somebody tell me how I got harassed on the street while walking my baby in her stroller just as the sun was about to come up? Oh my god, I'm still shaking," Allison tells the girls once she arrives at the front of the school.

"Say _what_ now?" Flaca demands.

"Yo, that's messed up," Poussey mutters.

"He said his name was Franco...he was mad about somethin' at first, but he was speaking Spanish, so I couldn't understand him. One of the words sounded like _mays-eyel_ _._ "

"That's _cornfield_ in Spanish," Blanca informs her.

Nicky knits her brows. "You're shitting me. Where was this?!"

"What'd he look like?" Lorna wants to know.

"By where the children in the poor neighborhood play basketball. It was my mistake to bring Farah anywhere near the area, but I thought I could pass it without a problem. Obviously, I didn't. He had a square head, an unfriendly expression about him, kind of soulless eyes. He got beat up, I dunno how, or who did it, but it musta been in some cornfield," Allison continues. "After he started hounding me about my daughter, I hightailed it outta there, got on some bus this strange woman stole from God knows where, and we were home again, safe and sound. I had the weirdest morning!"

"You sure did," Daya murmurs.

"I'm glad you're okay," Alex puts in.

"Me too. Like, we all are," Maritza adds.

"Thanks," Allison mumbles.

A girl who resembles a gangbanger version of Daya strides up to them while bouncing a basketball just before Maria is about to say something. They've never seen her before. "How _you_ doin'?" she asks Daya flirtatiously. "Don't you look just smashin' this fine mornin'!" She spins the orange ball on her finger and tucks it underneath her arm.

"Uh...thanks?" Daya cautiously shakes the girl's hand when she sticks it out. "We're just waiting for our classes to start, so..."

"I am too." She snickers. "Just kidding, I'm finished with school. Fuck college! My bitch lives in the next town over, I'mma see her tonight, but you know what? You're fine, too, and I got plenty of hookers...are you interested? Name's Daddy."

Nicky eyes her suspiciously. "You're a pimp? Like, a lesbian John?"

"Why don't they just refer to you as Mama?" Alana asks.

"I'm Daddy, smarty pants. There's your answer." She nods at Nicky. "Sure, you could call me a pimp. The hos love me." She winks in Daya's direction. "You interested?"

"Uhhh, I'm sorry...I'm straight."

The pimp scoffs. "So's spaghetti before it's boiled, right? Lemme know if you change your mind." When she turns around and leaves, the girls stifle awkward giggles beneath their palms, and Daya shakes her head.

"Fuckin' weird," Alex mutters, pulling Michelle closer to her.

"Heyyy, what are all you bitches talkin' about?" Taystee asks as she, Cindy, and Janae come up to them. She puts her arms around Poussey and Allison and pats their shoulders as a wide grin sets on her face.

"This random chick pimp came up to us just now and made a pass at Daya," Poussey tells her and shakes her head. "She's gotta be eighteen at the youngest."

"She calls herself _Daddy_ ," Michelle puts in while wrinkling her nose.

"What kinda weird-ass..." Janae doesn't finish her question, but she guffaws. "In my house, Daddy means _father_! This bitch ain't even a dude!"

"That's how it is with people all the time, but some just have that kink," Ouija points out.

"Yeah, and not everybody gonna be feelin' it," Pidge tacks on.

"This is the same exact spot where Nicky and Lorna met, and I spotted Yadriel hangin' around here, too," Maria lets them all know.

"What you tryin' to say?" Flaca asks.

Lorna gasps happily. "Of course! This is a destined couples area! I know you're straight, Daya, but I thought I was too before Nicky!"

Daya giggles. "No. If we was in prison, I'd be gay for the stay, but out here, nah. I mean, she's cute, but a bit too rough around the edges for me, but sweet, too, if you get what I'm sayin'?" She scoffs. "I'll probably never see her again, so whatever, right?"

"Abuela told me shitty things make up a package of three. Well, for one thing, Diablo's absent today, and then the story about Allison's encounter with this creep, and now, another toxic relationship for you, Daya! It's doomed," Blanca warns her.

Daya raises her hands in the air and lets them fall to her sides. "You can't predict that...and like I said, she's most likely not gonna show up or try to find me. There's nothin' even between us, she just flirted with me! It'd definitely be different than dating John, maybe a bit more interesting without getting pregnant."

Maritza scowls at her. "Didn't you and Adarsh literally just go on a date?"

"It wasn't a romantic one...he seems to like me, though. I can't read his mind, though...I like someone who's more straightforward with their feelings."

"He probably doesn't wanna make you feel weird," Alex tells her.

"Don't blow off a perfectly nice dude for some weird chick who's the Mexican version of Stella," Michelle recommends.

Allison wrinkles her nose. "She smelled like...real drugs, and that bad haircut is just...ugh! You got a baby comin', you can't be-"

"Okay, can we get off this kick?" Daya asks exasperatedly. "I never said I was flat-out into her!"

"You implied it, puta," Maritza points out, and everyone nods in agreement. "I'm seriously callin' you that if you get with her. She's a literal pimp." Daya just rolls her eyes.

Taystee beckons the girls to follow her to the back of the building. "Y'all, come here. We gonna sell cigarettes to help out Vee...it's the only way she'll stop goin' after Fahri."

"She gonna get yo ass in trouble!" Poussey states. "Can't you work your magic some other way?"

"Calm down! She has a solution...you'll see. I just wanted to tell the rest of our crew."

"Well, that ain't for us, thanks," Pidge mutters.

"Yeah, Gloria once offered us a smoke, but I turned it down since my mom has a Ritz cracker-sized hole in her neck," Ouija puts in. "I think she was just tryin' to be cool...get us to stop calling her a bossy twatwaffle to her face."

"Did it work?" Maria asks, slightly amused.

"Nah, we still did it behind her back," Pidge lets her know. "It's weird, I wanna apologize for that now."

"You should," Allison scolds them.

"It's okay, you had no idea," Maria tells Ouija and Pidge. "Supongo que no entiendo por qué querría que sus hijos se preocupen por eso, ahora que lo pienso."

 **I guess I don't understand why she'd want her kids around that, now that I think about it."**

Blanca grits her teeth. "Quizás sintió que no tenía otra opción, que haría algo peor." She glances over at Taystee. "Alright, hit me with a smoke."

 **Maybe she felt like she had no other choice, that he'd do somethin' worse.**

"None for me, please," Lorna pipes up.

"Yeah, it's not my thing, either," Alana agrees.

Nicky shoots her hand up. "I'll have one."

"Samesies!" Maritza squeals, bouncing in place.

"I only do it after reading a steamy novella," Flaca says.

"I wouldn't mind," Alex chimes in.

"Me neither," Michelle adds in a nasally voice. "Except not for a while, since I have a cold."

"I can't, on account of that I'm pregnant," Daya reports.

"Yeah, we shouldn't, because we don't want our daughters to smell ash on our breaths," Allison murmurs, gesturing towards herself and Maria.

"Well, in that case..." Taystee glances around and discreetly slides a thin cigarette enclosed inside a tampon holder into the sweatshirt pockets of the girls who want to smoke, and they grin at her. "Light 'em up when you can, ladies! Michelle, feel better soon!" They sneak through an empty area and hide the cigarettes in their books by hollowing them out and putting the smokes in there, just in case of a random locker search. They stuff their books into their lockers. All they can do now is hope they don't get caught.

Brook catches up to Poussey at the same exact moment a red-haired older woman passes by them. "Is...that..." Poussey asks breathlessly, pointing at her as she exits the hall.

"Judy King?" Taystee finishes for her.

"Holy shit!" Brook squeals. "It _is_ her _!"_

Poussey faints, but they both catch her. "Wow, I wish Cate Blanchett could come to our school," Alex mutters.

"For me, Johnny Cash...he should sing, but Judy's the next best thing! Oooh, I made a rhyme!" Angie chirps as she pops up in the hallway and disappears.

"He's dead, you dumbass! Ms. Jones told you that already!" Lorna calls out after her.

"Why don't you go talk to her instead of flopping all over the place?" Cindy suggests to Poussey.

"I'm too shy! Damn, don't pressure me."

"I will, then," Brook volunteers.

"Thanks, baby!"

"One of the little piggies is back!" Red announces suddenly on their way to the courtyard, making them practically jump out of their skin and gasp sharply with their hands over their hearts. "I'm sorry for scaring you girls, but I just had to warn you, especially since you're alone."

"Jesus, there's like sixteen of us!" Nicky protests. "Wait, what are you talking about?" She turns to Blanca. "Did you give her speed again?" she half-jokes.

Blanca scoffs and chuckles. "No!"

"She's right, and I don't do that anymore. I'm saying that Ratman's here, scurrying around the school, trying to snatch some pieces of cheese, or any unlucky students that cross his path!" Red's eyes widen. "Apparently, those methheads had him locked up in a pen and he escaped, so the school board sees him as an innocent victim and he can work here again!"

"Hell fucking no!" Maria snarls. "They can't let him!"

Blanca groans loudly. "He should piss himself, see how he likes it!"

"Probablemente ya lo hizo, en un cubo de caca," Pidge murmurs, and Ouija cracks up.

 **He probably already did, in some shit bucket**

"No puede ir al baño con otras personas a su alrededor, así que pensé: '¡Bueno, nadie puede, idiota!'" Maria reports, and the Spanish-speaking girls laugh hysterically.

 **He can't go to the bathroom with others around him, so I was like, 'Well, nobody can, dumbass!**

"Fucker deserved it! Also, rumor has it, Z had Luschek over when her mom wasn't home and pretended to hold him hostage for an entire day to give him a boner, and he earned the title _Piss Bitch_." Ouija says. "I gave him that name."

"He threw scissors at her head," Michelle reports. "Did they really get kidnapped, like, together?"

Zirconia strides past them and smirks proudly. "I guess Methhead Cracker One and Two decided Ratman needed a buddy for a day and I was feelin' horny, so I wanted Luschek to get it up. He hummed a low note to try helping Ratman use the shitter-"

"I don't wanna know!" Alex interrupts her and then rolls her eyes.

"Anyway, Red...thanks for preparing us," Lorna mumbles.

"Do your other co-workers know?" Daya wonders aloud.

"Of course, I've been searching for you girls all morning!"

"Is he back to teaching Spanish?" Alana asks nervously.

Red shrugs. "That one, I have no idea."

"We gotta get him fired," Taystee declares. "I'll try talkin' to Mr. C. He and I are cool."

"Ooooh, damn girl, you're lucky, I like that 'stache of his..."

Taystee gives Cindy a disgusted look. "Eeew! Nah, man, that's some nasty shit thinkin' right there. I think of him as like, my daddy, in the platonic sense of the word! We close like that now. He thinks I'm intelligent and dedicated to my secretary job...first dude to ever say that to me, besides RJ."

"Aww, well, I hope it works!" Maritza tells her, and the others give her encouraging nods and hugs of support.

"Thanks, peeps!"

* * *

"Why you givin' her extra waffles?" Gloria asks as Aleida hands Suzanne a tray of breakfast while winking at her. The girl nods and smirks brightly just before she walks off.

"I heard that her mentor is having one of the girls in their crew sell smokes. I already got some for us!" Aleida grins. "You're welcome!"

"They're stale if they're from Vee, and providing Suzanne with anything she wants ain't even worth it," Gloria cautions her while leading her into the backroom. "You gonna cough on 'em like I did."

"They from nineteen-eighty-three or somethin'?"

"Yeah! Trust me, you're better off getting fresh ones from my bodega."

Aleida scoffs. "Why the fuck would she sell shit quality cigarettes?"

Gloria rolls her eyes. "She a cheap scorpion ho, that's why."

"You know all this, how?"

Gloria shivers involuntarily. "She worked with Arturo. The bitch came to my house a few times, and I went to hers with him. He forced me to make her cake because she wanted it for herself and her minions, and in exchange, she gave me stale cigarettes!"

"Those motherfuckers," Aleida mutters harshly. "I'll take your word for it, girl." Her expression darkens upon seeing Judy King in the flesh. "Holy shit, what's she doin' here?" Aleida hisses.

"Well, darling, I'm here to work hard!" Judy's annoying Southern accented speech rings out.

"That's gonna be a problem," Gloria states. "Newbies can't start without Red, she's like, the head chef."

"Además, la odio, ella me recuerda a Jack. Él es como, su fan número uno. A la mierda rico privilegio blanco."

 **Plus, I hate her, she reminds me of Jack. He's like, her number one fan. Fuck rich white privilege.**

Gloria tosses Aleida a sympathetic glance. "Ugh, I feel ya."

"Now, Reg, my husband, and Bill Montgomery, my boyfriend with a ponytail, and all my fans would beg to differ. I'm the best cook there is, that's why I'm the host of my own television show!"

"Then how come you ain't hostin' it?" Aleida snaps, and Gloria and Norma purse their lips and set their fists on their hips.

Claudette simply glares at Judy and shakes her head. "You should not brag of your accomplishments. We're all doing the same job here."

Judy steps back from her, appearing to be frightened. "I'm starting to get flicker vertigo in my old age, and my bodyguard, Leeson, can't watch out for me all the time, so it's more mellowed out at a high school. Thank goodness I wasn't around a month ago, I heard all about the violence and sexual abuse here."

Aleida scoffs and looks her up and down. "Please, those disgusting perverts would've never harassed you had you worked here back then. If anything, they'd protect your wealthy pink ass."

"Well, the boss wanted me to teach a cooking class after starting out in the kitchen after a counselor, Mr. Healy told me to, even though I wanted to try teaching in Woodshop. They both said seeing a celebrity chef could motivate students to come to school more, and I would've rather taught Woodshop with Mr. Luschek, but there is nothing better than helping underprivileged kids learn how to-"

"What, curl zucchini ribbons like you do on your daytime television program?" Red tsks and smirks slyly. "You're just attempting to boost your reputation because you got slammed with tax evasion. Our girls don't need to know how to make fancy shit. They have enough trouble with skinning potatoes and focusing on their tasks rather than carving silly faces in cucumbers as it is."

"Well, my specialty is corn, actually. I can do a mean filled corn shooter, corn like it's on the streets in Taiwan, and a good ol' Southern fried corn," Judy brags.

Red steps up to her, smirking. "My corn was so good that a group of girls stole some from my garden where I was growing it. I hosted a big, fancy dinner and it included corn, which made everyone's taste buds go wild."

"Are you suggesting we have a cook-off, Miss-?"

"Red. That would make things interesting, wouldn't it?" Red folds her arms over her chest and cocks her head to one side. She raises an eyebrow and the other women flank her, two on each side.

Red and Judy stare each other down until Angie and Maureen pop in, each holding a cookbook. "Can you sign this?" they ask in unison while handing Judy the cookbooks.

"Certainly, my dears."

Red leads the ladies to the opposite side of the room and gathers them into a huddle. "She may have the upper hand since she's famous, but I'm going to bake something special into her food so that when she eats it, her ass will be like a firecracker."

They cackle together. "Laxatives?" Claudette whispers incredulously.

"Oh, yes!" Red murmurs. "We'll all do it, like a prank on the newbie for her boasting!"

"You're mean, but I love this plan," Gloria says through a giggle, and Norma grins craftily.

"Nah, she totally deserves it! Struttin' her fucking self around here like she own the place!" Aleida mutters.

"Can I have a coconut cake now, Ma?" Nicky cuts in. "Excuse me, Jackie O." She squeezes past Brook, who is chattering away with Judy.

"It's too early for a sugar rush, my girl," Red insists and then turns around. "You'll have to ask Miss Claudette, that's her forte."

Nicky pouts, and Red beams at her adorableness. "Okay, then."

"I will be happy to," Miss Claudette says. "You better like it. Any complaints, and I can make you have nightmares."

"Got it."

"Where's your girls?" Aleida wants to know.

"Eh, they're outside, I, uh, wanted to talk to Red and kinda have her all to myself for a few minutes," Nicky responds.

"There are several cups of Jell-O in the fridge if you're really hungry, though, take them and pass them out to your friends," Red lets her know.

"Awesome!" Nicky grins. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

"You spoil them," Gloria points out teasingly. "Aleida and I do too, so we can't complain!"

"That's what mothers do with their children!" Red declares, and they all beam at each other.

Gloria switches on the burners and oils the frying pans just as Fahri arrives. Judy steps away from him like he's a bug on her shoe and makes a disgusted face. Gloria shakes her head at the woman's rudeness. It's not that surprising, though, since an uppity bitch like her _would_ be grossed out to be in the presence of a janitor. The other ladies greet him with smiles and hellos, and Aleida gives him a one-armed hug. Gloria bends down to the stove and pours small circles of pancake mixture, banana slices, blueberries, and chocolate chips into one of the pans.

"Hey, please be careful," Fahri warns her gently. "I can feel the heat from here."

"Okay?" She pushes a few stray black strands back into her hairnet. "I only had a few accidents in my whole life and I been cooking since I was fourteen. I took classes all through high school. I'm real good at this, like excellent. I ain't even clumsy."

"That's interesting! I know, I'm not saying that you aren't skilled at this, it's clear that you're a wonderful cook. It's just that your arm was hovering close to the hot pan's edge, and one wrong move...yee-ouch!" He touches his own arm and winces, as if he's acting out what he's afraid of happening to her.

"Ay dios mío, you wanna try doing my job?" she asks with a bite to her tone. "Look, I cut all that fruit with this knife!" She shows him the chopped-up strawberries and peaches and the sharp blade that sank into them. She displays her hands with her palms facing him and wiggles her fingers. "See? Nothin'! I ain't even bleedin'! Why you bein' so overprotective of me, Mr. Extra Cautious?" Gloria chuckles and rolls her eyes. " _Por favor._.."

"Well, that's good you didn't hurt yourself! I just want you to be safe." Gloria notices that Fahri is standing a bit farther away from her than normal.

She knits her brows and slips on the oven mitts Fahri hands her and then keeps the pan steady with one hand as she flips over the banana, blueberry, and chocolate chip pancakes with a spatula. "What is going on with you today?"

"Nothing, I just, uh..." Fahri scratches the back of his head and concern fills his warm brown eyes. "I'd rather not discuss it here. Can we talk later?"

"Sure," Gloria responds pleasantly. She grows worried. "Are you alright, though?"

"I am. So, it was very nice meeting your kids, by the way. They're awesome and adorable, of course!"

Gloria smiles, pleased. "Thank you, they enjoyed talking to you, too. I loved meeting Farah, like officially, as well."

Fahri beams. "She wants you to play with her at her party."

She giggles. "You can tell her I'd be delighted to!"

"Okay, then, I will!" He taps the side of his neck. "A bird in flight, that's a neat tattoo you have! I'm guessing it represents freedom?"

She grins proudly and touches the inking on her skin. "It does...and thank you! So many people are stuck in situations they hate, and this symbolizes one of the best feelings ever. My tattoo means a lot to me. Whenever I see it in a mirror or a picture or whatever, I get the most amazing and powerful sensations flowing through me, like I can do anything, you know?"

Fahri nods and beams at her. "Definitely."

* * *

"Yet another fucked-up thing I did!" Lorna mumbles dejectedly.

"Babe...Marka coming back wasn't your complete fault, you didn't have a clue that she was that much of a cunt," Nicky assures her. She pulls her girlfriend in for a hug and kisses her temple as they walk with several of their friends to their homerooms. Diane is with them since they could run into Ratman at any moment now. The hallway they're currently in is vacant.

"Yeah, you gotta stop blaming yourself," Flaca puts in.

"I guess I should. I'm just tired of making mistakes."

"It's part of life," Alex tells Lorna.

"You only learn from them," Diane says wisely.

"Oh, shit, it's Ratman," Maria grumbles as he comes their way, smirking, even though he has a busted face thanks to Diablo's work. "The Latinas hate him the most out of all the shitbags." Alex, Nicky, and Flaca quickly get in front of their shorter girlfriends, and Blanca links arms with Nicky. Alana clutches Diane's hand, and they all glare at Ratman. Allison, Maria, and Daya are behind them. They attempt to move along, but he stops them in their tracks with a long crowbar.

"Stupid fucker," Michelle whispers while pressing her face into Alex's back.

"I wish mi Diablo was here," Blanca chimes in, and Nicky rubs her back sympathetically.

"Yadriel too, for me," Maria adds. "He's looking for us, he just texted me."

"So is Adarsh," Daya reports.

"Let me tell you bitches something!" Ratman shouts in their faces. "You took down our man and now, Piscatella's in the hospital-"

"Yeah? So are Humps and Dixon, and they're all beat up because they were assholes, so why don't you take some notes and stop trying to be a tough guy?" Nicky speaks up. She chuckles as he comes closer to her. "You should meet my friend, Michel. There's this strip joint underneath the Queensboro Bridge, and he runs it. I hear you enjoy that activity."

"Nicky, shhh," Lorna mumbles nervously and covers her eyes. The rest of them give Nicky disapproving stares.

"I'll kick your ass if you say another goddamn word, _inmate_. Yeah, Piscatella told us everything, you're supposed to be in jail, you dirty criminal. You even look the part...all you need is an orange jumpsuit." Ratman points at Maria. "You too...but at least you're hot." Everyone scowls. "That was some scary shit you pulled, though, but you're a totally different person around your crew, I see. I want you all to know what it's like to be trapped in a basement half naked and having to look at your own feces and urine for months at a time!"

"What the fuck is he talking about?" Alex hisses, and Maria averts her gaze to the floor.

"Nothin'! I just gave him a taste of his own medicine. He made my best friend's life even worse one time."

Diane gives Ratman a hard stare. "Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. Our. Way. We got places to go."

"I could care about that as much as I do about Reznikov not being able to find her lip pencil and makeup mirror, which is, as you know, not at all. I once held your dear mother figure hostage in the backroom, along with who she called cue balls and a dirty mop. Now, out of them, I wanted to bang Helen, but with Kasey's hair, and Helen liked me back, but refused to wear a wig, so we didn't fuck...but at this moment, I'd like your daughter's head on Nichols' body with yours and Morello's tits combined, and then the skin tone of Gonzales, Ramos, Flores, Diaz, Carerras, and Ruiz altogether for my dream girl. Also, she needs to have Mendoza's ass, so let her know that. Dixon, Humps, and I were discussing that in the hospital earlier. We have fetishes for Hispanics because they're great lovers and exotic."

They appear close to throwing up, and Alex's stomach churns in disgust. "Gross," Maritza says quietly and hugs Flaca tighter.

"Man, it's good to be back in the trenches!"

"This isn't the Afghanistan war," Alana pipes up.

"We were in it, and it will always feel like that, no matter where we are. Don't make me punch you in the nose again, stupid bitch!" Alana whimpers at this and Diane holds her closer. "I'd rather you little cunts be behind glass so your tiny squeaky voices won't be in my ears and you won't stink." He looks pointedly at Blanca, who trembles and avoids his beady eyes. "You know what, though, you look a lot better than last year, and you smell good too." He winks at her and licks his lips. "Not so defiant and tough now, are you, sexy mami?" Blanca shifts her gaze to Diane helplessly and squeezes Nicky's hand. She appears to be terrified and furious at the same time.

"Frieda tricked you with wolfsbane, didn't she? That's how she escaped, she shot a dart into your neck that was soaked in the stuff! Greeks poisoned their arrows with it, while the Germans used it on their bullets." Diane snaps, and Alex enjoys how badass her mother is being, strong in the face of danger for them.

Daya scoffs and folds her arms across her chest. "Wow, you're pathetic. Now move," she adds in a no-nonsense tone.

"The bell is about to ring," Allison points out.

Diane glances down at the crowbar. "Are you gonna use that on all of us? That'd be a bloody mess, and really hard to explain to the judge. You'd get sentenced for life."

He guffaws. "Why would I? It's too hard, and it would be quite loud."

"Hey, what's goin' on?" Yadriel cuts in, and the group breaks apart when Maria rushes into his arms. "This dipshit bothering y'all?"

"He's got a fucking crowbar!" Maria lets him know.

"Your girlfriend can handle herself!" Ratman snaps.

"Do your job, idiot," Adarsh tells Ratman evenly. "Leave them alone." He puts his arm around Daya. "You okay?"

"Yes, he was trying to scare us, but he didn't do that great of a job," Daya answers him with a grin. "He more made us sick."

"Next time, I'm using this!" Ratman threatens them and stalks off.

* * *

After power walking to Mr. Caputo's office, Red groans out loud at seeing the vice principal, Linda, through the glass window, and her real superior boss nowhere in sight. Neither is Taystee. "Fuck! It's worth a try," she grumbles to herself. She bursts through the door marked _Principal_. "Linda...I need to speak with you," she starts out briskly. "First of all, where are Joe and Tasha?"

"He's out sick, and I don't need a secretary," Linda answers flippantly. "Why else do you think I've fired twenty-nine of my assistants? What do you want?"

"Jesus...why would you let Mr. Stratman back here if he made this poor girl stand on some table like a goat last year and threatened my friend and a bunch of students with a crowbar?" Red wants to know as she sits down across from Linda.

"It's my understanding that he was kidnapped, and probably traumatized-"

Red scoffs and her temper flares. "Oh, bullshit! What are they gonna do to him? They're innocent, but he is cruel! He shouldn't be around this school at all!" She frowns as Linda gets up out of her seat and walks over to her.

"I know who you're talking about...Blanca Flores. She's a dirty illegal immigrant, and she'll be lucky if Mr. Stratman's lawyer doesn't send her back to Mexico," Linda says in a chillingly cold voice. "He wasn't being violent, either this time or the last, she was defying him, and her punishment was absolutely necessary. I want to see her deported. Now, why don't you go back to the kitchen?"

"She's from the Dominican Republic, actually." Red glares daggers at the bitch and stands. "How can you be so evil? How the fuck do you live with yourself? I'll get in touch with your boyfriend when he returns. I don't think he'll be too pleased to hear you're a racist piece of shit and fucking a woman behind his back."

"Don't you threaten me, commie!" Linda yells as Red storms out.

* * *

"I gotta say, weed is not as good as heroin," Nicky declares as she watches the cloud of smoke rising from her cigarette.

"Well, smelling reefer on you isn't very pleasant," Lorna mutters, fanning her nose and stepping away from Nicky. "I'll be with the non-smokers over here, not cooking my lungs black."

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to get it on you!" Nicky protests.

"I know, it's okay."

Nicky waves goodbye at Lorna, who gets on a bus with Flaca and Maritza. Then, it's just Alex, Nicky, and Blanca leaning against a brick wall covered in graffiti and smoking to their heart's content. "Dude, this street art is like, outta this world!" Blanca points out, and the three girls crack up as the sensation of being high washes over them. "Nicky, yours and Daya's was my favorite, so don't worry that you guys aren't the best, because you totally are!"

"Yeah, this is kinda messy anyhow," Alex murmurs.

Nicky beams happily. "Thanks! Isn't this euphoria amazing?" She closes her eyes and sighs with delight.

"Oh, god, yes!" Alex breathes out.

"Mm-hmm...ah, shit, there's some people passing us," Blanca grumbles as she hides her cigarette and gestures for the others to do the same.

"What? I picked a part of Queens where nobody would notice!" Nicky almost has a heart attack when she sees who the couple is-a man with brown hair and glasses and a woman with long black tresses and dark eyes. It's Les Nichols and a very pregnant Pamela Schwaid, her so-called father and her other nanny who would take over when Paloma couldn't. She quickly walks up to them. "How cute, a fucking family stroll! Congratulations on that, by the way," Nicky snaps at him sarcastically. She turns to Pamela and smiles at her apologetically. "Thanks for helping me out before my Bat Mitzvah...reading over my speech and getting the DJ, and also, being my ride from Hebrew School. I honestly appreciated it. Uhh...I'm sorry, I don't know what you see in my dickhead of a father, he'll abandon your child, too! He apparently had my uncle Ray tell me that he got killed!" She glares defiantly in Les' direction. "Hit by a flying tree in a tornado, _really_? That's outlandish! I could hardly believe it myself! The truth is, neither you or Marka wanted me, so I took off after graduation! I should have run away as soon as my Bat Mitzvah party ended! Whoops, my bad! I gave you shitheads one last chance to let me down, so that's great!"

In the background, Blanca and Alex step on the cigarettes to put them out discreetly. They appear to be extremely shocked with their jaws slack, mouths hanging open.

He holds his hands up in surrender. "Kid, there's nothing more I regret than-"

"Oh, just fucking save it!" Nicky hollers. She folds her arms over her chest. "Where's your other girlfriend, Genevieve?"

Pamela's eyes grow wide. "What?! Oh my god, you poor girl!" She pats Nicky's cheek fondly. "Les...how could you do that to your daughter...and you're cheating on me? That's it! I'm done with your lying, selfish ass!" She slaps him hard across the face and stomps off while giving him the finger on both hands.

He rubs where he was struck. "I'm gonna forgive you for embarrassing me...again. Your mother told me where you were living-"

Nicky seethes at his words. "Marka is not my mother. I already have Red, who's more of a loving parent to me than the both of you cunts combined!"

"Hey, I don't need to have that crass language coming from your mouth! I am an authority figure, and you must respect me!" His spittle flies in her face and she wipes it away harshly. "This person you speak of...Red is not a name, it's a color."

"That's what I call her...or _Ma_ or _Mom_. You have no right to tell me what to do. You're dead to me, just like Marka is," Nicky informs him in a tight voice.

"I just thought you should know, your Uncle Pete has been looking for you, he just got out of prison-"

The name of her abuser causes her to start shaking and sweating uncontrollably, but it could also be because she's stoned and paranoid. She hopes this is all just an illusion. She lets out a dry laugh. "Oh, after only seven years?" Tears prick the corners of her eyes and fear envelops her at the thought of _him_ seeking her out and succeeding in finding her. She never wants to be alone again. "Isn't it supposed to be twenty-five?"

"Come on, you loved the open bar and magic shows at his house with all the pretty lights. Your mother and I both thought you were ungrateful for always whining when we visited him. You were a little brat then, but I hope you've gotten over that snotty behavior. He's disappointed he can't adopt you since he's an ex-con."

"He can't be near anyone under eighteen at all, and that includes me! I'm sixteen, but even if I was a legal adult, I'd be happy if I never saw that sick fuck ever again!" Nicky storms off with her friends tagging along. She sneaks a peek over her shoulder to see if Les is following them, but to her relief, he isn't. "I gotta tell someone..." she mumbles.

"Hey, sorry we didn't intervene, but all that seemed really personal," Alex tells her quickly.

"Yeah, if he still tried to yap at you as you walked away, we'd kick that dumbass' balls up into his stomach," Blanca chimes in, and the girls put their arms over her shoulders. She feels safer now in their embrace, but she really needs to talk to the closest adult in the area about this, and it seems like it would be Gloria at her bodega. She's hyperventilating and in the middle of their stroll, she collapses, and they catch her.

"My uncle's after me now, even though I'm much older and can defend myself better!" Nicky says emotionally and then sniffles while panting heavily. "I mean, at least Les made me aware that the pedo is prowling around New York!" Alex and Blanca gasp in horror and clap their hands over their mouths. "Now I'm more prepared...but I still wanna go to Gloria, since she's nearby at her store. I'm fucking scared shitless, alright?" She puts her face in her hands and leans against Blanca's shoulder, releasing loud, gut-wrenching sobs, and both Alex and Blanca rub soothing circles on her back while humming to her. Tears slide down her cheeks and soak through her trembling fingers and into Blanca's dark purple leather jacket.

"I'm so sorry for what this douchebag did to you...but we all need to come down first, so she can believe us, because we're totally stoned right now," Alex murmurs and strokes her hair. Blanca hugs them and combs her fingers through Nicky's locks. Their comfort is such a blessing to her.

"Mm-hm, Glo can tell when someone's high a mile away, just ask Daya," Blanca chimes in. "I hate that evil monster! He ain't no kinda tío. Who does that to a child?"

"He's never cared about the law. What if he-he tries to t-take me away from you and ev-everyone else who gives a c-crap about m-me?" Nicky blubbers.

"He won't, Nicky...we'll make sure of it, okay?" Alex assures her softly.

"You got us, promise...and in a little while, Gloria. She'll call Charles and take care of things," Blanca adds. Her pals smile encouragingly at her, and they're tearing up as well. Nicky's chin quivers and she breaks down again because of their unwavering support. The three girls sit there on the sidewalk, cuddled into each other with their limbs tangled.

One hour later, Nicky still feels sick and drained, but they're all sober now and in desperate need of water and snacks. Hand-in-hand, they hurriedly run to Gloria's bodega and Nicky keeps checking over her shoulder for her creepy uncle. "Nobody followed you here, we checked!" Alex whispers.

"Yeah, you're okay!" Blanca puts in. She opens the door for them and they step inside. "Gloria...we _really_ need your help!" She sounds urgent and rushed. They speed to the counter and Gloria leads them into the backroom quickly.

"Hi, girls, what's the matter?" she asks worriedly.

"My uncle Pete molested me when I was little, so uh, he went to the slammer, but now he's out again and is ready to...to do it again, and this time, he could really have his way with me and the bad touching will be nothing compared to that!" Nicky explains breathlessly. Her cheeks are wet with hot moisture. Gloria puts her hand on her heart and looks at Nicky sympathetically while rubbing circular patterns on her back. "I...I ran into my birth father, Les, and he said that awful animal's back on the streets...I'm really freaking out, Gloria! Like...i-it fucked me up so bad that I repressed it and couldn't remember the horrible experiences to save my life until I heard his disgusting name again! I know now, though. Everything's coming back to me...he did it over and over again, my parents didn't even believe me...he'll get away with it like he almost did last time..." Her voice cracks. She whimpers and trails off.

"Oh, sweetie," Gloria says sadly and brings Nicky into a warm hug. "Poor baby...I'll straighten this out right now, okay?" She nods into Gloria's shirt and the older woman rocks her back and forth. "He ain't gonna hurt you again, I swear."

Nicky coughs a few times. "I need agua...we all do...and like, goodies or something..."

"Alex is out there getting a bunch of treats and bottled water, but we'll split the cost," Blanca informs her.

"Oh, I gotta ring y'all up, then. You can stay with me while I do, cariño...but first, I'mma call Charles. Y'all can start eating and drinking, but don't rip the barcode on the packages or it ain't gonna work."

Alex comes into the backroom as Gloria is dialing Charles' number, and she tosses Nicky and Blanca their waters, chewy Chips Ahoy, M&Ms, Oreos, and Cheez-Its. Nicky clutches Gloria's arm as she nestles into the Puerto Rican lady. While she explains to Charles what went down and describes Pete to Charles, as Nicky shakily tells her, her calm voice vibrates against Nicky's temple, making things seem so peaceful. "Yeah, you gotta put a restraining order out against this motherfucker, you know, in case he ever tries to get in contact with her. In fact, he gotta be in jail and finish out his sentence!" Nicky gulps a few swigs of her water and then pops an Oreo into her mouth. "Cool, thank you so much! Alright, catch you later." Gloria closes her silver flip phone. She kisses the top of Nicky's head and lifts her chin up so they can look at each other. "Charles is gonna watch for that shitbag and make sure he stays far away from you. Once he sees that beast, there really ain't even gonna be a trial!" Nicky manages a tiny smile at this and throws her arms around Gloria, who hums to her as she and the others chow down.

"Thanks," she tells Gloria tearfully.

"It was no problem, honey."

* * *

"I wish I could've done something sooner when I saw Duardo so near you like that, Gloria. I just had no idea if that was really him or not. Outside, though, I punched him and tackled him to the ground so Charles could grab him easier. I held that fucker down and threw him at our favorite cop. You're practically my sister, I wanna protect you!"

Gloria smiles at Leon. They're drinking tea on the couch while the kids have hot chocolate. "Thank you...and I think of you as the big brother I always wanted but never had. Um...what about the others?"

"They ran off, but Charles busted their asses today."

"Oh, that's good!"

"Yo, what's up, guys?" Daya asks as she lets herself in the apartment. Everyone waves hello at her and she exchanges hugs with Gloria and the boys.

"Chillin' and havin' tea, want some?" Leon asks.

His girlfriend's daughter grins happily. "Sure!"

"I'll grab you some," he offers and gestures for Gloria to stay seated when she starts to stand up.

"Thanks, but that's okay...I'll get it myself."

As she walks into the kitchen, he notices her pass a framed photo of the family that's slightly off-kilter, and she straightens it a bit. Leon doesn't know why he hadn't fixed it before, but maybe it wasn't too obvious. It's the one they'd taken the day everyone went out on the month anniversary of Gloria releasing herself and her sons from the confines of Arturo when he finally got taken to prison. They're all together-the three adults and Daya with a child on each of their shoulders-Gloria and Julio; Leon and Benny; Aleida and Christina; and Daya and Emilio.

Over half of them could've been wiped out yesterday evening, and he hasn't stopped thinking about it. He assumes nobody has told Daya, since there hasn't really been a chance for anyone to, as she'd gotten home late the previous night when they were all in bed, but maybe Benny let Christina know about it.

 _They're so distracted that Leon only notices a vehicle pull up beside him when he has to make a turn at the light. The driver rolls down their window and Leon sees that he's Mexican and has a square-shaped face and a harsh look about him. His eyes are hard and he pretends he's whipping something while snickering. This busybody is either being racist or implying that Leon is whipped for his family, which he is, and proud of it, too, but he knows it's best to just ignore the idiot. He continues driving, but the other guy simply gets behind him to follow him. Since he's being tailgated, he slows down in hopes that the jerk will simply give up and pass him. All of a sudden, the asshole swerves in front of him, nearly misses his vehicle, and then speeds past them and into another lane far ahead, causing the women to shriek in terror and the boys to start crying. His heart stops for a second and restarts again as he holds his arm in front of Aleida, protecting her from going forward, even though her seatbelt is doing that as well, and they hadn't even been hit. "Piece of shit!" he mutters, and horns honk for him to move faster, so he does. There's no way he'll pay for a ticket because he appears to be stopped in the middle of the road. "I'm so sorry, are you all okay?"_

 _"Ay dios mío," Aleida mumbles and clutches his hand tightly. He can tell she's trembling. With her free hand, she brushes her bangs out of her eyes. "What the fuck?! Stupid pig! I'm alright...whoever that was just scared me."_

 _"Same here," Gloria agrees. Leon can hear her then comforting her sons by humming to them and telling them they're fine now, and their wails subside._

"Umm...Leon?" Daya's voice brings him out of his awful flashback and he realizes that he's staring at the family picture and stroking the image of Aleida. _Half of them could've been gone, including his lovely girlfriend and Gloria and her precious sons, and he would've only hoped they all survived the hit..._

"Oh, hey there. Sorry, I must've spaced out for a bit. I was just thinking..."

"It's cool. About what?"

"We should keep our voices down so it doesn't trigger Gloria or the kids," he whispers. "Uh...yesterday, before going to the mall and then the restaurant, I almost got us into a car accident."

Daya gasps sharply. "Oh my god, are you guys okay, like physically? I know psychologically, y'all gotta be a bit messed up..."

"Yeah, we're fine...it's just that since I was the driver, I blamed myself, and I've been overly careful with getting behind the wheel ever since."

"What exactly happened?"

"This...this moron, he was challenging me through the window, making stupid hand signs like he's using a whip to beat someone with. I chose to keep minding my own business, but then he began trailing after the car...I coasted down the highway instead of going the normal speed, so he'd get sick of his irritating game and go by me, but he zoomed ahead of us, barely missing the front of the vehicle by mere inches." Daya's eyes turn as huge as saucers in fright and places a hand over her mouth. "If I'd been going any faster, we could've..." He can't finish his sentence.

"It ain't your fault, alright? Yo, that motherfucker almost killed you guys on purpose! Did you report it?"

"I think he was just making an attempt at scaring us, but it worked. Unfortunately, we couldn't get his license plate number or anything...there was too much going on."

Daya shakes her head sadly. "Either way, this ain't on you. Nobody's mad at you for it, I'm sure. I'm mad as hell at that dipshit, though...everyone else is too, probably!"

"Yeah," he agrees. "I hope he got stopped somewhere and arrested!"

"Same here." Daya gives him a hug. "I'm glad I didn't lose you, my mom, Gloria, or her boys. I'd be like, devastated."

"I would be too, as well." Leon puts his arm around her and gives her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

* * *

"How was work?" Diane asks Charles after telling him about her shift at Friendly's, which was surprisingly fine. Nobody bothered her at all.

"I busted some motherfuckers in a drug deal!" Charles answers her proudly.

Diane beams at the good news and hi-fives him. "Wow, congratulations!"

"Thanks!"

The screaming and thrashing doesn't happen until later that night.

 _When Brent comes into Diane's classroom to supposedly give her a new alarm since he'd broken hers the night before, he slams his backpack on the floor. "Get up!" he commands in a harsh tone, and she jumps. "Why aren't you moving? On your feet, bitch!"_

 _"Excuse me?" she demands. "That is no way to talk to a teacher!"_

 _He points at her with a long, jagged finger and kicks the underside of her desk so hard that it pushes into her tummy, forcing her to leave her chair and stand. "You're not my teacher, you whore...not if you give me an F!" All of a sudden, he corners her, trapping her against the wall so she can't push him off if she tries. He's under half her age, but almost twice her size and seemingly, three times her strength. "You're just a slutty cunt whose tits are too big for her shirt!"_

 _"Get...off...me..." she struggles to say while breathing heavily. Her heart is racing in her chest and she can't quite catch her breath. She has no idea what he's going to do to her._

 _"No!" he yells angrily and clutches her arms so tightly that she's sure she'll have purple handprint shaped bruises when he finally releases her. He digs his nails into her flesh and she whimpers in pain. Tears slip out of her eyes as he pushes himself into her a few times. "I'd love to have that delicious body of yours, but it'd need to be hate sex, because I can't stand the sight of you!" He wraps one huge hand around her delicate neck and shakes her until the only thing that's keeping her from passing out is him steadying her. Diane gasps shakily when he pulls out a pocketknife._

 _"Why are you doing this?" she squeaks._

 _"You're the reason I never met my grandfather, you banned me and my pals from eating at Friendly's, and you didn't pass me!" His fingers crawl up her jaw and chin like gnarly branches. Closing her eyes, she shoves her knee into his groin and elbows his left ribcage, which allows her a moment to scream out loud. He groans and rubs his side while falling on the floor. Her shriek for help is so hoarse, though, because of him choking her a few seconds earlier, and her voice cracks. She starts coughing as he recovers himself, and her vision is blurred with tears._

 _She blindly grabs for the pocketknife, but he's too fast for her. He steps on the small weapon, crushing her hand against it, so she yelps and moves it away. She grows faint from looking at her own blood that's seeping through the scrape on her palm, and she can barely move her fingers now. Brent starts growling like an animal and trips her when she attempts to run. She spins around and bumps hard into a desk and he laughs at her cruelly. He slaps his hand over her mouth, making her teeth scrape hard against her tongue, and he pushes her back further into the wall while yanking her head back by her hair. "Oh, damn, you sure are a frisky one!"_

 _She's so dizzy at this point and gasping in and out heavily. Once she bites his palm, he kicks her hard in the crotch, leaving her in immense pain, and climbs on top of her, pinning her down. "Let me eat at the restaurant and change my grade, or I will destroy your family like you did mine. I'll fuck your daughter and she'll call it rape, but I'll make it good for her and give her Oxy, and I'll put a bullet through that nigger's skull and give you his head on a stick for a nice Halloween decoration." Diane shivers with terror racing through her veins. "Boo!" he bellows in her face, and she jolts sharply. He runs his tongue over his teeth and smirks evilly._

 _"Don't you touch my family!" she cries._

 _"Then fucking change my grade and let me eat where I want! Do it to protect your stupid clan and save your own life. If you get me suspended for this, I'll make you regret it." Diane nods, but then her eyes roll to the back of her head and her heart beats slowly in her chest as she starts to lose conciousness, and he roughly connects his hand against her cheek. She attempts to focus on him again, but it's difficult. He resembles a raging bull. "Keep this a secret or things will get worse!" he snarls at her while squeezing her breasts. "Oh, praise Hitler, these are nice!"_

 _"Ow," she mumbles and then sniffles._

 _"I wanna fuck you until you're knocked out, sweet cheeks...I'll even slip a twenty in your bra!" His knees tighten around her hips as he unzips his jeans and hers in one swift move. "I must warn you, I'm not slow. Jesus, you're trembling under me already." He takes the knife out of his pocket and goes to cut her underwear, until he's pulled off of her within seconds._

 _Blinking in confusion, filled with relief, and on the verge of having a panic attack, Diane lifts her head up and leans on her elbows. Frieda is bent over him, knife of her own in hand. She throws him onto a chair and ties him to it. Diane sees that her mother figure has plunged the knife into his nuts and pulled his pants back up and over his boxers._

 _"Now, if you don't admit what you were doing to the principal or to the cops, I'll make your death look like an accident!" Frieda threatens the Nazi boy, and Diane gasps in amazement. Frieda is once again, her savior._

 _"Y-yes, ma'am..." he stutters._

 _"Well, he's gonna be bleedin' through his pants now and he'll be too afraid to report me! I'll drag him over to Mr. Caputo and explain the whole thing...but first, I need to take care of you."_

Diane wakes up in a cold sweat, sobbing like she had in Frieda's arms until the older woman brushed her hair and fixed it into a single braid. Her brown curls are disheveled and she sweeps them over one shoulder. Charles sits up against the headboard immediately, and she crawls into his embrace.

"I had it again, it's like, recurring...oh my god, when that malicious boy came into my restaurant, it really triggered me...and he...he was so disgusting! I'm afraid he'll...he'll meet Edward and Phyllis, and they...they'll all come together and pin it on me and Alex..."

"Edward's in the slammer, and I beat him up for you, baby, 'til he was black and blue," Charles assures her soothingly while stroking the side of her face and cupping her chin in his hand gently. He presses a soft kiss to her cheek and then another on her bandaged hand. He bundles her in a blanket that was on the end of the bed, as she'd been quivering with both fear and chills. "As for Phyllis, she's got amnesia, for real, she's lost in the world, like she was gonna cause to happen to you by selling you. It's karma!"

"I know...thank you." She looks up at him, and he meets her gaze. He beams down at her, and she manages a smile. They lock lips a few times and he repeats that she's safe until her quiet, even breathing returns and her heart rate isn't so erratic.

Then, they're able to slip back under the covers and cuddle until they fall back to sleep.

* * *

His ringing phone arises Fahri from sleep. He answers it almost right away, seeing that it's the woman he's really getting close to. "Gloria? What's wrong?"

"Nothin'...I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Yeah? I missed your voice, too."

She hums for a second, and she sounds so cute. Someone this perfect doesn't deserve such a tragic backstory. "Thanks. You gotta tell me what you were gonna say in the backroom, but there was too many people or whatever."

"Alright." He takes a deep breath and blows it out. "I'm looking out for you anytime I can, because people can be gone in an instant. I mean, no shit, but...damn, last night, it really hit me. When I went outside, I saw the jerk who Leon said just about hit you guys in the car. I was thanking my lucky stars I didn't lose you, that your children and Aleida and Leon didn't..."

"It's like my life flashed before my eyes. I...I thought the person was gonna kill us," Gloria mumbles.

"I can imagine how afraid you all must have been."

"Really?"

He's had that feeling a number of times, whenever he's afraid he might have pushed Kubra too far off the edge, and he's sure she's experienced the same emotion being around Arturo. "Yes."

"You ever had a near death experience?"

"Diane rescued me from one when I was fifteen. Those bigots scared me outta my wits."

"Oh yeah," she remembers. "You were hella vulnerable, too...being drunk and all."

He nods, even though she can't see him. "Mm-hm. How are you...and everyone, right now?"

"We're okay, thanks for asking. So, how'd you handle that freak?" she asks lightly.

Fahri smirks. "I beat his ass up! Man, he got hurt bad."

Gloria lets out a giggle and it's music to his ears. He can imagine her showing off her shiny pearly whites, blinding him with her brilliant smile, and his heart melts at the mental image of her beautiful face. "Good job!" she praises him, still sounding highly amused. "My hero. Well, _our_ hero!"

"Thank you! All I had to do was say I pummeled him in self defense. Luckily, the cop who put him in handcuffs was Rick Hopper, the captain of the Max facility. He hates this douchebag anyway since he keeps escaping and making trouble, and he'd promised to put him into solitary this time, but there's no telling whether the Warden will let Rick do that or not since this mouth-breather wasn't even being violent. When Rick came for him, Leon had backed me up and explained what happened, and Rick was like, 'Let's go, asshole!'"

"Yes!" Gloria cheers under her breath. "I'm literally pumping my fist in midair right now."

He chuckles. "Oh, I bet!"

Gloria yawns, so he does, too. They laugh softly in unison. "Well, I'll let you go. Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!"

"Okay, sweet dreams, to you and your little ones!" He doesn't want to hang up, but he can't seem too needy.

"Thanks! Bye!"

"Bye!"

"Ohh..." she moans, and he beams at the fact that she hadn't ended the call yet. "I was just stretchin'. Bye for real!"

"Alright, bye!" They disconnect the conversation at the same time.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, MinervaSnape394 and A Star In My Universe!**


	57. The P Word

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Warning: kidnapping, sexual assault, physical abuse, negligence, physical violence, talks of hate crimes, pedophila, and child molestation.**

 **There are also clues to who P is throughout this story and chapter. P is the anonymous stalker of the girls who were friends with Piper. The adults have a totally different stalker, but this person is really seeking revenge on or torturing a lot of characters besides the adults. They are not the same as P. This stalker, Juan, is also Franco-they're the same person.**

"You sure you're okay staying overnight at this place, cariño?"

At Theresa's question, Lorna nods her head yes. "I haven't had a sleepover with my mother in years...I always thought I was too old, but not anymore!" She looks over at her mom and squeezes her hand gently. "Besides, you're in the hospital...it ain't like I get to see you twenty-four seven nowadays." She turns to Flaca's mother. "Thanks for taking me here! I really appreciated it."

"Alright, then. You're welcome! Adiós!" Theresa hugs Lorna, and then Stansie, to the best of her ability without making the other woman feel discomfort.

"Bye, say good night to Flaritza for me!"

Theresa gives Lorna an amused grin. "I will!"

Just after the older woman leaves, Lorna turns to Stansie. "Is there anything you need before we get some shut-eye?"

"No thank you, my sweet girl." Stansie cups Lorna's cheek, scoots over slightly, and pats the spot beside her. Lorna gets into the bed right away and curls up next to Stansie. Lorna is small enough, so they both fit. "Now...Flaritza? I thought the girl's name was Flaca?"

Lorna giggles. "No! That's Flaca and her girlfriend, Maritza's names, combined into one...like Brangelina...Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Flaritza makes YouTube videos all the time, I should show you some! The rest of us sometimes feature in 'em."

"Cool, I'd love to see those!" Stansie yawns. "Where was Flaca, anyway?"

Lorna knows that both she and Maritza smoke with Kubra sometimes whenever Theresa isn't around, but she'd never tell Stansie, of course. "They're in bed!"

"Oh, I see. Good night, baby, I love you."

"Love you too, Ma...but one last thing...I know you're tired, but I just gotta tell you this."

"What?"

"Thanks for not driving me outta my own house."

Stansie grins at her and strokes her hair while kissing her temple. "You're welcome, darling...but what makes you say that?"

"Well, some parents are so bad, they make their poor kid never wanna come back home. That's what Joe did...but I'm glad you're the polar opposite of him." Lorna is also thinking of Marka, but she doesn't want to out Nicky's terrible childhood before she ran away until her girlfriend is okay with her sharing the story. Stansie beams at what Lorna has just said.

It's not long after Lorna's eyes drift closed, that she feels herself being shaken awake. She makes a noise between a yawn and a groan, and she rubs the bleariness out of her eyes so she can see who interrupted her from her slumber. "Nonno?"

Her grandfather stands over them with a bouquet of flowers inside a vase, and he sets it down on the table besides Stansie. "Why didn't anyone notify me that my son is awaiting trial for an eighteen year old crime and his wife is in the goddamn hospital?!" he hisses loudly.

"Shh, you're gonna wake her up," Lorna whispers while putting her fingers to her lips. "We're tryin' to doze off here. I have school tomorrow, I can't stay up too late."

"Where in God's name are you living?" His voice raises with every word, and Lorna gets out of bed reluctantly, about to ease him away from her sleeping mother. "I know Francine is with a friend, well that's fine, since she's eighteen, but you and Michael are minors. Your brother is waiting for us in the car. Kiss your mother on the cheek and then let's _go_!" he instructs her while tugging on her arm. She shrugs his hand off gently. "Hurry it up."

"Frieda adopted him," Lorna says crossly. "She's his legal guardian!"

"Well, I'm gonna fix that soon. The law says you need to reside with a family member. You're couch surfing, right? That's what your father said."

"Yeah." Lorna folds her arms across her chest and sighs through her gritted teeth. She glances down at the floor. "Since when have you cared about that? You ain't contacted us since Nonna died."

He points at her and wags his finger. "Wrong. You're out of tune with this family...you have been for years, but that's okay. I regularly talk to Joe and I used to with Stansie before her illness...your siblings always called me, but never you, not after you turned eleven...around the time you met that dead girl. Teenagers are really the worst, so disrespectful to us older folks."

"I'm sorry about that," Lorna mumbles. "I guess I never knew what to say, really...and me and Franny were real busy takin' care of Ma. I'm not always in tune with reality, but I'm doin' medicine to take care of that little problem."

Joe Senior frowns at her and shakes his head. "Francine and Michael still found time, but not you. Your sister was _fifteen_! You were your brother's age that he is now. I don't understand."

She doesn't mention that it was hard to talk to him when she started puberty and made friends with Piper and the rest of her clique because whenever she'd tell him about what they did together at sleepovers, or boys she liked, he thought it was all boring and dumb. All he wanted to talk about is how she was doing in middle school and he'd hang up if she told him that she got anything below a B. Her brother and sister were different-Mikey was a boy and he and their grandfather had a lot of things in common, and Franny didn't have friends, really-she was, and still is, a bookworm, got perfect grades, and was seen as a prodigy child in the Morello home. Their Nonna would treat all three of them equally and say there was something special in each of them. The only compliment Lorna ever got from her grandfather-which probably shouldn't be one, but he considered it as such-was that he wanted to squeeze her so hard while hugging her, until she burst with cherry juice.

She was so confused and told him she wasn't a piece of fruit. He insisted that cherry juice ran through her veins and even proved it by making a tiny incision into her upper right abdomen, letting some blood spill out, causing her to get a gallbladder scar. She knew it was blood, not cherry juice, and it stung when the knife sliced her skin. She wasn't that stupid. Lorna's just lucky that the injury only left a small scar, not big enough for anyone to notice. It could even pass for a birthmark if someone were to look closely. If anyone asked, which no one had, she'd just say she burned herself slightly with a firecracker, since it happened in the summer around the Fourth of July.

Lorna places a kiss on her mother's cheek and gently nudges her awake. She feels extremely guilty for doing so, but this is her last hope. Stansie would never let this elderly bump on a log take Lorna away from her.

Stansie squints up at Joe Sr. "What's going on?"

"I'm really sorry, Ma...but you gotta tell him I can live with whoever I want." She leans in close to Stansie's ear. "I'm not close to him, like, at all. It's too awkward!" she says quietly.

"I know, honey," Stansie mutters tiredly while taking hold of Lorna's hand and massaging it. Lorna helps her sit up. "Joe...she wants to visit with me and spend the night here, and then she'll be with a friend. Why is that so bad?"

"She can't keep doing that for three years! Also, she's dating a _dyke_?! Is that okay with you, or did you not know of this? Your husband strongly disapproves."

"I'm adjusting, but it's a better option than her obsessing over useless assholes who won't see that she's a beautiful, intelligent young woman with a bright future ahead of her. As for _your son_ , no longer _my husband_ , he's just straight-up homophobic. Get with the times, man...and pass him the message. He's also nasty to Lorna, and he was... inappropriate around her when she was little...why else do you think he's in jail? I know that God hates evildoers...and He doesn't turn away homosexuals, since He loves everyone and He made no mistakes!"

"Also, Jesus was Middle-Eastern and Jewish, not a white Christian," Lorna chimes in while smirking.

Joe Sr. ignores them. "I'm her next of kin, and she'll be with me until she's a legal adult. Then, she can do what she feels like."

"No! No, don't you fucking dare-Lorna!" Stansie calls after her as he drags her away. "I'll tell Theresa everything when she comes back here tomorrow morning, she'll have Charles arrest him for kidnapping, don't worry, sweetie. It'll be okay, we can do it again next time!"

"Ma!" Lorna shrieks, trying to pull herself away from his grasp and looking over her shoulder at Stansie. "Noooo, I wanna stay with her," she begs, but she whimpers when his vice grip on her wrist grows painful as he rushes them out of the hospital doors. Her chest tightens and the lump in her throat gets bigger until she bursts into tears. "My friend's mom is dating a cop, and he's real nice, he likes us. Ain't you worried about being charged with-"

"Shut up! Behave yourself!" He just about throws her into the passenger seat of his car. "He'll never find us. I live just a few states away, in Ohio."

Lorna blinks and panic rises within her. "What?!"

"Yeah, I drove about seven hours to get you little brats. It cost me a lot of gas money. We'll take bathroom breaks along the way."

"No, we have school, Nonno!" She twists around to face Mikey. "What did Frieda say about this?"

"I got tired of that old lady bossing me around, but at the same time, I enjoyed the fact that she was gonna adopt me. She didn't wanna let me go, but she figured since she's already been at risk for being put in handcuffs, she doesn't feel like going through that again, and Nonno was nice enough." He shrugs. "It's not that bad, drama queen. We're gonna help him out at his farm! School's out, working for him is in! He's even got free cable!"

"Of course you don't give a shit, you don't have any friends because of the way you treat girls!" Lorna snaps.

"The hell are you talkin' about? He's a real ladies' man, I hear," their grandfather insists. He reaches his hand back and Mikey slaps his palm.

Lorna glares at her brother. "I didn't know a twelve-year-old girl wanted her bra strap snapped, I mean the way Tricia reacted was normal, or so I thought. Maybe it's because she's eleven and she'll be into that next year," she says sarcastically.

He raises his hands in surrender. "Whoa, everyone already lectured me about that, so I get it. The kids like me okay now."

"They're all gonna know we're missing," Lorna mutters as she turns in her seat to face the front window as they speed along past the city lights. "That'll be the talk of tomorrow. They're gonna be fucking _frantic_!"

"Not if you call them and say you've moved away with your kind grandfather to live in a stable home and a safe environment where cunts don't curse at you in unknown languages."

Lorna rolls her eyes and lets her head fall back against the seat with a soft groan. Her heart is beating so fast she can barely catch her breath, but there's a sliver of hope inside her that keeps her from having a panic attack, and that's the fact that P most likely will not let her leave the state, and Joe Sr. has taken her and Mikey without even proving to the courts that he is a fit guardian. He might be one, but he's never once made an effort to get to know her. Whenever she used to visit her grandparents, she baked cookies and read stories with her Nonna, but he'd just be there, not really engaging with her when the whole family was together. Him and her alone in a room was a recipe for awkwardness, and she had nothing else to say to Mikey. It's like how it was before, when she lived with her parents and siblings in that small apartment, only this time, it's a whole lot worse, since she doesn't have friends or her girlfriend anyplace except in New York.

* * *

 _After hours of watching the entertaining magic shows and admiring the colorful lights that shine upon her parents as they drink something seven-year-old Nicky isn't allowed to have for some reason, the little girl is sent to bed. They're all staying overnight at her Uncle Pete's mansion since they're snowed in. Nicky wishes Paloma or Pamela could be there to tuck her in bed and kiss her forehead while running her hand down the side of her face, but they're with their families for Christmas. Her uncle has proven to be of great help, anyway, since he's currently putting her to bed. He doesn't exactly have the motherly or fatherly touch, but it's good enough for her. He's always been the friendliest member of her family, besides her Uncle Ray. As he shuts off the light and then turns on her lamp, Nicky snuggles under her covers, feeling quite content._

 _"Okay, my sugar-bear...shut your eyes and catch some Z's." He snakes his long fingers through her curls while kissing her neck. "Mmm, you still smell so good, like strawberries!" he slurs._

 _Nicky squirms beneath him, as he's never sniffed at her like that before, and a gross scent wafts through her nostrils. "Why you stinky and sound weird, Uncle Petey?"_

 _"It's whiskey, something you can't gulp down until you're twenty-one, sweet cheeks." He pushes himself off of her and just stares intensely, so much that Nicky turns away. He's acting very strange, and she wants to wait until he's back to normal. Then, she can spend time with him again. "Hey, what'd you do that for?" He roughly rolls her over to face him again and shoves the covers off of her. "I wanna show you a little surprise."_

 _"Really?" she asks eagerly, and he nods while grinning. Pete raises Nicky's dress and yanks down her undies, despite her attempts to keep them in place. "What are you doing?! I don't wanna show a boy my privates!"_

 _"I'm not a boy, I'm a man. I wanna prepare you for when he gives you a little treat as soon as your tits come in and your ass gets bigger. I bet that cunt of yours has some juice, eh? God, I can't wait to fuck you in ten years, you'll be completely sexy then! You're totally hot right now, though," he drawls._

 _"I'm cold!" she cries, shaking tremendously. She kicks her legs, but he sits on them with all his weight, and they soon feel numb. He creeps his icy fingers into her tender vagina, moving them around and making her whimper and choke on her sobs. "Stop it...please, nooooo, I don't like it! No, no, noooo...Mommy, Daddy, help me! Help!" She slaps him weakly and tries to push him off, but to no avail. She opens her mouth to scream, but he quickly shushes her. She shrieks again, but nobody comes in to save her. They probably just think she's having a nightmare. Her parents never comfort her. They just let her cry herself back to sleep._

 _"Yeah, sugar...yeah, oh, you're so good...so gorgeous..." he mutters as he grabs his crotch. Pete sits there, stroking and squeezing a tent in his pants over and over. The bad touching has finally stopped, but she can't stand looking at him and she can still feel him on her. She begins to redress herself, but then some urine slips out of her. Humiliated, she pulls her underpants up and runs to the bathroom to finish. "What the fuck?! You pissed the bed, you filthy bitch! I just made that nice and neat for you, and you made a mess of yourself! I wonder what Mommy and Daddy will think of their seven-year-old daughter wetting her bed!" Nicky locks the door in the middle of washing her hands and Pete bangs on it. "Get out here, you're in big trouble! You know how much that cost me? God damn it, I'll break this fucking door down!" He kicks it hard so it makes a loud, frightening noise._

 _"Calm down, Pete! Just use a coin!" Marka hollers. Not, '_ She'll come out when she's ready, just leave her alone. _' She's actually encouraging him to barge in on her daughter._

 _"You're an idiot when you're drunk," Les mutters. That's true, but Nicky knows that her father is more concerned with the object he's hurting, and not her. "Here."_

 _Nicky watches through her quivering fingers as Pete unlocks the door and stands there, his face beet red. "Tell your parents what you just did," he commands her, but she's too scared to move._

 _"Nicole, listen to your uncle when he gives you an instruction!" Marka snaps. "Do I have to count to five like you're a baby?"  
_

 _Tears pool in her eyes and she's shivering violently. "Mommy...Daddy...he...he..."_

 _"Did you wet the bed?" Les demands with his hands on his hips._

 _Marka gestures toward him. "Answer your father. Now."_

 _Pete forces Nicky to her feet and spanks her so hard that she yelps in both terror and pain. "You're a brat! Where's a whip or a belt when you need one?" He stomps down the stairs._

 _Nicky looks down at the tile floor somberly and then timidly glances up at her parents. "Yes I did, Daddy. It was an accident, I'm sorry..."_

 _"How old are you?" Marka asks condescendingly. "Two?"_

 _"No...I'm seven," Nicky responds quietly as a tear slides down her cheek._

 _"Did your nannies not potty train you, is that it?"_

 _Nicky shakes her head at Les' question. "No. They did. I didn't mean to..."_

 _"You're an embarrassment to us, you dirty girl!" Marka yells at her, and her heart aches so bad that she has trouble breathing. "You strip that bed, change it, and wash your sheets!"_

 _"What are you waiting for? You heard your mother! Go!" Les shouts, and both of her parents drag her to her room and slam the door behind her. They then walk down the stairs, and Nicky collapses to the floor, hyperventilating and hugging herself._

Nicky wakes herself and Tricia up, screaming and crying. She squeezes her eyes shut and opens them, not quite sure where she is at the moment, but she's glad Tricia is beside her. "What happened?" Tricia wonders out loud.

"Nothing, Trish, go back to sleep," she mumbles, sniffling and stroking her little sister's hair. She realizes she's safe at Red's apartment since the nightlight glows on a sleeping Melanie and she recognizes the space around her. She gets out of bed and tiptoes to Red's room. She's feeling so vulnerable at this moment, and ever since Gloria had dropped her, Blanca, and Alex off and then her friends had to go home later, she hadn't left Red's side until she and Tricia went to bed. She thought she was okay, but she's still so traumatized.

She gently nudges Red until the older woman hums to herself and rubs her eyes open. "Nicky?" She squints up at her as she turns on a lamp. "I heard shrieking and I would've come running if it weren't for my stupid back! I can't even sit up right now, really...it hurts. I'm okay, though...I just waited for you since I knew you were coming. What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Marka and Les never had a good excuse for not being able to step foot in Nicky's bedroom if she was having a nightmare. Red was different-she just hadn't been physically able to get out of bed right away. "Mommy, I...I had a bad dream...can I stay here with you?"

"Of course, come here, get in." Red pats the spot beside her, and Nicky joins her. Red lays the covers over them both and Nicky snuggles into her. "Oh, you look so distraught, you poor girl...mind telling me what this nightmare was about? It's not real, I promise you're fine!" Red holds Nicky against her and kisses the top of her head. The warm feeling she had when she was nestled in Gloria's arms and Blanca and Alex were hugging her in a group embrace, is back.

"No...it was...it happened when I...I was little...like seven."

"What?"

Nicky buries her face into Red's shirt and Red massages the back of her head and then moves her hand down to rub soothing circles on her back. "I got molested by my uncle," she mumbles, her voice a blur through her sniveling. She doesn't know if Red had heard her correctly.

 _"Say that again?" Marka has a stern expression on her face, and Les appears to be displeased._

 _"Your brother...my Uncle Pete...he's a bad man...he touches me here with his fingers and his mouth, and I don't like it." Nicky points to her crotch and her heart hammers rapidly inside her chest. "He won't stop when I tell him to...and he makes me touch him, too...on something in his pants. He said not to tell or I'd be punished..."_

 _"Stop making up lies about your uncle! He loves you very much!" Les points at Marka. "You apologize to your mother right now, you foolish brat!"_

 _"No, I'm telling the truth!" Nicky protests, her eyes filling with tears. "Please...I don't wanna see him anymore! He has to go away!"_

 _"Bad girl! Do not talk about my brother like that ever again, do you understand me?" Marka hisses and grabs a fistful of her hair and shaking her. "He is not attracted to this mop!"_

 _"Ow!" Nicky is trembling like a leaf at this point._

 _"Shut up! Get the hell out, you get no dinner tonight!" Les hollers._

 _"That'll teach you to be dishonest!" Marka adds. "You're almost ten years old, you should know this by now!"_

 _Tears roll down her cheeks as she leaves the room, weeping silently. She dives into her Beanie Baby collection on her bed and holds them close to her as her whole body convulses with hiccups and uncontrollable sobs._

"Oh, that vile monster," Red hisses. "I hope he got killed somehow or someone tore his balls off in prison and fed them to him!"

Nicky looks up at Red and blinks a few times. Red plucks some Kleenex out of a box and wipes it under Nicky's eyes and sops up the moisture coating her cheeks. "That would be the dream...and he stopped two years later, when I told Paloma. She called the police...and Marka tried to bail him out, because why wouldn't she, that was her brother-"

Red scoffs. "Oh, bullshit! I've grounded Vasily before because he came home drunk one night and worried his girlfriend half to death...and if any of my sons hurt someone else in my family, or a person they're supposed to respect and love, I would stop talking to them all together. I'd be too ashamed to even look at them."

"I know, she's still a cunt! Les...my dad...he was the fucker's lawyer, and that animal got off with a seven year sentence!"

"That's not long enough! He should've had the death penalty!" Red declares, hugging Nicky tightly and pecking her temple. Nicky clings onto her like she had when she was in preschool. Red skims the back of her hand down Nicky's jaw and then back up again. She repeats the soothing motion and alternates between doing that and combing through Nicky's hair with her fingers, keeping her calm.

"I know, that's what Gloria, Blanca, and Alex said, too." Nicky gulps. "I, uhhh...I was with the girls when we saw Les and his girlfriend, Pamela...she was also my other nanny. I basically told him off for abandoning me all those years ago...turns out he wasn't dead after all! I told Pamela he was a piece of shit, so she left him, and then he said...he said that, uh...Pete is out of prison and the asshole's back on the streets! We let Gloria know at her bodega, and then she called Charles, who's putting a restraining order out against him for me. What if I ever see him, like, walking around, though? He's legit searching for me!" She takes a few shaky breaths.

"If he ever comes anywhere near you, I'll protect you and murder him! You just point him out to me if you notice him, okay?"

Nicky gives Red a slight nod and squeezes her hands. "Alright. The first time, I was hiding in the bathroom, and there was banging on the door, like the Gestapo coming for Anne Frank and her family. Marka and Les and... _him_ were demanding I open up, they wouldn't even listen when I started to report what he did. I finally got to tell them a couple years later, but it was no use."

Red shakes her head in disbelief. "Your mother and father knew, and they didn't pulverize him?!"

"They didn't take me seriously and made me go hungry the night I told 'em. I was so fucking starving that my stomach was growling."

Red sighs heavily and puts her hands on either side of Nicky's face. "Oh my goodness, _eti glupyye ublyudki_ ," she mutters angrily. "I certainly would have, malyshka."

 **those stupid motherfuckers**

Nicky beams up at her. "I know, Ma...you really love me."

"I do love you, yes," Red assures her warmly and twirls strands of Nicky's hair around her fingers. "So much. Oh, my baby girl..." she murmurs sadly.

"I was sick and vomiting and sucking my thumb for two of the darkest years of my life...I regressed a bit. I wonder why he did it, besides the fact that he was always hammered like Marka on her martini," Nicky says in a squeaky voice that's unrecognizable to her. "Was my nightgown too short?"

"No, no...do not think like that. Please...don't even try to blame yourself, honey. He was a pedophile, a twisted, cruel pig fucker. He got off on making his little niece suffer." Red's blue eyes brim with tears and she lays her hand on her heart. "It hurts me that he did this to you...and that your parents just blew you off! For two years, this was going on...a huge burden to carry on your shoulders."

"It wasn't like every day...just whenever we visited. I sounded spoiled every time we were about to go. There was a million times when I tried to say something, but the words got stuck. I was sweating a lot when I told 'em everything. It was all for nothing...I should've just gone straight to Paloma." Nicky shrugs and wipes her wet eyes with her sleeve. "Oh well...at least I got you and the others now to look out for me!"

"Yeah, you do."

Nicky buries herself in Red's embrace, making herself as tiny as she can. "Could you sing me to sleep, Ma?"

The older woman holds her closer and kisses her cheek. "I sure will, my girl. What song?"

"Oh, anything."

It ends up being _You Are My Sunshine_ , which is apparently what Red soothed Nicky with when she was three.

"Now, it's time to close those pretty eyes and dream of sparkles and rainbows. Do you think you can do that?" Red asks her.

She nods. "I hope so."

* * *

Four hours go by and Joe Sr. stops at a gas station because Mikey needs to use the restroom. Lorna considers it, just so she can tell a convenience store clerk that she and her brother have been kidnapped, but her Nonno decides to get out of the car with his cane and mill around the place with her. "I needed to stretch my legs out, I've been cramped lately," he explains.

"Shouldn't we get a hotel? I'm so tired, and the car isn't that comfortable." Lorna yawns loudly. "Also, you must be exhausted from driving all night. It's two in the morning!"

"I haven't seen one for miles!" He slowly walks her backwards into a pump and looks down at her. His posture is stooped. "You want me to massage out those kinks in your neck?"

"I don't have any, really...so no, thank you."

"Alright. Hey, I gotta tell ya, I think you looked really good asleep. The way your head was leaning on the window and your hair swept across your face like that...your shirt even showed some of your tummy!" He tickles her belly and she flinches as an uncomfortable feeling comes over her. He snickers and smirks. "Aw, don't shy away from me. You're a cutie, and I've missed you...damn, you're too smokin' to be a lezzie...I was just wondering if you ever had your cherry popped."

"What the fuck? That's personal! Could you back off?!"

His gaze turns lustful as his eyes travel to her chest, which she instinctively covers up. "I wanna see those tits and fuck the fag outta you," he drawls. His hands start to slither up under her shirt and grope her breasts. Behind him, Mikey appears, stunned.

"Not today, motherfucker!" Lorna bellows, and he clamps his hand over her mouth.

"Get off my sister!" Mikey puts in, but Joe Sr. ignores the boy. "I can tie you up with rope like Frieda taught me!"

Remembering her self-defense tactics, Lorna digs her French nails deep into his wrists, causing him to groan in pain and release her. She shoves her boot into his shin before he has the chance to slap her, and she grabs the cane from him when he drops it to rub the spot where he was injured. She's off her meds at this moment and anger fully takes over her fear. She whacks him over the head a few times like it's a piñata, and slams it onto his back as he staggers around dizzily. She bangs the cane right up into his deflating hard-on, making him fall flat on the ground. Like Alex had done with Humps, she stomps furiously on his throat a number of times until he's begging for his life. She only wishes her girls could see this moment and she cackles out loud.

"Fucking die, creep," Lorna growls and strikes him with the cane one last time, smashing in his bloody face. Her hands are trembling as she clutches her weapon, but she's proud of herself.

"Bravo!" an older man calls out as he slides off his motorcycle. He looks to be in his early sixties. "I was gonna step in, but you're tough." She notices a tattoo of a white bone with the word _bone_ in black lettering inside of it.

"Thank you."

"You look a little young to be out here by yourself, though...are your parents in the store?" He sounds deeply concerned.

Lorna shakes her head no and kicks Joe Sr's head. "This dipshit actually kidnapped me and my brother. We need to go to the police and get back home. I'm only fifteen and he's just twelve."

"I've only got a motorcycle," he says, gesturing to it. "I can call you a cab and wait with you if you want. If I ring the cops, they'll think you beat him to death."

"Okay." Lorna isn't sure if she can trust him, but she thinks it's a possibility since he's not invading her space. Mikey comes out with a bundle of rope and he appears to be shocked that Lorna's fine now.

"What happened?"

"Just get your shit from his car. This dude has a plan." Lorna tilts her head toward the guy on the phone. "He's cool."

After hanging up, the man drags Joe Sr.'s barely alive body to the tire of his own car and twists his head around so his neck cracks and he's completely limp. "Hit and run. The driver literally got out and took off into a full sprint. Too damn bad." The kids chuckle together, but then stop as a yellow vehicle shows up in front of the gas station.

"Lincoln Medical Hospital in the Bronx, New York, please," Lorna tells the cabbie as she and Mikey get in.

"New York? I'm headed there right now, but my destination is Queens!" the man exclaims.

"Really? That's where my foster mom lives," Mikey tells him.

"Huh, small world. Maybe I'll run into you two."

Lorna grins cheerfully. "Yeah! Well, thank you, sir. We appreciate this!"

"You're very welcome!" He salutes them as the cabbie drives off.

* * *

"Oh my goodness, are you the birthday girl?" Gloria asks Farah in a silly voice as she kneels down to the little girl's level. Allison, Fahri, and his sister stand back, beaming. Farah nods happily. They're at Little Stars Three, about to celebrate Farah's second birthday in class.

"Hi," Julio greets Fahri cautiously while waving at him.

"Hello, Julio," Fahri replies cheerfully, and Gloria just has to smile. Her son scampers off with Emiliano.

"So, Miss Farah, are you...one?" Gloria teases her and holds up her index finger. She tickles Farah a little bit, and the small child shakes her head and giggles. "Nah! You gotta be two!" She taps Farah's nose twice. "Can I get a hug?"

Farah squeals adorably and twirls around in a circle. "Yeah!" She wraps her arms around Gloria, who squeezes her lightly and lets her go. She then hugs her grandmother's legs and glances over at Gloria, Fahri, and Allison while waving.

Ms. Basara and her daughter pass out chocolate cupcakes with yellow frosting and rainbow sprinkles. They offer the extras to the aides, Gloria, and Fahri, who gladly take them. "They're pretty big," Gloria notices aloud when Allison and her mother slice each cupcake in half for the kids. "There won't be enough for everyone...you wanna share?" She holds one out to Fahri.

"Sure!" he answers her eagerly.

She uses a plastic knife to cut theirs in two and then everyone sings _Happy Birthday_ to Farah.

* * *

"You look like a zombie, L," Daya points out when Lorna and Flaca join her and Alex in an empty classroom at their school. Flaca knows all about Lorna's adventure last night and why she had barely gotten any sleep, but due to the brunette's request, she won't say anything about it. She'll let Lorna share her story.

"Thanks, D," Lorna mumbles sarcastically and then yawns. "I feel like one, too. I'm gonna crash as soon as the day's over. I didn't even have the energy to put on makeup!"

"Don't worry, you're still pretty without it," Alex assures her, and she smiles slightly. "I'm not."

Flaca nudges Alex. "Yeah you are, chica. Anyway...why you call this session for?"

Alex leans into a table while facing them and her palms press against the surface. "You remember P sending us a text about kidnapping Ratman and how the methheads were torturing him?" The girls nod. "Well, Maria, Ouija, and Pidge were discussing something in Spanish when that was mentioned yesterday, and as much as I hate that asshole and don't want to believe anything that falls out of his mouth, he said something weird...signifying that Maria trapped him in that room. What if there's a possibility-"

Daya's eyes widen in alarm. "No! It can't be her!"

"Yeah, maybe she did it, but she isn't P," Lorna agrees and then covers up her mouth to suppress a yawn.

"Yo, but why wasn't she anywhere in the video?" Flaca asks them, and Alex nods while gesturing towards her. "She could be the fuckin' Judas who caused me to be like _this_ for six weeks and tried to get me in a fight with Gloria!" She pats her wheelchair while frowning. "She threatened not to invite me to her quinceañera, for Christ's sake!"

"Maybe she wasn't there, but she definitely wasn't behind the camera!" Daya argues.

Flaca points to Daya. "P ain't done nothin' creepy to you since Cesar broke that potted plant when he was drunk and the next time you went into the kitchen, it got arranged into a grave!"

"That could not have been Maria, my guess at the time was Cesar, but hello, too obvious!"

"Okay, well answer me this. Why is she sometimes so rude and inconsiderate? Like, whatever she said yesterday about Gloria caused Blanca to snap back at her, and she made that comment about me being strong in juvy...who the fuck says that, especially in front of my mother?" Alex demands.

"She probably has bad days...everyone does," Lorna points out. "That don't mean they're evil."

Flaca scowls. "P has always been nice to you, tonta. I'm booting that bitch outta the band 'til we got proof that she's innocent."

"It just doesn't make sense. P made fun of my weight and forced me to eat an overabundance of cupcakes. Maria was teased constantly for gaining pounds during her pregnancy...she wouldn't do that to someone else. Plus, she and I are tight." Daya crosses her middle finger over her index. "Like this."

"So were you and Holly Hobbie," Alex reminds her bitterly.

"Nah...I was cautiously optimistic with that cunt, but Maria...she seems genuine. She just says what she's thinking, but doesn't do it to be offensive."

"That'd be Blanca," Flaca corrects Daya.

Lorna crosses her arms over her chest. "We all do that! Look, we're all guilty of somethin'...but I know for a fact that none of us have actually hurt a human being on purpose who didn't deserve karma!"

"You did!" the girls tell her in unison.

"I know, but that was a mistake I'll regret for the rest of my life. In that moment, I wasn't in my head, but I am now." Lorna sighs. "Can we just move on from this? I don't wanna fight with you girls."

"Okay," Alex and Flaca say reluctantly, and Daya nods in agreement.

"Just be watchful and look for clues," Alex directs them.

When they get their breakfast cereals, though, Lorna's is P-shaped. She and Daya both receive a message right after starting to eat. Flaca and Alex exchange serious glances.

 _Don't fight with them about who I am. You're too smart for that. -P_

* * *

"How you holdin' up?" Blanca asks Nicky as they walk into school together.

"Better, I think." The two exchange a smile. "I had a little nightmare, but Red comforted me."

"Aww, that's nice," Blanca comments.

"Where's Maria? She's like, your right-hand gal!"

Blanca shrugs. "Makin' out with Yadriel, I suppose."

"Diablo?"

"He hasn't come yet because of physical therapy, but he should be here soon."

"I always thought you lived together?"

"Girl, no. He's emancipated, he's got his own apartment...and even though we want to, my mom doesn't let us. She says I'm way too young. It's like, what?! We're only two years apart! He's _your_ age! _Carajo_..."

Nicky chuckles. "Well, I think it's got more to do with the fact that you're still a minor."

"So is he! It's like she thinks I'm incapable of being on my own, but I totally am. I was for like, a year..."

"Oh yeah, the Greyhound bus," Nicky remembers instantly, and Blanca presses her lips together while beaming. "How'd you get away with that?"

"Easy. I was under my dad's care, or lack of it, so he probably just thought I ran off. I told my mom that I was visiting my abuela, and she was such a cool abuela, that she was in on my plan. She would always check in on me to make sure I was safe, though!"

"Nice!"

"Wait...you rode the Greyhound too?!" Blanca is clearly in shock.

Nicky smirks. "Yes, ma'am! How'd you recognize me?"

"I thought you looked familiar since I first saw you. That maddening hair and wide grin after you've told a dumb joke. Not hard to forget."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Nicky demands lightly.

"I kinda expected you to since you seem to remember everything else! Also...I wanted you to bring it up first, since if I did, you'd know that the overly hairy Dominican girl you fingered in the dank abandoned library was...me." A feeling of shame sweeps over Blanca. "Sorry you saw the worst version of me...and that I lied about my name. I just didn't wanna be Blanca Flores for a while."

"From what I remember, we talked and cuddled and drank from your flask. I mean, I get it, I hate waxing, too. I felt like I made a friend that day and night."

Blanca gives Nicky a relieved smile and squeezes her hand. "I did, too."

"I can understand why you left me and my band of drug addicts hours later. Sorry about that."

"It's okay." They meet up with some of their other friends in the courtyard and hug them in greeting.

"Hey, what's with the no makeup look?" Maritza asks Lorna as she embraces her and then Flaca. "You even got black circles under your eyes."

"Rough night, babe?" Nicky wonders aloud in concern and hugs her from behind. Lorna gazes dreamily up at her and they kiss.

"Yeah, long story. I'll tell ya later. I'm just real exhausted."

Allison enters the space with tears in her eyes and an overall gloomy appearance. The girls share worried looks. Michelle turns around in Alex's arms to face her. "Ay dios mìo, what happened?"

"That Nazi who barged into Friendly's with his cousins, well he's on his deathbed, but whatever. They beat up Hassan real bad for punching Brent to defend my honor. My boyfriend suffered a hate crime yesterday." The girls gasp in horror and surround Allison in a supportive hug. "He was in and out of sleep before, but he's gonna be fine. It's just...scary to see him so...damaged physically."

"That's terrible!" Alana exclaims.

"I'm glad he'll be okay," Daya tells Allison and rubs her back soothingly.

"I hope those motherfuckers got arrested," Alex chimes in.

"Oh, they did!" Allison reports.

"Good," Blanca murmurs and the other girls nod in agreement.

"It's Farah's second birthday today, so we had a little party for her in his room and then I took her to school with the rest of the cupcakes I baked," Allison informs them, smiling a bit more now. She puts her backpack on a bench and opens it. "I saved a bunch for y'all!"

"Aw, thank you!" Lorna squeals excitedly. "Happy birthday to her!"

"Thanks!"

They each take one for themselves and start devouring their treats.

"It's super yummy," Maritza compliments Allison with her mouth full. She gives Allison a thumbs up.

"For sure," Nicky agrees.

"Mmmm..." everyone murmurs in unison and Allison looks quite proud of herself, as she should be.

"Did Gloria have one this morning when she dropped off Julio?" Michelle asks.

"Yeah, and she split it with Fahri," Allison responds. "They're seriously so cute together. You girls did a great job settin' 'em up."

Flaca, Maritza, and Lorna exchange hi-fives while smirking and then slap palms with Alex, Daya, Nicky, and Blanca. "Thanks!" they say in unison.

"You're welcome!"

"It's just like _The_ _Parent Trap_!" Alana gushes.

"They're more like Chessy the housekeeper and Martin the butler from that movie, but it's reversed since your moms found people on their own," Flaca states, gesturing to Alex and Daya.

"Yeah, but we helped the woman who's like your tía, Daya, and your tìo figure, Alex," Maritza chimes in. "Of course, also your birth uncle, Allison!"

Allison grins. "Mm-hm!"

As she heads to third period history class linking arms with Blanca and Maria, though, with Alana on Blanca's other side, Allison's mood darkens. Blanca can tell by the way she's walking with her shoulders slouched and her head down. "Yo, chica, you wanna talk about it?" Maria asks.

"I'm really messed up right now," she confesses. "Like, about what happened to my boyfriend and our daughter...and me."

They look at her sympathetically. "How 'bout you come to group therapy with us tomorrow? Gloria's aunt is in charge and she's real motivational and helpful," Blanca informs Allison. She tilts her head in Alana's direction. "You, too."

"Sure. I talked to Taystee and her crew already, and I don't know this lady from Eve, but I'll give it a try. I've never done therapy before," Allison mumbles.

"I have," Alana says. "Well, grief counseling. It's nice. I'll go to your therapy session, too. Is this leader sympathetic?"

"Extremely, I mean her niece...she's got secondhand experience," Blanca says softly so only they can hear.

"She's free, too," Maria puts in. "You know, she cares about us."

"Awesome, I'm in!" Allison says.

"Same here," Alana pipes up.

"Yay!" Blanca and Maria cheer in unison.

* * *

"If I hear 'pew pew pew' again, you are all done!" Miss Stacy reprimands Benny, Michael, and Dylan, as they're miming shooting each other like they're in a video game.

"Why?" Benny wonders aloud.

"It's not real!" Michael insists, and the three boys pout.

"Yeah, we're zombies!" Dylan pipes up.

"No weapons at school, not even pretend ones!" their teacher says. "Do not say the P word!"

Christina gets a frightened expression on her face. "That's too scary for me! Don't do it!"

"You tell 'em, Christina," Miss Stacy praises her. "Boys, we don't allow guns here, period. It puts dangerous ideas in your precious little heads. Is that understood?"

"We hafta listen to her or she'll tell our mommies on us and I don't wanna make Christina sad. A bad man had a gun in his room and I wanted to play with it, but my mommy wouldn't let me, because it wasn't a toy," Benny mumbles, and Miss Stacy looks deeply concerned. She kneels to his level and his friends crowd around them, also seeming to be somber.

"You and your mommy are safe now, yes?"

Benny nods. "He got taken away from us and my little brother. We live in Chrissy and Emilio and Daya's house with their mommy and Leon."

She ruffles his hair. "I'm glad! Your mommy was smart to keep you away from that mean guy's gun. You could hurt your body with it, and nobody wants that."

"I know, Mommy said that already. She doesn't want me to fake shoot somebody 'cause it could make us think that a real school shooting is a game."

"That's right!"

* * *

"Welcome, everyone," Lourdes starts out on Thursday afternoon. "I see some new faces, and we have three stories today. It's nice to meet you officially, Allison and Hassan, the two of you make a lovely couple."

"Thanks," they say in unison as Allison cuddles into her boyfriend.

"Michelle, so sweet of you to support your girl," Lourdes murmurs, and Alex rests her head on the smaller girl's shoulder. "Last but certainly not least, Alana, glad you could join us!" They all shake hands with Lourdes and the whole group smiles.

Hassan takes Allison's hand and she inhales and exhales slowly. "Well, we've both had hate crimes committed against us," she begins solemnly. "These racist boys love to pull off my hijab...and Hassan punched one of them, so they retaliated against him. I wish they would've left us well enough alone, but they can't see past their own bigotry to know when they're going too far. It's depressing when I can say that I'm used to that. Just another fuckin' day in the life." Everyone looks at them sadly.

"You shouldn't have to be desensitized to such inhumane abuse," Lourdes declares. "Those snakes were cruel. You're both strong survivors, you know." The pair nods.

Hassan lets out a groan as he shifts closer to Allison, putting his arm around her. "While I was getting kicked around, I fought to stay alive...for my family and my friends."

"I know you did," Allison tells him softly. "The good thing is that they're locked up now and you're okay." He nods.

"Very true," Lourdes agrees.

"I...I have something else I wanted to share," Allison says. "This...this creep...I can't even speak his name, it'll make me sick to even think it. I'm too uncomfortable telling a lot of the story."

"Well, you don't have to, then," Lourdes informs her.

"I think I should. It'll get everything off my chest."

"Okay, would you like me to hold your other hand?" Lourdes offers.

"Sure, that'd be great, thank you." Allison puts her hand in the older woman's and they beam at each other. "So, um...a couple mornings ago, while I was taking Farah out in her stroller near some dingy apartment buildings, a strange person passed us, like angry about someone who hurt him in the cornfield. He started spouting weird shit...asking questions pertaining to our daughter." She gulps and shudders. Hassan gives her a curious and worried glance.

"What'd that freakazoid say about Farah?" Alana wonders aloud.

"He told me she was cute, he got all up in my space and was desperate to know her name, he was acting gross, like he...he had a...a crush on her." The girls and women gasp and shiver at Allison's reply. Hassan lets out a hiss from his gritted teeth.

"Eew!" they mutter in unison.

"That bastard," Lourdes says bitterly, and Gloria shakes her head in disgust.

"Jesus Christ," Hassan grumbles.

"I hate him already," Nicky adds.

"Same here," Alex chimes in.

"There's too many pedophiles in this world," Red states and pulls Nicky in close to her. Aleida does the same with Daya.

Flaca glances at Allison, puzzled. "Yo, for real?"

Allison nods in confirmation. "Honest to fuckin' God. He literally hit on our little girl."

"That's just straight up nasty," Maritza comments.

"I know..."

A low growl emits from Maria's throat. "If that twisted motherfucker came anywhere near Pepa...I would murder him."

"Me too, I'd kill someone for Alex," Diane says protectively, and she and her daughter exchange a smile and nod.

"I would as well, for my boys. I hope you punched him at least," Gloria chimes in.

"Yeah, got him good in the nuts, too," Blanca adds.

"I know, I would've killed him if I had something...but I didn't, and I was aware I had to do my best to protect us both. I'd do whatever it took for my baby to be safe. I was afraid to physically fight him, to be honest...he'd win."

"You got no way of knowing that, look what Alex did to you-know-who!" Michelle points out. "You're still badass, though."

"Thanks..."

"What the fuck is wrong with some people?" Daya asks rhetorically, and Allison just shrugs, defeated.

"I had a nightmare about Farah...actually being ripped away from me." Allison clutches her heart, appearing to be in pain.

"Oh, hon, I'm real sorry," Lorna murmurs sympathetically, and they all give Allison hugs.

Nicky lays her head in Lorna's lap and puts her legs across Red's thighs. She enjoys the feeling of Lorna stroking her hair. It's so comforting leaning into both her and Red. "Speaking of pedophiles, my uncle..." Like Allison, Nicky cannot say who he is. Chills race up and down her spine at the mere mention of the evil beast's name. "I was seven, eight, and nine when he, uh...violated me with his nauseating fingers and tongue. I felt so dirty every time it happened...and after...and whenever I tried to tell my parents, uhhh...I'd freeze up...not that they ended up believing me anyway." She scoffs, forces the tears back while blinking rapidly, and swallows a huge lump forming in her throat. Everyone's eyes are already glassy, like they were after hearing about that sleazebag's pursuit of Farah, but Lorna, Red, Blanca, Alex, Flaca, and Gloria are starting to choke up. "He's lurking around here...I'm feeling broken again and really scared he'll find me. I...I don't think I'll be able to handle it?" Nicky's voice squeaks and goes up as if she's posing a question. "If he, if he even talks to me...or if I gotta see his ugly face...oh god!" She crumbles and breaks off into whimpers as she buries her face into her hands. Lorna continues brushing through Nicky's curls and rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Just terrible," Lourdes comments in distaste.

"I'll protect you, Nicky, I promise! We _all_ will!" Lorna says strongly, but she also sounds extremely devastated. "I'm so sorry about this, baby! You didn't deserve the family you were cursed with, my poor sweetheart. It completely breaks my heart! How dare he do those vile things to you?! Also, _fuck_ your parents for letting it happen and not even being concerned with any signs!"

Nicky sniffles. "Neither one of my nannies noticed either, until I told 'em. I always wanted my privacy and they gave me it. I wanted him to go to a far place so much and have him stay there forever."

"I felt the same way after my uncle raped me," Flaca murmurs and squeezes Nicky's hand in support. Maritza and Alana gaze on sadly. "It ain't never easy...especially when it's someone who's supposed to love you." She, Lorna, Alex, and Diane exchange knowing looks. Gloria nods and closes her eyes.

"Or at least give a shit about you because they're dating the person who gave you life," Aleida mumbles.

"Well, those who have wronged you are strangers now, we no longer see them as allies," Red points out.

"That's right!" Blanca concurs.

"I just wanna fuckin' kill _anyone_ who looks at an innocent child the wrong way," Maria grumbles.

"I second that," Allison says, and they all murmur in agreement.

As they'd done with Allison, everyone gives Nicky hugs of solidarity. "Thank you both for sharing." Lourdes' gaze travels back and forth between Nicky and Allison. "It takes a lot of strength to talk about something like that!" The girls give her tight-lipped smiles and wipe their eyes with the backs of their hands. "Now, our third tale is going to be someone talking about her proudest moment. If anyone else wants to pitch in with theirs, they are most welcome to."

Lorna beams hugely. "I wish everyone could've seen me...but last night, okay...my younger brother and I were abducted by our grandfather for four hours, about to go to Ohio or somethin'-"

"How is this remotely awesome?" Nicky interrupts her weakly, not wanting to think about ever losing her girlfriend.

"Hold on, Nicky! I haven't gotten to the best part yet." Lorna pats her cheek lovingly. "Well, he was gonna be our caretaker, since our birth parents couldn't do the job, and he hated me being basically a nomad and Mikey living with Frieda. It was a straight up kidnapping, though, so, my mom, who I was gonna sleep over with, said she'd let Charles know in the morning. When we stopped for gas, Mikey went to a convenience store to use the restroom and that old man proved himself to be a gross snake...he was just...ew! He just about put his wrinkly hands on my chest, but I successfully fought him off me and hit him with his own cane over and over until he was almost dead! Then, this other dude, probably in his early sixties, congratulated me and helped end Joe Senior's miserable life for good!" At this, everyone laughs out loud and cheers while giving her hi-fives. It lifts Nicky's mood immensely, and she pulls herself up and wraps Lorna in her arms.

"Great job, my badass, beautiful girl!" Nicky praises her. "It's probably why you were so tired yesterday, you stayed up all night practically!"

Lorna giggles. "Thank you! Yeah, I did. I went to bed at nine last night. Ma was more than happy to have me back and make up our time together."

Nicky kisses her lips. "I'm glad."

They all give Alex the same treatment of cracking up, rooting for her, and slapping her palms when she discusses how she put Phyllis in a coma and Humps in the hospital and then her, Daya, Flaca, Blanca, and Maria, for when they whacked Piscatella with a crowbar, sending him to the emergency room. Everyone lets Lourdes know about the time they stood up on tables and got rid of a majority of the bad teachers once and for all. She beams.

"You are all amazing. I want you to repeat after me: I'm sincere and so full of love, and no one can ever take that away from me. Alright? Then memorize it, always."

They echo the mantra Lourdes had just recited, and even though there's darkness in all of their lives, they come away from the meeting feeling just a bit lighter. Just before they leave, Lourdes gives them each a massage voucher.

* * *

"I know you got a lady on the side." Kubra claps his hands in front of Fahri's face, making him jump. He was previously looking around anxiously for Alex, silently praying she won't get in trouble for being late. She must have lost track of time.

Aydin smirks. "You can't pump the stick for both our most valued adult employee and the bitch you work with at Martin Van Buren High."

"I'm not...and would you mind not calling her a bitch? I'm not dating her, we wanna start out slow."

Kubra shows Aydin something and they both snigger. "What a sexy body for a fifteen year old chick! Damn, we got ourselves a good one!"

"I wanna cum inside her and grab her tits while I slam into her!" Aydin puts in, and Fahri walks over to see what they're staring at. He's expecting some torn-out picture from a Playboy magazine, since that's normal for them to objectify women. "You should do those things to her, I bet she's naughty!" When Aydin shows Fahri a photo of Alex that he must have swiped from Facebook and printed out, Fahri grows stiff and his jaw tightens in anger, but he feels sick at the same time. He literally wants to murder them in a protective rage over the young girl, or knock them out, at least, but he knows he can't, unfortunately, or he'd be killed. He would tell Alex, but he decides not to, since he doesn't want to make her feel weird, especially if they aren't currently doing anything to her. He'll simply always watch out for her and make sure he's there during the meetings or if she has to sell.

Kubra sniggers. "Oh Fahri, I bet you wanna lick and touch her fucking tits and pussy and let her cum in your mouth! That's what I'd do to her!"

Fahri restrains himself and exhales loudly. "I'll never think of Alex that way," he says stoically. He's desperate to yell at them and treat them how he did Juan, but he isn't able to. "She's my friend's daughter, and she's only in high school. I'm more attracted to women my actual age, or like, over twenty-one."

"Party pooper," Aydin mutters.

"Yeah, you're no fun," Kubra adds. "Where is she anyway? Her dumb girl thing's over. I thought you usually come with her."

"Her mom probably wouldn't let her leave," Aydin grumbles, and Fahri nods. He hates that Kubra called therapy _dumb_.

"It seems to help her and the others a great deal," Fahri tells them, and they just shake their heads while chuckling.

"Here's a transcript of what Arturo is saying, since he only speaks Spanish in his videos. Have Alex check 'em out, too." Kubra hands Fahri a sheet of paper.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"How was your...massage?" Flaca wants to know as Alex rushes out of the parlor, her face whiter than usual. "Holy shit, not well?"

"I'm nothing but relaxed! Nicky and Lorna had normal ones as they chatted away happily, then Blanca and Gloria, my mom and Aleida, Allison and Hassan, Alana and Maritza...and of course Michelle, when she was across from me...we both fell asleep waiting for our person. I woke up maybe an hour later, thinking I'd been massaged, but then this woman steps away from Michelle, like finished with her...and I totally freaked, especially when I saw a _P_ written on one of their steamed-up glasses!" Flaca gasps. "We know who isn't here!" Alex all but hollers.

"Maria, yeah, but also, Daya! They're horseback riding! If not her, who the fuck else could it have been?"

Alex throws her hands up into the air. "She's pregnant! I doubt she's getting on any horse...how is that gonna be fun for her?"

"It just screams weird to me, but she could be taking photos, like she said she was gonna do. What'd the hands feel like?"

"Rough. Sandpaper. Um, and big, but not oversized. A boy's, maybe?" Alex guesses.

"It could be that she's got an accomplice." Flaca wrinkles her nose. "Ugh, I don't wanna think Maria and Yadriel are pullin' a Bonnie and Clyde on us..."

"I doubt it was Yadriel, because he was taking care of Pepa. Her cousin, perhaps...Alonso?"

Flaca shrugs. "That's a definite possibility. That idiot dated Maritza-"

"Blanca is talking to someone on the phone, frantically, in Spanish," Alex cuts in quietly. "Could you please translate? She's Maria's right-hand gal, this could be helpful."

Flaca listens in on the call as Blanca steps out into the carpeted hallway. She's not facing them, so she doesn't know they're listening in. She walks further down, and they secretly follow her, with Alex pushing Flaca in her wheelchair. They watch her from around the corner, Alex's back pressed against the wall.

"It's literally nothin' right now," Flaca whispers. "She's just talkin' about Diablo and how she wants to fuck him."

Alex rolls her eyes. "Tell me if it gets interesting."

A while later, Blanca whimpers and lets out a half scream. She covers her eyes, spins around, and the girls jump when she kicks a nearby door closed.

"¿Por qué la atropellarías? No puedo creerte! ¡Ella es mi amiga!" Flaca's eyes widen in shock and she struggles to catch her breath. "Dijiste que solo odiabas a Piper...sí, sé que lo hicieron, pero no merecen tu tortura, ¡oh Dios mío! ¡No me mientas! ¡Sé que hiciste esto porque querías! ¡No te arrepientes de nada! Sí, claro, quería venganza, pero fuiste demasiado lejos. No, solo apuntamos a Piper. Ese era el plan! Las chicas solo eran sus secuaces. Ellos fueron lavados del cerebro por ella. Mira, no importa que todavía estén vivos, no puedes simplemente tratarlos como tus muñecas. No, ¡lo hiciste por ti mismo! Nada de eso fue para mí. No luches en mis batallas. Se acabaron. Ya terminé contigo. Estoy...Estoy hecho."

 **Why would you run her over?! I can't believe you! She's my friend! You said you only hated Piper...yeah, I know they did, but they don't deserve your torture-oh my _god_! Don't you fuckin' lie to me! I know you did this because you wanted to! You regret nothing! Yeah, sure, I wanted some revenge, but you went too far. No, _we_ only targeted Piper. That was the plan! The girls were just her minions. They were brainwashed by her. Look, it doesn't matter that they're still alive, you can't just treat them like your dolls. No, you just did it for yourself! None of that was for me. Do not fight my battles. They're over with. I'm just done with you. I'm...I'm done.**

"What's she saying?" Alex wonders quietly.

"She's talkin' to P, who's a friend of hers. Shit!"

Alex claps her hand over her mouth. "Jesus fuck!"

Flaca's heart hammers in her chest as she tells Alex everything while they're bolting away from Blanca as fast as they can.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, MinervaSnape394, Victoria, Johanna-002, and A Star In My Universe!**


	58. It's Gonna Be Fine

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Warning:** **harassment in texts and threatening messages, and mentions of Nazis, rape, and molestation.**

Once Michelle opens her eyes and rubs the sleep out of them, she notices Alex not in the room with her, so she gets dressed and leaves. To her surprise and concern, she doesn't see her girlfriend in the hallway either. "Alex?" she calls out. "Flaca?" Gloria is coming out of another door, appearing to be confused and worried, too.

"Girls, where are you?" Gloria adds.

There's no answer, so Michelle catches up to Gloria. "Let's search for 'em."

Gloria nods. "Okay." The two of them nearly bump into Blanca, who drops her phone.

"Oh, sorry about that," Michelle apologizes and both she and Blanca reach for it. "When did you come out?" she asks while handing Blanca's phone back to her.

Blanca smiles gratefully and shoves it into her sweatshirt pocket. "Like five minutes ago. You guys?"

"Just now, actually," Gloria answers her. "You seen Flaca or Alex anyplace around here?"

"No, but maybe they left."

"Without letting us know where they were?" Michelle asks incredulously.

"How could they do that? Red and I were gonna take you girls out to Storky's for dinner." Gloria sighs and rolls her eyes. "I'mma text 'em. Meet me where everyone else is."

"Okay," Blanca responds. She and Michelle also send their friends a message, and within seconds, Alex and Flaca come through the hallway.

Alex appears to be extremely frightened as she glances down at her phone. "Sorry, I just needed a second to breathe, it was stuffy in there..." Her eyes travel to Flaca.

"Yeah, and I wanted to go with her...for protection," Flaca chimes in.

Michelle gives them curious glances, especially concerned about Alex. "Okay, that's understandable...can we have a moment in private?" She takes Alex's hand and stands closer to her.

Blanca and Flaca nod their heads yes. "Sure." Blanca then wheels Flaca to where Gloria is waiting for the others.

"Hey...what you rush out our room for?" Michelle wants to know as Alex leads her outside. "I thought you'd at least be sitting nearby, in the waiting area."

Alex shrugs and sticks her hands in her jeans pockets. Her eyes narrow in confusion as she pulls out a crumpled up photo strip. "What the..."

"Is that you and Sylvie?" Michelle asks her gently.

"Yeah." Alex smooths it out. "I guess I haven't worn these since she went missing...and apparently didn't wash 'em, either."

Alarm flashes through Michelle. "What's that writing on the back? Your second lover, gone...your third's days are numbered..."

"I don't know," Alex mumbles, stuffing it back into her pocket.

"Alex." Michelle gives her girlfriend an expectant look. "You can tell me. It sounded like a threat! Who is verbally attacking you like this?"

"Look, you don't need to panic. Some fuckhead keeps shoving it in my face that...that I've lost two girlfriends so far. Even if Piper and I were never a thing, they count her." Alex sighs heavily. "I have no idea who it is."

"Jessica Wedge or Holly Hobbie?"

"Maybe, but they don't really have a vendetta against my friends, they just harbor hate for me. I think it's a guy, anyway...it felt like it when I got massaged a bit too roughly." Alex rolls her shoulders back a few times. "Their text was worse. They commented on how simple it was to choke me, seeing how I was so vulnerable, asleep and all."

Michelle closes her eyes as a shiver overcomes her. She hugs Alex tightly. "Shit. I'm real sorry, baby. I would've killed him if I saw him."

"I know."

If she's honest, though, Michelle thinks it could be Ouija, Pidge, or Zirconia, since they had always held a grudge against Piper and would hate Alex for loving the blonde former leader. She hopes it's not Pidge or Ouija, since they seem fine with Alex, and that would be a betrayal. She knows it isn't Maria, since the girl is out with Daya at this moment. Even if she asked them, they wouldn't give her any answers. They'd say she'd crossed over to the dark side.

* * *

"Excuse me, miss." Taystee spins around to face the customer who had just gotten her attention. "Are you eighteen?"

This is a strange question, but it's not the worst thing she'd experienced while working late at Storky's. "Yes, I am. Why?"

The white, blonde-haired, bearded man shrugs. "No reason." He plops down into a seat. "I'm waiting for someone."

"Who?"

"Oh, Taystee, enough with the questions!" Tamika Ward, her co-worker and friend playfully scolds her. "Does it really matter?"

"I mean, when we got robbed at gunpoint and I had to give him my Gordons instead of the cash I said I didn't have, that makes me have trust issues in strangers. Yo ass was hidin'! I'm just making conversation."

Tamika chuckles to herself. "Fine." She looks over at the guy. "You want anything, sir?"

"No, thank you. I'm gonna use the restroom."

"Okay," Taystee says as he walks off.

* * *

"Hey, y'all!" Taystee greets Allison, Flaca, Maritza, Daya, Lorna, Nicky, Alex, Michelle, Maria, Blanca, Gloria, Red, and Alana cheerfully.

"Hi!" they respond excitedly in unison, and then order cheeseburgers, fries, and smoothies.

"We're all going out with our auntie figures, but Red is Nicky's ma, basically," Lorna informs Taystee, who grins.

"That's hella neat!"

"How's your girl doin'?" Gloria asks Red in reference to Nicky. She speaks in a low voice to respect Nicky's privacy.

"Well, she was tossing and turning when she slept with me, but at least no screaming in the night, so I hope that's a positive sign!" Red answers her quietly.

Gloria smiles. "It is. You're a real good mama."

Red beams. "Thank you. I could say the same for you."

"Thanks," Gloria responds pleasantly.

"I don't like the way she's lookin' at me," Daya whispers to Maria and jerks her chin up towards the African-American girl standing next to Taystee. "Like she'd jump me if we were alone."

"You could give her a cold stare right back," Maria suggests.

Little do they know, Gloria had listened in on their short conversation. She notices the bitch who's staring down Daya and that her name is Tamika. Gloria marches up to her with her jaw set. She taps the counter sharply two times, getting Tamika's attention. "You better stop giving my niece murderous stares-" she starts to hiss.

"What? I ain't doin' nothin, you crazy old lady!"

Gloria steps back. "You _were_ until I caught your ass. I see you do that to her again-"

"Are you seriously threatening me? I can get my manager to throw you out."

Taystee rolls her eyes. "Bitch, you gotta quit bein' a fool. You can't be startin' drama with my friends. They just tryin' to enjoy their meal."

"Whatever," Tamika mutters.

Gloria returns to the table and takes her place between Daya and Blanca. "Thanks, Gloria," Daya whispers and hugs her. Gloria puts her arm around Daya and kisses her temple.

"I'll always protect you girls," Gloria vows.

"I will, too," Red concurs, and they beam at the women's assurances.

Taystee comes over to them. "Sorry about her. Y'all can eat in the backroom if you want."

"Sweet!" Blanca grins and they go to where Taystee directs them.

"So, those massages seemed real nice!" Flaca says. "I can't wait 'til I get one when I'm fully able to walk again."

"Me neither, you'll love it!" Maritza squeals.

"I could have used one, but it'll have to be another time. Tricia wanted me to take her and her friends to Dave and Busters. That place was so loud, I could barely hear myself think," Red complains. "The things we do for our children." She and Gloria share an amused glance.

"Benny's fifth birthday was at Chuck-E-Cheese," Gloria remembers. She wrinkles her nose. "Who even needs that much grease on their pizza? Ugh...thank god Julio's scared of the mouse. That thing was in my fucking nightmares."

Everyone chuckles, even Gloria. "Ew, yeah, it is pretty gross and creepy looking," Alex concurs, and Michelle nods in agreement.

"It's just a dude in a mouse costume!" Nicky protests and then laughs.

"That's a furry," Allison puts in. "Too weird for me."

"Same," Alana says.

Michelle turns to Daya and Maria as Nicky jumps up on the counter and swings her legs back and forth as she eats her fries. "So, horseback riding?" Michelle asks.

"I took lots of photos!" Daya exclaims. "I feel like painting 'em later."

"Yeah, it was fun!" Maria chimes in. "The horse was nice and calm."

"Oh, good!" Red comments with a smile.

Suddenly, a shriek erupts from Nicky and she sends her food flying in the air as she falls off of where she was seated. Gloria and Red quickly catch her, one on each side, before she hits the ground. Complete terror fills the girl's face and she hides behind them while shaking violently and hyperventilating. "It's _him_...get him the fuck out," she mumbles. Everyone turns around to see why she'd screamed so loudly. The source of her fear is right in front of them, nearest to Blanca and Lorna.

"Aw, don't hide from me, pet...I wanna see how much you've grown up. I bet you look really good."

"I'll cut your nuts off!" Lorna threatens Pete, her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Yeah, you ain't gonna touch her!" Flaca puts in angrily.

Gloria engulfs Nicky in a comforting hug. She begins to dial Charles' number, but Nicky stops her. "I don't want him to go after you for doing that," Nicky whispers shakily. So Gloria continues to hold Nicky as she rides through her panic attack.

"Okay...just concentrate on breathing-"

"My heart's going too fast!"

"In and out, _bebe_. Do it with me, please."

Nicky whimpers and grabs onto Gloria's hands as she takes some quick inhales and exhales. Her constant gasping for air is incredibly sad, and Gloria really feels for her.

Red speedily walks up to Pete. "Take one more step closer, and it'll be your last. You'll know what Hell feels like. What you did to that poor girl... _my daughter_... _not_ your pizda of a sister...cannot be reversed, but you're receiving a whole lot worse from us."

He scoffs and brushes past her, but Blanca and Alex get up on a counter and forcefully push him to the floor. They both get down and hop on his arms a few times so he's trapped there. Lorna, Maritza, Daya, Maria, Alana, Michelle, and Allison take turns swinging their feet into his head. He tries to move his legs, but Red kicks him hard into his crotch, causing him to groan loudly in pain. She stomps on the disgusting growing tent in his pants a dozen times and then she, Michelle, Allison, Maritza, Daya, and Maria bend down to punch him in the stomach. "P-p-please don't...don't kill me...fucking bitches are crazy..." Lorna presses her hands into his jugular as she chokes him and she digs her fingernails into his flesh. Blanca and Alana force his mouth open so Flaca can shove an electrical plug inside of it. Alex sends her fist flying into his face and then Red gets close to his now bloody nose. "Oh, fuck..." Gloria smirks. She's so proud of them.

"You see?" Gloria tilts her head toward the scene and gives Nicky's shoulder a light squeeze. She's breathing a little better now, nice and slow, to Gloria's relief. "They're kickin' his ass."

"That's damn right. You should have listened to me," Red hisses. Maria, Daya, and Allison poke their straws into his eyes and stretch the skin around them taut until tears come out. "Now I want you to lick that plug until our cop friend gets here to take you away." He tries to push the plug out with his tongue, but Maritza helps Flaca hold it in place and Lorna pinches his throat so much that it creates a bruise and she twists the skin until it breaks. Alana, Blanca, Michelle, and Alex squirt condiments all over his face, and he pathetically writhes around and whimpers in agony. Nicky appears to be amazed at the torture he's getting.

Charles is there in a heartbeat after Gloria calls him, and the other girls and Red step away from Pete as Charles puts him in handcuffs. "You're arrested for violating a restraining order, you fuckin' sadistic creature."

"Put me with Cazador, we were roommates," Pete rasps out as Charles drags him away and waves at them.

"You're where we say you are," Charles snaps. He exits, and everyone smiles proudly.

Gloria can't breathe for a second, though, after hearing Arturo's last name. She figures he and Pete had gotten along well, as they're both nasty pedophiles. "Thanks guys!" Nicky exclaims and then runs up to Red and Lorna to wrap her arms around them. She then does the same thing to the other girls, seeming to be cheerful again. She and Lorna share a short but sweet kiss.

Red glances at Gloria with a smile. "Thank you for taking care of my baby."

Nicky grins. "Yeah, thanks, that was cool of you!"

"It was my pleasure! You're very welcome, but you don't gotta thank me." Gloria says, beaming.

All is well, and Gloria just hopes Pete stays locked up in prison and that Tamika doesn't bother Daya.

* * *

It's not until now that Diane gets a chance to speak with Kubra about walking in on Alex. She's aware it was an accident, but she's still protective of her daughter and doesn't ever want something like this to happen again. She and Kubra haven't really had a moment alone yet, but since they're both working in the backroom of the Sparrow Tavern, she decides to bring up the incident.

"Hey...Kubra?" Diane prepares a few drinks that she'll later take to a table, and he's doing some paperwork.

"What?" He glances up at her with a curious expression.

"I gotta talk to you about somethin' important." She sets the margaritas on a round tray, preparing to leave the area. "Next time, you need to _knock_ on a closed bathroom door. You never know if someone's in there." With that, she walks away without looking over her shoulder at him.

* * *

Just before she settles into bed, Gloria receives a few nasty picture messages with Dixon's genitals in full view. "Eeew," she mumbles while covering her eyes. She quickly deletes them, but has the strong urge to throw up all of a sudden. She wishes so badly that she could erase the images from her mind, but she can't. A horde of texts are underneath where the gross photos had been, and an involuntary shudder escapes her.

 _Hot Pants, lemme just say that you're the spiciest thing on my menu and I wanna chew up your cunt 'til I'm filled with all of your cum, because I know you've got lots for me. I'm gonna fuck you right up the ass once I get you by yourself. You want some Lee. You're begging to be the future Mrs. Dixon, mami. Well, there's lots of me. I'll be waiting for your response, and I expect one in the next thirty seconds._

 _What the fuck?! Come on, bitch. If I wasn't just recovering from my stay in the hospital, I'd come into your room and watch you sleep. I'm a nice guy, you know. Next time, I'll get my hug and you'll suck my dick, even if you gag on it. Don't underestimate me, you ugly slut. I can blow your fucking brains out if you don't obey me._

 _You're very misbehaved. I'll have to whip you bloody and make you as bruised as the fruit at the bottom of a schoolbag filled with heavy textbooks. How dare you not reply! You little whore. I'll strangle you with your own stupid headband!_

Gloria begins shaking and she begins to head for the bathroom. She jumps when she gets another text, but it's only Fahri, so she sighs with relief.

 _Is it okay if I call you?_

Gloria shoots off a quick reply. _Of course, just hold on a second._ She bolts to the bathroom and hiccups deeply over the sink, but nothing comes out. "Fuck," she mutters to her reflection, which appears to be pale and sickly. "I look like shit."

She heaves into the sink. "There we go," she mumbles through hacks and spits. She presses her hands to her belly so more can come out and then rinses her mouth out when she's finished. Her heart is beating fast and she's gasping in and out rapidly as she brushes her disheveled hair back from her clammy face. Her hands are trembling so much and she can't grip the sink's edge so much anymore, so she gets back under her sheets. It's way too hot, though, so she pulls the bottoms of her pajama pants up to her knees and keeps her legs out and over the comforter. She fumbles for her phone and lets Fahri know he can give her a ring, so he does.

Gloria picks up right away. "Fahri," she murmurs weakly as she shuts her eyes and beams, imagining him beside her, holding her, and assuring her that everything is okay.

"Hey, you sound tired. Sorry to keep you awake."

"No, I'm fine. What's up?"

"That's good. So, I wanted to see if you were still up for that date at La Rica's Salsa with our pals and gals. Nobody's really talked about it lately...I thought I'd check with you first, Glo. Perfect nickname for you, by the way."

She smiles. "Thank you. Oh...I never even spoke to my girls. Since it was my idea, how about we go, just the two of us...like, alone?"

"I wouldn't say no to that! It sounds fun, sure."

"Yay!" Gloria beams at his accepting her invitation. "When you wanna go?"

"You can pick."

"Alright...tomorrow night at six? Sorry it's so last minute, but..."

"It's fine! I'm available."

"Awesome! So, um...we can dress up a little," she informs him.

"Can't wait."

"Me neither."

"You know I always enjoy our time together," he tells her, and she blushes.

"I do, too." She's smiling so hard that her cheeks hurt. She has the good kind of butterflies in her tummy now, and her knees are weak, so it's a good thing she's not standing on her feet at the moment. Gloria has no idea how she'll get any rest now, she's so excited that she could burst. She's looking forward to a whole night of him holding her hand and being another person who keeps away the nerves that constantly flutter inside of her. "Well, good night!"

"Night!"

She just prays that Dixon won't continue to harass her, because she doesn't want to burden any of the men with her problems.

* * *

"So, it's someone who was formerly close to Blanca," Lorna concludes after Flaca and Alex have told her, Daya, Nicky, Maritza, and Michelle, about Blanca chatting with P over the phone.

"Yeah, see? It's gotta be Maria," Flaca states. "They were besties."

"If it's really her who put you in a fucking wheelchair, I will _seriously_ cause her physical harm!" Maritza declares while sitting in her girlfriend's lap.

"Your reasons for her being P would make sense, except for the little fact that she threatened to kill your creepy father with a drumstick, Alex, remember?" Nicky pipes up. "It just can't be her."

Alex nods. "I know she did...but I think that was more of a solidarity thing. I'm aware that she must dislike me on some level. Her biggest enemy was once my greatest love. It would unnerve me if I saw any girl my age being sexually harassed, though...whether I hated them or not. She knew I didn't deserve that. Plus, she could've been putting on a show and not wanting to look like the odd one out. It's acting...also, she gets to injure an asshole! What girl would pass up _that_ amazing opportunity?"

"No one!" Michelle replies. "Wow, what you're saying is eerily making sense..."

"She was with me the whole time," Daya insists.

"Didn't you hear me?" Alex demands with her hands on her hips. "She probably got some loser minion to give me a back rub!"

"Maybe we should ask Blanca who she was talking to," Flaca suggests.

"I don't want it to seem like an ambush," Nicky tells the girls, and they murmur in agreement.

"Let's just figure out what to say first," Lorna says.

"Mm-hm...well, last night, I didn't notice much animosity between Blanca and Maria, but they both beat up that fucker, working together," Maritza informs them.

"None of us really paid attention," Daya mumbles.

"I guess 'cause it's been kinda like that for a while...them being distant. Blanca seems closer to you, Nicky...and Maria with you, Daya," Michelle points out. "Maria being P would be the tipping point for Blanca." She gestures to Piper's friends. "Y'all are guilty by association."

"Why isn't Blanca mad at us too, then?" Alex wonders aloud.

"Yeah, she had it the worst out of her and Maria...being bullied so bad that she quit school for a year," Lorna puts in.

"Maybe she doesn't have a thirst for vengeance like Maria does, and Piper _did_ land Maria in juvy because of blatant racism," Flaca mumbles.

Daya focuses her gaze on the ground. "We didn't do shit about it neither, like speak up. Those drugs weren't even hers."

 _"Yo, why are you tellin' Piscatella? What about the principal?" Flaca asks as she, Daya, Alex, and Lorna walk with Piper to the gym teacher's office. "We all know she loves you."_

 _"I can get further with him. I'll compliment his beard." Piper smirks. "Ladies, seduction is your number one tool in making a man do or believe anything you say."_

 _"Honestly, Piper, all this over panties? Shit, I don't think it's that big of a deal," Daya pipes up._

 _"Maybe if you had a sexy figure like the rest of us, you'd care about that fat bitch stealing our business!" Piper snaps._

 _Lorna's heart cracks for Daya when a flash of hurt slides over her face. It's bad enough that Daya's own mother insults her on her appearance. She doesn't need Piper doing that, too. Lorna gives Piper a cold stare and frowns. "That wasn't nice."_

 _"I'm just out for blood. Sorry, Daya, I don't mean to take anything out on you." Piper puts her arm around Daya and pats her shoulder, but Lorna can tell she's just being fake. Daya nods and grins at Piper's apology._

 _"You don't need to be a complete gangster, Pipes," Alex mutters as they reach Piscatella's door. Piper knocks on it. "Why are you acting like a mob boss in prison?"_

 _"It's-a fun-a bein'-a gangsta," Piper says in a bad Italian accent, and the girls roll their eyes, but not so that she can see._

 _Piscatella looms over them as he lets them in. "How's my best student today?" He gives Piper a low five and pulls out a chair for her._

 _"I'm awesome, in general." She sits down and gestures for the others to as well. He takes a seat at his desk across from them. Lorna doesn't understand how he can be human for Piper but the rest of the school is terrified of him. He's never done anything awful to her or her friends either, and it makes Lorna feel lucky to be in Piper's clique, as he always says the girls should be. Piper's eyes widen in fright. "I just wanted to let you know, though, that there is a dangerous gang running around the school, and we're afraid, Mr. Piscatella. Like, have you noticed the graffiti lately?"_

 _"I have. Who's in it?"_

 _"Well, uh...they're Dominican..."_

 _"Do you mean the Latinas?" He gestures to Flaca and Daya. "Not you two. I'm sorry, I can't remember these different nationalities."_

 _Piper nods. "Not all of them, of course, but yes, and they have red slipper socks on. They're also wearing pink panties, so if you could get your guys to check this out, that'd be great."_

 _"More than four are gathering?" Piscatella starts writing on a piece of paper. "I'm gonna need some names."_

 _"Yes. The leader is Maria Ruiz, and then there are Blanca Flores, Carmen Aziza, Ramona Contreras, and Irene Cabrera. They may be selling heroin to others, but I'm not sure. One thing that's certain, is that we are uncomfortable with them in our presence."_

 _"I understand that. What I'd like you to do for me is put together some other students to help you, besides your little club you have here, preferably Kasey Sankey, Anders Harding, Corinne Jameson, Helen Van Maele, Jennifer Digori, Brandy Epps, Brent Moxley, Leanne Taylor, and Angie Rice. Tiffany Doggett would be helpful, too, even though she's not really right in the head."_

 _All of the girls except Piper are jiggling their feet and bouncing their legs in nerves. "This is wrong, this is_ so _fuckin' wrong," Flaca mumbles to Alex, who nods in agreement._

 _"We should not be here," Alex whispers, and they link arms._

 _"Shit, shit, shit," Lorna mutters under her breath as Daya wrings her hands. Lorna and Alex practically yelp when Piper claws each of their thighs on either side of her under the table._

 _"Aren't they part of White Lives Matter?" Piper asks. "They're like, bigots."_

 _"This isn't about race. They'd be of excellent assistance to you five._ _I will_ _make_ _sure to check the Spanish girls' backpacks and lockers," Piscatella assures Piper with a grin._

 _Piper stands up and salutes him. "Thank you, sir!"_

 _"You're welcome, but that gesture is only used in battle."_

 _The girls chuckle to themselves. "Okay, I got it. Sorry. I just wanted to say that you have a nice beard." She smiles flirtatiously at him, and the girls shield their eyes in secondhand embarrassment._

 _"I sprouted my first when I was just a year older than you girls. My boyfriend that I brought to junior prom thought it was sexy." Piper appears to be astonished, and the girls hold in their giggles. "I never felt the need to come out as gay around here, but...new information is always great."_

 _"Oh, okay," Piper tells him awkwardly and then shows herself out. She ushers the others to follow her. Once they're in the hallway, they burst out laughing, but she silences them with a glare._

"What a fucking drama queen!" Nicky comments.

"Did you really work with those racist assholes?" Michelle asks.

"We started to...it made us sick, but we couldn't say anything against it until Piper tried to dump 'em," Alex says sheepishly, and Michelle gives her a sympathetic smile.

"The group was called _Martin Van Buren High's Community Carers-A Safety Task Force_ ," Daya mumbles and shivers with disgust. "More like the Nazis."

"They chanted _White Lives Matter_ twenty-two times," Flaca puts in. "That's when she dropped 'em like hot potatoes, but our hate for her was already stewing."

Maritza chews on her lip and shakes her head. "What a moron."

"It was too late for her to improve herself, especially when she'd disappeared with almost everyone loathing her," Lorna pipes up, and Nicky rubs her back soothingly. "Did you guys ever think P could be, you know, one of the people who Piper forced us to seek out our innocent fellow students with? Like, their motive could be that we had nothin' against the people Piper couldn't stand. I know it's stupid, but they could've felt betrayed on her behalf?"

"Nah, it's a possibility," Flaca says. "It's just that...wouldn't they be much more violent to you, too, Daya?"

"They were...though not directly," Daya replies softly. "P made me a deal...either I make Gloria move out of my apartment, or they'd arrange for Pornstache to...to rape me. Guess what the fuck happened."

The girls gasp. "Oh, no, I'm so sorry," Lorna says sadly, and they envelop Daya into a group hug. "That don't sound like somethin' Maria would do, and she wouldn't run over Flaca neither."

"That would make sense, if Blanca wasn't speaking to them and seeming like she was buddies with the person on the opposite end..." Alex trails off. "Jesus Christ, I dunno! Ugh, I hate this..."

"Me too," the rest of them murmur in unison.

Frieda comes up to them with a huge smirk on her face and Blanca and Maria are behind her. "Hey, Lorna, so Bone told me you took down your dirty ol' grandaddy! Congratulations!" She holds her hand up. "Hi-five?" The girls giggle and Lorna meets Frieda's palm with her own. "Thattagirl!"

"Thanks," Lorna murmurs, beaming. "Wait...that guy was _Bone_? Your ex-boyfriend I've heard about?"

"Same man." The girls wolf-whistle all together. "I was so pleased that he helped you kill him fully!"

"You should totally take him back now," Blanca recommends.

"Looks like I'm going to."

The girls beam. "Oh, good," Maria comments.

"Coolest. Grandparents. _Ever!_ " Alex squeals and hugs Frieda. "Thanks for saving my mom all those years ago!"

Frieda rubs her back and kisses the top of her head. "You're welcome."

* * *

"Tell me what the fuck this is," Gloria says angrily and slams her lit-up phone down on Diane's desk.

Diane jumps at her sharp tone and peers at it. "He's harassed you so many times...he's only called me once...oh my god, he's so awful! I'm sorry, Glo..."

Gloria laughs bitterly. "He's sending me naked pictures of himself and predatory texts every chance he gets, and he almost raped me last time I encountered him. I can't even picture him without wanting to throw up!"

"I can't either! You weren't the only one affected-" Diane starts to remind her, but Gloria holds up a hand to stop her from talking.

"I know that, and I'm sorry those motherfuckers came into the restaurant. Piscatella had no right to knock you unconscious and it sickens me that Dixon threatened you over the phone...but you're dating a literal policeman." Gloria clenches her teeth and glowers at Diane. "The least you could've done is called Charles, for the sake of your friends! Thanks to you not doing that, protecting all of us, including yourself, one of the wild animals is out of his cage and on the hunt for prey... _me_!"

Guilt seeps into Diane. "I apologize. I...I didn't wanna bother my boyfriend with my troubles...and I wasn't considering the rest of you."

"Yeah. That's right." Gloria says as Diane flips her phone open to dial Charles' number. "I'll leave ya to it."

* * *

Sadness spreads through Charles after Diane has just let him know that she, Gloria, and Maritza were tormented by Piscatella, Dixon, and Humps, but he's also annoyed that she never bothered to tell him about this. It's a relief to him that they're now in the emergency room, and he'll make sure they get arrested right after their release. He wants to take the life out of them for being such monsters towards the women and girls. He dashes to his car and gets inside. "Sweetie, I wish you would've told me..."

"I'm sorry, babe...I just didn't wanna bug you again."

Charles starts up his vehicle and backs out of his parking spot. "You never do! I'm always willing to help you and everyone else...and I'm a cop! It's my job to arrest these scumbags! Don't ever think you're annoying me, okay? You got the right to feel scared and call me. It's a good thing others were there and could attack 'em, though."

"Mm-hm."

"Now I gotta go. See you at home!"

"See ya then!"

He hangs up and drives to the hospital at lightning speed. Once he gets to the place, he goes to the receptionist's desk. "Excuse me, ma'am." She gives him a questioning glance as she shuffles some papers. "Where are, uh...Desi Piscatella, Lee Dixon, and Humps...Tom Humphrey located?" He shows her his badge. "I'm with the New York Police Department, and those three men broke out of prison and harassed some friends of mine and my girl, so I need some officers to take them back in handcuffs as soon as their stay here is over."

"Mr. Humphrey and Mr. Piscatella are in room five-one-three, but Mr. Dixon was signed out on Tuesday morning by his daughter. I'm sorry, sir, I had no idea."

"What the fuck?!" She raises her eyebrows at him. "I apologize for my French...uh, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Charles puts his head in his hands as he walks out, seething. "God damn it!" he mutters and punches the palm of his hand, imagining that he's abusing those sickening creeps just like they'd done to those he's close to, along with other innocent people.

* * *

"Your mother mentioned something to me, suggesting she knew about the bathroom incident," Kubra mutters after blowing a cloud of smoke from his wrinkly lips. He had texted Alex to meet him and Aydin at the back of the school since there was something important they needed to discuss with her alone.

"Yeah...I tell her everything. We're best friends, practically," Alex says lightly. Aydin is staring at her creepily as he chews on a toothpick, and she focuses on Kubra instead.

"You told her about this job?" he demands, and she jumps at his harsh tone.

"N-no," Alex stammers. "I-I would never! I know that's your secret." She doesn't take her eyes off him so he'll know for sure that she isn't lying.

He instantly relaxes. "Good. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She chuckles nervously. "Is it cool I meet up with my friends again now? I should probably get back there before they start searching for me in the restrooms, and lunch is almost over."

Kubra nods in approval. "Go ahead."

* * *

"This is the best bodega in town," Dixon lets Pennsatucky know. "My girlfriend works here."

As they walk inside, Pennsatucky notices someone buying something at the counter and giving money to Gloria. "Really? I didn't know you even had one, but congrats, dude."

He adjusts his Dorothy wig and Pennsatucky giggles while shaking her head. "What?"

"You look ridiculous! You know that's meant for a chick my age, right?" She flicks one of the braids.

He shrugs. "I don't mind. It fits me."

"I can't believe Boo let me go with you. I guess she understands you making crude remarks about girls, since she used to do that, too. She was terrible, but she grew up...and you probably will too. Besides...she's kinda distracted with Linda right now, and it's fun calling you _Dad_. I never had one before."

He pats her back and messes with her hair. "That was a genius plan you had, sneaking me out of the hospital and pretending to be my kid."

"Well, I had to return the favor. Like, you helped me realize CO Coates was a bad man."

Dixon nods. "Jesus, look at her." He jerks his chin up in Gloria's direction. "She's completely ignoring me, like my bitchy sister."

"I wonder if her home has the stenches of soup and hairspray wafting through it, too," Pennsatucky jokes.

"Probably. Women are like that."

" _I_ ain't," she defends herself.

"I don't mean you. Plus, you won't be a lady until you're eighteen."

"True that."

"Check out that ass, though." Dixon purrs and Pennsatucky stifles a laugh. "What do you think she's going as for Halloween this year?"

Pennsatucky shifts her teddy bear, Baby Dix, onto her hip. "I guess...well, if she wanted to show off her figure, something tight. I dunno, maybe you should ask her and spare me the mental image of y'all fuckin'."

* * *

A thumping on the counter startles Gloria. She jumps and turns around to face Tiffany next to Dixon, and she grows squeamish. She checks for any sign of discomfort in the young girl's eyes, but is surprised to find none. "Hot Pants, I'm back!" He grins creepily at Gloria and licks his lips. The wig on him makes him look more disturbing than ever. Her whole body starts shaking and she has to use the counter's ledge to keep herself upright. She could scream for security, but she's afraid he'll do something to her in retaliation if they think she's overreacting. Her inner voice is shrieking for her to grab Tiffany and run and lock them both in the backroom. "God, you're sexier than ever." He growls at her and she flinches slightly upon seeing him bare his teeth.

"Ew, I don't wanna hear y'all's dirty talk," Tiffany mutters.

"I ain't sayin' nothin'. Tiffany, stay away from this animal," she mumbles and avoids his predatory stare. She won't call the cops since she cares more about warning this unfortunately clueless girl about his horrible side and how that always comes out when she's not around. He's only acting normal because of Tiffany being here. She'll inform Charles later.

"Why?" Tiffany asks. "I ain't gonna steal you from him or nothin', besides that, I'm underage. It's cool that you're dating him-"

"We are not a couple," Gloria states icily. She's afraid he could do something at any moment, but at the same time, she knows he won't in Tiffany's presence. "We never were."

"She lies," Dixon says. He touches her arm and she jolts away from him. "You know, you should've come with us, foxy mama." His fingers slither towards Gloria and she hugs herself and inches away from him. "Tiff, why don't you tell her what we did?"

"He and I just went on a road trip while eating Slim Jims and Zotz, we went to Hersheypark, the world's largest Buffalo wing, Nic Cage's tomb, and that mall from _The Mighty Ducks_ movie. We also rode on this roller coaster that splashed through the water and went on the Ferris wheel! It's become a tradition since last year. He helped me escape for one day only, and he and..." A flash of anguish passes over her face. "He was waiting in line at Wegman's hot food bar with a huge bucket of orange chicken, he finished up all the rice, and then he had Cajun peanuts...and that's when he came up with the idea. We just got back from Playland." Tiffany holds up her rather large teddy bear. "This is Baby Dix...I won him playing this game where I got to shoot ducks into their holes! He rode on the merry-go-round with us."

"Congratulations, sounds like fun." Gloria says honestly. It all seems extremely innocent, but she still wants Tiffany to be aware of how slimy Dixon is and to not be anywhere near him.

Tiffany gestures to her huge prize. "He kinda reminds me of Dixon."

"I don't like stuffed animals," Gloria says flatly. "They're eerie, with their beady eyes and shit."

"Oh...sorry." Tiffany turns Baby Dix around.

"That's too bad," Dixon adds. "What do your kids fall asleep with, then? Little boys don't own rag dolls. When they grow up, though, they'll get inflatable dolls they can pretend to fuck, you prepared for that?"

"Tiffany, could we speak in the backroom, just us two, please?" Gloria's eyes dart over her shoulder. " _Now_. Then, I'mma call your motha so she can take you back home."

"Really?" Tiffany whines. "All we wanted was some candy...like, a fuckload."

"Come on, you've had enough fun. I think it's time you come back to school next week. You don't gotta skip. I doubt Boo let you do this." She tries to look stern, and she hopes her face doesn't show any weakness.

"She thought I deserved a vacation."

Gloria scoffs. "Not with this motherfucker! He's got cops after him! Don't jail trigger you?"

Dixon puts on his mask of kindness when looking down at Tiffany. "I'm on the run, so I should go, actually. I don't want you seeing me get arrested." He musses up her brunette locks. "Later, kiddo."

A queasy feeling builds up in Gloria's stomach again and she gags internally when Tiffany hugs him goodbye. She exhales loudly when he finally leaves and guides Tiffany into the empty backroom, practically pulling her along. She's disappointed that out of the many days she'd really needed Lourdes here on time, her aunt was late, stuck in awful rush hour traffic after picking up the boys from school.

"Why'd you kick him out and want me alone with you?" Tiffany asks.

Gloria massages her temples and hisses through gritted teeth as she paces the room. "Sit down, okay? You gotta just listen to me. You're safer here." Tiffany follows the instruction. "I ain't bein' mean or nothin', just speakin' as a concerned stand-in motha."

Tiffany frowns and gives her a once-over. "You ain't my momma."

"I'm aware. I should've said I wanted to chat, older woman to high school girl. My bad. Sorry."

Tiffany shrugs. "It's fine. You're a neat role model anyways."

"Thank you," Gloria tells her pleasantly. "You know what Dixon was in the slamma for?" Her tone grows more serious again.

"Yeah...he said he made some comments at the brown girls and ladies."

"Excuse me?" Gloria folds her arms across her chest and frowns.

Tiffany winces. "Sorry. Spanish chicks. Is that better? I'm tryin' to memorize what's politically correct here."

Gloria rolls her eyes and takes a seat next to her. "Sure."

"He can't control himself around those types, but he's learnin' from his mistakes. At least he didn't rape nobody."

"Yes, he did," she informs the teenager quietly.

"No-"

"He's got you fucking brainwashed," Gloria snaps.

Tiffany blinks. "What? Nah...he don't do nothin' to me."

"He _could_ ," Gloria cautions her. "He is dangerous...even to white girls. All my ladies and my daughter and niece figures are frightened of him. So am I. You should be, too...but I get why you're not. Boo ain't got a clue about him neither, huh?"

"He's much better than Piscatella and Humps...and Coates. Can I just share a story with ya...like, besides when I was sexually assaulted?" Tiffany wonders out loud.

"I'm all ears."

"Picture Coates in his dark blue car, right...he's got me in his trunk-"

"He kidnapped you?!" Gloria claps her hand over her mouth in horror.

"No, no!" Tiffany waves it away. "I enjoy small spaces, so it was cool. Just hear me out. It wasn't bad at first...like, I gave him a second chance before leaving him for good. He had to hide me since Dixon was with him and they're buddies. He knew that Dixon would turn me back into the po-po, and he wanted to ride the Lightning Racer with me. So, when Dixon went into a shop, I started complainin' about waiting too long in the trunk. He gave me a cup from Big Gulp in case I had to use the bathroom."

"You should've ruined the floor of his trunk," Gloria says bitterly.

"That most likely would've gotten me dead as a doornail. Anyway...he gave me his phone to play a dumb game on until it died. I was utterly bored when the screen went dark. I finally got into the damn car by kicking out the middle seat, and then, I just left and went into the hotel where the guys were. Dixon wasn't even mad that I was there...he was like my dad in a way. Coates joked about having a threesome with me and Dixon, but Dixon wasn't into that. All he did was thirty sit ups, relaxed for an hour, Roman chairs, sat there for an hour, several sets of push-ups, and rested for an hour. He was just aimin' to be skinny again, like he was in the military."

"Alone with not one, but two bad men...so scary for you, sweetie." Gloria senses her eyes filling with moisture. "You know what the fuck he did in the war?"

Tiffany shakes her head and throws Gloria a quizzical glance. "No, but neither do you, unless you really went out with him then."

"I never would, not in a billion years, even if I was paid to. Red and Blanca did some research. He's a fucking twisted creature. He actually...he-he attacked and murdered innocent civilians in Afghanistan, and I don't give a shit if you don't know his victims. He is cruel, down to the core. He, umm...he actually forced this farm boy from a grape field to play with live grenades until...this poor child lost his arms. The asshole pulled a gun on him, shot him dead, so he wouldn't get in trouble...and then...he raped and choked this girl to death...his excuse was that she'd be stoned until her life ended...and he was bored, and exhausted from his friends getting killed...and just mad. I don't mean in the mentally ill way. He was plain angry, and he-he just...he cut off their life supply..." A few tears roll down Gloria's cheeks and she can see that Tiffany is extremely shocked, her face drained of color.

Gloria takes Tiffany's shaky hands in her own, and they're cold, like ice. "These babies...they were your age, maybe younger...and not only did he grope me when those searches started at school, he also attempted to rape me at Friendly's...almost two weeks ago." She gulps and forces back a sob, but when she can't, she muffles it by pressing her lips together. "He-he was rough...he m-made bruises and right here...deep scratch marks." Gloria points to her chest with a sniffle and Tiffany gasps softly. "There's definite scarring. Fahri rescued me just in time, but I had so many nightmares and flashbacks...and just last night, Dreadful Dixon repeatedly harassed me with nude photos and inappropriate texts." Gloria shows them to Tiffany as further proof, and the girl just shakes her head slowly. "He makes me sick just...just picturing him, let alone sayin' his name. Why-why else you think your ex got along s-so great with him? Also...he was wearin' that wig made for a little girl because he's a fucking pedophile!"

"I had no idea," Tiffany says gravely, and Gloria nods while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Like...really, I didn't. They were looking for costumes I could disguise myself with, and he found me a sexy nurse outfit to wear, and then when I rejected it, he picked out the blue and white checked dress Dorothy wore...I didn't quite trust him, since he was a CO and all, but he was bein' nice, sticking' up for me and my ex since I dressed up as a boy and while we kissed, some idiot called us faggots. He got physical with that homophobe and afterwards, I thanked him and punched his back playfully. So, I thought he was my father figure. When I left my ex in the woods near a burning fire...that I made, by the way, after he said I had no clue how to, Dixon said he was proud of me...and he'd protected me in prison, too, and made sure my ex went to jail. Boo and I simply thought him making crude remarks about women and to their faces, was normal, and he wasn't doing it to offend anyone."

Gloria's heart breaks for her. "Oh, honey..."

"Yeah, well...I assumed Coates had turned over a new leaf, but he was being like, violent and then apologizing. I don't understand how such an evil person could be against another one just like him." Tiffany's face falls and she wraps her arms around Gloria's waist. Slightly stunned, Gloria hugs her back. They release each other, but Tiffany is still holding onto Gloria's upper arms.

"Me neither. I'm sorry that another man fucked you over."

"I know one who won't...Nathan."

"That's good. I hope you don't ever go back to your ex or...or _him_. No matter how much they tell you they've changed, they're still rapist pieces of shit and any relationship you have with them would be hella toxic," Gloria warns her. "Yo, trust me on this. I was abused before, and it only was when he hit my son, that I chose to escape his clutches. I knew I couldn't be in that situation any longer."

"I'm glad you got out," Tiffany murmurs.

Gloria lightly strokes her hair and cups her chin. "So am I...and I'm also happy that you're not involved with either of those animals no more. If they try to contact you from the big house, ignore them and let Charles Ford or Rick Hopper know. They're the only cops we really trust."

"Say I run into 'em, face-to-face," Tiffany sounds worried. "Dixon might never get caught. Why didn't you dial nine-one-one when you first saw him?"

"I thought he'd punch my phone outta my hands or somethin', and I wanted to warn you about him first. Charles will go above and beyond to catch him since he's one of my good friends," Gloria assures her. "From now on, though, always have someone with you, scream real loud, and have Boo teach you self-defense."

Tiffany nods in understanding. "Okay. Thanks, Ms. Mendoza...I really enjoyed this convo."

"I did too, Tiffany. You can call me Gloria if you want, though. Nearly everyone does."

"Okay, then. I will," Tiffany says.

Gloria sends her a warm smile, and Tiffany returns the gesture. "Awesome!"

* * *

There's knocking on the door and Red opens it. Her eyes widen with joy when she sees Lida and Franny. "Lida!" Red exclaims happily and embraces her. "Oh, I've missed you, sweetheart."

"It's been too long," Lida tells her.

"I'd ask where my son is, but I think I already know." Red does the universal sign for drinking, and they share a giggle and roll their eyes. "Oh, and Franny...I'm glad to see you, too." They exchange a hug. "Come on in, girls." She looks over her shoulder. "Lorna, your sister's here!" Red turns back to Lida and Franny. "Are you doing well?" They nod, and Red beams. "Do you want something to eat or drink? It's almost dinnertime, so I assume you're hungry."

"We had Taco Bell and pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks on the road," Franny reports.

"Yeah, it was more than enough for us," Lida chimes in.

Lorna runs out of the kitchen, followed by Nicky and Tricia. "Franny!" the small brunette shouts excitedly and throws herself in her big sister's arms. "Oh my goodness! You're truly here!"

Franny rocks Lorna back and forth and then places her hands on either side of the shorter girl's face as she pecks her forehead. "Hey, Lorna...sorry I didn't visit sooner, but I was just trying to adjust to a new life, ya know?"

"Oh yeah, well, that's great you could finally have some fun...I just wish me and Nicky could go clubbing with you and your bestie."

"In a few years, kid. If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't have alcohol there."

Lorna smiles and squeezes Franny tighter while pressing the side of her face into Franny's shirt. "Yeah. Um...so have ya seen Ma lately?"

"Of course...she seems to be doing a little better."

"I know!"

"Are you like, Franny's roommate?" Nicky asks Lida.

The older blonde nods her head yes. "We live together and go to college during the week, but at night, we party! I'm Lida, in case Galina never told you."

"Nicky."

"Tricia."

Lida shakes hands with Nicky and Tricia, and Red beams at the Morellos' reunion and her daughters and Lida meeting for the first time.

Tricia jerks her thumb toward Nicky. "I'm her baby sister. Your boyfriend's mother _rocks_!"

"She does," Nicky concurs.

Lida grins fondly at Red. "No shit!"

Lorna and Franny separate. "So, Lorna, this is Lida," Franny introduces her sister to her best friend.

"Nice to meet you officially," Lorna says politely.

"You, too!"

Red has them sit on the couch and fixes a pot of tea for them all to share. When she comes back, they're all giggling.

"No fuckin' way!" Franny just about hollers, and Nicky gives Lorna a smile filled with pride. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Lorna beams. "Our Nonno literally tried to kidnap us and then molest me, but I fought back hard and made him regret it!"

"Good girl," Lida comments.

"I second that," Franny adds.

"I'm glad he's in Hell now," Tricia says with a grin.

"I am, too," Nicky concurs.

They all pour their tea and spread out to make room for Red. Nicky and Lida are on either side of her. "When these cups aren't too hot to hold, we should make a toast to that despicable creature rotting away six feet under," Red announces, and they murmur in agreement.

"So, what's going on with _you_ , Galina?" Lida wants to know. Nicky, Tricia, and Lorna give Red expectant looks, and Red figures she should spill before any of them do. Franny just appears to be confused, and Red feels her cheeks heating up with thoughts of Pavel. "Oh my god, you're blushing!" Lida rubs her hands together and smirks. "This is gonna be good."

"It is," Nicky confirms, and Red nudges her playfully.

"Um, well...a while ago, the gentleman who I had a...fling...with...is that what you kids call it these days?"

"If you mean short sexual romances, then yes," Lorna informs her.

"I think it was more than that back then, but...Pavel, my boyfriend when I was in my twenties, he showed up at my bakery this past Sunday. My daughters and Lorna organized the whole thing," Red explains, and Lida grins brightly. "We're going on our first date in many years soon, maybe next weekend."

"Holy shit!" Lida fans herself and sighs. "He better treat you right this time around."

"I'll make sure he does. If you remember correctly, we had a little spat about wearing jeans when it was forbidden in Russia, but he seems to have improved himself."

"Does Vasily know, or the other guys?" Lida asks, leaning into Red, and Red kisses the top of her head.

She shakes her head no. "I haven't told them. They'll probably resent me for moving on from their father so quickly, but...that's life. I need to practice what I'll say. Probably just...that he doesn't need to replace Dmitri in their hearts, but to think of him as another man to look up to and take advice from."

"Sounds good," Tricia murmurs and everyone agrees.

"I'm just a little nervous, since I'm not as young and beautiful as I once was," Red admits. "Men my age usually prefer women in their late twenties and early thirties."

"You look great, Red!" Lorna assures her.

"If he gets turned off by your appearance, that's just a reflection on him, _not_ you," Nicky points out.

"Mm hm," Tricia chimes in.

"Yeah, you don't need to worry," Franny adds.

Lida pats Red's knee with a fond expression. "It's gonna be fine."

"Thank you for your encouragement, girls," Red says pleasantly, and they grin.

"I bet this was _your_ plot, huh, Lorna?" Franny checks with a grin.

"You know it was!" Lorna admits proudly. She gestures towards her girlfriend and Tricia. "Hey, but they helped!"

"I was glad to," Nicky lets her know.

"Same," Tricia chimes in.

Red blows on her tea and takes a small sip and the others follow suit. She clears her throat. "I'm gonna start cooking dinner soon-"

"Don't you dare stand up, Galina...I'll make the meal," Lida volunteers. "I don't mind."

"Okay," Red says. "I'll help you."

"Give yourself a rest," Nicky recommends.

"Yeah, you deserve it," Lorna pipes up.

"Fine," Red relents.

* * *

"I can't believe you locked yourself outta your room," Maria grumbles as she and Zirconia assist Michelle in propping a ladder against the side of her house.

"You such a dumbass bitch," Zirconia adds and then guffaws.

Michelle rolls her eyes. "Just hold it for me, would ya?"

"Sure," they murmur in unison.

She begins climbing up each step and she hears Ouija and Pidge greeting Maria and Zirconia cheerfully. As she gets nearer to the top, the ladder starts to jiggle and she freezes. She doesn't even want to know how high up she is. Before she can reach her window, the ladder tips over and she shoots her left arm out so she can fall safely.

"Who the fuck let go?!" she shrieks at her so-called friends, and then hits the ground hard, her body crushing her arm. The feeling of one of her bones breaking from her bad fall makes her queasy. Maria shrieks and runs to her side. She waves the rest of their gang over, and Michelle's eyes flutter and begin to shut. Someone taps her and she struggles to see who's above her, but it's impossible at the moment. The voices are blending together, sounding distorted and there's a ringing in her ears.

"Yo, what the hell?"

"Why would you do that?"

"She's a traitor!"

"It's a prank gone wrong..."

"You were just supposed to scare her, _cabrona_!"

"Relax, it was an accident...at least she ain't dead..."

"Stay awake, okay? I'll call an ambulance," one of the girls assures her.

"Tell Alex...please..." Michelle whispers and then whimpers in searing pain. "She gotta know..."

"We will. Don't move, it'll just hurt more."

"You'll be fine, sweetie. I promise."

Michelle nods weakly with tears building up behind her eyes and a lump growing in her throat.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, MinervaSnape394, and PaigeCrisan!**


	59. So Close

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Warning: harassment, talks of suicide, violence, and murder**

 **I went to my close friends' fancy wedding a few weekends ago, so it inspired me even more when writing this chapter! It was so amazing, I was a bridesmaid and really got myself dolled up, and I got to see my real life OTP get married! So full of love that day was.**

"I noticed that four-hundred-pound sadist on his phone and not letting me see it, since he was supposedly textin' his new girlfriend and actin' shy. The hell is wrong with him? He should die for preyin' on you and those kids!"

Gloria nods in agreement at Tiffany's statement. "I got no idea...he's just rotten through and through."

"Another red flag was that last year, in our hotel room, he said I could commit suicide and not have to live through prison...I thought it was a joke. Before, we were at a seedy bar having beer with my rapist...can we call him Donuts? He used to sell those."

"Sure, but only if it stands for the hella nasty stale or moldy kind."

"That's what I mean. Anyway...I was dressed as a boy and this volleyball game came on the television. These douchebags around me were lusting after hot blondes on the screen and like, totally talkin' about 'em like they were objects," Tiffany goes on. "Then, my mugshot popped up in a news story. Some idiot next to me said it was sexy."

"Typical." Gloria scoffs. "Those two fuckers wanted to keep you there and murder you, or get you in trouble for escaping?"

Tiffany shrugs. "I dunno. He said we could leave Donuts there, but I didn't wanna, at first. He noticed we had a _Sleeping with the Enemy_ type of relationship...he watched it-"

"I hate that movie now. It's too relatable," Gloria mutters.

"I feel ya." Tiffany pats Gloria's hand and the two smile sadly at each other. The girl rakes a hand through her hair. "So, uh...that humongous dumb fuck ended up walkin' away from me and my skinny ex, who had way too much hair on his ugly face and head, by the way...seriously, he really looked like a violent rapist that time."

"Ew. Creepy son of a bitch. You're braver than I am." Tiffany sends Gloria a quizzical look. "You left him on your own, whereas the cops got to my ex before I had a chance to escape."

"It's not really a competition, we're just like...two survivors out of many, and we're safe from our abusers, that's what's important!"

Gloria nods and grins at Tiffany's words. "You got a point."

"Why didn't you call the cops on that fucking rapist once you saw him standing right next to my daughter?" Boo demands as she walks into the backroom where Gloria had said to meet her and Tiffany.

"I didn't wanna freak her out," Gloria answers while standing with her arms crossed. "It'd be upsetting for her to see the aftermath...and he wasn't doin' shit to her at the moment. Look, I'll trap him next time he texts me...I'll just tell him to meet me someplace and let Charles know exactly where he is, he'll be arrested right away, swear to God."

Tiffany runs into Boo's arms. "Gloria's right, Mama. She's hella smart, too. She taught me...and you...that he was a bad man. Her girls have an advantage with that cop." She glances at Gloria. "Maybe send him a message now? I know you can't stand looking at him and associating with him, but just get it over with...please?"

"Okay...I will." Gloria shakily pulls her phone out of her pocket and opens it to find that the horrible subhuman has contacted her again. _You filthy little cunt, how dare you ignore me and only speak to Tiffany! I won at darts, and I can teach you how to play if you're not too stupid to learn. Otherwise, I'll just make your face a target instead of the board._

 _I'm waiting for an answer. You're lucky, you know. I can bomb that goddamn apartment you live in with your little family and leave you for dead on the side of the road, but a cat can't catch and kill a mouse before he torments it, right? You wouldn't be a fun toy if you were slain._

Her fingers tremble as she types a response. _I'm sorry, I was busy at work. I'll be at The Sparrow Tavern in twenty. I need to drive there, so it'll take some time._

Just as she's calling Charles, though, her phone vibrates and she nearly jumps out of her skin. _I'll get you at your shop. I'm closer to it!_

"Oh, shit..." Gloria looks up at the ceiling in desperation and exhales loudly. _Fine, but I left the bodega...I can just return there. See you in twenty._ "Can you two check to see if he's out there? I'mma get Charles on the phone right now!"

Boo and Tiffany nod and leave. Gloria quickly finishes dialing Charles' number on the store's landline as she worriedly glances around her, in case Dixon could be hiding somewhere in the store and coming through the back exit to do something awful to her. She has her lit candles for protection, but he could easily turn them on her before she gets a chance to touch them. She hopes using pepper spray will work for tonight if she needs it, but she most likely won't with Fahri. It's just for when she goes to the bathroom and a terrible person barges in and tries to attack her.

"'Sup?" Charles answers.

"I'm at my store where I work...and I'm scared that Dixon could grab me at any moment. He...he keeps threatening me, and I...I set him up to come here so you could arrest him...just get to the place now, por favor..." she begs.

"Of course!"

"Thank you!" Gloria murmurs gratefully.

"No problem."

Gloria doesn't breathe a sigh of relief until Dixon is stuffed in the back of Charles' vehicle, locked in handcuffs and yelling that she tricked him. She doesn't even glance in the horrible creature's direction, and she exchanges hi-fives with Tiffany and Boo because of how well the plan had worked.

"Still up for that candy?" Boo asks Tiffany.

"Naw, I lost my appetite," Tiffany says sadly.

"It's okay, son. Next time." Boo slings her arm around Tiffany's shoulders and they walk out together while waving goodbye to Gloria.

"Bye!" Gloria calls out.

* * *

"It's a shame Lorna's not here," Alex mutters as she, Flaca, and Daya venture into a creepy looking doll shop. "P didn't interrupt _her_ family time for this weirdness!"

"Her sister's back, so P gets that," Daya points out.

"Yeah, they probably gotta catch up and shit." Flaca gazes around the store. "This is actually kinda cool. Like...sometimes, I believe in voodoo dolls."

Alex rolls her eyes. "You would."

"Lookin' for somethin'?"

The girls jump and turn around to face Debbie Doggett and her son, Donny. "We are," Daya responds. "Um, do you know if someone bought a voodoo doll here, like last September? It could've been before that."

"We stopped putting those up for sale."

"I killed a bald eagle, stuffed its butt with a Coors Light, and grilled it." The girls stare at Donny curiously. They'd always thought him to be a bit off, but a ten-year-old committing murder is unfathomable.

"Donny, be quiet!" Debbie reprimands him.

He ignores his mother. "Just like my daddy taught me. I was in the middle of having it for dinner, when I got thrown in juvy...all the way in Virginia. Now I got an Oxy addiction, and it's all the cops' fault."

Debbie pushes him back a little ways. "Don't mind him. He ain't right up here." She taps her temple.

"I know you're friends with that girl who my sister was always mean to. I guess karma bit her in the ass. Sorry, but she was a real bitch. I tried to tell her some girls were out to get her, but she just called me retarded."

"Yo, who wanted to attack her?" Flaca wonders aloud.

"They all looked like you, but one had really messy hair-"

"Did she have a unibrow?" Alex presses, and Daya suddenly doesn't want to know more about these people or the drama that always surrounded Piper. She resents her former friend, since if it weren't for her, they wouldn't be getting these ominous texts from the omnipresent P.

"Yeah, but there was also a girl who had a bandage over her nose and long brown hair...she was white like us." Donny gestures between himself and Alex. "I'm not sure who exactly destroyed your cult leader. Too many gives me a headache."

Daya couldn't agree more, but she's shocked at how much this little boy knows. She really hopes he's wrong.

"Donald Doggett!" Debbie yells and turns fully around. "Get the fuck outta here." She faces the girls, who are now slack-jawed. "Well, I gave y'all an answer. You can browse or just-"

"She got a fate worse than death," he continues. "Branded like a cow-" Debbie cuts him off with a hard stare. "I'll go, I guess." He trudges off, but then points at Alex. "Someone you love is in danger."

Alex narrows her eyes at him and follows Daya out. They both wheel Flaca down the sidewalk, one on each side of her. "This is so strange...he's sayin' like, a bunch of Latinas and a whitey wanted to see Piper six feet under," Daya mutters.

"Blanca, her people, and Alana. He laid it out for us," Alex says simply. "I fuckin' knew we couldn't trust Maria, Ouija, Pidge, or Zirconia, and I can understand Blanca...but wow... _Alana_?"

"Piper _was_ pretty mean to her," Flaca mumbles.

"Why are you believing a kid hooked on Oxy?" Daya asks. "He was probably just high and spewing some bullshit rumor he heard from someone's younger sibling!"

"Either that, or he's got a connection to Maria. Possibly she babysat him," Alex grumbles and shows them her phone. They gasp at the text she'd just received.

 _Your girl's in the hospital. Come see her as soon as you get this. -Maria_

* * *

"Lo siento, llegué tarde, había mucho tráfico en el camino desde recogerlos después de la escuela," Lourdes apologizes as she quickly comes into the bodega, holding the boys' hands.

 **I'm so sorry I'm late, there was very bad traffic on the way here from picking them up after school.**

"Está bien," Gloria murmurs. She comes out from behind the counter. Benny and Julio let go of Lourdes as soon as they see Gloria and make a beeline for her.

 **It's okay.**

"Mommy!" they shout cheerfully.

She kneels down, embraces them, and kisses their cheeks. "My babies, how are you?"

"Good," they reply in unison.

"Oh, I'm glad!" She stands up and hugs Lourdes tightly. "Tía...tengo tanto que quiero decirte...y ellos."

 **I got so much I wanna tell you...and them.**

The boys stare up at them curiously. "Adelante, Florecita," Lourdes urges her.

 **Go ahead.**

Gloria releases her aunt and bounces on the balls of her feet. "I'm...I'm going out tonight again... with Fahri. Just us two."

"Oh yeah, me and Julio met him! He's not a bad man. He's really nice to Mama," Benny reports before Lourdes can react to the news. She raises an eyebrow at Gloria.

"Yaaaay!" Julio pipes up.

"Es cierto, tía. Los presenté formalmente a él. Él es tan bueno, lo juro. Voy a traer spray de pimienta esta noche, pero realmente no creo que termine usándolo," Gloria confirms.

 **It's true, auntie. I formally introduced them to him. He's so good, I swear. I'll bring pepper spray tonight, but I really don't think I'll end up using it.**

Lourdes beams. She holds up a finger and hands the boys a bag full of toys. Gloria and Lourdes start arranging things on the shelves. "Me reuniré con él esta noche," she decides aloud.

 **I'm meeting him tonight.**

Gloria sighs. She knows it's time for Lourdes and Fahri to meet. "Si eso es lo que quieres, ¡seguro!"

 **If that's what you want, sure!**

"¿No tienes miedo?" Lourdes asks, her eyes filling with a hint of concern.

 **You're not scared at all?**

Gloria lets out a giggle. "No. Estoy solo...mareado. Deberías ver lo que hace cuando recibo incluso el más pequeño de los ataques de pánico...calma mis temores casi de inmediato. Él me protege. Él respetó mi espacio personal cuando bailamos juntos...con una canción lenta y música de salsa. Pasé la noche más maravillosa en nuestra cita triple con nuestros amigos...y luego, cuando fuimos al cine con Aleida y Leon, le dije que quería tomarme de la mano, pero nada más, ¡y él estaba bien con eso! Dios mío, y él es como...tan dulce para los pequeños. Él tiene una linda sobrina nieta y él es excelente con ella. Él no los trata a ninguno como cargas...y él es muy bueno conmigo también...incluso podrías decirme que tienes mucho cuidado, como lo que hace y dice. Siempre me está tratando como a una princesa, y puedo decirte en este momento, tía...este hombre me ha hecho desmayar y sonrojarme...y reír como nunca antes lo había hecho con mis ex. Mi corazón no se sintió tan bien en años," she gushes and squeezes Lourdes' hands. She leans back against the side of the counter and sighs with bliss. "Me siento como si tuviera quince años."

 **No. I'm just...giddy. You should see what he does when I get even the smallest of panic attacks...he calms my fears almost right away. He protects me. He respected my personal space when we danced together...to a slow song and salsa music. I had the most wonderful night on our triple date with our friends...and then when we went to the movies with Aleida and Leon, I told him I wanted to hold hands, but nothing further, and he was fine with that! Oh my god, and he's like...so sweet to the little ones. He has a cute** **great-niece and he's excellent with her. He doesn't treat any of them like burdens...and he's real good to me, too...you could even say extra careful around me, like what he does and says. He's always treating me like a princess, and I can tell you right now, Auntie...this man has made me swoon and blush...and laugh like I never did before with my exes. My heart hasn't felt this good in ages. I feel like I'm fifteen.**

Lourdes appears to be surprised, but delighted. She cups Gloria's cheeks and kisses her forehead. "¡Estoy tan feliz por ti, Florecita!"

 **I'm so happy for you, Florecita!**

Gloria beams and spins around. She wants to pamper herself silly now. "¿Que hora es?"

 **What time is it?**

Lourdes checks her watch. "Tres treinta."

 **Three-thirty**.

"¡Oooh, tengo que darme prisa y prepararme! ¡Deberíamos irnos ahora para no llegar tarde!" Gloria curses herself for losing track of the time. She bends down to her sons' level. "Guys, Mommy has to get ready for her date. We gotta go!"

 **Oooh, I gotta really hurry and get ready! We should leave now so I'm not late!**

 **"** Los tendré aquí conmigo y me ocuparé de la bodega. Los traeré a casa cuando Fahri llegue a tu casa," Lourdes says before the boys have a chance to answer Gloria.

 **I'll keep them here with me and mind the bodega. I'll bring them home by the time you get back to your place.**

"Gracias, Tía." Gloria quickly pecks Lourdes, Benny, and Julio on their cheeks. She practically flies out of the bodega, jumps into her car, and speeds off to Sophia's salon.

* * *

"Oh my god, Michelle!" Alex exclaims as she, Daya, and Flaca burst through the door of her girlfriend's hospital room to find Blanca and Zirconia on either side of the cot where Michelle is laying with a cast on her arm and only half of all her fingers are peeking out. Alex hurries to Michelle's side and strokes her hair as she bends down to kiss her lips. "Baby, I was so worried...I panicked the whole way here! What the fuck happened?" She takes a seat beside Michelle.

"I'm okay, sweetheart. I just got a broken arm...I fell off a ladder."

Alex eyes Zirconia and Blanca suspiciously. "How?"

"Don't look at me, I wasn't even there until after the incident," Blanca says sharply.

"She's right," Zirconia confirms.

"I'm supposed to believe you?! It's no secret that you people got beef with Chelle because I'm dating her! I can fuckin' see that! I'm not blind, you know! You dumbass bitches tried to kill her!"

"Alex, please stop it," Daya mutters.

"It was an accident," Michelle adds. "B was nowhere near me when this happened."

Blanca folds her arms across her chest and nods. "Z, come out in the waiting room with me. We should let Alex have privacy with Michelle." She squeezes Michelle's unscathed hand. "Feel better soon, chica." She leaves, but Zirconia doesn't follow her.

"I know what you did to Piper!" Alex tells Zirconia angrily.

Zirconia glares at Alex. "We didn't do nothin' to that stupid ho!"

"Yo, like they say, honesty is always the best policy," Flaca pipes up.

"Well, here's the truth, straight up. I don't know who the fuck murdered your homegirl and made _Chelle_ fall off her ladder." Zirconia lifts her arms and lets them fall to her sides. "White people gotta stop interrogating everybody who don't look like them. Adiós."

Blanca appears at the doorway. "Z, _vamos_."

Zirconia rolls her eyes. "Comin'."

When they leave, Alex lets out a huge breath of air and Daya and Flaca come over to them. "Did Zirconia push you off?" Alex wants to know.

"I ain't sure, but she and Maria were keeping the ladder steady...at least I _thought_ they were, but Ouija and Pidge joined them down below, and some people were genuinely upset that I got hurt, others wanted to spook me on purpose by jiggling it, but nobody actually meant for me to fall to the ground," Michelle responds.

"Oh, they probably did, Chelle. One of them is P, and the others are her minions! They were gonna take down Piper, and they most likely wanted to do the same to you."

"How do you know?" Michelle asks.

"Well, they're not particularly fond of me and they think of you as like, betraying them..."

"Somebody _did_ call me a traitor."

"Who?" Daya wonders aloud.

Michelle shrugs. "I couldn't tell. Everything was fuzzy. They all sounded the same to me."

"We gonna get to the bottom of this," Flaca says.

"Yeah, I'll scare 'em into a confession," Alex chimes in. "I promise."

Michelle smiles up at her and kisses her hand. "Thanks, sweetie...and Blanca ain't part of this P shit. She avoids drama and keeps her head down as much as possible. She only truly despised Piper, nobody else. Just focus on the others."

"Okay, I'll leave Blanca alone." Alex leans down and connects their lips. "I'm gonna be super overprotective of you from now on, though, you know that, right?"

"Mm-hm!" Michelle giggles. "I adore that about you." They stare into each other's eyes for a few moments, and Alex falls more in love with her as the seconds pass.

"Hey, only two visitors at a time!" Dr. Chapman interrupts them, and they jump in surprise.

"Sorry, we can go," Daya says.

"You're super precious together," Flaca gushes as she and Daya walk out of the room.

"Michelle, how are you doing?" the doctor asks.

"I'm in pain, but Alex is making it better. Could I go home now?"

"Tomorrow, I need to give you a sling."

"Great, spendin' the night here," Michelle complains.

"I'll stay with you," Alex promises her, and Michelle beams adorably.

* * *

"Well, normally, I charge a hundred and eighty-seven dollars for both hair and makeup," Sophia informs Gloria.

"I don't have that much, this was like, on a whim...and I literally just planned this night out with Fahri, like, sixteen hours ago! I really gotta pamper myself for it...and I can't just go without."

"You have natural beauty," Sophia protests as Gloria plops into a pink chair and faces the mirror. "If I primp you up, he won't see the real you."

"That's kind of you to say, but he's seen me plain-faced many times before. I know he likes me the way I am, but I've always wanted to do this, and I never had the money...I still don't, but I've never been friends with somebody who worked at the salon before, and I was thinking I could pay you later, like umm...thirty dollars a month?" Gloria presses her hands together as if she's praying. " _Por favor_ , Sophia...I'll make it up to you in any way that I can. I'll watch Michael for you and Crystal. You two need a special evening to yourselves."

Sophia grins and shakes her head. "Fine. Since you're one of my girls, and you're acting hella pathetic, which is my weakness, I'll make this appointment free."

Gloria's heart bursts with joy. "Oh, no, you can give me a discount, I'll be okay with that."

"Honey, you deserve it without having to owe me a cent. Like you said, we're homies."

"Wow, thank you so much. Really." Gloria laughs in relief. "I swear I ain't tryin' to rip you off or nothin'."

"I know." Sophia leads Gloria to a chair with a sink behind it. Gloria leans back and dips her locks into the running water and Sophia shampoos her hair. Gloria smiles and begins to tear up, since she hasn't treated herself this well in so long. She would count Aleida doing her nails once every two weeks, but that's become so normal for her. She appreciates it every time, and she's lucky that her gel tips and pedicure still look amazing. "What's the matter?"

Gloria sniffles. "Nothing. I'm just letting it all sink in. I was never able to afford a full makeover at a salon, and my...my ex wouldn't allow it. He only wanted women touching my hair, and he didn't wanna throw a fit if they gave me a man, even if the dude was gay...he would just get wildly jealous." She swallows hard. "At first, I found it flattering and cute and funny, but then...I'd wanna run and hide under the bed with how angry he got." Gloria squeezes her eyes shut and forces the waterworks to stay back. "I'm okay now, so are my babies, but...we get real bad nightmares sometimes."

"I'm sorry I was so insensitive about it before. I never meant to offend anyone, I was just..."

"Protecting your son," Gloria finishes for her. "I understand that...and I apologize that mine hit yours. I'm glad they're good now."

"I am too...and you don't need to feel guilty. Benny was just copying what he'd seen. He was so close to the violence. It's unfortunate that it had to be Michael who he struck. My little boy's okay, though."

Gloria manages a smile as Sophia takes her to the chair she'd been sitting in previously. "Yeah. Exactly. That's great."

Sophia squeezes Gloria's shoulder fondly and blow dries her hair while running a brush through it. "Do you want this cut, or...?"

"Just a style I rarely put it in...like romantic waves and half up with tendrils framing my face. I usually make it messy, especially with the Juliet braids on either side, and I need them to come together into one ponytail holder or fancy clip."

"Lucky for you, sweetheart, I do it perfectly." It takes Sophia about thirty minutes to do the job, and then forty-five minutes to turn Gloria even more stunning, with purple, glittery shadow to make her eyes smoky, winged eyeliner, fake lashes, light pink blush, and dark reddish-purple lipstick. When Sophia is finished, Gloria still recognizes the woman in the mirror, but she's very pleased. Her reflection beams back at her. She looks slightly different, a more radiant version of herself. She feels like a queen more than ever now.

"Wow," she breathes. "I love it. Thanks!"

"You're welcome...and thank you, too!"

Gloria sends Fahri a quick text. _My aunt is really looking forward to meeting you...she wants to, tonight! Are you okay with that?_

 _Wow, I better prepare myself! I'm a little nervous._

She giggles softly and Sophia just smirks. _You don't gotta be. She's cool with anyone who's nice to me, so she shouldn't have a problem with you at all!_

 _Awesome!_

* * *

"So, Di, gentlemen, I need your opinion. I'm gonna shave my beard since I'm starting to look a bit scruffy, but should I lose the 'stache, too?" Fahri is at Charles and Diane's place and he has Leon on the phone. Diane and Charles are sitting next to him on the couch, both of them wiped from a long day at work.

"Nah, keep it!" Charles recommends.

"Yeah, women love a neat mustache," Diane chimes in and winks at Charles.

"Do what you want, buddy, but uh, Glo's never seen you without one, right?" Leon asks.

"Nope," Fahri responds. "I was kinda thinking I could change my look a bit, to impress her. I'll give my 'stache a little trim."

Diane scrunches up her face in thought. "I'm trying to picture you with no mustache, and it's quite hard!"

"You'd probably appear to be a lot more sharp, and I dunno, she may find that attractive," Charles puts in.

"I imagine you've swept her off her feet already with your personality, my dude!" Leon says cheerfully, and everyone laughs.

"She wouldn't be going anywhere near me otherwise, even as a friend!" Fahri points out. "Honestly, it's cool if she never gave me the time of day, but I'm hella glad she did. She's brave."

"Yeah, she is," Diane agrees.

"Mm-hm," Leon and Charles add in unison.

"I've just literally never gone out with a girl that I was very interested in! That's why I was asking for your advice."

"Make it like...stubble," Diane suggests.

Charles and Leon grunt in agreement.

"Thanks! I know about cologne...two spritzes." He chuckles. "Catch you guys later!"

"Bye, man," Leon responds. "Goodbye, peeps."

"Bye!" everyone calls out to both Fahri, and Leon on the other line.

After going back to his house and taking a shower, he shaves until his cheeks, chin, and upper lip feel prickly against his fingers, and then he sprays cologne around himself so he can smell nice for Gloria. He gets dressed and grabs a number of colorful ties, hoping one will match her dress, skirt, or blouse tonight.

* * *

"Oh my goodness, we came as soon as we got your message!" Lorna exclaims as she, Nicky, and Maritza rush to meet Flaca and Daya. Alex is just coming out of Michelle's room as Ouija and Pidge go in. Zirconia seems to have disappeared. Maria and Blanca sit in chairs in the waiting room with their backs to each other, both wearing sour expressions on their faces. The tension in the air is so strong.

"Yeah, we'll visit her next after them, Flac," Maritza adds and tilts her head toward Michelle's door.

Alex's phone pings with a message as Maritza sits in Flaca's lap and wraps her arms around her neck. "Oh fuck, check this out." Alex shows them the text she'd just gotten, and they gasp in horror.

 _Ooopsies! Your little Chelly belly just about fell to her death. -P_

Flaca holds her girlfriend tightly, fearing Maritza could be next. "Blanca and Maria weren't texting...I just heard 'em each talkin' to their boyfriends," Flaca whispers.

"Zirconia isn't here, maybe she sent it? She's one of Maria's minions, and besides that, she's pretty scary on her own," Nicky points out.

"Yeah," they all agree at the same time.

Daya sighs. "Anyone else think it's weird that Michelle's ma hasn't shown up yet?" she wonders in a louder voice. "We all let her know...maybe she's in a bad mental state."

Just at that moment, a chubby, frazzled, older Spanish woman barrels into the area. "Which room is my daughter in?" she asks frantically. "I'm Cathy, I wish we met in better circumstances..."

"Tell me that's not a coincidence," Blanca mutters, and the other girls share uneasy glances.

"You can go in room two, but she won't be too thrilled to see ya. She's been pissed at ya lately," Maria warns Cathy.

"Only because I planned to kill my husband for always telling me to shut up. I may be chatty, but I got feelings. Michelle told me to divorce him so I wouldn't go to jail and have her loathe me and lose her dad, so I took her advice. She's fine with me now!" Cathy insists and enters the room to see Michelle.

* * *

"Oh no, I just got the terrible news from Daya!" Gloria lets Aleida and Lourdes know in a sad tone as the other women sift through her dresses. "Michelle had a ladder accident and broke her arm. I feel like I gotta visit her now...even if hospitals trigger me, I'd go because I care about her. Me siento mal porque estoy disfrutando y esa pobre chica está pasando por un momento tan difícil."

 **I feel bad that I'm out enjoying myself and that poor girl is going through such a tough time.**

"¡Diviértete con Fahri, puedes ver a Michelle después de tu cita!" Lourdes assures her. She and Aleida lay out a number of beautiful gowns on top of Gloria's bed.

 **Just have fun with Fahri, you can see Michelle after your date!**

"Hold these up to yourself," Aleida instructs her. "There ain't no time to try 'em on! Good thing you picked out your jewelry already, and your face and hair are so glam!" she praises Gloria.

"Sí, tan encantador, ¡pero siempre lo eres!" Lourdes compliments her.

 **Yes, so lovely, but you always are!**

"Thanks, girls." Gloria examines a pink dress, shakes her head no, and tosses it to the floor. She'd already worn that in front of him at homecoming. "It'll look like I don't give a shit," she continues to worry.

"Nah...the fact that you're even visiting her at all when you're traumatized from the emergency room, shows that you do. It's a huge thing." Aleida grabs a white sparkly dress that fans out when she twirls it around on its hanger. "Oooh, this gives me wedding vibes!"

"Exactly why I ain't gonna wear that. I don't wanna scare him off."

Aleida rolls her eyes and throws it into the rejected pile. "It's not like he'll think of that, men usually don't on the first date."

Gloria glances at a tight, red, long sleeved, off-the-shoulder dress that would come down to her knees. "Nah...too nightclub-ish."

"Es por estos dos. ¿Qué piensas?" Lourdes raises a satin, flower-patterned plum dress with a low V neck and then a silky royal blue gown that has a sweetheart neckline and lace cap sleeves.

 **It's down to these two. What do you think?**

"This one," Gloria responds and takes the blue dress from her aunt. "I'll wear pinkish-purple lipstick with it when I gotta apply it later." She hugs the material and spins around in the mirror, admiring herself. Aleida and Lourdes beam at her in the background and it's only when the doorbell rings, that she picks up the pace with her heart beating so fast that it feels like it could jump out of her chest at any second. "Ay dios mío, somebody get the door, preferably you, Lei, in case Fahri's here already," she mumbles. "Leon's busy with the kids outside..."

Aleida nods her head yes and dashes away. She hears her close friend opening the door and shutting it. Thankfully, it's just Daya.

Lourdes quickly helps Gloria into her gown, a thin black cardigan sweater, and heels that go nicely with her whole outfit. Gloria hurriedly puts on her gold chunky necklace, slides her dangly hoop earrings through the holes in her earlobes, and slips a bracelet over her wrist that has the worst scars, to hide them, and also for beauty purposes. She spins around through a cloud of floral perfume that Lourdes sprays into the air. She does her best to cover all of her scars with concealer.

"Are you satisfied?" Lourdes asks as she gently puts her hands on Gloria's shoulders.

"Yeah, I am."

"Hooooolyyy...Gloria, you look fabulous!" Daya gushes and clasps her hands together in front of her while beaming.

"Doesn't she?" Aleida squeals.

"My baby. You're so pretty," Lourdes murmurs and leans up to kiss Gloria's cheek while hugging her. She jumps in her aunt's arms when the doorbell rings a second time. "Oh, ¿estás bien?"

 **Oh, are you alright?**

"Mm-hm, that just startled me. Come on!" Gloria's voice is urgent.

"You got your pepper spray?"

"Yes." Gloria pulls Lourdes halfway down the hallway and runs past her to answer the door. "Hi, Fahri," she says breathlessly. "I'm sorry I was late in letting you in. I been rushin' like mad." She takes in his appearance, and she's dazzled by how handsome he is. She suddenly wants to know how it feels to brush her thumbs against his stubbly cheeks and lace her fingers at the back of his neck as they stare into each other's eyes for a second longer than necessary. He'd place his hands on her hips, his big, strong hands that use their powers for good instead of evil, and he'd touch her in a way that would make her moan his name in pleasure between kisses. Her heart is ready for making out, not sex, but her brain tells her no. Passionate lip-locking always leads to home base, and she won't let her body betray her this time. She won't make him think she wants to move fast, because she absolutely doesn't.

"It's okay," he responds in that soothing manner, and she snaps back to the present. His eyes scan her, and she's filled with desire again. It's not a hungry gaze, but more of an enchanted one, like he's caught under her spell. "Whoa. You're truly stunning in that dress. Is that perfume you're wearing? It smells fantastic." He's hiding something behind his back and she wonders what it is.

"Mm-hm, lavender and vanilla. Thank you," she murmurs. She loves the cologne he has on. He's wearing black dress pants and a white long-sleeved button-up that shows off his muscles underneath. Another urge comes over her for him to caress her and for her to squeeze his muscles. "You're real dressed up nice, too, and that cologne gives off such an earthy scent!"

"Thanks! It's sandalwood."

"Well, come on in!" Gloria invites him through the door, and he steps into the foyer.

"God, I just love your hair styled like that!"

"Thank you, I wanted to try something different."

"Well, it's radiant." Fahri pulls a bouquet of purple Lisianthus flowers and blue orchids out from behind him. "I picked these for you."

She gasps at how lovely they are. "Oh my, they're so beautiful!" she gushes while beaming at him. She takes them from his hands and inhales them. Her nose practically touches the petals as the floral scent wafts into her nostrils, and she closes her eyes. "They smell real good, too. Thank you!"

"It was really no problem."

Gloria's cheeks hurt from smiling so much. "Again, I appreciate it."

The kids bound up to her at that very moment, with Leon right behind them. "Hey, guys..." Leon greets them. He bumps fists with Fahri and pulls Aleida into him while pecking her temple. "Wow, you both look awesome!"

"Thanks," Gloria and Fahri respond in unison.

"I know, right?" Aleida asks rhetorically. " _Damn_!"

"Yeah," Daya agrees and grins.

"Ooooh, pretty!" Christina exclaims, pointing at the flowers.

"I know!" Gloria says. "Aren't they?"

Christina nods. "You _gotta_ marry him!"

The men and Aleida chuckle awkwardly and Gloria blushes. Her entire face burns as she forces out a laugh, and she muffles a squeak with the palm of her hand. She'd never even thought about that, not in her wildest dreams. She doesn't really see herself as being anyone's wife, let alone Fahri's. She can't even have success in merely dating.

"Christina, that's enough," Aleida scolds her, probably sensing Gloria's discomfort. "We don't wanna make your tía nervous."

"Okay, sorry. I was just being silly!" Christina strikes a pose, with one hand on her hip and the other high in the air. "You know me!"

"It's alright," Gloria tells her softly and fans herself discreetly.

Benny and Julio silently wave at Fahri, and he returns the gesture while leaning down a bit so he's not so big compared to them. Aleida's little children copy Gloria's, and Fahri waves hello to them while widening his eyes and smiling. Gloria is thankful for the distraction so she can collect herself. She glides to where her aunt is hiding and almost pushes her into the foyer. Gloria clears her throat and everyone looks at her and Lourdes. "Hello, you must be Fahri, the man who is taking my niece out?" the older woman asks him as she walks in his direction, prepared to shake his hand.

"Yes," he responds politely and shakes her hand. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am, um, Señorita Mendoza, sorry, I'm not sure which you prefer..." Gloria bites her lip to keep from giggling at how flustered he is. It's just too cute.

Their hands separate. "Lourdes will be fine, but if you'd like to be formal, Señorita Mendoza."

Fahri nods and grins at her. "Okay. I apologize...I know very little Spanish, I never took classes in high school or anything...more French than anything, and some Indonesian."

"That's very interesting, actually. Maybe Gloria can teach you some phrases, hmm?" Lourdes raises an eyebrow at Gloria and smiles.

"Sure, of course!" Gloria says happily.

"I'd be cool with learning." Fahri states.

"Good." Lourdes' kind expression morphs into a stern one. She knits her brows as she narrows her eyes at him. Her mouth is set in a thin line. "Now, I must tell you, my niece has gotten her heart broken to pieces twice now. If you think you're gonna mistreat her in any way, you can get yourself the fuck outta here, because I will die protecting her before she gets hurt again. Let's just say that I wish I castrated her latest ex before he was imprisoned. I'm very serious. My great nephews have already said you weren't a cruel sadist, and I sincerely hope they're right."

"Lourdes, stop..." Gloria protests, but her aunt's threat doesn't seem to scare him off or make him take it as a joke. He nods and stands up straighter. He never breaks eye contact with Lourdes.

"I would never hurt an innocent person, I promise, Señorita Mendoza. I treat Gloria and her babies...anyone she loves, really, with the utmost respect, and I always will. She means a lot to me." He glances at Gloria for a split second, and they exchange a grin. "So do her friends and family."

"That includes you, Tía," Gloria adds helpfully.

"Alright." Lourdes beams and rubs her hands together. "You both have fun, okay? Be safe."

They nod, and Gloria hugs and kisses her sons, as well as Aleida's kids. "Have fun, Mommy!" Benny echoes Lourdes, and Gloria finds it utterly adorable.

"Yeah, fun!" the toddlers repeat him.

"Toodle-oo!" Christina pipes up.

"Have the time of your life," Daya tells Gloria as they embrace.

"Thank you, sweetie pies!" Gloria says giddily.

Aleida and Leon throw their arms around her so she's in the middle of them. "Bye!" they all say at the same time and share a chuckle.

"Adiòs, Tía," Gloria mumbles as Lourdes envelops her tightly and kisses both her cheeks.

"Adiòs. Llámame si me necesitas. Llegaré tan rápido como pueda. Mantente en contacto con nosotros No apague su teléfono," Lourdes instructs her, and she rolls her eyes with an annoyed groan.

 **You call me if you need me. I'll get there as fast as I can. Stay in touch with us. Don't turn your phone off.**

"¡Ay dios mío, estaré bien!"

 **Oh my god, I'll be fine!**

"Escúchame. Voy a registrarme una vez cada hora, y si no respondes inmediatamente, ¡supongo que estás muerto en una zanja!" Lourdes hisses.

 **Listen to me. I'll check in once every hour, and if you don't respond immediately, I'll assume you're dead in a ditch!**

"What the fuck...Lourdes, tengo spray de pimienta, " Gloria whispers fiercely. "Él no va a...no hacer nada. Él no es un animal extraño. Incluso tiene un conductor de limusina, por lo que no es capaz de detenerse en un camino de tierra espeluznante o lo que sea." She scoffs and shakes her head, but she's grateful that Lourdes is watching out for her. She just wants her aunt to turn it down a few notches.

 **I got pepper spray.** **He ain't gonna...do nothin'. He ain't some freaky animal. He's even got a limo driver, so it's not like he can pull over on the side of a creepy dirt road or whatever.**

"¡Perdóname por querer lo mejor para mi chica que solo ha tenido malos novios!" Lourdes fires back in the same tone of voice. "¡Pánico por ti!"

 **Forgive me for wanting the best for my girl who has only experienced lousy boyfriends! I panic _for_ you!**

Gloria sighs heavily. "Tienes razón. Te dejaré saber cómo va todo." She's no longer hushed.

 **You're right. I'll let you know how it's goin'.**

"Gracias, Florecita. Eso nos tranquiliza a los dos."

 **That puts us both at ease.**

"De nada."

Lourdes gestures to Fahri. "Have her home by-"

"Ay, you don't even live with me!" Gloria complains, and Fahri seems to be amused, as does everyone else except Lourdes. "I'm a big girl. The restaurant closes at nine, and we may take a little walk afterwards in the park...I'll let you know when we're on our way back to calm your worries."

"Okay. ¡Adiós!" she calls out as Fahri opens the door for Gloria and lets her leave first and in front of him. They both wave at the Mendozas, Diazes, and Leon before departing.

* * *

"I'm so sorry my aunt is hella intense when it comes to dating me," Gloria apologizes meekly as she and Fahri join hands. "Um...that _is_ what we're doing, right? Like, seeing each other?" She chews on her lip, appearing anxious. Fahri thinks it's the cutest thing, though, and he nods with a reassuring grin.

"If you want us to be."

"I gotta think about it. About my tía, though. Is she like...scary?"

"Hey...don't be remorseful. She's got every right to be protective. I mean, if Allison had only shitty guys going after her, I'd be that way toward the next one, no matter how nice she told me he was. Your aunt just loves you, that's all."

Gloria raises an eyebrow. "You ain't weirded out or nothin'?

"Not at all. I totally get it."

"I ain't trying to lead you on, I swear. I don't wanna call us an item or put labels on us like boyfriend and girlfriend, I just gotta see where the hand-holding leads us. Taking this relationship slow like molasses is important to me, whatever it turns into. For my own personal wellbeing, I...I need to um, be in charge of the next move. You can ask me permission, I got no problem with that. I don't wanna sound bossy, but...I kinda...should, anyway. I never will go back to being weak or naive." Her gaze drops to her lap and he wants to pull her further into him, but he doesn't. He'll let her scoot herself closer to his side.

"You're neither of those," he insists gently. "You're smart and badass." The longing to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and skim his thumb up and down her jawline is strong, but he pushes it away. He's gotten as far as rubbing circles on her hands and part of her wrists, and that's good enough for him. He'll be patient, and he knows exactly what it's like to be walking on eggshells. "It's okay to break down, too, though. It's fine to not be aware of someone's evil side, it doesn't make you stupid."

"I know, but I never..." Gloria's breath catches, and Fahri senses she was going to blame herself for not leaving Arturo fast enough. "I didn't see red flags...instantly." She gulps and shudders, so he continues stroking her fingers and hands and wrists in a soothing motion, in an effort to calm her.

"None of us do when we're in love or really care for someone, even as a friend," he sympathizes with her. "We're all blind to malicious intentions when it comes to that emotion." It's how he got sucked into the drug cartel. Kubra had been so nice at first, that Fahri didn't know what he was walking into. That asshole had tricked Fahri the same way he did Alex.

She meets his gaze with a sad smile. "You been betrayed, too?"

"Yeah, but I'd rather not talk about it."

"It's okay."

Out of the blue, he remembers his bag full of ties. "Oh...I hope you don't mind, but I wanted us to color-coordinate, so I brought a bunch of these with me," he lets her know as he reaches under his seat and grabs the bag. He opens it and takes out his royal blue one. "I really like that color on you. It accentuates your eyes."

"Thank you," she responds shyly while twiddling her thumbs. "It took me hours to look this elegant."

"I thought you always were." He puts his tie on and adjusts it until it's perfect.

"What? Me? Elegant." Gloria laughs, and it sounds like tinkling music. "Nah, not by a long shot. You're like, suave and rich...and I'm a poor single mother of four...I'm so terrible that I don't even know half of 'em, and if you saw me in my tired and overworked state just a few months ago, you might have even thought I was homeless and a charity case. I got two jobs, a cafeteria lady and sellin' candles and herbs at my bodega. I know I'm not like, a prostitute in poverty or nothin', and you ain't an old fart, so it ain't completely like _Pretty Woman_ , but...I got this dress for cheap. Girls was givin' their old prom dresses away and shit for charity. They had no other use for 'em."

"You _are_ a pretty woman," Fahri says in both a teasing and honest way. Gloria rolls her eyes but blushes brightly at his compliment and a cheerful expression crosses her exquisite face. "I literally would not have known that about your gown if you hadn't told me. It looks fancy, stylish, and really good on you, no matter where you got it from! If I crossed your path back then, when you were having hardships with money, I would've helped you, but not to get anything out of it. I've always genuinely wanted to help people...ever since I was a kid."

"So...you weren't just there for Diane and Alex because you thought you owed it to Diane?"

"Well, I wanted to return the favor, but if I saw her struggling, I certainly would've helped her. Same goes with you. As for your daughters you've never met, there's still time to reach out. That was their father's fault for taking them from you, but you can always find them online...they're twelve?"

Gloria nods. "Yeah. I go to, like on Facebook, but then I wimp out because it's too late...they'll never forgive me."

"You don't know unless you try in the first place."

"Okay..."

He's aiming to build up her confidence, even when she's not tearing herself down.

* * *

They walk to the restaurant with their arms linked, and Fahri opens the door open for them. Gloria steps inside before him and takes in the extravagance of the place. "Oh, wow..." she breathes out.

"I know, it's magnificent!"

"It's just like I remember. The fanciest place I could actually find something worth under twenty-five dollars, including drinks. We went here for my birthday and Lourdes', actually, like all the time. I haven't been here since May twenty-sixth, when I turned thirty."

"It's your favorite, I assume?"

Gloria smiles and nods. "Yeah. Is it okay if I ask them to seat us?" she asks timidly. "I...I know the best tables and everything."

"Of course!" he replies brightly, much to her relief. "I've never set foot in this restaurant, so..."

She points at him accusingly and frowns. "That's a crime in and of itself," she teases him, and they both chuckle. "I understand...you probably prefer somethin' more expensive."

"Well, not necessarily, but...is it fair to say I've haven't ever heard of it?"

"Sure. You can't know about everything." Gloria faces the hostess. "Table for two, please...in the back, by the window."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The table Gloria chooses has such a great view of the city, and she and Fahri take a seat across from each other. She's okay with ordering for herself when she's with friends, but when she used to be with Arturo, he would order for both of them. When the waitress comes over, Gloria just sits there and waits for Fahri to order their drinks, whatever he wants, rather than asking what she'd like or just letting her get her own choices.

"I'll get a Scotch, please...Gloria?" Fahri interrupts her quiet thoughts. "You want a drink?"

"Oh! I thought you'd pick for both of us but okay, if you're sure..." Gloria looks up at the waitress. "Piña colada, por favor."

Fahri grins at her, and it melts her insides and turns her heart to mush. "You wouldn't be you without it."

Gloria returns the smile. "That's true."

They each take a turn dipping chips into the salsa and eating them. "Holy shit, this is delicious!" Fahri exclaims.

"What'd I tell ya?" Gloria asks, smiling. "Best salsa you ever had, right?"

He nods fervently. "Hell yeah!"

Upon getting their chosen beverages, they clink their glasses and each take a sip.

"Just wondering...what's been one of your top dreams?" he wants to know.

"You mean like, hopes for the future or while I'm sleeping?"

"Both."

Gloria sighs and puts her chin on her fist as she props her elbow up on the table. "I gotta think. Uh, well, I wish I could have a bigger job than a cafeteria worker at a high school or a bodega owner." She shrugs. "Managing my own store is pretty cool at the same time, though. I just wanna make more money. I love serving those kids and seeing you and my co-workers...and I don't mind cooking, like at all. It's only...I kinda wanna also teach salsa lessons, like at the school. I'll leave the hip hop dance classes to Diane, but salsa, merengue, and Zumba are my passions. They don't call it salsa for nothin'. It's damn hot!"

"You should go for that, then! I highly recommend it. You'd be ethereal at it. I was captivated by your flawless moves."

Gloria blushes at Fahri's compliment and encouragement. "Thank you, really. I was worried it was a silly thing to ask for another job at Martin Van Buren High, and Caputo has so much on his plate already, he's been missing for a while, actually, and there's no way Lin-dumbass, the cunt vice principal, will ever listen to me or respect me enough to give me a second position there...even Diane is nervous to talk to her about it. So, I might do private sessions, but I dunno. Salsa classes by Miss Mendoza, or I might just let 'em call me Gloria."

"That's a good idea. Uh, but if you want, we'll go together to talk to that bitch. You deserve to have your wishes fulfilled."

"My heart's gonna be hammering inside my chest and I won't breathe right. Just talking about it now makes my mouth dry and my skin clammy." Gloria takes a drink of water and nestles her shaking hands between his. "Can you hold my hand the whole time?" she asks.

"Definitely."

"I appreciate that! Um, and when I'm asleep, my favorite recurring dream is when I'm flying through pink clouds...I was light and I had wings...I may have been an angel going into Heaven, or just like...exploring. I was floating in the sky, like a bird."

Fahri beams, and so does Gloria. Her anxiety dissipates. "That sounds great," he comments. "I wonder if it actually exists."

"Heaven? Oh, yeah. We don't got a fuckin' clue, but I like to believe there's a magical place we go to when God calls for us and we've been good."

"I do, too. It's a nice thought. So...flying dreams? I get those as well."

"They're fun, huh?" she asks, and he nods. "My boys tell me about theirs all the time. The funny thing is, they try to never misbehave so they can get past the Pearly Gates. If they throw a tantrum or whatever, they think they're gonna go to Hell." Gloria and Fahri laugh together, hers soft and melodic and his deep and full of energy. "I always say all they gotta do is be mostly good, and they'll be fine."

"They're excellent kids." Fahri takes a drink of his Scotch.

"Yeah, I know. I can't ever tell what's gonna happen later, but I'll do my damned best to make sure they don't run into trouble. I'm positive they won't hurt nobody who didn't deserve it...I'm leadin' 'em on the right path, I'm trying to, at least."

"You're doing really spectacular."

"Thanks. So, what about you? Any ambitions and dreams you enjoy while you're asleep? You're pretty set in the financial department..." Gloria trails off and gulps down her piña colada. It burns the back of her throat, but tastes so sweet at the same time.

"Yeah, but my career isn't exactly legal," he whispers.

Gloria shrugs. "As long as nobody finds out, you're fine. You gotten any close calls? You gotta be careful!"

"I know...and I haven't almost been caught or anything."

"Thank God."

"There's times when I wanna quit...but simply being a janitor isn't gonna get me by. Like you, I wanna do something else," Fahri states.

"What?" she wants to know.

"Hmm...I'm not really sure. I guess construction. I'm very good with my hands."

Gloria smirks. "Yes, you are." She can't help her suggestive remark, and they both beam at each other. "You could work with Leon," she adds in a slightly louder voice.

"I know, I've been doing that sometimes. Also, a lawyer...they got too many unfair white ones out there these days. I want to get justice for incarcerated people who aren't a danger on the streets."

"The courts could use you. The system's gotta change, and so far, Juliana is the only lawyer we trust."

"If that doesn't work out, though...I could always apply for business school and get an office job. Those aren't so bad."

"They're not," she agrees. "Well, I support you, whatever position you choose."

A pleasant expression crosses his face. "Thanks!"

She laughs randomly and her head feels slightly fuzzy. "I may have draaank too faaaast," she slurs and points to her glass which is half full.

He chuckles and his eyes twinkle. "Oh man, I'm getting there! I better put mine aside for a while."

"You gave me an excellent idea," Gloria murmurs and pushes her piña colada slightly away from her. She grabs the water in front of her and takes numerous sips. "Helps with the hangover."

"Yeah."

"One time..." Gloria begins between peals of giggles. "Oh my god, so Lourdes took like, three-quarters of my creamsicle margarita! She bought me more after, but...it's like, whyyy?! She should've bought one for her damn self, too."

"I know, but it's a possibility that she could've wanted to try it and liked it a lot?"

"Maybe."

Their waitress comes around again. "Good evening! What would you like for your meal?" The woman has her eyes on Fahri, and once again, Gloria lets him pick their dinner. Even if the lady was looking at her, though, she'd allow him to, since she's nervous to speak first or at all, really. He might not be too picky about the drinks, but the dinner could be different.

"Burrito with rice, cheese, beans, sour cream, guacamole, chicken, and hot salsa," he informs the woman standing above them.

"Got it." She pens what he's just said and glances over at Gloria expectantly.

"That might not be enough for both of us," Gloria tells Fahri in a low voice.

He frowns and his forehead crinkles as he narrows his eyes in confusion. "It isn't, really...but you can get your own food."

Her face heats up in embarrassment and she looks up at the puzzled waitress. "Dios mío, lo siento mucho," Gloria mumbles, and Fahri gives her fingers reassuring strokes and nods at her encouragingly with a warm smile gracing his features. She has to take a second to look at the menu for what she wants. "Me gustaría una enchilada de queso con lados de arroz, frijoles refritos, crema agria, salsa y guacamole."

 **Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I'd like a cheese enchilada with sides of rice, refried beans, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.**

"Está bien, señorita. Gracias." The lady writes down Gloria's order. "It should be ready in twenty or so minutes." Then, she walks away.

 **It's okay, miss. Thank you.**

"You wanna get dessert afterwards?" Fahri asks.

"Sure...possibly we can split churros with ice cream? It's my favorite concoction."

"That sounds delightful. It's funny, I've never had a churro before-"

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Gloria chides him playfully.

Fahri puts his free hand up in surrender and grins. "In an authentic Mexican restaurant! I've eaten 'em at street fairs or carnivals, but that's it."

"Really?" She quirks up an eyebrow at him.

"Yep! They always ran out at the places I went to...and a lot of times, I was stuffed, so no room for a delectable treat."

"Ah, that sucks. I almost pegged you for a lame weirdo. Uh, so how do you know you won't get full this time?"

"I usually finish the whole main course, but tonight, I'll take home leftovers. I usually don't like to, since the food doesn't taste as good later."

"True!" Gloria plucks a chip out of the bowl and points it at him before eating it. She swallows her bite with water. "Dude, I'm always burning the rice when I reheat it. Like, I ruin yummy Spanish rice...and also the brown kind in the package from the store." She chuckles at herself and shakes her head. "It sticks to the bottom and it's real grunt work to clean. Hot soapy water helps, but...it's just a big pain in the ass!"

Fahri groans and leans back in his chair. "Oh, man...I'm bad at it myself, so you're not alone. I'm sure you do your best!"

Gloria rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but it's _soooo_ annoying! You gotta watch the boiling water every thirty seconds when it's homemade! I've perfected it only one or two times. Ugh...and as for the already cooked rice, it falls out of the tortilla and onto the frying pan, blackening itself silly. It's fucking disgusting. I'm glad I'm not the only one cooking anymore."

"I could make you something," he volunteers. "Curry with chicken?"

"Mmm! That'd be excellent! Swing by my bodega and bring me some." She winks at him and he flashes her an award-winning smile.

"I will!"

Gloria scoops salsa onto a chip and pops it into her mouth, and Fahri does the same. Once they finish chewing, Fahri takes her other hand, and the light touch causes her to sigh in contentment. Butterflies swarm in her tummy and a pleasurable sensation grows in her lower half. "Oh...is this alright?" he asks pensively.

"It's fine, thank you for checking in with me, though. I love having my hands in yours."

"I'm glad, because I enjoy holding them."

She beams and looks down bashfully because their eyes had been locked on each other's. She isn't sure if it's the drinks that are making them act more affectionate towards one another, so she doesn't want to stare too long and give him the wrong message, that she wants to go further than grasping each other's hands. She doesn't think she does, and anything beyond that are just fantasies of hers. Her mind can only create her dream man in her imagination, not real life. She only wants him to pepper her with kisses and have slow sex with her if he's truly the right one for her.

* * *

"Hey...Gloria?"

"Oh?" She poses it as a question.

"You've been quiet for a moment, so I was wondering if you needed time to yourself. I tried to say something earlier, but you didn't hear me."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to ignore you. I get mentally distracted at times, not just with you. What's up?"

"Is it cool if you teach me some Spanish phrases?" Fahri asks shyly. "I'm talking basics...and colors...even how to compliment you. I already know _hola_ is hello and _adiós_ is goodbye."

"Sí. That's _yes_."

"I really like the sound of you speaking Spanish. Your accent is beautiful," he says honestly. _Also sexy_ , he thinks to himself, but won't dare say it out loud.

Gloria nibbles on her lip sensually. "Ay, don't make me swoon! It's one of the Romance languages."

"Another one is French."

"Ah, _sí_. Paris is the city of love and romance, or so I've heard."

"I always see people proposing there, and the place itself is gorgeous. So much passion bursts...it's _très charmant_."

 **very charming**

"I wanna go there one day. So you've visited France?"

" _Sí_. Or... _oui_. Bali, too. I've traveled to both those places many times."

Gloria smiles. "Wow, ¡estoy impresionado! I'm impressed! I've only gone to Puerto Rico, that's where I was born, so I see relatives. I don't really remember moving to the United States, but it was probably when I was a baby."

"Oh, neat! I was just born and raised here, in New York. Queens, to be exact."

"That's cool. So...you totally should've taken Spanish classes in high school," she teases him.

"I know, but I still wouldn't be fluent!"

Gloria tuts. "Ready for lesson número uno? Now that one's easy."

"Yeah, totally!"

She purses her pretty pinkish-purple lips. " _Rojo_. Red. _Naranja._ Orange _. Amarillo_. Yellow. _Verde._ Green. _Azul._ Blue. _Morado._ Purple. _Negro_. Black. _Rosado_. Pink. _Marrón_. Brown." She says each of the Spanish words slowly, and he's completely mesmerized. He's sure his eyes are slightly glazed over and he's grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. "Did you get all that, or was I talkin' too fast?" She grins at him, and he wants to lift her up and lock their lips together while protectively holding her delicate body against his, but he knows he can't. She takes off her sweater and the lighting sparkles on her bronze skin, marking it with patches of gold. It also illuminates some of her permanent injuries that he knows are probably from Arturo. They're in full view and heartbreaking to see, but he isn't going to talk about them. He pretends not to even notice. If he could kiss them away, though, he would, but he still accepts them as part of her story.

"Oh, yeah." He could really watch her lips move forever and let her voice soak into his ears and his brain for the rest of his life. His wet dreams are full of her swaying against him as they dance together, humming or singing the lyrics as they move around the room. Even though her figure is quite alluring, he doesn't act perverted about it. He keeps his distance if he feels a random boner coming on, and he curses himself for lusting after a woman who's been hurt in so many ways. He never wants her to feel _that_ part of him pressing into her, not until she's absolutely comfortable with it if they actually become a couple.

She repeats everything she had just taught him and then points to her dress. "What's this color?"

"Azul."

"¡Muy bien! Very good!" she praises him. "Nice dialect, too. I'll test ya more later, but I don't wanna overwhelm ya."

"Thanks, it was fun! I'm guessing _ay dios mío_ is _oh my god_? I've heard that a lot."

Gloria nods. "You got it! Hey...will you speak French to me again...and Indonesian? All I know is _r_ _épondez s'il vous plaît_ _._ Respond please. Also _oui_ , _non_ , _bonjour_ , and _au revoir_."

"Certainly. Your pronunciations are good! Je m'amuse avec toi ce soir. I'm having fun with you tonight. Saya berharap kita bisa melakukannya lagi segera. I hope we can do it again soon."

Gloria beams. "Yo también. Podemos. That's I am, too. We can."

"The French language is similar to Spanish or English. Like colors... _r_ _ouge_ , red, orange, same in English, but with an accent, _jaune_ , yellow, vert, kinda like the Spanish word for green, _bleu_ , like blue in English _, violet,_ we know that's purple _, rose_ , pink, like rosy cheeks, _noir_ , black, _marron_...brown," Fahri informs her.

"I knew most of that!"

"I thought so."

* * *

"Hey...you know why they call you _Glo_?" Fahri asks after they get their dinners, which are too hot to eat right now.

"Mm-hm, short for Gloria..."

"Yeah, that, but also because you glow with beauty, on the inside and out."

She giggles and feels herself blushing. She loves Fahri's compliment so much. "Oh my god, you're so cheesy, stop it..."

"I'm serious!" he insists. "You're just...full of warmth, and I like that in a woman."

Gloria closes her eyes and opens them again. "It seems like I'm in a stupor and you're a mirage."

"Why?"

"Are we in a fantasy world? You're too good to be real!" she gushes.

"No, I'm serious here, this is completely real!"

"Oh, thank God. You're so handsome and such a kindhearted person. I'm so lucky to be sitting across from someone truly amazing and charming." Him speaking French to her turns her on immensely as well, but she won't say that.

"Thank you. You're incredibly sweet. I just want you to know, though, that you're always deserving of a benevolent person who shows you the utmost respect. You're entitled to that kind of relationship." Fahri is stroking Gloria's fingers softly as he says this, and she moans internally as she continues to get aroused. She feels the need to attend to the wetness building inside her, but she can't will herself to move. The effect this man has on her is so powerful, but in a very pleasant way. The moment is extremely pure, though, nothing sexual about it, and this time, she doesn't tear her gaze away from him. She almost wishes someone could get a photo of them staring at each other like this, frozen in time.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that." She grins brightly.

"I know you did. I was glad to tell you! Bringing that adorable smile to your face and dimples on your cheeks is one of my favorite things to do."

Gloria becomes weak in the knees. She's falling in love and she can't stop. "Damn, you really know the right things to say to a girl. You better quit it before I become a human puddle on the floor."

"I'm sorry."

"No biggie. I liked it."

"I did, too. So, is your full name _Glorious_?" he jokes, bringing the light mood back.

She giggles. "Yes it is, actually! Are you a fruit, because you're pretty darn grape," she comments.

Fahri laughs out loud. "Did you just give me a corny pickup line?" Gloria nods sheepishly. "Okay, I have one, too. "Are you a metamorphic rock? You're pretty gneiss!"

"Been a while since I took science," Gloria admits and then chuckles. "I get it, though, don't worry. You got any more?"

"You're like a pencil sharpener-you give my life a point!"

Gloria lets out a giggle. "Are we in algebra? You just completed the square of my life!"

"Oh, good one!" Fahri compliments her, and she beams proudly. "Have I seen you in math class, because you're a cal-cute-lator!"

"Are we carbon? I feel a strong bond between us!" Gloria shoots back effortlessly.

"Yeah, lotsa chemistry," he murmurs as he traces the lines on her open palms that are facing upwards.

"That ain't a line." Her fingers close over his. "Your turn, homeboy."

Fahri grins. "Are you a drummer? You make my heart beat!"

"Are you a campfire? You're pretty hot," Gloria says flirtatiously and leans so close into him that she can feel his heavenly breath on her face. He's gazing directly into her eyes meaningfully and looking amused. Her eyes glance from his and travel down to his lips. She's just about to go in for a kiss, but she doesn't. It's too soon, and she's feeling dizzy from the alcohol. She wants to do this when she knows her true feelings, when they're both sober, when she for sure knows if he likes her back, when she's in plain clothes without makeup. She immediately backs away from him, hoping she hadn't disappointed him too much. "Sorry...I...I think I got a little caught up...there."

"It's alright." He adjusts himself in his chair so he's sitting up straighter. "Are you sure you're not a calendar?" he asks. "I see a lot of future dates."

"Oh, _really_?" She presses her lips together and fixes her gaze on their connected hands.

"Hell yeah...if you want."

"Yes. Oh god, do I ever."

"Alright!"

They release each other's hands. "I don't want our food to get cold," she mumbles.

"Me neither," Fahri agrees, and they dig in.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, A Star In My Universe, Seyonne Rose, Johanna002 and MinervaSnape394!**


	60. Watching You

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Warning: harassment, pedophilia, gun threats, violence, stalking, victim blaming, racist slurs, hints of abuse**

It's nearing seven in the evening, and Blanca is cooking herself and Diablo dinner while her boyfriend picks through horror movies to watch in his DVD collection. Blanca has brought some films as well, and spooky music is playing. She's in a much better mood since a few hours ago. She's making Locrio and stirring together rice and chicken in a pot so the flavors blend.

"Mmm...algo huele bien," Diablo murmurs as he comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. Blanca giggles as he pecks her cheek and then moves her hair to kiss her neck.

 **Something smells good**

"Gracias," she responds. "¿Ya has encontrado algo?

 **Have you found anything yet?**

"Todavía no, ¡hay muchos buenos!"

 **Not yet, there are too many good ones!**

"Entonces sigue buscando, chico!" Blanca points to the living room and he swats her ass. She kicks his butt in return and they're both laughing as Diablo goes back to his task.

 **Then keep looking, boy!**

She hums as she stirs the food around and around the pot while occasionally glancing out the window at the still, moonlit shrubbery in Diablo's front yard. A jolt goes through her suddenly when she notices a dark shadow in the shape of a person moving through the white curtains. It appears as if it's passing by, and then it stops. An uneasy feeling grows inside the pit of Blanca's stomach as it comes toward her. It's a child, she realizes.

The little girl can't be more than ten. She has a pink nightgown on and her black hair is in two braids over her shoulders. Dark circles under her eyes and scratches on her neck become prominent when she leans her forehead against the glass, staring right at Blanca with a worried gleam in her eyes. She looks exactly how Blanca did at that age. She even has a hint of a unibrow. Her pale pink lips are moving, but Blanca can't figure out what the kid could be saying. She presses her copper-colored hands flat against the window, making the spiderweb-shaped scars on her palms fully visible, and Blanca gives her a questioning stare while trying to inhale and exhale calmly through her frantically beating heart. The girl coughs up blood and some splatters on the glass outside.

"Oh, shit!" Blanca mutters under her breath. She hurriedly turns off the burner, throws Diablo's coat on, grabs a rag to clean up the blood, rushes out the door, closes it softly behind her, and goes around Diablo's apartment. She walks toward the child cautiously. "Hey, um...I'm not gonna hurt you. What were you trying to tell me?" Crimson stains are on her sleeves, and Blanca assumes she'd wiped it off her mouth. "Should I call nine-one-one?" She shakes her head no and just stands there with a frightened expression on her small face. "Your mama must be searching for you. You want me to help you back home?"

"I'm not lost. I can go by myself. It's not safe out here."

"I agree. What's wrong?" Blanca scrubs the window free of blood and hugs Diablo's black coat tighter around herself.

"It's scary for you, I meant. He's watching you." She points at something behind Blanca, and Blanca sneaks a peek over her shoulder. She finds nobody there.

"Who?" Blanca asks worriedly. "Where is... _he_?"

"I dunno. He hides in the darkness, lurking...he tried to kill me, but I escaped just in time."

Blanca gasps and she rubs her forehead. "Ay dios mío _..._ what's your name, sweetie?"

The girl's eyes widen in terror and Blanca knits her brows in confusion. "I can't tell you. Go back inside, lock the doors, and cover up the windows."

"Araceli, _there_ you are!" an older Spanish woman cries in relief and yanks the child to her side. "I'm sorry, my daughter has a dangerous habit of sleepwalking."

"It's okay, she warned me of a bad man-" Blanca starts, but Araceli furiously puts a finger to her lips.

"That's enough fantasizing, cariño," the lady gently chastises her and then they walk off. Blanca sprints back toward Diablo's apartment. He's not too far from her, as he's come outside. She melts into his arms and pulls him inside.

"¿Los conoces?" Blanca wants to know.

 **Do you know them?**

Diablo frowns and locks the door. "No. Es extraño...nunca los había visto por aquí antes. Tal vez son nuevos en el área."

 **It's weird...I've never seen them around here before. Maybe they're new to the area.**

"Si, probablemente."

 **Yeah, probably.**

Diablo slides his arm around Blanca's waist and pulls her to him while smiling down at her. They make out passionately, and then Blanca continues with the food. A thunderstorm starts outside and a spark of blue lights up the sky. Diablo closes all of his blinds so nobody can see inside, and then he eventually chooses a movie they both love, and they serve themselves before sitting down to eat and watch the film. Rain patters on the windows, and Blanca feels cozy in the warm apartment with her man. It's the perfect night for a good bone-chilling movie.

* * *

At the hospital, Diane and Charles visit with Michelle for a while and they had brought dinner for the girls and themselves. Alex hugs them good night, as she's going to sleep over in the room where Michelle is staying. "Yum! Thanks, Mom and Charles!" Alex calls out as she and Michelle continue to share a big container of pasta.

"Yeah, thank you," Michelle echoes. "This is delicious."

"You're welcome, girls," Diane tells them pleasantly.

"It was our pleasure!" Charles adds.

"Feel better soon, honey," Diane says and nods in Michelle's direction.

"Okay, thanks," Michelle replies with a slight grin, and the adults leave.

The doctor arrives when they finish their meal. "You're lucky to have such a sexy girl by your side." Alex shifts away from Dr. Chapman and doesn't even look at him.

"I could punch you with my good fist!" Michelle threatens him and Alex stifles a giggle.

"Relax, it's just a statement."

"You make one more inappropriate comment like that, and I'll request a different doctor," Michelle snaps. "You know we're both fifteen, right? How old are _you_ , early twenties?" she demands, and Alex smirks.

"Yeah, I mean...I was pals with your sister." Alex rolls her eyes. "Duuuhhh!"

Piper's older brother ducks his head. "Twenty-eight. I'm sorry, I must admit that you looked over eighteen, and I just thought...I've never seen either of you before! I'm incredibly embarrassed. My sister never wanted me to meet her friends."

"I can see why," Alex quips.

"I was always busy, too! How would I have an idea of your age?"

"You can't be a pervert with any girl or woman unless you're trying to date her or are going out with her already, idiot!" Michelle fires at him. "If she's visibly uncomfortable or moves away from you, then you _stop_! Besides that, she's a lesbian _and_ a minor, she'll never be your girlfriend!"

"Michelle, it's okay, he was just clueless..." Alex trails off and giggles. She's blushing because Michelle is being so sweet to defend her honor, even though it isn't needed since Danny has backed off completely and apologized.

"It's rude of people to flirt with you in my presence. We're a couple!"

"I know." Alex gives Danny a withering stare. "So don't do it again."

"I won't."

"Good!" both girls say in unison.

* * *

"I just gotta check in with my tía," Gloria informs Fahri after she swallows her last bite of half her plate. She'll save the rest for another day. She takes her phone out of her purse and opens it. Immediately, she's bomboarded with texts from one of her worst enemies, the monster who's number she'd blocked. He'd come back with a different one, much to her horror and dismay. He'd been contacting her this whole time, and an aftertaste of bile forms in the back of her throat. She quickly goes to Lourdes' number and sends a message.

 _¡La cita va bien, me estoy divirtiendo!_

 ** _The date is going fine, I'm having fun!_**

 _¡Estupendo!_

 _ **Great!**  
_

More disturbing texts from Dixon come through Gloria's phone and she gasps while placing a hand over her mouth. _I know you're a spic, but you're also half a nigger, so I want you as my slave._

 _Butts are hotter than vaginas now, and I want yours._

 _Why are you not answering me, cunt? You're gonna be punished for fooling me into being arrested!_

"Hey, what is it?" Fahri's in the middle of wiping his mouth with a napkin. She must look very distressed for him to be this worried about her.

"Yo...I just wanted to let you know, that the last time I was at Friendly's, before you met me there with my sons, I was almost raped," Gloria mumbles. She shows him her phone and it almost falls from her shaking hands. "This is the culprit. He keeps bothering me...and he won't stop!"

A deeply concerned look crosses his handsome features. "Oh my god, that's awful! I'm so sorry, Gloria. I'll deal with this motherfucker."

"The boys had been there before Lorna took them home. I was okay with us going back finally, because you were there, and I feel safe around you and Leon. I just needed a little more time to heal before I returned."

"I understand that!"

Gloria is giving Fahri her phone when it vibrates. _I know where you are, bitch. I see you in that sexy little outfit. You look like a whore, but that makes complete sense, since you_ are _one._ She yelps. "Oh, no..."

"God damn it," Fahri hisses. "He's ruining our night and harassing you...I'll make him pay for it!" He starts to get up, but Gloria stops him with her quivering hand over his firm one.

"I...I can't be alone. I'm scared of him."

Fahri gazes into her eyes sympathetically and covers her hand with his. "I know."

Gloria senses a presence behind her and flinches sharply. It's only a random person, so she instantly relaxes. "Ay dios mío, I'm so paranoid...it's embarrassing."

"You got every right to be. This asshole's stalking you!"

"Yeah...so what do we gotta do? He won't believe it if you act as me and get him arrested again...I tried that, and he got away...how the fuck did he do that?!"

"I have no idea. I'll just text Charles."

"The beast could be watching us! Something awful could happen to you..." Gloria's heart twists painfully inside her chest at the very thought.

"I won't let anything go wrong to either of us," Fahri assures her gently. "I promise." His thumbs skim over the keypad on his phone as he returns Gloria's back to her.

Gloria fiddles with her gold bracelet. "I feel silly that my plan didn't work...and I didn't even think of it in the first place. I only came up with it when Tiffany Doggett's foster mother asked me why I hadn't called the cops on him yet when he walked into the store with that unassuming girl."

"You were sickened by the texts, it's okay. You tried your hardest. They make me ill too, but he's not bothering me directly, so I just feel pure anger towards him."

"I do, too, but it's fear as well."

"I get it. All taken care of. Charles is coming in ten."

Gloria breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you. If I'm ever turning into a burden for you, then you got the choice to disappear from my life forever." A shiver comes over her as she says this.

"I wouldn't...I'm glad to help you!" Fahri insists, and his warm hands wrap around her chilly ones.

"Okay..."

 _As Gloria trudges up the dark steps to the second floor of her apartment complex, she gets her key out of her purse. It's been a long night at the bodega, and she's tired. She had asked Lourdes to take the boys home since it was past their bedtime. It's eleven and extremely quiet until a strange man wolf whistles at her while just standing there at her door._

 _Everything inside of her freezes. She tightens her hold on her keys, preparing to use them as a weapon in case he tries anything. As she approaches him, she recognizes him as Arturo's best friend, Lee Dixon. "Can you please move? I'm...I'm gonna go inside."_

 _"I've been waiting for you, sugar." He licks his lips and her heart thuds wildly in her chest. She would not possibly be able to fight him off. He's humongous, twice her size. He would crush her in a second and grab her keys from her. She wishes she'd just asked Arturo to pick her up and drive her home, but she didn't want to bother him. It's so late._

 _"How...how'd you get my a-address?" she wonders aloud shakily._

 _"Arturo gave it to me, but I forgot to get your number, sweet cheeks, so give it to me." Lee hits her butt with the back of his hand. She yelps and stumbles a few inches forward. She's dropped her keys and is now kneeling down to pick them back up, but her hands are trembling so badly that she can't get a good grip on them. His large shadow looms over her even after she gets up and he's still blocking her way to getting into her own place. Her heart keeps stopping and starting. She wants to scream, but nobody is awake to hear her._

 _"I barely know you," she tells him quietly. "I don't feel comfortable-"_

 _"I'll ask Arturo. I want a blow job for making sure you get inside without trouble. In fact, be my little slut next time we see each other. Go all the way with me. If you enjoy it, you won't cry rape." Lee traps Gloria against her door and she squeaks when he pushes himself into her. She'd never felt so dirty since she found out exactly how she got pregnant with her daughters. Lee yanks her keys out of her hands, unlocks her door, returns her keys, and pushes her over the threshold. She trips on her pink and blue flower printed rug, but then catches herself and flips on a light while closing and locking her door. Gloria is breathing heavily and struggling to stand upright, so she uses the wall to support herself while she toes her shoes off. She's not sure if Lee is still out there, and she doesn't want to find out if he's still lurking around._

 _After placing kisses on her sons' and Lourdes' cheeks as they're sleeping, Gloria changes into her pajamas, does her nightly routine, and gets under the covers. She lays in the fetal position and closes her eyes, but she can't fall into a deep slumber. She has to figure out what to tell Arturo. She wants him_ _to be more protective of her now and blame himself for giving Dixon her address in the first place._

Gloria swallows the lump in her throat at the eerie memory. Telling Fahri about it was like taking a few bricks off her chest, but she still feels constricted. He doesn't know the whole truth yet. Fahri exhales through gritted teeth, but his eyes are kind and caring. His hands squeeze hers gently, reminding her who she's with. "God damn it, Gloria...I'm so sorry that creep scared you before, and he's still harassing you now! What makes it even worse is that asshole ex of yours let him know where you lived in the first place!"

Gloria shakes her head. "No, he didn't...Dixon just followed me home."

 _"¡No doy tu dirección a cualquiera!" Arturo jabs a crooked finger in between Gloria's shirt-covered breasts. "Le dijiste-"_

 _ **I don't give out your address to just anyone! You told him-**_

 _"No, no lo hice_ _!" she protests honestly._

 _ **No, I didn't!**_

 _"Sí, lo hiciste! ¡Me estás engañando, mentirita perra!" Arturo yells, and she flinches as his spittle flies in her face. "¡Querías que él te visitara y te jodara!"_

 _ **Yeah, you did! You're cheating on me, you lying little bitch! You wanted him to visit you and fuck you sore!**_

 _"No, tienes que creerme, ¡no soy infiel!"_ _Gloria whimpers when he grips her forearm and jostles her. She chokes up and decides to hold in her tears until he leaves to cool off. His face is red with fury, and it's the first time she's terrified of him. She doesn't know why he's accusing her of cheating. All she'd wanted was for him to banish Lee from coming near her again and cutting off their friendship for good. She wishes he'd given her one of those long, comforting hugs and assured her that she was safe with him and he'd take her home from now on. She regrets ever telling him about this incident._

 _ **No, you gotta believe me, I'm not unfaithful!**_

 _"¿Cómo diablos sabría él dónde vivías?"_

 _ **How the fuck would he know where you lived?**_

 _Gloria avoids his angry glare. "¡No lo sé, entonces! ¡No lo sé! Deja de interrogarme, por favor! Él es repugnante, no haría una mierda con él ... nunca sería desleal-"_

 _ **I don't know, then! I don't know! Stop interrogating me, please! He is di** **sgusting, I wouldn't do shit with him...I would never be disloyal-**_

 _He bangs the wall behind her and she nearly jumps out of her skin."Te estoy vigilando," he growls before stomping out of her house, leaving her just as alone as she feels._

 _ **I'm watching you.**_

 _She doesn't break down sobbing uncontrollably until after he's gone. She collapses to the floor and weeps into her hands while rocking back and forth. She shrieks until her throat feels raw, and her heart is torn to pieces. She's wailing so hard that she starts coughing and then she scrambles to the sink to throw up._

"Unbelievable," Fahri mutters. "What a fucking emotionally abusive douchebag, victim blaming you like that and making you literally sick. If you'd told me, I would've punched Dixon out and called the police for stalking and pursuing."

"Yeah, I know...he was complete toxic trash. They both were...still are," Gloria mumbles.

"Did you tell Lourdes?"

Gloria shakes her head no. "I didn't wanna burden her with more guy problems...and I never called the cops neither. I'm actually glad the police weren't involved since at the time, I wasn't friends with any fair ones, and they usually don't want people to waste their precious time with something so minor, even if it was a big deal to me. Most importantly, it wasn't continuous. My ex drove me everywhere and never took his eyes off me, and Dixon didn't lust after me in his presence, of course, and since I didn't reciprocate it, my ex no longer cared. He apologized after our first fight and admitted he overreacted. I have a present from him for each time he said he was sorry."

 _"Tendré una conversación firme con mi amigo," Arturo says as he snakes his arms around Gloria's waist and nibbles on her neck, making her giggle. "No puedo culparlo, sin embargo, ¡tu trasero está muy caliente!"_

 _ **I'll have a firm talk with my buddy.** **I can't blame him, though, your ass is pretty hot!**_

 _Gloria just chuckles and agrees and it doesn't seem like a big deal anymore. She's still skeeved out by Lee, but she's confident Arturo will now make sure it doesn't happen again._

"God, you must've felt so alone," Fahri tells her sympathetically.

"I was like...empty," Gloria lets him know. "Being single, I would've been less lonely."

"I'm really sorry to hear that," Fahri murmurs sincerely and she gives him a halfhearted smile. "I hope he doesn't suck you back in his trap again, he's just plain manipulative," he points out bitterly.

"Don't worry...I know his games like the back of my hand. I ain't lettin' him have power over me no more," Gloria states.

"Good, I'm glad. I just want you to be okay."

A warm feeling spreads through her. "I am. Thanks for your concern."

"You're welcome."

When they finish their delectable churros, ice cream, and drinks, they each pay for their own meal. "Mmm, so good," Gloria comments while closing her eyes and smiling.

"I know, yum!" Fahri agrees. He stands up and holds his hand out. "Shall we take a stroll around the park, madame?"

She giggles. "Why of course, monsieur."

"Oh, but first..." Fahri shrugs off his coat and hands it to her. "Why don't you take my jacket? It's cold outside."

"Sure!" Gloria says pleasantly and slips it on. She nearly melts when she bundles into it and buttons it up to her chest. It's warm and smells so nice, just like his personality.

"Is it cool if I put my arm around you?" he asks, and she nods. She's completely lost in his eyes.

"Yes. I don't mind."

He pulls her closer to his side and she revels in the feeling. As they walk together, she hums in approval and rests her head on his shoulder. "I'm feelin' dazed," she cautions him. "I had a lot of alcohol."

"I'll catch you."

Gloria sighs. She really has it bad for him. "A guy this good can't be straight..."

"Well, I admit that I've had some experiences with guys, but I'm not gay," Fahri tells her, and she laughs out loud.

"I kissed Aleida as part of a dare, but I ain't a lesbian!" Gloria admits. "It was kinda fun. Which dudes?"

"Oh...nobody you know."

Gloria shrugs. "It don't matter, I guess."

"You excited for tomorrow? I know Farah can't wait to jump up and down with her friends for hours on end and then have cake!"

"I am...I just wish I could have a bounce house for Julio, but there's no room in our backyard...plus, it's hella expensive. He's wanted one since he was two. Kids deserve to have their dreams come true...so I feel bad."

"How about if I blow one up at my house?" Fahri volunteers. "I've got plenty of space."

"Oh, I could never ask you for that kinda thing," Gloria mumbles.

"You didn't, I honestly don't mind doing favors for people I care about."

Gloria's heart warms and she feels moisture building up behind her eyes. "Alright...thank you." She blinks back her happy tears and sniffles.

"Anytime!"

They end up sitting on a bench and staring up at the stars and the moon. "Just beautiful out here, huh?" Fahri asks.

"Yeah..."

It's probably the best date she's ever been on with another person and no one else was with them, and when she gets home, she tells her family, including Lourdes, all about it. They're so happy that she had an excellent time with Fahri.

* * *

"How was it? Tell us everything!" Michelle exclaims as she sits up in her cot with Alex's help. Seeing Gloria makes Michelle remember the fact that the older woman had gone out with Fahri the previous night, and she wants to immerse herself in the juicy details rather than think about her own suffering.

Gloria laughs. "I haven't even sat down yet, and you're already asking me how my date went? I'm more concerned about you, honey. I'm sorry I couldn't visit sooner." She plops into a chair on the other side of where Alex is seated. "Thank dios you're okay." Gloria squeezes Michelle's unscathed hand.

"Mm-hmm...my left arm is broken after falling off the dumbass ladder...I collapsed and immediately thought it was the end, but..." Michelle cocks her head to one side and purses her lips. "I'm still alive. I'm taking pain meds that make me sleepy, and even though spending the night with Alex was super nice, I can't wait to get back home and sleep in my own bed! It's more comfortable for the both of us. So...back to yesterday evening."

"Yeah, spill it, Glo!" Alex presses further. She looks as eager as Michelle feels.

"We went out to dinner at La Rica's, held hands, took a walk in the park, stargazed, chatted...just your basic first date stuff. It was real pleasant. He's _such_ a good man." Happiness twinkles in Gloria's eyes as she beams. Alex and Michelle squeal at the same time.

"Yay, that's awesome!" Michelle comments.

"It is!" Alex agrees. "We told you so that he was great for you!"

"Yes, you did!" Gloria responds. "Y'all can let the other girls know. I informed Daya, Aleida, and my tía about it when I got back to my place."

"Okay, we will!" Michelle says, beaming.

* * *

While Allison, her mother, Hassan, Gloria, Fahri, and Sahar stand and watch the kids jump in the bounce house, the pink streamers and balloons tied to the porch's stair rail wave around in the wind, which isn't too strong at all. There's loud giggling and the sun is shining high over the green grass. Allison is happy that it hasn't rained yet today. Once the wind picks up, though, she knows she'll have to move the party inside. She just hopes it won't be until the very end, when they have to go back into her house for cake, ice cream, and presents anyway. The other teenagers are busy, but they'd still brought over gifts for Farah, which was incredibly sweet.

"So...I heard Farah will be Jasmine for Halloween?" Gloria asks with a grin. "That'll be adorable!"

Allison sighs heavily. "Oh, god, don't remind me. She likes what she likes, but princesses... _really_?"

"What's the matter with that?" Sahar wants to know.

"You know my thing about princesses. I don't want her to grow up thinking she has to always look pretty and be in frilly dresses and her happy ending just has to be with a husband and children. There's much more to life than looking beautiful. She's tough and intelligent, too."

"We know, Masha-Allah," Hassan says. "It's only a costume for a little kid."

"It's not like it'll make her a brainless trophy wife when she gets to be a woman," Allison's mother comments, and Gloria nods in agreement.

"Yeah, and it's not offensive to anyone's culture or anything," Fahri puts in.

"Ain't nothin' wrong with little girls wanting to be princesses either," Gloria adds, and Allison rolls her eyes internally at everyone's opinions being different than hers about her daughter. "Besides...don't Jasmine wear pants? She don't got a tiara either, from what I recall. You gotta let her choose her own interests if they don't hurt her or others. That's what a mama does for her baby. It's okay if she's a princess...she can be girly and badass at the same time!"

"Well, it's fine...it's her choice. I don't have to love it, but I'm sure she'll be adorable. She won't look completely like a princess, and she doesn't mind that, I suppose," Allison murmurs, and they all appear to be pleased with her words.

Gloria and Allison exchange a grin as Farah, Julio, Emiliano, and Benny join hands and jump up and down happily. They suddenly stop when Benny practically rolls out onto the cushy stairs so he's laying flat on his back and then he gets up and runs over to Gloria. The adults and Allison beam when Gloria picks him up and spins him around. "Oh, I'm so glad you're still small. You'll probably be too big to carry when you're ten or somethin'."

Benny giggles. "Yeah. I'm having a lot of fun!"

"That's great, buddy!"

He looks around at the group with widened eyes. "We had a bouncy house for my birthday party, too! It was at my favorite place, Chuck-E-Cheese! The big girls played loud games and me and Christina and our little brothers jumped in the house and then played in a ball pit! I got cool presents like a SpiderMan toy from Mommy and Julio, Aleida gave me tiny cars and trucks, Leon got me a basketball, and Daya bought me a SpiderMan shirt! There was pizza and chocolate cake! Yummy in my tummy! Everyone sang happy birthday to me and I felt _reeeeally_ special!"

"Sounds fun, sport!" Fahri says.

"It was! I wanna do it again and again, but Mommy said she doesn't like it there, so we don't go that much."

"I wasn't too fond of the mouse, it was eerie." Gloria explains.

"Sorry, kid, but I have to side with your mama on that one," Allison tells him.

"Yeah," Allison's mother, Sahar, and Hassan agree.

"Aww..." Benny pouts and then turns to Fahri. "What about you, mister?"

"Well...it's a little weird. I apologize."

"Man, y'all are haters! I like the bouncy house, ball pit, and pizza!"

Everyone chuckles at Benny's cuteness. "Don't worry, baby...I'll take you someplace else that has those things," Gloria assures him and kisses the top of his head.

"Okay...thanks, Mommy!"

"You're welcome."

* * *

"This idiot is terrible and a waste of money, he's not hilarious at all," Allison mutters as the hired clown has just sneezed his rubber red nose off and blown snot out of each of his nostrils. The jerk makes sure it drips all over the kids and then snickers about it, but nobody else does. He'd also been telling dirty jokes and using inappropriate language for the tiny humans present. Gloria wants to slap the makeup off of him, and Allison is seething beside her. Fahri, Hassan, Allison's mother, and Sahar appear to be just as pissed off. He resembles the Joker, with his white face paint, red lips curved into a creepy grin, black eyeshadow giving him a raccoon look, a curly green wig, and a yellow pantsuit with red polka dots.

"Eeeewwww!" the children scream, and Farah, Julio, and Benny start to cry. Allison grabs her daughter from the front and center seat and Gloria scoops up Julio in her arms, takes Benny's hand, and leads him away from the terrible supposed funnyman. "Come on inside to scrub those germs off, guys!" Allison instructs them, and Gloria and Benny follow her.

"Yeah, you'll be clean again soon enough," Gloria assures them.

"Oh, give me a break, girlie! Kids' Choice Awards on Nickelodeon does shit with green slime all the time! Besides that, I got a cold! I tried to cancel!" The clown honks his huge red nose, but not one person gives him a second glance. "Whatever, guess I'm out. See you never!" The rest of the adults help the little ones wash up and change their clothes. Once Julio and Benny are finished, they scamper away with Fahri and Hassan and the other little boys that the men had been assisting.

"God, what a moron," Allison grumbles as she picks Farah up and jiggles her in her arms. "At least I didn't give him any of my money."

"I know. Yeah, that's a good thing," Gloria comments.

Allison glances down at her daughter and brushes the curls back from her small face. "You okay, sweetie?"

Farah nods her head yes and Allison pokes her nose. It makes Gloria chuckle, and Farah giggles while clapping her hands. A second later, though, the tiny girl scrunches up her face in displeasure and she turns red as she begins wailing hysterically and burying her face in Allison's shoulder. Allison tries to bounce her and rub soothing circles on her back, but it doesn't stop her crying.

"Oh, poor baby," Gloria murmurs as she joins Allison in rubbing Farah's back. "I wonder what's..." Allison and Gloria turn around and then jump when they see who's standing just a few inches away from them. "Wrong."

"I thought you got outta here, Bozo!" Allison hisses, and he just guffaws maniacally.

"More like the Joker," Gloria mutters.

"These big white shoes give nothing away." His accent changes to a creepy Southern one that Gloria has heard way too much of. The familiar voice sends tremors through her whole body. Her suspicions prove to be correct when he wipes away his disguise and rips off his wig, revealing Dixon. Allison cradles Farah to her chest securely and Gloria moves in front of the teenage mother and her child. As afraid that she is of Dixon, she wants to protect Allison and Farah. He tears off his outfit and is only in a pair of disgusting red satin shorts. He has many versions of Gloria's name tattooed on his back in different fonts and sizes, and Allison gasps in horror behind her. A shiver crawls up Gloria's spine and she almost stumbles backward into Allison, but the girl keeps her steady. "Arturo, my buddy in prison, had this, too. He gave me an idea, because I'm mad about you, Hot Pants."

"You're so gross," Allison snaps. "Come on, Gloria, we'll call the cops outside." She links arms with Gloria and they try to run away from Dixon, but he halts them in their tracks by shoving them both against the wall, making them hit their backs hard. Allison keeps her hand on Farah's head, cupping it so it won't touch the wall.

"You cunts aren't going anywhere!" he yells, causing Farah to shriek even louder. "Shut the fuck up, you brat!" He wrestles Farah out of Allison's grasp, and the helpless toddler bawls while reaching for her mommy. Gloria's heart breaks for Allison and Farah, and she and Allison try to get Farah back, but Dixon points a gun towards them while pressing Farah to his chest with his arm covering her whole torso and his hand muffling her sobs, turning them to whimpers. She's kicking and trying to squirm out of his grasp, but she can't escape. Allison and Gloria put their hands up in surrender.

"That's a dangerous way to hold a child, you cruel monster!" Gloria points out. "You could drop her."

"I won't...but I could strangle her easily with my bare hands. She'll be dangling a good six and a half feet off the ground as her short life slips away. I'm able to do that to all of you. I did it to numerous sluts in Afghanistan who look just like you...brown as the shit I flush down the toilet after a hearty meal."

Allison pales and she clutches Gloria's wrist with a clammy hand. Gloria is extremely close to throwing up at Dixon's eerie words.

"Before I ended 'em, though, I fucked 'em. They claimed rape, but you know they wanted me. They couldn't resist a nice officer like me. The way I see it...at least their families won't punish 'em now. I came here today to tell y'all that. Your first clown...well, he may have been silly and all, but he got into an accident." Dixon smirks evilly. "It was fun to take down a terrorist ape and change my voice for a minute there."

"Just give me back my baby," Allison begs him and presses her hands together in a prayer motion. "Please."

"You're gonna suffocate her!" Gloria puts in urgently.

"What's your costume tomorrow? If it's my next girlfriend, you're doing a great job!" Dixon's twisted gaze goes to Farah. "She's sexy in that dress," he drawls as he removes his hand from her mouth. Her cries grow louder and Dixon slaps the toddler's butt, which make Gloria and Allison yelp in horror and Farah choke on her sobs. "I wonder what her pussy's like."

"Hell no, not my baby!" Allison shouts defensively and both she and Gloria race for the gun at the same time. He quickly puts Farah down and he's about to knock the gun off the table and away from them, when Fahri storms into the room.

"Leave my family alone!" Fahri bellows and Allison yanks her little one up off the floor. She holds her close while kissing her head a few times and humming to her. Gloria stands in front of the girls in case Dixon attempts to do more harm. Before the big buffoon can retrieve the gun, Fahri whacks Dixon over the head rapidly with a plastic bat and then gets him in the face and the crotch when he turns around. Gloria sighs with relief and presses her hand to her heart. Behind her, Allison looks on, stunned.

"I'll call Charles on that son of a bitch," she whispers and then runs off with Farah.

"Thanks!" Gloria replies. She gasps sharply when Dixon cracks the bat over his knee and punches Fahri down. Without a second to waste, she grabs the gun and points it at the large asshole. It feels so heavy in her trembling hands and she really doesn't want to use it at all, let alone at a child's birthday party, but if it's to keep herself and Fahri from getting killed, she'll have to. The fear that Dixon could take it from her in a heartbeat consumes her. She does her best to turn that into rage. "Hey, you really gonna make me use this?" she asks Dixon angrily. "Touch him again, and I will!"

Fahri groans and gets up as he wipes blood off his nose and cheek. "Gloria, I'm okay, just need some ice. Please don't shoot...I don't want you in prison..."

"Charles won't send me there. It's for everyone who's lives that creep took. He was gonna molest your great-niece! You know what he did to me." She glowers at Dixon while panting heavily and on the verge of tears. "I hate you! Motherfucker!" Gloria continues to aim it at his head, right between his eyes, and walks backward on wobbly legs as he stalks toward her. Fahri picks up the two pieces of the broken bat and stabs Dixon in the back as Gloria strikes him as hard as she can in his neck. She drops the gun and then Fahri takes her hand so they can dash off together. Thankfully, police sirens are heard and Charles arrests Dixon at the front door.

After Fahri has cleaned up his injury and put ice on it, Gloria breaks down sobbing and hyperventilating while clinging onto his shirt with trembling fingers. "I'm so sorry..."

"You don't have to apologize for him," he soothes her. "Can I give you a hug?"

"Y-yes, definitely," she blubbers and they wrap their arms around each other. She burrows her face into his chest and cries softly in his arms, creating a wet patch on his shirt. After a few minutes, she glances up at him. "I just want some happiness..."

Fahri keeps holding her and rubbing gentle circles on her back. "I know...I know...I'm glad to give you a lot of that. I hope that evil pedophile never gets outta the big house again."

Gloria sniffles. "Would you hate me if I really killed him?"

"No, of course not! Self-defense...your life is the number one priority...and we despise him, so...and he's rotten."

"Mm-hmm...you know, you're the calm in my storm." She brushes her tears away so she can see him clearly.

"I feel that way about you, too," Fahri tells her, and his expression turns earnest. They share a genuine smile and everything is okay again.

The rest of Farah's birthday party consists of white cake and presents. She gets a tricycle from her parents, Fahri gives her a fairytale coloring book and crayons, her grandmother helps her unwrap an assortment of multicolored hairbows and a light blue shirt that reads _World's Best Granddaughter_ in sparkly purple lettering with small pink hearts around it, she receives Legos, courtesy of Sahar, and Gloria hands her a yellow gift bag decorated with orange jack o' lanterns, black bats, and brown leaves. "What is it?" Farah asks eagerly.

"I dunno," Gloria answers, all traces of stress gone from her voice. "Open it up and see, pumpkin." She ruffles the toddler's hair.

Farah bunches up the red tissue paper in her small fist and tosses it aside. She takes out a pink dress that has a white flower pattern and a tulle skirt. "Oooh, pretty!" she comments while examining it. "Love it!"

"Oh, wow!" Gloria says exaggeratedly, as if she had no clue what Farah's new present was. "You gonna look so cute in that!"

"It's from me and Julio, too!" Benny pipes up, and Julio hugs the birthday girl.

Like Farah had done for the others, she hugs Gloria and the boys while smiling hugely. "What do you say, sweetie?" Allison asks her.

"Thank you," Farah tells everyone shyly.

"You're welcome!" they all reply in unison.

* * *

"Holy shit, check out Blanca and Diablo," Nicky says. She's at Eddy's party with Lorna, Alex, Michelle, Daya, Flaca, Maritza, and a bunch of other guests from their school. "I can't believe they roleplay as a unicorn and a sprite and then decided to dress up as those!"

"Why do they tell you about their sex life?" Flaca asks and wrinkles her nose. "Too much information, dude..."

Lorna pats her girlfriend's cheek. "They're Nicky and Blanca. They discuss dirty details like that!" she reminds Flaca, and Nicky just grins proudly. "At least they look real cute together."

"Oh, god!" Alex groans as Diablo and Blanca sink into a sofa and start making out heavily. "I really wish we didn't know...or have to see their PDA."

"Well, let's talk about somethin' else, then," Michelle says. She pats Daya's knee. "You and Adarsh did couple's costumes too. Where's your Diego, Frida Kahlo?"

"Okay, we're not even official," Daya mumbles and her cheeks turn pink. "He's coming soon!"

"Hey...I assume y'all have heard about Glo and Fahri?" Maritza wonders out loud.

"Yes!" the girls squeal in unison.

"Wow, Snow White...I should've known you'd be her, Lorna," a voice interrupts them, and they glance up from their seated positions to see Maria and Yadriel standing in front of them. She's dressed as Catwoman while Yadriel is Batman.

"Oh, but of course! Lotsa people say I got her look. My, you two certainly are adorable!" Lorna praises them.

"Thanks," Maria says. She and Yadriel beam at the compliment. Her gaze travels to Alex and she grins. "I always pegged you for Elvira!"

Alex smirks. "Ever since you called me that, I owned it. You know, if you've got it, flaunt it!"

"Yes! Yo, Michelle, what are you?"

"I'm a sugar plum fairy...like the opposite of Alex's character. We're like yin and yang...a perfect couple." Michelle gets up and twirls in her pink dress and her blonde wig that's made into pigtails.

"Nice!" Maria grins approvingly. "Daya, you're awesome as Frida K. You're the OG artist here, after all."

Daya beams. "Yeah...thank you."

"You're like...what you supposed to be?" Maria asks and jerks her chin in Nicky's direction.

"Lorna's Princ _ess_ Charming." Nicky points to her tiara and then her red and black Renaissance style gown. "Is it good?"

"Very! Clever indeed." Maria taps Flaca's shoulder. "Cindy called it, you _are_ Morticia this year!"

"Yeah...I thought it was kind of an insult at first, but Alex advised me to just take it as a compliment, so I told her later, in fact, that I'mma be Morticia for Halloween!" Flaca gestures to her black dress and dark red lips. "Heeeeyyyy!"

"Mm-hm, and I'm a gothic queen, so I can match my girl." Maritza touches her gold crown pleasantly.

Blanca passes Maria and bumps into her. "Puta," Maria grumbles. "Well...I'll see y'all later, I guess! Hope y'all got your masks."

"We sure do! Everyone loves a good masquerade ball," Lorna says eagerly.

Adarsh comes over to them and hands Daya a drink. "Halloween? More like Hallo-we're getting fucked up!"

"Yay!" Daya cheers and stands up. He leads her away by the hand. "What's in this?"

"Just alcohol, don't worry, I wouldn't drug you!"

"That's good!"

"It's not Halloween yet, Morticia. You can only be a freak one day of the year!" Polly shouts over the loud music that's starting. They all start dancing to _Monster Mash_.

Flaca scowls at Polly and flips her the bird, but still lets Polly's taunt roll off her. "We're celebrating it today, but whatever, puta."

"Flaca can be whoever she wants," Maritza puts in and gives the bitch a death glare. "She can curse you, too, Palalalalalala-Polly!"

"I'll go find Larry," Polly says nervously, and the girls burst out cackling.

 _I was working in the lab late one night_  
 _When my eyes beheld an eerie sight_  
 _For my monster from his slab began to rise_  
 _And suddenly to my surprise_

 _He did the mash_  
 _He did the monster mash_  
 _The monster mash_  
 _It was a graveyard smash_  
 _He did the mash_  
 _It caught on in a flash_  
 _He did the mash_  
 _He did the monster mash_

Allison and Hassan stroll through the front door, donned in witch and wizard costumes. "You guys are so cute in those!" Lorna says cheerfully.

"Thanks!" they answer in unison.

Taystee and Poussey come in next and everyone hugs them and gives them fist bumps. They're dressed as Serena and Venus Williams. "That's so clever and hella adorable!" Flaca compliments them.

"Thank you!" the pair of best friends answer her.

 _From my laboratory in the castle east_  
 _To the master bedroom where the vampires feast_  
 _The ghouls all came from their humble abodes_  
 _To get a jolt from my electrodes_

 _They did the mash_  
 _They did the monster mash_  
 _The monster mash_  
 _It was a graveyard smash_  
 _They did the mash_  
 _It caught on in a flash_  
 _They did the mash_  
 _They did the monster mash_

"Y'all should've seen Boo's costume!" Pennsatucky announces. "She dressed as her mother and I was like, 'Now, that's a good, scary costume!' She said old Mrs. Black would love it, though. She always wanted Boo to be girly. She's on her deathbed now and still doesn't appreciate her daughter. It's quite unfortunate...she missed out."

"Yeah," everyone agrees.

 _The zombies were having fun_  
 _The party had just begun_  
 _The guests included Wolf Man_  
 _Dracula and his son_

 _The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds_  
 _Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds_  
 _The coffin-bangers were about to arrive_  
 _With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five"_

"How does Boo look like her mom?" Alana wants to know.

"Uhh...well, she's wearing a brown wig that's cropped to her chin, in like a bob style, and makeup, and a dress!"

"Yep, that's terrifying. It's basically Marka as a brunette," Nicky comments, and the girls and guys around her and Pennsatucky laugh.

 _They played the mash_  
 _They played the monster mash_  
 _The monster mash_  
 _It was a graveyard smash_  
 _They played the mash_  
 _It caught on in a flash_  
 _They played the mash_  
 _They played the monster mash_

 _Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring_  
 _Seems he was troubled by just one thing_  
 _He opened the lid and shook his fist_  
 _And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist"_

"Mm-hm. I just came as myself." Pennsatucky shrugs. "I actually dislike Halloween, but I enjoy going to a good party and having treats instead of tricks. It's become a night where chicks put on the trashiest outfits they can find instead of getting some delicious candy."

"Not all of us do that, you know!" Maritza protests.

"I don't mean any of you!" Pennsatucky jerks her head toward Polly, Kristy, Tammy, and Jody, who are in skimpy costumes. "I was talkin' about those idiots over there."

The girls laugh out loud. Flaca notices Baxter, who's dressed as Rambo, dancing provocatively with his girlfriend, supposedly Jessica. She's only wearing a leopard print bikini bottom and top. "Wow, her, too," Flaca points out and giggles.

"Oh, god, Jessica Wedge," Alex grumbles. "Why does he have to date her and bring her to this shit?"

"Don't pay her any attention, she doesn't deserve it," Michelle recommends sweetly and cups Alex's cheeks. "I'll distract you." She leans up on her tiptoes and kisses Alex. Flaca and Maritza exchange a smile at their cuteness.

 _It's now the mash_  
 _It's now the monster mash_  
 _The monster mash_  
 _And it's a graveyard smash_  
 _It's now the mash_  
 _It's caught on in a flash_  
 _It's now the mash_  
 _It's now the monster mash_

 _Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band_  
 _And my monster mash is the hit of the land_  
 _For you, the living, this mash was meant too_  
 _When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you_

The group rolls their eyes when they see Leanne as Sebastian and Angie as Flounder. The methheads are already strung out and talking about how Angie was a newsstand last year since her mom stuck her face in bleach and buying Angie a Halloween costume had slipped her mind. The woman had taped old newspapers all over Angie. "No one really cares!" Blanca hollers and everyone laughs.

"Ah, good one, babe!" Diablo tells her and she smirks proudly.

 _Then you can mash_  
 _Then you can monster mash_  
 _The monster mash_  
 _And do my graveyard smash_  
 _Then you can mash_  
 _You'll catch on in a flash_  
 _Then you can mash_  
 _Then you can monster mash_

As the song fades away, another one begins, _Love Potion Number Nine_ , and everyone puts their different colored eye masks on. Daya's is red with feathers, Flaca has a black and sparkly one, Lorna chose white, and Alex picked dark purple. She puts her glasses on over it. Flaca helps Maritza adjust her gold eye mask. They kiss just before Maritza hits the dance floor with Nicky, Lorna, and Alex. Michelle sighs and shows Flaca her casted arm. "This thing's fucking heavy," she complains.

"I totally sympathize with you," Flaca murmurs. "You got tired of swaying with your girl?"

"Yeah...I didn't wanna put all my weight on her neither."

"Mmm." Flaca nods in understanding. Someone turns on _Getting to Know You_ by Julie Andrews.

 _It's a very ancient saying_  
 _But a true and honest thought_  
 _That if you become a teacher_  
 _By your pupils you'll be taught..._

"Yo, chicas...you see Adarsh over there spinning Daya? It's so cute, right?" Maria beams and scratches at a spot beneath her black eye mask.

"Yes!" they gush in unison. "Yo, where's your Batman?" Flaca wants to know.

"He's playing beer pong with the dudes. I would do it, but I can't hold my liquor like he can."

Not a second later, Michelle goes back to Alex. She leans up and whispers something into her girlfriend's ear. "Oh, shit, that sucks."

"Yeah, but you know what doesn't?" Maria doesn't wait for Flaca's response. "I'm like, totally responsible for Adarsh showing up tonight, so Daya told me I'm pretty much her best friend in the entire world."

Flaca gives her a quizzical look as she sits down. "Really?"

 _As a teacher I've been learning_  
 _You'll forgive me if I boast_  
 _And I've now become an expert_  
 _On the subject I like most_

 _Getting to know you..._

"Of course. We're sisters in teenage motherhood already, so I'm not all that surprised."

"He didn't decide to come on his own? I thought he liked her," Flaca mumbles.

"Nah, girl. He wanted to, but his parents made him stay home 'cause of homework...he had a lot, but I got a costume for him that would go nicely with Daya's, and I helped him convince his parents that he could take a few hours off from that shit. He barely goes to anything fun, you know? Plus, Daya hasn't seen him in forever, so...they deserved time together."

"He was doing so much during lunch and after school," Flaca remembers aloud. "I bet they really missed each other. Aww, that was a hella sweet thing you did for her!"

Maria shrugs with a smile and drums her fingers on the arm of the couch. "That's what friends are for. You know...I didn't have one before Blanca, 'cause of Chapman."

"I apologize for that white bitch makin' fun of you both," Flaca murmurs guiltily.

 _Getting to know you_  
 _Getting to know all about you_  
 _Getting to like you_  
 _Getting to hope you like me..._

"You don't gotta do that...I shouldn't dredge up the sad memories. It'd be pathetic."

"At least you're part of a band now, right?"

"Yep. It's just like, right before Chapman died, I saw her and Blanca talking at a restaurant, Thunder Thais. Did she ever tell you that she and Polly dined there all the time? She worked there as a waitress, too."

Flaca shakes her head and narrows her brows in confusion. "We didn't even know they were friends, but I've gone to that place before. She did have a job, but she didn't tell us what it was. Thunder Thais shut down when she disappeared. Why was she talking to Blanca? She was horrible to her."

"Yeah, not a shocker. She was stuffed with facts about herself that she didn't want nobody to know. Um, well, Blanca went up to her...apparently, she was searching for somebody and she asked Blanca to keep that a secret. In return, Blanca wanted to be popular. I stopped their conversation then, not wanting mi amiga to be roped into Chapman's trap of lies and betrayals."

 _Getting to know you_  
 _Putting it my way_  
 _But nicely_  
 _You are precisely_  
 _My cup of tea..._

"Who was Piper looking for?"

"Probably Mike Powell. You know it was a victory for us when he rejected her?" Maria cackles.

"Yeah, but I'm thinkin'...P must have been prowling around and Piper was tryin' to find him or her." Flaca gauges Maria's reaction when she mentions the anonymous cyber harasser, but Maria's face remains stoic and then morphs into a confused expression.

"I got no idea who that is."

"Someone who's bothering us by text...and they've hurt us physically, too."

Maria closes her eyes and then opens them. "Oh, right. P's threatened me countless times...I dunno why, I wasn't ever friends with Chapman. Maybe 'cause me and Daya are tight. So, you think P was after Chapman, too?"

 _Getting to know you_  
 _Getting to know all about you_  
 _Getting to like you_  
 _Getting to hope you like me..._

Flaca nods her head yes silently. "Have they ever harmed you or your family?"

"No, but they tried to make Daya's mom go down for drugs again unless I did them a dangerous favor. I almost got killed."

Flaca gasps. "Let's go find this bitch, then."

Alex stops them when Maria is about to wheel Flaca out the door with a ramp. "Wait...I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, and if you're trying to capture P, I should come with."

"Me, too," Blanca cuts in and glares at Maria.

"Fine," Maria grumbles.

Flaca beams at Alex gratefully. She doesn't completely trust Maria, and she's aware that Alex feels the same way.

 _Getting to know you_  
 _Putting it my way_  
 _But nicely_  
 _You are precisely_

 _My cup of tea..._

Maria drives them to the abandoned restaurant, and she's an expert at only fifteen. She stops at a place so dirty and dusty that Flaca can hardly believe it had once been a sunny location to enjoy a meal at. It's even more gray and desolate as they all get out of the car and go towards it. Maria opens the door and it creaks loudly.

"Okay, now that's just a little bit creepy," Flaca comments.

"It needs some tidying up, I suppose," Maria says as she, Blanca, and Alex step inside with Alex pushing Flaca in her wheelchair. "Oh, wow..."

There's photos of Piper's friends plastered all over the walls doing different things, individual pictures of Piper, and newspaper clippings about the mystery surrounding her disappearance and death. "Okay, this is clearly P's lair," Alex points out and nearly trips over an upside-down chair since it's so cluttered with tables pushed together and chairs and menus stacked on top of them in a messy fashion.

"Ay dios mío, you okay?" Flaca wonders aloud in concern.

"Yeah," Alex responds. A record spins and _Getting to Know You_ continues. Flaca, Alex, Blanca, and Maria jump when they hear it. "What a creepy song...and how weird is it that the tune was just playing at the party?"

 _Getting to know you_  
 _Getting to feel free and easy_  
 _When I am with you_  
 _Getting to know what to say..._

"Very. There's nobody here, should we just go?" Maria asks.

"Nuh-uh. We'll wait for P to arrive, and then we attack," Blanca mutters.

"Hey...I got some wine stashed in my trunk. I'll go get some," Maria tells them as she's halfway out the door. "You girls stay here."

"I thought you ain't gonna get hammered tonight," Flaca says.

"It's for you three only. Hello?"

The girls except Maria, wander around the space and Flaca rifles through some papers. There's a sketch of a wood nymph on a few of them. It matches Blanca's costume exactly, down to the bright blue eyemask and matching shoes. "P was a sprite, too, huh, Blanca?" Flaca asks her accusingly. "What's Diablo gonna say? He held a few rich white people hostage in a store, he never did nothin' bad to human beings who didn't deserve it!"

 _Haven't you noticed_  
 _Suddenly I'm bright and breezy?_  
 _Because of all the beautiful and new_  
 _Things I'm learning about you_  
 _Day by day..._

"That shady whore is tryin' to pin it on me!" Blanca hisses and opens a closet door to reveal Maria's drum set. "I fucking hate her...she goes too far with shit."

"Did you kill Piper?" Alex demands.

"Bitch, I'm talking!" Blanca snaps. "I'm not P. I could tell you who it probably is if you all would just listen to me!"

Flaca dumps out a bunch of baby clothes from a bag. "Maria told me earlier that she'd just bought a bunch of cute little outfits for Pepa that look just like these. She's...she's P."

Blanca gestures toward her. "Thank you! That's exactly right!"

Alex and Flaca gasp. "Holy shit!" they exclaim at the same time.

 _Getting to know you_  
 _Getting to feel free and easy_  
 _When I am with you_  
 _Getting to know what to say..._

Standing across from them in a black hoodie and pants and smirking as she swirls wine in a glass, is Maria Ruiz. "Good job, girls. I wasn't planning on y'all comin' with me and Flaca, but, uh...I guess this means I gotta knock out twice as many bitches." She hurls her full wine glass at Alex, but Alex ducks and gets Maria in a headlock. "Get off me, Four Eyes!"

"Shut up," Alex growls through gritted teeth. "Why the _fuck_ are you P? You immobilized Flaca and got Daya raped!"

"I swear I didn't mean for any of that to happen! I really thought Daya would choose not having Gloria live with them...I wanted to back out when she made the decision to let her stay, but I don't call all the shots here. As for Flaca...that can be blamed on my terrible driving...I just wanted to scare her. That's all...I promise."

"Don't lie to them!" Blanca reprimands Maria. "You're P because they stood by and watched Piper bullying us without doing shit. That's what you said on the phone after we got massages."

"Yeah, that too." Maria reaches up and swiftly punches Alex in the jaw, causing Alex to release the shorter girl as she groans in pain and rubs where she'd been hit. A fire grows in her eyes that Flaca has never seen before and it creeps her out. "You ever seen _Mean Girls_? There's a quote that I love...about there being two kinds of evil people in this world...people who do evil stuff, and people who see evil stuff being done and don't try to stop it. You idiots didn't stop her."

 _Haven't you noticed_  
 _Suddenly I'm bright and breezy?_  
 _Because of all the beautiful and new_  
 _Things I'm learning about you_  
 _Day by day..._

The melody suddenly stops and repeats all over again by itself, and Maria shuts it off.

"Jesus, I need ice," Alex says glumly. "Maria, Blanca...we're deeply sorry that she was so mean to you both and we looked the other way. That was wrong. We've considered you two as our friends pretty much since the school year started."

"Well, I got over that and only focused my rage on Piper...I hated her, but you four grew on me," Blanca says. "I knew nothing about P, just that Maria tried to make you roadkill, Flaca...and I only found out two days ago."

"I'mma run your ass over with my wheelchair!" Flaca shouts and Alex pushes her so she can chase Maria outside with her mobility device. "Too bad everything's on video thanks to what Mari installed in my necklace so the other girls can see what a backstabber you are!"

Lorna and Daya come up to them in tears with Daya sobbing the most. Streaks of mascara coat their wet cheeks. "What the fuck did you do to us, you bitch?!" Lorna hollers.

"Daya...join me or die!"

"I won't go against my friends!" Daya shrieks back at Maria.

Flaca continues going after Maria and then to everyone's shock, Daya shoves Maria off a nearby cliff and sends her tumbling to her possible death. There's so much screaming and crying and the girls, including Blanca, hold each other for emotional support. Flaca is filled with anger, sadness, and hurt that Maria had turned on them like this, but she also feels a sense of relief, since Maria would never torture them again from behind bars or six feet under. She's also upset for Yadriel and Pepa, who were completely blind to the terrible things Maria had done.

* * *

"Mommy, I have an imaginary friend," Christina announces before bed as Aleida brushes her hair. "I call her Sara."

"Ain't you too old for that?" Aleida wonders out loud.

"Yeah, mine went away two years ago, but Julio has one named Bubba," Benny adds.

Christina sticks her tongue out at them. "Well, she's still here. She looks like me...she's little, too. Her big sissy, Araceli, saw someone in the bushes around here and at Blanca's boyfriend's house. She has wild black hair and her face is dirty with icky blood...like a zombie."

Aleida stares at her daughter incredulously and fear rises within her. She stands and drops the hairbrush. "The fuck you tryin' to tell me? Don't make scary shit like that up."

"I'm not. Sara got attacked by him. She was bleeding and crying at the end of my bed after she came in last night. You wanna see?"

"It's true, tía," Benny adds. He points at the window with a terrified expression. "Look."

Small bloody handprints are displayed on the glass and it appears to have also been scratched. Aleida gasps and runs over to inspect where Christina is lifting a blanket off her bed, revealing a mess of crimson on her pink Barbie comforter. It reminds her of when Daya had first gotten her period while sleeping and her stomach churns at the fact that it's actual blood. "That's where she was sitting," Christina explains in a serious voice. "She had to go when I gave her a hug and helped her clean up. I thought it was a nightmare, but it was still there this morning, so I covered it up...and she tried to get inside again before you came in here, but then she died. She was really sad and scared, Mommy...and the mean monster killed her."

Aleida presses her hand to her chest as her heart lurches. She tries to make sense of what Christina is saying, but she can't. "Yo, if this is a stupid prank, I'm takin' away your dolls for a week 'cause you damn near gave me a heart attack."

"No, it's real. I don't want us to be next."

"Fuck!" Aleida wraps her arms tight around her baby girl and Benny joins them. "We ain't gonna let nobody hurt you kids, okay?"

"Hey...what's goin' on?" Gloria wants to know as she and Leon come in with Julio and Emiliano, who are freshly bathed. She has a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Your faces are drained of color," Leon points out as he sits next to Aleida and massages the tense knots in her back. "Oh, baby..."

Benny runs up to Gloria and hugs her legs while snuggling into them. Christina sucks her thumb and buries her tiny face in Aleida's shirt. Gloria kneels down and gathers the children in her gentle embrace. Aleida clutches Leon's wrist and kisses the top of Christina's head. "We got a stalker in our midst," she responds somberly.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, MinervaSnape394, A Star in my Universe, and Johanna002!**


	61. Happy Halloween

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!** **Like the title of this chapter says, Happy Halloween!**

 **So up until now, I never realized YouTube wasn't a thing until 2005, so this fic is set in 2005!**

 **Warnings: double homicides in flashback, racial slurs, violence, and references to stalking, murder, abuse, and pedophilia.**

 **bruja-witch**

"I just can't wrap my brain around the fact that she actually fuckin' did this," Daya blubbers in Adarsh's embrace. He and the significant others of the other girls had joined them on the bus to comfort them on the way back to each of their homes. "Also, me...I pushed her down a mountain! How in the hell did she survive?"

"Yeah, and fake a mental illness so she wouldn't have to go to juvy," Lorna puts in and then sniffles in Nicky's arms.

I got no idea how Ms. Rogers believed her," Flaca mutters with her head on Maritza's lap as the smaller girl strokes her hair comfortingly.

Alex scoffs and pulls Michelle closer to her side. "Maria probably made up a file of herself."

"Mm-hm, well I hope they find out she's lying and Charles lets her rot in a cell," Blanca says darkly as she sits in Diablo's lap. He looks down at her lovingly and they kiss. The other pairs of girlfriends make out as well, and Daya figures this could be their way of coping. She'd kiss Adarsh passionately to get this out of her mind if they were a couple, but instead, she just cries silently into his shirt all the way to Lourdes' apartment, and he rubs soothing circles on her back.

"I'm sorry that Maria betrayed you," Adarsh murmurs and Daya chokes on her tears because he sounds so sweet. "If she comes near you again...I'll get her locked up in a women's prison!"

Daya manages a smile at his protectiveness, but tears still course down her cheeks like rain. "Thanks."

After that, though, she doesn't want to talk, so he just lets her sob helplessly. She hugs the girls good night and Adarsh walks her to Lourdes' apartment and waits until she lets herself inside. He squeezes her hand softly before closing the door, and she locks it. She'd told the older woman and the rest of her family that she was sleeping over at Lourdes', so Gloria's aunt is expecting her. The place is dark and quiet, except for a strip of yellow beneath Lourdes' bedroom door. Daya turns on a light. "Lourdes, it's me!"

Lourdes comes out of her room with a book in her hands and she appears exhausted. "I almost fell asleep, but you woke me. That's okay, though."

"I'm sorry, I know it's almost midnight..."

"No worries, cariño," Lourdes tells Daya with a pleasant expression on her face. "I got the guest room all set up for you."

"Thanks, Lourdes." Daya gets ready for bed and under the covers quickly. She had been pushing Maria's wrongdoings as far as she could from her mind, but it suddenly all comes crashing back to her. She can't close her eyes without flashing back to Maria lying to her all this time about how they were such great friends.

She shuffles into Lourdes' room. "Can I sleep with you tonight? I'm so sad right now..." She inhales shakily and lets out a squeaky sigh.

"Of course, honey."

Daya gets on the bed and snuggles into her and Lourdes puts an arm around her. "I wish you were my real grandma."

"Well, as long as you think of me as your abuela, that's all that counts, right? You're still my granddaughter, even though we're not related."

"Yeah..." Daya begins whimpering against Lourdes, and the older woman trails her fingers through Daya's curls. It feels so nice.

"Now, what's all this sniveling about? Did you have a nightmare or flashback?"

Daya nods and glances up at her. "They almost died...your niece and great-nephews and my mom and Leon."

Lourdes' eyes widen in alarm. " _What_? How? When? Gloria never told me this..."

"She was probably shaken up and maybe didn't feel like mentioning it to you right away. On Monday, this fucker nearly careened into 'em, like on purpose, to frighten 'em. Leon was driving, my mom in the passenger seat...Gloria and her little ones in the back. Leon reported it to me, and hearing about it was so scary...what if we'd lost them...forever?" Daya gulps and shivers at the possibility.

"Ay dios mío, and your mother's pregnant, too." Lourdes says bitterly. "Bless their sweet souls...I would take care of you and your brother and sister and your child, but I don't want to think about such horror, my girl. You know I wouldn't survive losing Gloria or those babies of hers...when she dated that...that monster, it was my worst nightmare, hers, too. Also, your mother and Leon, I would've regretted not being able to know them better...and that little one growing in her belly."

Daya nods in understanding. "I would be a wreck without them."

"The Lord was watching over them that day," Gloria's aunt lets Daya know. "I hope He got rid of that mongrel once and for all, though."

Daya shakes her head. "It'd be a miracle, but I doubt that pig's dead. Plus, his goal wasn't to kill...merely to torture half our family."

Lourdes frowns. "I'm not sure about that...I think they just got lucky. God wasn't ready for them to go to Heaven yet. He may have taken my brother and his wife, but I'm not letting the rest of my family go up there."

"That's hella upsetting that Gloria lost her parents so young...and you must miss your brother and sister-in-law!" Daya's heart clenches in pain for both Gloria and Lourdes, who have experienced too many deaths in their family before Gloria even became a teenager. "I do admire how devoted you were in taking Gloria under your wing, though."

"In a car accident, too. Yes, they're on my mind a lot. I talk to them sometimes, pray for strength...and thank you. Gloria's my only niece...we were the last two remaining Mendozas. It was a dark day for both of us, and we were forever bonded. Only...I've never believed they were fatally struck by pure mistake. That was not part of God's plan." Lourdes sets her mouth in a thin line. "That wicked driver wanted her all alone, to himself, dead or alive, because she was in the car, too."

"Her?" Daya questions Lourdes.

"Gloria," Lourdes clarifies. "Eighteen-year-old boy comes to our house with fucking flowers for her, smirking almost, apologizing for the death of her mother and father...she was at school, so I thanked him and shut the door in his ugly face, wondering how he'd gotten away with vehicular manslaughter. It's because every cop back then was a shitbag!"

Daya gasps. "Oh my god. Holy fuckin' shit!"

"He came by to see her again and again until I got a restraining order. He wanted to be her grief counselor...even came to her elementary school and the bodega where I worked, to see if Gloria was there and helping me."

"Jesus, that's creepy," Daya whispers. A sick feeling washes over her. "She was ten..."

"I'm surprised to this day that he didn't murder me to get her completely by herself. The weirdest part of all this is...he looked eerily like Arturo, with his leery eyes and lizard lips. I knew he was trouble once she brought him home, and I'm not sure why she didn't see it, too, but he was charming and manipulative when they started going out, so..." Lourdes sighs heavily. "I shouldn't be telling you all this."

"No, it's okay...I won't let Gloria know you did."

"Alright..." Lourdes trails off and knits her brow. "Maybe it was Arturo's brother who killed her parents or something."

"Yeah, most likely."

Even though Lourdes had changed the depressing subject to a much more cheerful one, talking about when she met Gloria for the first time in a small house in Mexico as she was helping her sister-in-law give birth, Daya cries herself to sleep at both Lourdes' disturbing story and everything Maria was guilty of.

* * *

"Ugh..." Maria groans as she rolls over and winces in immense pain from being thrown off the cliff. She's amazed that she even survived in the first place. She must be pretty strong, and a sense of pride washes over her. She had completely pulled the wool over Piper's friends' eyes until her game got so boring that she had to expose herself. All she did was petty things. She hadn't wanted anyone to get seriously hurt, and although she knows they probably all hate her now, she feels a need to help them out of whatever messes they could get into while trying to figure out who her boss is. Not even _she_ knows this person. He or she is simply standing over her in a red coat, but she's so tired from painkillers that she cannot physically look beyond the line of her vision, which is at their stomach. When they'd come in, they were wearing a mask resembling the Red Queen. She remembers one of the most threatening texts she'd ever gotten from them.

 _Don't forget bitch, if you want to win this game and prove to me that you're valuable, torture those cunts until their last breaths. Or watch me take away your life. -P.C._

It was fun at first. She'd gotten a thrill from it, especially when she tormented Piper's biggest follower, Alex. She hadn't a clue of how lucky she was-besides being poor, which sucked, she was also the most beautiful girl in their grade and got more advantages than others since she's white and her mom is a teacher. She had such a great relationship with her mother, and Maria was jealous of that. Lorna was the same, but at least her parents weren't perfect and people called her a stalker and she stepped up to help Blanca one time. The best part of all, was when she punched Piper. Maria replayed that recording a million times over until she and Blanca almost died laughing. She'd felt horrible for Daya and never forgave herself for running under Flaca with her car. She'd simply wanted to scare the taller girl into not telling the others that she was P.

She glances up when the individual in the red coat takes a few steps back. "I hope you're happy...I ruined their lives for you," she informs them in a croaky voice.

They give her an approving and respectful nod and then leave.

* * *

"Why are all these police cars surrounding our place?" Daya wants to know as she and Lourdes step into her apartment. "Fuckin' kids are gonna start rumors about us at school again. You know they already call you a junkie." Daya scoffs. "Random bitches, they come up to me and say, how's your junkie ma doin' these days? Packed any good drugs lately?"

Aleida sighs and rolls her eyes. "Ignore those motherfuckers! We was gonna talk to you about the round-the-clock cops, but we wanted you to enjoy your time with Lourdes without worrying for a while," she tells her daughter. She looks between Daya and Lourdes. "I suppose you should know now that we got some creep watchin' our every move, like a stalker. They tryin' to catch the pansy cocksucker."

Lourdes frowns. "That's terrible! I'm so sorry. I really hope this asshole gets busted soon before anyone is hurt."

"Yeah, I do too!" Daya agrees. "Was this stemmed from when some of y'all almost got killed when on the road?"

Leon shakes his head no as he and Gloria walk to Aleida's side. "We actually don't know to be honest, but...Christina spoke of a little girl coming through her window, bleeding...I know it may be hard to believe, since children make up things a lot, but the proof is on Christina's comforter, which we've washed a few times now," he tells them. "The stains are almost out, but that poor child was viciously murdered outside our home. Christina said a bad man committed that heinous crime."

Daya stares at them incredulously and Lourdes appears to be perplexed. "Oh my god!" Daya exclaims and then claps a hand over her mouth.

"That poor girl...and her family!" Lourdes comments.

"Charles reported that they identified the victim...her name was Sara Voth," Gloria adds. "We think he did that to scare us, like to show us that he could do anything. Like...he didn't get us while driving like a maniac, but he attacked an innocent kid...it makes us wonder what he'll do next, or if it's even one guy who's acting alone."

"Honest to Christ, and they're doing this around Halloween, too," Daya states bitterly.

"We can use my Santería to ward him off," Lourdes says while exchanging a smile with her niece.

"Yeah, let's pray the magic will work and the orishas banish this demon to Hell." Gloria looks up at the ceiling. "Eleggua, if you're listening, curse this monster for eternity and make him leave us alone."

"You think that's real?" Daya whispers.

"Of course!" Lourdes insists. "We'll have to get the candles to make it completely official, though."

"It's actually kinda cool," Leon points out, and Gloria and Lourdes beam at his words.

"Yeah, thanks to Lourdes blessing my stomach like some kinda _bruja_ , my pregnancy ain't too difficult," Aleida says and strokes her belly while looking down at it affectionately. Everyone grins at that.

* * *

"I thought you was gonna be a knight?" Gloria asks Fahri as he's adjusting the straps of his blue overalls for his Luigi costume. She had planned to dressed as a witch, but decided to be Princess Daisy instead so she could go along with his Super Mario Brothers themed outfit. They'd gotten their costumes last minute and had to pick through what was available. She's wearing a yellow dress with a white ruffled collar, two squiggly strips of orange on the bottom, and large pieces of orange material hanging from around her hips. It spins around her as she twirls, and then it settles just a few inches off the floor, revealing the tips of her white flats. Her reddish-brown wig is firmly held in place by bobby pins. The jewels on her large gold earrings, necklace, and crown, are green and matching the long sleeved shirt and cap Fahri has on. Gloria slips on her white gloves and she's all finished.

"I wasn't sure yet of my Halloween costume at the time, so I said the first thing that came to my brain...and I wanted to be your knight in shining armor," Fahri admits while he ties the white laces of his black Converse and puts on his large white gloves.

Gloria blushes. "Aw, really? We had only known each other for a few days, but I remember we connected that night...and you already seemed hella protective of me."

"Well, I was. I still am." They share a delighted grin and Gloria sighs in blissful content. "Then, I figured I shouldn't be a knight since the thing I put over my head would hide my face at times, and I didn't wanna scare the kids, you know, when they can't see that this big silver dude is just me."

She's blessed that he was thinking of that. "Wow, you're smart. That didn't even cross my mind. I mean, Benny's Spider-Man, which doesn't show any part of him except his eyes and mouth, so..." Gloria trails off. "Anyway, you're awesome. That's all."

"Thank you, and you are, too."

Gloria beams. "Ready to go, Luigi?"

"I sure am, Daisy!" Fahri answers, and they link arms.

Even though the adults, Daya, and Lourdes know they have a stalker, they want to keep things as normal as possible for the children. Gloria, Fahri, and Lourdes are planning to take them trick-or-treating around the apartment complex while Aleida and Leon are staying at home and passing out candy. Afterwards, they're all going to Friendly's for dessert.

Gloria and Fahri look around at the kids when they're finished getting into their costumes. Benny pretends to shoot spider webs out of his hands and Leon helps him walk up the walls while holding onto him tightly, so Gloria just has to smile. Christina is a perfect Esmeralda and she twirls around in her light bluish-purple skirt and white blouse and shows everyone her newly curled hair, courtesy of Aleida, and fake gold hoop earrings. Julio waddles around adorably in his pumpkin suit. Emiliano holds his pirate hat onto his head as he hops up and down a few times in excitement. Farah comes by with her parents, they show her off as Jasmine, and she says hello to everyone. They'd taken pictures with Daya, who's Frida Kahlo, and going out with her friends later.

"Peek-a-boo!" Gloria puts her hands over her eyes, gasps in mock surprise, and uncovers her eyes. The kids giggle and copy her. "Aww, you're all adorable!"

Just before setting out to trick-or-treat, the teens hug everyone goodbye and head off to Alex's place to have a Halloween movie marathon and give out candy.

* * *

"I'm surprised we didn't figure out it was Maria sooner," Lorna mumbles as she steadies a bowl of orange and black M&Ms on her lap. Alex picks through a bunch of movies and lays the DVDs out in front of the girls and Diablo so everyone can pick. Daya, Adarsh, Allison, and Hassan are coming shortly. The girls still outnumber the boys, but at least it's not just one guy and a bunch of girls.

"Yeah...like one time, I thought I saw P, and they were shorter than all of us except you, Lorna," Flaca reports. "Alex and I were almost sure Maria was guilty."

"Well...many people are taller than me, so that didn't really narrow anything down," Lorna points out.

"Mm-hm...well, I'm kinda sick of discussing it or thinking about her, so..." Alex trails off with a shrug. She glances in Michelle's direction. "I do wanna kill her for getting your arm broken, though, babe."

"Same. I'm tired of conversations revolving around her and I feel like kicking her face in. I'm just relieved it's over with and she can't touch us no more," Michelle says.

"Ditto," Nicky murmurs as she pulls Lorna in close to her so the brunette can rest her head on the blonde's shoulder.

"She's like nothing to me," Blanca tells them.

"I get that, baby," Diablo sympathizes with his girlfriend. He gazes at her sadly and she cuddles into his side.

"I might pay her a visit just to threaten her ass!" Maritza declares, her hatred for Maria growing with each passing second. The bitch could've killed her girlfriend, and she's lucky she hadn't, or else Maritza would've committed homicide for the first time at just fourteen-really seventeen, but she will always think of herself as three years younger than her real age.

"It ain't worth it, sweetie...she's just a dumb puta," Flaca mutters. "Thanks for being protective of me, though!"

"You're welcome," Maritza tells Flaca sweetly and kisses her cheek. In return, Flaca pecks the top of Maritza's head a few times. The girls beam at the interaction, and then the couples come through Alex's front door. They admire the Halloween decor. The orange and black streamers and a _Happy Halloween_ sign hang above their heads and the orange and purple lighting makes the apartment mysterious looking. They pass a gray table with a skull and a black tree on top, and there's a crow resting in the tree. A small orange and white striped pumpkin and a rat with beady red eyes rest beside a gravestone that reads _Here Lies An Eldritch Soul_.

Even though Daya and Adarsh aren't an item, Maritza has high hopes that they will be eventually. She swoons at how careful Adarsh seems to be of Daya as he helps her sit down and get comfortable on the couch. Daya walks slowly, as if she's fragile and could crumble and break at any second.

"Daya, seriously...if you wanna open up to us, we're here for you," Adarsh says softly.

"No, it's okay." Daya lazily picks up the film _Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire_. "This one." She passes it around so everyone else can read what the film is about. It sounds good. "Then _Hocus Pocus_ and all the _Halloweentown_ movies, including the latest one that you got recorded," Daya informs Alex, and the taller girl nods with a gentle smile. " _Halloweentown High_...and a lot of the heroines in each of these movies are our age! It's amazing, really."

"I know, right?" Maritza squeals.

"Okay, awesome!" Allison says happily, and everyone cheers.

"Shabammy!" Hassan bursts out and the teenagers crack up at his funny exclamation.

"Oh my god, Sahar's right...you're such a dork!" Allison teases him. "I thought you only say that for good luck!"

"It's my favorite word of all time to express joy!" he insists.

Allison rolls her eyes, but she appears to be amused. "You're weeeeird."

"Yeah, but you lost when we bowled together on our first date." That earns him a smack in the face with a purple pillow. "Ow! I deserved that." He gathers Allison's hands in his and they snuggle as Alex puts the first DVD in and plays it. "You sure this movie isn't too scary?" he asks her jokingly.

She pushes him aside playfully with her shoulder. "Shut up..."

They all chuckle at Allison and Hassan teasing each other, and then the film begins.

* * *

The doorbell chimes and Aleida peers through the hole to see that it's a horde of children with two adults behind them, so she opens the door with a grin. The kids, all under twelve, stand before her. "Triiiiiick or treeeeeeat!" they chorus. There's a princess, a mermaid, a viking girl, and a boy ninja standing before her.

"Enjoy, my little patients!" Leon grins and brings over an orange bowl with a green hand inside that moves when the children each take a handful of candy. It's an assortment of Hershey's Cookies and Creme bars, Crunch bars, Reeses Pieces Peanut Butter Cups, and M&Ms.

"Now, don't forget to brush!" Aleida jokes along with him. "Or you gonna have to see Doctor Leon and Nurse Aleida for another appointment!"

When the group leaves after chuckling and thanking Aleida and Leon, the door closes. "Hey...I love this game," Leon tells her as he pulls her in for a kiss that ghosts along her lips and makes her sigh in contentment.

"I do, too. You look real good in a lab coat," she compliments him.

"Thanks, honey. I adore your costume as well...your little white dress and matching hat and bright red tank top... _wow_."

She beams flirtatiously up at him and nibbles on her bottom lip. "You makin' a pass at me?"

He nods. "That is, if you're okay with it."

Aleida stares at him curiously. "What? Of _course_ I am, you're my boyfriend!"

"I know, I just didn't wanna trigger you by accident or anything. I need to make sure you're comfortable when we have sex." He holds her hands and brings them up to his mouth for a gentle kiss upon her knuckles.

"Babe...I trust that you won't hurt me. I'm aware we haven't done it since...but I've been itching to fuck you again for a while now."

"Okay, my beautiful sweetheart," he says while holding her close and stroking her hair. "We'll play music and dance while we wait for more trick-or-treaters, how's that sound?"

"Perfect," she murmurs into his chest.

As he's picking out songs to play, another couple of kids around seven years old come to get candy, a boy dressed as a zombie and a girl in a ladybug costume. Their parents are with them and Leon and Aleida cheerfully serve the small family. She walks away from them when they leave and then that's when Aleida sees her in Daya's bedroom, near where a black plastic spider is hanging from its fake web and a bat in flight is held by a string on the side of one of Daya's windows.

A girl, about Christina's age, is standing before her. She's Hispanic and has bushy eyebrows, messy black hair all around her shoulders, high cheekbones, and she's very thin, almost malnourished. Her face is pale except for the bloody streaks on her cheeks like she'd been crying blood, and she's wearing a torn white dress. Aleida gasps in surprise. "Holy shi-okay, where you come from? I didn't see you at the door or nothin'."

"Is Christina home? I was looking for her."

Aleida gives the girl a puzzled look. "Nah, she out trick-or-treating. Didn't she tell you in kindergarten?"

The kid shakes her head no. "I just wanna be away from my family. They blame me for everything all the time...even when I try to do the right thing." She sounds wise beyond her years, in the way that she's speaking. It almost sounds like she'd practiced it.

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that." Aleida sighs and goes to pat her back sympathetically, but she flinches when she discovers that the child is freezing cold to the touch. "Alright, you know what, I'mma get you a blanket so you can warm up, okay? You can sleep over if you want."

"Thank you."

Aleida helps her sit on Daya's bed and goes into the living room for a blanket. When she returns to give it to the girl, she discovers that the girl is gone.

She wonders if she'd imagined that encounter since she's been drinking a lot of wine tonight.

* * *

"Are you sure I don't look ridiculous as Little Red Riding Hood?" Lourdes asks.

"You're fine, Lourdes!" Gloria assures her. The children pull on the women's hands to try to get them to go faster. "Hey, guys, there's no rush!" Gloria has to jog a bit to keep up with an overexcited Benny, Christina, Michael, Dylan, Lindsay, and Christina's new friend, Karima, who are all holding hands with each other. "Plenty of time to get candy."

"Yes, and I can't run anymore!" Lourdes tells the toddlers and keeps a tight grip on their tiny hands. Nobody wants the children to get lost or race out into the street. At times, they try to squirm away while giggling, but it never works in their favor. The adults prefer the cautious way of doing things.

Fahri is behind Gloria at the caboose, and that makes her feel a lot safer. He's with Farah and she sits on top of his shoulders as he holds her up there. Gloria melts at how wonderful he is with his great-niece. "Remember, kids, only go to the houses with lights in them, since that means someone is home, alright?" he says.

"Okay!" the five-year-olds shout in unison while jumping up and down. Christina and Benny's little brothers copy their actions, and Gloria thinks it's the cutest thing ever.

"I'm gonna ring the doorbell!" Benny announces. "Christina had a turn already."

"Alright, go ahead, Spider-Man," Lourdes allows him and Gloria nods in agreement with a smile. The adults lead the kids up to the door and Benny knocks and then presses a button that makes a small sound from inside the apartment.

A stony faced woman who appears to be in her mid fifties opens the door. She smells like cigarette smoke. Her left cheek is puffed out until she takes a sandwich bag from the pocket of her pink footsie pajamas and opens her mouth to let a green jawbreaker out and into the bag. She's dressed as a baby, as she's wearing high pigtails and a bib and is now sucking on a pacifier. She looks at them over her huge gold glasses. "Hey...I'm your new neighbor."

"Triiiiick or treeeeat!" the children exclaim in unison.

"Smell my feet, gimme something good to eat!" Christina says energetically.

"Have some manners, little girl," the lady chides her before anyone else can even apologize. "You remind me of my youngest sister when she was your age."

"Sorry," Christina mumbles shyly.

"Here ya go," the woman mutters and drops a handful of red lollipops into each kid's bag. "Anyway, don't stand there searching through the candy!" Someone starts moaning and then there's loud banging and cackling. She glances upwards in exasperation. "Shut up, Barb!" she hollers over her shoulder and then focuses back on the group. "Sorry, my sister and her fucking boyfriend took the Milky Way..."

"That's alright," Lourdes says.

"You bitch, it burns!" a hoarse male voice bellows in the background.

"Chill, motherfucker! I'll lick it off you!" a nasally female voice snaps.

The group gives each other puzzled looks as the lady grins at them and closes the door.

"Is it bad that she gave me the creeps?" Gloria wants to know as they move along. "I dunno, something seemed real off about her."

"I thought so, too," Fahri tells her, and she glances over her shoulder at him. "There's people who hate kids and hide it, and there's others who are terrible at being even fake-nice to children. She was the latter."

"She was just weird...and who answers the door to kids when they've clearly been s-m-o-k-i-n-g?" Lourdes asks rhetorically. "That's wrong."

"Yeah, whenever I have a c-i-g, I make sure the aromas aren't comin' off me around my babies," Gloria mutters. "So does Aleida."

"I do, too...I never have a b-u-m-p with Farah around," Fahri says.

"That's a good idea," Gloria tells him.

* * *

"Howdy, ma'am, how's my favorite girl tonight?"

Diane turns her attention to Charles, who's standing in front of her at the counter where she's working. He tips his cowboy hat at her with a wink. She giggles and leans over to kiss him fully on the mouth. "Just fine, good sir!"

He twirls one of her braids around his finger. "You look great in your pink cowgirl hat."

"Thank you," Diane says pleasantly. "That red plaid shirt looks nice on you!"

"Thanks! Hey...you sure you don't wanna wear a saloon dress, darlin'?" he asks her in a joking manner, and she just hits his shoulder with the back of her hand. They beam at each other.

Diane has her work shirt on, but she and Charles are both wearing blue jeans and boots. His are short and tan while hers are tall and black with gold buckles on each side. Friendly's is decorated with glowing jack-o-lanterns and bright orange, dark purple, and neon green fairy lights around the windows.

"You two look like you're goin' to a hoedown!" a woman dressed as a butterfly announces as she comes in through the doors, holding hands with a lady of Indian descent, who is a fairy in a blue sparkly dress and rainbow wings with a silver tiara on her head. Behind them are an African American couple whose costumes are a devil and an angel. Two of the women gasp and scream Diane's name as they come running towards her. The man follows them, also quick in his step, and the other lady simply looks on, confused.

It takes a second, but Diane recognizes her old friends from high school. The joyful butterfly wearing a black dress with pink and purple wings and swinging her brown ponytail a few times around could be none other than Debbie Denning, and Lila and James had apparently gotten married after all, to Diane's happiness. Their rings glitter under the fluorescent lighting.

"Happy Halloween!" Debbie squeals.

"Debbie? Lila? James? Oh my god!" Diane exclaims while exchanging tight hugs with each of them. "Thirties and still lookin' fab!" she compliments them.

"Aaaaahhh girl, it's _you_ who looks the best out of all of us!" Lila squeals and squeezes Diane's hands while giggling. "I can't believe we haven't seen each other since we were eighteen..."

Debbie raises her hand. "I was twelve!"

 _On the first day of high school, a dark-skinned girl opens the locker next to where Diane is standing and getting her books out for her next class. "Tell me your name isn't really Gertrude Saurer Vause, the Nazi bitch!" she demands roughly._

 _"No, it's not, I swear, I'm Diane Lauren Vause, just call me Diane, please..." Diane begs her. She senses her eyes filling with tears and she sniffles as she forces the ball in her throat to dissolve._

 _The girl's expression softens and she cautiously wraps her arms around Diane. "My name's Lila. Wow, your parents are hella cruel, naming you after someone so evil."_

 _Diane nods her head yes and hugs her new friend back._

"Jesus, twenty-two years. It's been waaaay too long." James shook his head. "We heard about your daughter in the papers and just had to meet up with you again."

"Yeah, and we'd notice those blue eyes a mile away," Debbie adds with a bright smile. "Thanks for saving my ass by the way."

"You're welcome!" Diane responds. "There's just no way I'd ever let anything like that happen to you. Last time I saw you, you were in pigtails..."

 _"I'm just gonna take that hatchet, run with it through a deep, dark forest while yelling, and then lunge at the little cunt...making her scream and cry bloody murder!" Carol declares theatrically._

 _Barb cackles evilly. "Oh, what a bloody murder it will be!"_

 _Diane gasps at the oldest two Denning sisters' cruel, unfeeling words. Chills flood her insides and she's terrified for Debbie. She has to stop this from happening._

 _"Sweetie, I heard your sisters talking about how they were literally gonna kill you," Diane warns her younger teammate after their tri-county regional gymnastics tournament. They're in Debbie's room and Diane is helping her pack for Plano, Texas. "It was in their room...and you gotta tell your parents."_

 _"That just makes no sense. Barbie and Carol may be a little rude and jealous of me, but they wouldn't go that far. It's not my fault that our parents care about my achievements more than my big sisters'."_

 _"It isn't, but I heard the plan, Debbie! They're sociopathic! You're in real serious danger," Diane insists worriedly. "I could just see Carol's eyes turning creepy behind her big, ugly, yellow glasses as she got excited. I...I even found sketches in Carol's desk drawer of you being hung up by the red ribbon that you twirl, and she drew boobs on you, even though you don't have 'em yet...and then pieces of glass in your Yoplait...but that was just her brainstorming. Barb suggested they play it off as an accident."_

 _Debbie's eyes widen in fear. "No, that can't be right...Barb always defends me against Carol!"_

 _"Not this time. She's gonna betray you in such a heartbreaking way..."_

 _"If I tell my parents, they won't believe me."_

 _"Maybe not, which means if they don't, then you gotta run away as far and as fast as you can so those malicious bitches will never, ever find you."_

 _"Please go with me...I never wanted to move either...Coach Emery is the best, and at Trudy's Gymnastics Institute, the coaches are gross! Mom and Dad don't care about that, I guess." Debbie clutches Diane's hands and the poor younger girl is trembling at this point. "I can't be alone out there...I'm not even a teenager yet."_

 _"I feel so bad I can't go with you...I wish I could, but even though I'm eighteen and can legally adopt you, I can't afford to._ _My brother made it big as a football star, so he had enough money to bring me here by plane. He's staying in a hotel at the moment, but he can bring us to New York._ _I'll help you get into a taxi, and like...go to the big city or something. It's lovely there, and you could even be on Broadway if you wanted. We might not see much of each other, though, since Julliard keeps me pretty busy..."_

 _Tears trickle down Debbie's cheeks. "I'll miss you."_

 _"I will too, Deb." Diane embraces her and kisses the top of her head. She glances up at Diane, her brown eyes shining with moisture. "So much."_

 _"You were my favorite bestie in all my twelve years of living."_

 _Diane manages a smile at this, but chokes on a lump growing in her throat. "You're like the little sister I always wanted."_

 _"I'm an annoying, whiny brat according to Carol and Barb. Who wants that?" Debbie sniffles and glances down at her feet._

 _"They're just awful and envious. Don't listen to them, okay? You're beautiful and talented...if I was your sis, I'd be real proud of you. I already am, even if we're not related."_

 _Debbie grins. "Thank you."_

 _"Honey, don't even mention it." Diane blinks back tears. "Now, what I want you to do is go to this place." She writes down Lila's address on a piece of paper and presses it into Debbie's open hand. "It's where my friend Lila lives. She's got a bunk bed, too, and she won't judge you about your tadpoles." At this, Debbie's misty eyes light up a tiny bit. "Tell them Diane Vause sent you. Okay?"_

 _Debbie holds it tightly as if it'll fly out of sight. "Yes."_

 _"Great!"_

 _"My parents told me they'd bring me to let my tadpoles into the lake tonight, but they're busy until ten, as usual. All they care about is if I do perfect pirouettes." Debbie rolls her eyes. "They constantly say they do everything for me, and it's like...oh, I'm sorry for being born! Like, you don't fuckin' have to, you know?"_

 _"I know the feeling," Diane mutters. "I'll take you...and then you can be on your way to Lila's apartment." She gestures to the big cardboard box that houses Debbie's things. "You're all ready."_

 _"Yeah...I am."_

 _Diane is a witness to Barb being pushed up against the wall by Mr. Denning, since Barb had said her boyfriend's mother said she could live with the Howards and graduate with her senior class, but he had refused, telling her she couldn't just take herself out of the family whenever she wanted to. "That's final, Barbara!" he yells in her face._

 _"I agree. Listen to your father," Mrs. Denning adds._

 _Debbie is twirling on the tip of her right toes and keeping her heel off the ground while pointing her left foot through each turn for her pirouettes. Diane can tell she's upset by how Ron had acted, but she's distracting herself from her family's drama._

 _"Whatever," Barb grumbles and Carol scowls from her position on the couch while sucking on a jawbreaker, making her left cheek bulge out._

 _"You both are expected to babysit Debbie while we speak to her coach," Alice instructs them. "I left out slices of pizza for dinner."_

 _Carol spits out her jawbreaker into a trash bag and glares up at Alice. "Fuck no, Mom! I'm not staying home. This is our last night here...we have the rest of our lives to cater to that little brat!"_

 _Debbie sticks her tongue out at Carol and Diane stares coldly at the bitch._

 _"I have more interesting things to do than the chess club," Barb says mockingly. Carol gives her the middle finger in return._

 _"I'll do it!" Diane cuts in, and they all glance at her in surprise. "I really don't mind." Debbie looks relieved. "You don't even gotta pay me! I'm a family friend, after all."_

 _Ron sighs. "I guess that's all right." He glances at his wife and she nods. "Thank you."_

 _"No problem!" Diane says cheerfully._

 _The sisters take the bait. Carol gets up off the couch and Barb practically races to the front door and opens it wide. "Good, we're not stuck with her!" Carol whoops and then they depart. Alice and Ron are about to leave as well, but Debbie stops them in their tracks._

 _"You two broke a promise!" she insists. "You both hooked pinkies with mine and said we'd release my tadpoles tonight!"_

 _"We're talking to your coach," Alice informs her. "We can maybe go when we get a chance in Texas."_

 _"They're gonna die if I don't release them!"_

 _"Diane can take you tonight, then," Ron says briskly._

 _"We only have a busy life because of you," Alice reminds her._

 _"Don't blame her for your hectic schedules!" Diane tells Debbie's parents. "She didn't ask to be talented in gymnastics and dance."_

 _Debbie sends her a thankful smile. "Another thing...Daddy, I hated how you talked to Barb so meanly. I agree with her...I don't feel like moving either...Trudy's Gymnastics Institute has got a big problem with molestation, apparently."_

 _"I won't hear anything else about this, Deborah!" Ron snaps._

 _"Not the rubdowns again," Alice complains. "We told you, that's how they keep your muscles nice and relaxed. You girls need massages after all those meets!"_

 _Diane gags internally and Debbie closes her eyes while cringing in disgust. "Stacy said the coaches touch us inappropriately," Debbie reports._

 _"Don't listen to rumors!" Ron scolds her. "Be grateful that you're the center of our universe!"_

 _"All this is causing so many problems!" Debbie gestures to the moving boxes labeled_ Merritt's Movers _. "I'm ruining my sisters' lives and now...they wanna destroy mine!" Her voice rises as she talks faster. "Last time they watched me, Carol grabbed my jar of tadpoles and held it above my head, threatening to break it. I begged her not to and for Barb to step in, so Barb did. She told Carol not to be such a monster...they were plotting to take me to the lake and end me!" Debbie's parents give her an incredulous look, but she goes on a mile a minute, but between high-pitched gasps of air. "Barb gave Carol some strange, pointed look and Carol grinned wickedly back at her. I snatched the jar from Carol...and they would've killed me had Diane not arrived! They were gonna do it even when I apologized about us moving away for the fifty thousandth time!"_

 _"Quit being so dramatic," Alice reprimands her firmly, and she deflates._

 _"Don't you even listen to your daughter?" Diane yells, finally getting them to stop looming over Debbie, who looks so tiny compared to them. "She doesn't want to go anywhere, she wants to stay here! Why can't you just let her be happy and be a kid? She's only twelve years old." Frowning, Diane points at the window. "Those fucking coaches are pedophiles, and she likes Coach Emery! Your other daughters want to murder her because you two insist on moving all the time when Debbie doesn't even want to! You just exploit her and..." She tears up. "Fuck you!" she hisses and quickly averts her eyes to Debbie, who is smiling and wiping her eyes. It's probably the first time anyone has shown love to her at all._

 _"Stay out of this!" Ron commands Diane._

 _"Debbie, go to bed immediately!" Alice instructs her._

 _"We're getting outta here at eleven tomorrow morning," Ron adds._

 _"You guys are dicks!" Debbie hollers at them while stomping up a few steps._

 _"Watch your tone, young lady!" Alice shouts after her._

 _"You're gonna get a paddling on your ass once we get to Plano, I'm too tired to do it right now," Ron says._

 _"I'll help her get ready to sleep," Diane mumbles. She starts to lead Debbie the rest of the way up the stairs, but then, remembering how dismissive they'd acted, she sees red. She runs into the kitchen and grabs two knives in the heat of the moment while she's shaking with fury. She points it at them while breathing heavily and they take a few steps back. She wants to let her rage out on them as her motherly instincts fill her up. She's extremely protective of Debbie._

 _"Don't, please!" the young girl cries out, so Diane stops what she's doing and puts the weapons back on the counter._

 _"I'm sorry...misplaced anger came over me," she mumbles. Alice immediately picks up the phone to call the cops. Diane rushes to meet Debbie in her bedroom. She keeps her arms around Debbie, who sobs in her embrace until Barb and Carol get home, effectively interrupting the phone call that Alice had been making._

 _Suddenly, there's hollering and screaming and the sound of plates and glass shattering. Debbie gasps and clutches onto Diane, who's having a hard time keeping her own breathing steady. "Should we ring nine-one-one?" the smaller brunette wonders aloud, the volume in her voice lowering as Diane covers her mouth. Debbie's eyes widen in horror._

 _"No, it's way too dangerous. They could hear us, and we'd be next," Diane responds in a hushed voice while holding her close._

 _"Please don't do this!" Alice yelps and whimpers. "I'll...I'll call the police! Just sto-"_

 _"Oh my God, you're crazy..." Ron says weakly. "Ah! Jesus Christ, that was a bone crunching..."_

 _"Sorry, Daddy, but you pissed me off for the last time!" Barb shouts and then something hits the floor._

 _"Don't apologize to him, Barbie!" Carol snarls, and then there's a crashing sound and screeching as Alice begs for her life._

 _"What's going on?" Debbie asks fearfully, muffling her voice slightly with her pillow._

 _"Shh," Diane whispers and puts her finger to her lips. "Don't make a sound...wait til they leave..." She rubs comforting circles on Debbie's back and hums to her softly. "I'll fix your hair into braids, but you need to be quiet."_

 _Debbie nods._

 _"You too, Mommy!" Carol growls, and then there's another thud. "Diane should've stabbed you fuckers!" A loud boom echoes through the house and both Debbie and Diane cover their ears._

 _"I'm gonna check it out, okay?" Diane says almost silently. She tiptoes to the stair rail and peers over it to see that Carol and Barb have just brutally murdered their parents with hatchets. Blood stains the walls and the floors, and Diane can't look at the disturbing scene anymore. It's like something out of a horror movie or a haunted house maze, but this is real. She needs to keep Debbie from seeing it._

 _When all is quiet since the house is empty of the living at least, the girls leave the house without passing the dead bodies of Debbie's parents._ _Diane protects her from seeing them by leading her out the back door and around the house to the front yard with her arm around the tween girl._ _"We could have just gone through the kitchen..." Debbie's breath hitches as she tightens her hold on her jar of four tadpoles in water. Fresh crimson drips down the windows and parts of the glass are broken. "Oh no! You don't think..."_

 _"I'm sorry, Debbie. They're gone." Diane's heart clenches in pain for her. Even though her parents were pieces of shit, they weren't nearly as bad as the evil people who had raised Diane, and Debbie doesn't deserve to be an orphan. She guides Debbie into her car and the younger brunette hastily puts on her seatbelt and hugs her knees to her chest._ _Debbie's older sisters had left tire marks in the road from when they'd headed off in their vehicle, and Diane hopes they don't return._

 _"They were dead to me anyway once I decided to leave here," Debbie mumbles while still grasping the jar. "I never wished them actual fatal harm, but I didn't appreciate them as well as I should have. They gave up their whole lives for me..."_

 _"You don't need to feel guilty! They chose to do that. Listen...it's neither of our faults that they were murdered." Diane climbs in the back to hug Debbie for about five minutes as the kid lets out all of her emotions. Then, Diane takes her to release her tadpoles and they go back to her house while avoiding her slain mother and father._ _The police ask them questions and EMTs carry the corpses out on stretchers. Diane calls Mitch for help in backing up hers and Debbie's story, that they were in Debbie's bedroom at the time of the murders. The cops believe them since the girls are physically shaken up._

 _The next morning, Mitch assists them in moving Debbie out. The U-Haul arrives at eleven and Diane, Debbie, and Mitch load her stuff into the large truck. The sisters never come back, much to their relief. Mitch takes them all to New York and arranges with a taxi driver to bring Debbie to Lila's address._

 _Once Debbie's ride arrives, Diane hugs her tight and pecks the top of her head and then both of her cheeks. Debbie winds her arms around Diane's waist and snuggles with her for a minute or two before the guy starts honking and she really has to go. They blow each other kisses and Diane waves at her as Debbie's hands are pressed against the glass and moisture glistens on her cheeks. The taxi disappears from sight and Diane blinks back tears. Mitch puts a comforting arm over her shoulders and kisses her temple like the sweet big brother that he is. Diane crosses her fingers behind her back, hoping for the best._

 _"She was lucky to have you."_

 _Diane nods, sniffling. "You got no idea, dude." He doesn't quite know the whole saga, since it's too personal for Diane to share that Debbie had a hit out on her._

 _"The way you took such good care of Debbie showed me that you're gonna be an awesome mom one day. I can't wait to meet my niece or nephew."_

 _She beams with pride. "Thank you...but who says I'll even find someone in the first place so I can have this child?"_

 _Mitch messes with her hair. "I'm sure you will."_

 _Diane shrugs. "Maybe, but who really knows?"_

Diane turns to Charles, who appears to be slightly confused by her reunion with her old friends. "Babe, these are Debbie Denning, and Lila and James Washington. I was real tight with 'em in high school." She gestures to Charles and looks at them. "Guys, this is my boyfriend, Charles Ford."

He shakes hands with them. "Nice to meet y'all!"

"You too, man," James says.

"Yeah, same!" Lila adds. "I'm glad you found him, Diane."

Diane beams and pats his back. He gazes down at her with a smile and his eyes twinkle with love. "So am I," she murmurs.

"Mm-hm! I couldn't agree more! How long you two been together?" Debbie wants to know.

"Since the fifteenth of this month...so sixteen days, or two weeks and two days," Diane responds.

"Wow, cool!" Lila comments, and the others look pleased as well.

"Okay, Diane and Charles...this is my girlfriend, Nita Reddy," Debbie announces as she puts her arm around the slightly older Indian-American woman. "We were roommates in college and have been inseparable ever since."

"I'm now the governor's secretary and am trying really hard to get him to make same-sex marriage legal in New York...everywhere, actually, but our state, especially," Nita tells them.

"It should have been a long time ago," Diane mutters as she and Charles exchange handshakes with Nita. "Debbie, it's wonderful that you met somebody who makes you happy."

"Oh, she does!" Debbie gushes, and Nita kisses her cheek with much tenderness. Diane puts her hand to her heart, relieved at her own quick and smart thinking and her snooping skills. If she hadn't eavesdropped in on Debbie's big sisters and looked through Carol's book of spooky drawings, Debbie would've been dead about twenty-two years now. She wouldn't have ever turned thirteen, experienced her teen years, graduated, grown up, lived on her own, gotten into a relationship, made more friends, discovered her sexuality, or found herself.

"Awesome!" Diane exclaims. "So...I work here, but I'm also an English teacher at Martin Van Buren High and I'm a waitress at the Sparrow Tavern. I've lived in Queens for the past twenty years...but it's a shame we never ran into each other! I'm glad y'all dropped by now. What are you guys doing for work and stuff?"

"That's interesting! I majored in Art History, so I teach that at NYU," Lila informs her. "James and I have a daughter, Poussey."

"Oh yes, she's a classmate of Alex's. If we'd reunited a hell of a lot sooner, we could've hooked our girls up together!" Diane jokes, and everyone laughs.

"I'm a general in the Army," James mentions. "We move around a lot, and I'm often stationed in Germany and France if I go overseas. Because of that, Poussey knows three languages!"

"Wow, that's cool!" Diane comments. "She's a bright kid."

"Yeah," the Washingtons say proudly. "Thanks!" Lila murmurs.

Thank you!" James adds.

"As for me...I'm not an Olympic gymnast, mostly because I don't want to get caught up in the fame and fortune and I don't wanna be on television for reasons." Diane nods in understanding. "Sooo, I'm a children's therapist, I teach gymnastics at Gymstars Brooklyn, and I do ballroom dancing at Fred Astaire Dance Studio in New York City as a hobby!" Debbie reports.

"Nice!" Diane compliments her and she beams with pride.

"I'm a police officer," Charles lets the newcomers know. "I work at juvenile hall, but I put both children and adults under arrest."

"Should we be safe or worried around you?" Lila asks with amusement in her tone.

"I'm a good cop. I only put motherfuckers who really deserved it behind bars immediately. The rest get a fair trial." Charles grins and swings his arm around Diane. He kisses her temple. "Right, baby?"

Diane giggles. "That's correct."

* * *

"You sure you looked everywhere for her?" Leon asks as he and Aleida walk up to Friendly's while holding hands.

"Yeah, even under all the beds. She disappeared like a ghost! Or maybe it was a hallucination from all the alcohol I had tonight." Aleida rolls her eyes. "I dunno...if you didn't see her, and the police didn't either, then...I'm fuckin' loca. I think this stalker shit's getting to me and I was daydreaming."

"Well...it's a possibility that she just vanished without either of us noticing."

"That's so weird, but maybe."

As soon as they step inside, they see several guys dressed as Klu Klux Klan members harassing Diane, Charles, three other women, one white, one African-American, and one Indian, and another African-American man. "What was that, nigger lover?" one of the assholes asks the white lady standing beside Diane. He and his buddies guffaw much too loudly.

"We kindly asked you to leave!" Diane practically shouts at them. "You are harassing us."

"I can't hear you, ape jumper!" the second piece of scum jeers and pushes her, but Charles prevents her from falling on the floor and forces him out with the other man's help.

"Looks like we got here just in time," Leon mutters and Aleida calls the police. Even though Charles is a cop, she can see that he doesn't have his duty belt with him and he would need backup.

"Aw, what, you're dialing nine-one-one on us, you jigaboo fucker? Stupid spic!" a third taunts her. He tries to get in her face and grab her phone out of her hands, but Leon punches him out of her way. Before his pal can get revenge on Leon, the three African-American guys just about throw the both of them out, literally. Luckily, they're knocked out cold and are groaning in pain by the time they get arrested. Diane and Aleida just beam proudly at their men and the other women appear to be quite impressed, one of them making out with the man that Aleida and Leon don't know.

Diane and Charles quickly make introductions after hugging Aleida and Leon, who are happy to meet Diane's friends from childhood and Nita, Debbie's girlfriend.

"You guys could come on our group dates!" Aleida suggests.

"We would love that!" Lila says eagerly and she and her husband exchange an excited glance.

"Yeah, it would be fun!" Debbie agrees enthusiastically, and Nita looks just as eager by the idea.

Just then, Fahri, Gloria, Lourdes, and the kids file in. Lila, James, Debbie, and Nita are all too pleased to meet more new people. Everyone is in such good spirits, and Debbie seems to get along great with the little tykes. They show her and the others all of their treats they'd gotten.

"Oh, wow, so much candy!" she gushes as she kneels down in front of them. "Such cute costumes you all have on!"

"I a punkin!" Julio announces while hopping up and down.

"Gosh, that's adorable!" Debbie comments. "Did you and your big brother go to the pumpkin patch with your mommy?"

Julio nods his head yes. "We got big ones!"

"Yeah, like this!" Benny extends his arms as wide as they can go. "I hug it aaaall the time!"

Everyone grins and Gloria ruffles her sons' hair. "He really does," she says through a chuckle. "They both do."

"Aww!"

"I'm Esmeralda," Christina lets Debbie know. She puts her arms around Karima and Lindsay. "These are Pocahontas..." Christina pats Karima's head, "...and Mulan!" She plays with Lindsay's hair and then points at Farah. "That's Jasmine."

"I wanted to be Mulan because she looks like me!" Lindsay says proudly. "We rock!" She makes the universal sign for it and they all chuckle.

"Yeah, and rule!" Karima adds. "I could be Pocahontas' twin sissy!"

"You girls make such lovely Disney princesses!" Debbie praises them.

"Thank you," they say altogether while twirling around at the same time, making their dresses fan out.

"We're superheroes like Benny!" Michael tells Debbie and pumps his fist. "I'm the Black Panther!"

"I'm Superman!" Dylan continues. "I can fly!"

"I can, too!" Benny says.

"Look at you kids, saving the world! You know, princesses and superheroes can work together to do that, and princesses are definitely superheroes, too! Girl power!" Debbie gives each of the children a hi-five.

"Arrrrgh! I a piwate!" Emiliano shouts in her direction.

"Aaaah, scary!" Debbie jumps back from him in an exaggerated fashion, but she's fighting a smile. "Oh, no!"

"Gimme my money!" he hollers while pointing at Leon.

The adults laugh at this and Leon pretends to give the tiny boy some cash. Aleida beams at her son interacting so well with her boyfriend, even if it was just one sentence, a playful demand, in fact. It's a first, and she feels happy tears coming on. He doesn't even talk all that much like his big sister does.

"Now what do you say to the nice man?" Aleida asks Emiliano teasingly.

"Thank ooo!" Emiliano replies.

"Good job!" Debbie praises him and Aleida gives him a hi-five.

"She's excellent with the kids, huh?" Diane asks discreetly while Debbie and the children continue to converse cheerfully.

Charles, Aleida, Leon, Lourdes, Gloria, Fahri, James, Lila, and Nita nod their heads yes while grinning. "Well, Deb _is_ a child therapist," Nita says proudly. "She's a natural."

"They seem very comfortable with her too," Lourdes notices aloud while glancing over her shoulder.

"Yeah...she's a positive person to be around. She was an excellent babysitter for Poussey," James informs them.

"She didn't only do it for the money...and she's like a mentor for our girl," Lila tacks on.

The wheels start turning in Aleida's head and she exchanges a knowing glance with the others. "Y'all think maybe we gotta take the kids to her?" she wants to know. "Like, they don't get bad dreams that much, but their pasts _have_ been hella dark."

"Yeah, that's an excellent idea, baby," Leon replies and brings her hand that he's holding, up to his lips for a kiss.

"Mm-hm!" Diane and Charles agree at the same time.

"I would definitely recommend her for them," Lila murmurs.

"Same here," James adds.

Gloria nods vigorously. "Certainly. I went to a child therapist right after my parents' deaths. She helped a lot with my grief."

"Oh, that's good!" Fahri comments. "Every kid who's been through something awful deserves a child therapist."

"I couldn't go to one when I was younger...but I'm glad I got Lourdes now," Aleida tells them, and they offer her encouraging smiles.

Lourdes winds her arms around Gloria and Aleida in a loving manner and beams. "It's settled, then. Debbie's their therapist."

* * *

While she's sleeping and dreaming of being a fairy and flying through pretty flowers, colorful rainbows, and cotton-candy clouds, Christina giggles. Suddenly, though, she bumps into a thorn, but just slightly. It's enough to make her jump in surprise and wake herself up. She rolls over, groaning softly, and upon seeing an outstretched claw from under her bed, she jolts up, breathing heavily as thunder claps outside a few times and then rumbles. "You're not real, you're not real..." she whispers while squeezing her eyes shut, trying to dispel the illusion. She opens them again and it's still there and crawling up towards her face. She rubs her eyes free of sleep, but it just won't go away. She starts to scream, but the monster under her bed comes all the way out while keeping his furry hand clamped over her mouth, silencing any sounds trying to come out of her. She whimpers as she sees a wolf rise to his feet and all of a sudden, she feels faint and keeps gasping in and out as she pulls her comforter tighter around herself.

"If you be very quiet and don't wake up your tía, then I will not eat you. I just wanted to say hi...shhh..."

Christina can only breathe raggedly as she nods obediently and stares at him in horror. _Hi_ , she mouths as a lump makes its way into her throat. She gulps it down, but it won't disappear. _Don't cry, don't show fear,_ she tells herself. Her heart is hammering against her ribcage and she's trembling. The storm outside doesn't help her calm down, either.

"Shh...good girl." He slowly removes his hand from her mouth and rips the cover and sheet off of her. He bends down to sniff around her legs. "You didn't even piss the bed this time."

She wonders how he knows about her accident from almost two months ago, but she's too frightened to answer. She can't, anyway.

"I really like your Hello Kitty socks, but I prefer Barbie. At least she's got tits, but you know what? Your tía's way sexier. I yearn for the day I can have her again. Tell her thanks for not killing my buddy!"

She keeps her misty eyes trained on him as he escapes out the window and then she closes it with some difficulty since it's heavy. Some water gets in as the rain falls heavily from the black clouds. He climbs down what the grownups and the big girls call a fire escape and takes off into a sprint. She spits one of the beast's hairs out of her mouth and wrinkles her nose in disgust. Lightning crackles, turning the sky slightly blue.

"Tía Gloria!" she cries frantically, shaking her auntie awake. "Tía Gloria, I saw him!" She jumps when the thunder booms and lightning flashes again.

Gloria appears to be confused and then she focuses her tired gaze on Christina. "Who, sweetie?"

She chokes on her tears as she begins to hyperventilate. "The m-m-monster u-under my b-bed! He-he looks like...the big..." She hiccups loudly. "The big bad w-wolf!"

"What?" Gloria sits up, tucks Christina's unkempt bed hair behind her ears, and brushes her tears off her cheeks. She rubs Christina's back comfortingly. "Oh, little one, you had a nightmare...that's all it was. Just a bad dream, alright? We gotta stop readin' you _Little Red Riding Hood_ right before you go to sleep."

Christina shakes her head and sniffles. She inhales and exhales shakily. "No, I felt him and...and he 'membered when I wet myself...and he knows you!" She sobs so hard that she feels the need to vomit. She races to the bathroom with Gloria right behind her, and then her aunt holds her hair away from her face as she throws up into the sink. She'd gotten so sick that she wasn't able to make it all the way to the toilet. She then rinses out her mouth and spits out any disgusting leftover bile until she can't taste it anymore. "Yucky!" she exclaims as she watches the yellowish-green liquid go down the drain. She glances up to face the mirror and sees that her face is pale and she feels sweaty and gross. She's unsteady on her feet and almost collapses as her heart rate slows down, but Gloria catches her. "I'm too hot," Christina mumbles while pulling down her pink pants and tugging her blue and green Hello Kitty socks off.

"Poor baby," Gloria murmurs while running a gentle hand through her messy curls. "You want a cool bath?"

Christina nods, so Gloria helps her undress the rest of the way. After being bathed, Christina clings to Gloria when her aunt is trying to assist her back in her bed. "Nooo! I wanna stay with you."

"That's perfectly fine, you can," Gloria says sweetly and wraps her arms around Christina. She burrows into Gloria's safe embrace and cowers when the thunder roars. Rain patters on the windows violently and trees sway in the wind. She's only relieved she's cozy inside. It takes a while for her to fall asleep again, but she does.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, Johanna002, MinervaSnape394, and A Star In My Universe!**


	62. Same Shade of Blue

**Thank you for beta'ing, A Star In My Universe!**

 **Warnings: mentions of rape, miscarriage, child-napping, graphic body horror in flashbacks, gory imagery, and death.**

October turns into November and just like that, Halloween has come and gone. At the sound of something smashing and clattering, Lourdes bolts up in her bed and rubs her eyes free of sleep. She rips the comforter off herself and turns on her bedside lamp with her heart pounding. With her battery-operated analog clock clutched tightly in her hand for a weapon, she leaves her room to investigate, flipping every light switch until her whole apartment is no longer filled with darkness. She sees no one, but she keeps her clock raised above her head, ready to attack if need be.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Show yourself!" she demands, but there isn't an answer. She whirls around quickly, but nobody is trying to sneak up behind her. She searches closets, the pantry, and under the beds, but doesn't find a soul.

Lourdes walks slowly back to her bed while breathing heavily. "No tengo la energía para esto," she mumbles to herself. "Ow! ¡Hijo de puta puta!"

 **I don't have the energy for this. Son of a fucking bitch!**

She glances down at an object she'd stepped on and jumps back from it quickly. It's a piece of one of her many special candles that are now strewn around the floor, each broken in several pieces. She kneels down in shock, closes her hands around a few, and gasps as waves of sadness and anger come over her. She'd spent so much money on these and now her whole collection had been ruined. She'd get more, but she doesn't know how long it'll take her to get enough to fight whoever the stalker is. Santería is more than just a hobby and something she does to help people-it's her profession. Without her candles, it won't work, which means she's out of a job for the time being. She'd ask Celeste Chapman for assistance with her financial troubles, since the woman does have money, but she doesn't want to be too much trouble for her wealthy friend. She quickly calls Charles, who she'd only met yesterday, but she trusts that he's a good cop since he always helps her family, their friends, and all the kids.

"Hello?" he answers.

"Hi, Charles, it's Lourdes, Gloria's aunt...um, I think someone broke into my apartment just now and deliberately destroyed my candles that I use when I practice Santería. I didn't see any sign of forced entry, but maybe they used a window. That's the only way they could get in..."

"Okay, I'll come over to check it out right now. What's the address?" he asks.

"I live near my niece on the second level, apartment number five," she informs him.

"Alright, got it."

"Thank you!" she says gratefully.

"Welcome!"

* * *

Like she always does, Gloria thanks her lucky stars that Arturo is locked up. This could've been hers and the boys' scariest Halloween yet, what with him being obsessed with broken down carnival ride infested cornfields and dark, empty roads near the woods in the dead of night. He'd taken them all to those places in the summer and even in the daytime, they were abandoned and eerie looking. The word around the city was that Piper had been killed in a cornfield, so she has no idea why the teenagers go to the one near their school.

Gloria expects Christina to be her bubbly self again like kids are long after a bad dream, but when she wakes the little girl up, Christina gets out of bed lethargically and trudges to the bathroom. Normally, she's full of energy, so this concerns Gloria. "You feelin' better or still sick?" she asks her youngest niece figure.

Christina yawns. "I'm tired, but I didn't throw up anymore."

"Aww...well, once you get breakfast in that tummy of yours, I bet you'll be charged up again!"

"I guess."

The second weird thing is that Christina flinches sharply when Benny hugs her. She never does that since she trusts him. They're best friends. "Chrissy, it's me, don't be scared!" he says.

"I know...sorry," she mumbles.

She seems okay again until they go into the kitchen with the toddlers. Upon Leon telling her good morning as he passes her, she takes a step back and sucks her thumb while hiding behind Gloria. She silently sits down at the table. Gloria exchanges worried looks with Aleida and Leon since Christina seems to have regressed all because of something completely made up.

"What is with you, nena?" Aleida wonders out loud. "I thought you ain't shy around Leon no more. He won't hurt you!"

Christina hugs her knees to her chest. "I can't say it in front of a boy." She waves Aleida to come forward and then she whispers something into her mommy's ear. Aleida looks confused at first, and then horrified.

"No!"

"What?" Gloria asks quietly, walking closer to Aleida.

"El gran lobo malo estaba en su habitación y él olfateaba sus partes privadas. Ella dijo que sabes esa primera parte," Aleida responds, and Gloria lets out a gasp.

 **The Big Bad Wolf was in her room and he sniffed her privates. She said you know that first part.**

"Sí, pero fue un mal sueño...eso es lo que pensé, pero ahora...está mostrando señales de que algún hombre malo estaba demasiado cerca de ella. Saltó cuando mi hijo le dio un abrazo, le tiene miedo a Leon otra vez y...no la he visto vacía desde que la conocí. Ella lloró tanto anoche que vomitó. La pobre era tan débil. Ella realmente se puso nerviosa."

 **Yeah, but it was a bad dream...that's what I thought, but now...she's showing signs that some bad man was way too close to her. She jumped when my son gave her a hug, she's afraid of Leon again, and...I haven't seen her soul empty like this since when I first met her. She cried so much last night that she puked. The poor thing was so weak. She really got herself worked up.**

Aleida glances outside at the cop cars parked on the curb. "We gotta tell 'em!"

Gloria nods in agreement. They eat first and she, Aleida, and Leon tell the kids about therapy with Debbie. "You liked her, right?" Gloria checks.

"Yeah!" the toddlers and Benny chorus, and Christina manages a small smile and bobs her head up and down slightly.

"Okay, that's great! Well...you can start going today if you'd like. It'll really help...maybe she'll have you draw pictures if you don't feel like talking. She'll most likely be cool with sitting there in silence with you guys, too," Leon says gently.

"Miss Debbie was loads of fun!" Benny mentions excitedly. "She's nice, too!"

"She's like our teacher," Christina murmurs, but she doesn't make eye contact with Leon.

"Excellent! We'll let Diane know at work and text Debbie," Aleida informs the children.

"Yaaaaay!" Benny cheers, and Gloria smiles down at him. It's not until she looks at her phone, that she learns the reason why Charles isn't parked by their place. He's at Lourdes' because he's helping her clean up the mess of her wrecked Santería candles. Gloria's heart shatters at this since they were her aunt's pride and joy. She'd share hers, but there still isn't enough to keep the stalker away now.

The experience she had last night of caring for Christina, meanwhile, is making her long for her own daughters, and she sighs wistfully. "I wish I could've seen my girls dressed up yesterday evening...I'm sorry, guys, I know Christina is having a crisis...I shouldn't be thinking about them."

"It's okay, Tía Gloria," Christina mumbles. "Benny said he has two big sissies, but he never saw them before!"

"Where are they again, Mommy?" Benny wants to know.

"They're with their daddy, sweetheart. Remember, I told you? Some people have different papas but the same mama, or the other way around," Gloria explains. "I showed you a picture of them when they were babies."

"Oh, yeah!" Benny nods and goes back to his breakfast.

"They're around Tricia's age, right?" Aleida asks.

Gloria raises an eyebrow at her. "I thought you never listen when Red speaks."

"Only when she's barkin' orders at us when we're already working hard, but I for sure remember who her kids are, especially Nicky and Tricia. She talks about 'em nonstop!"

"That she does! Uh, Tricia's eleven, they're a year older...and they go to school with her! Marie Curie Middle."

"You should enlist her help," Aleida suggests and Leon nods in agreement. "Like, have her send them to your bodega or somethin' so you can officially meet. Scrollin' down their Facebook pages ain't gonna do shit except cause you to miss them more as the days go by."

"I know. It's just...I gotta do a lot of making up. I erred in millions of ways."

"I'm sure you was a better motha than me," Aleida tells Gloria. "You're my role model in that area."

Gloria beams at the compliment, but there had to have been a reason that her daughters had never tried to reach out to her. She knows she should be the one to start reconnecting with them. "Well, thanks, Lei...but I wasn't as perfect as you thought."

"You learned quicker and regretted that all on your own. I had to have other people's assistance," Aleida points out.

"I had Lourdes', but still did fuckin' food stamp fraud. My first bad choice, all because I was poor."

"At least you didn't do drugs at fifteen. That really fucked me up."

"Maybe I could pay Red a visit like, now, discuss this plan of having them come to my bodega with Tricia, and I'll be at work when you are?"

Aleida nods at Gloria's request. "Sure!"

"Good luck!" both Aleida and Leon holler after Gloria.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Leon wants to know as he and Aleida come closer to the cop car that Rick Hopper is in. She's walking stiffly and she looks like she wants to rip someone's head off.

Aleida scowls. "I'm so angry and stressed out, I gotta take it out on someone, so I'mma pick a fight with his ass. He's my ex...he gave me Christina, yet never acted like a dad to her. That motherfucker did a total one-eighty on me one day and left like the pussy he is. I'd already mentally dumped him, but whatever. He expected me to babysit his nana when me and my daughters had to live with his lousy ass for a while because we were once so poor that we got evicted...I couldn't even find a one dollar bill in the couch cushions at my old place to take us to McDonald's! All I knew was drugs and even _that_ didn't really help me. So...when we were kicked out, I had to let him give me anal in exchange for us staying with him. I'm over here like...I wanna make real money, so he encouraged my heroin packing habit and selling it on the corner. I realize now that I should've demanded to get paid for taking care of his tea lovin' diaper-wearing nana who I barely knew...and that was awkward enough when I did it for free. One time, I got so pissed off that I put a chair under a door handle and basically locked her in her room so she'd stop asking me for shit. I had my own children to mother, you know?"

Leon nods his head yes. He feels terrible for Aleida experiencing so much financial hardship before he met her, that she had to resort to an illegal job. "He should've hired you...what a pansy-ass white boy! You're not her slave!"

Aleida chuckles softly. "Yeah, and speaking of which...he made me be his little housewife...cook him shit and it's like, make it the fuck yourself! It's _your_ stupid apartment! I got kids to feed, too!"

"Idiot," Leon comments and wraps an arm around her. "Well, you got me now."

"Mm-hm. You're a thousand, million times better than anyone I've ever dated...or fucked," Aleida murmurs. They grin at each other.

"I strive to win your heart every day," Leon tells her.

Aleida keeps smiling, but then she stops when she raps on Rick's window a few times, startling him from his phone.

"Whoa! Aleida...haven't seen you in a while," he says nervously.

She frowns. "Why the fuck do you think? You're just out here 'cause it's your job. You still playin' that dumb Fantasy Inmate game?"

"Fantasy-" Leon starts to whisper.

"Don't ask," Aleida mumbles while rolling her eyes. She turns back to Rick with a fierce expression in her eyes. "You degrading piece of shit. You really do that to women? I'm glad I dropped you when I did."

"I used to when I worked at the women's maximum security facility. Relax, they never found out. You only care because you were a criminal, remember?"

Leon clears his throat and glares at Rick. "Watch what you say to my girl. If I recall correctly, you also used to be a felon. How the hell are you a police officer?" He pretends to think and rubs his jaw with his thumb and index finger. "Oh, that's it...white privilege!"

Rick puts his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I'm helping you guys, right? Now, what did you two need?"

"I'm about to fucking kick your tire!" Aleida seethes, but Leon gives her hand a comforting squeeze. "If you must know, asshole, this morning, your _daughter_ reported to us, that some creepy wolfman or whatever, snuck into her room, showed himself, and scared the fuck out of her. He also put his nose near her...pelvis region." Aleida gestures to her lower half. "Like, smelling if she wet herself. Anyway, the point is...did you or the others see anything outside that window below the fire escape?"

"We didn't notice, but there's no such thing as a wolfman." Rick sends her an amused grin. "She probably just had a bad dream. Don't make a big deal out of it."

Leon slams his hand on the window and Rick jumps. "We have a stalker! I ask you not to make light of this, fool! The poor little girl was terrified."

"I understand that, but we need proof. Otherwise, you're wasting our time with what's most likely a child's nightmare. You could maybe install a camera in the kid's room."

"Yeah, that's what I'll do," Leon decides aloud.

"We got a security system, but Christina said he climbed out the window, so he didn't trigger the alarm or nothin'," Aleida says.

"Christina, right...that's her name." At Rick's statement, Aleida scoffs and Leon shakes his head. "Could I speak with her, maybe try to reconnect-"

"It's too late for that!" Aleida interrupts him.

"Aleida, you know I only wanted revenge on you for not giving two shits about my nana," Rick protests. "You thought she was extra baggage, so I felt that way about your kids, too."

"Look, I'm sorry about how I treated her back then, but Christina isn't only _my_ daughter, she's yours, too!" Aleida points out.

"Well, I didn't feel a connection to her...but that was a long time ago. I'm a real man now more than ever. I could be the father that Christina has been looking for all these years! Give me a chance, Aleida, please," Rick begs, sounding completely pathetic. Leon rolls his eyes internally.

She crosses her arms over her chest and frowns. "Christina won't remember you. She don't even know you."

"Not even a statement? You can be with her."

Aleida sighs sharply. "She'd rather talk to Charles if she's gotta tell a cop what she witnessed. She ain't comfortable around men...it was hard enough for her to get close to Leon, and she's just started to feel comfortable around him and Charles. Last night's incident made her take a step back, though. She barely looked Leon's way."

"Fine, whatever," Rick relents.

"Fantastic. I have to go to work." Aleida jumps up on Leon and makes out with him, and Leon carries her away from Rick and into the apartment.

"What a joke that loser was! The only useful thing he said was to put in security cameras," Leon comments.

"Yeah...I hope that finally puts an end to things," Aleida murmurs.

After taking his girlfriend and the children to work and school, Leon starts on the security cameras. A knock at the door sounds, so Leon glances through the peephole. He sees Rick looking right back at him. "Jesus Christ," he mutters to himself and opens the door. "What?" he asks with a rough edge to his tone.

"Now that Aleida's not here, I wanted to tell you something. I need to protect another man from falling for her shit," Rick starts out.

"She owned up to that, but she's not like that anymore," Leon defends his girlfriend.

"Dude, she's bad news and she'll turn on you eventually!"

"Don't call me _dude_. We're not friends," Leon retorts tightly. He starts to slam the door in Rick's face, but the other guy holds it in place. "She told me everything...and how you were a lame douchebag who treated her like a prostitute. Seriously, you let her in your home, only to pump your wiener into her and try to turn her into some fifties housewife? What the goddamn hell is wrong with you?"

"My nana did tell her she smelled like a hooker. She was right. You don't know if Aleida's fucking dudes behind your back! She's not to be trusted! She's a whore and a bad parent!" Rick insists.

Leon grits his teeth, grabs him by his shirt, and jostles him slightly, but he resists the urge to punch the asshole. "Listen to me, you pasty white boy!" he hisses. "Don't you _ever_ say those things about her again. Aleida is an amazing woman who's been through...so much shit. Life wasn't easy for her, she did what she could to make money for her and her kids. It wasn't her fault she never had a great support system like myself and Gloria. I love her-"

"Yeah, I can see why...she's sexy, great figure and all, but she cheated on me!"

"Probably because you kept thinking ladies were all damsels in distress! They don't like that shit. Also...she's more than hot, alright? Aleida is in college for her GED and she's wanting to run a nail salon in the future. She's smart, beautiful, strong, sassy, funny, and yeah, she's got a temper, but that's only when you get on her bad side," Leon proclaims.

"I thought she was magnificent when I first met her, too. Few weeks after we started going out, you could say anything to her and get snapped at. She's manipulating you, and you're already in her trap. Have fun trying to crawl your way out."

"There's a difference between you and me, though. I'm actually taking the time to get to know her and her kids...I let her open up to me and never made judgments...she hasn't touched a single drug since Gloria came along anyway, and I lived alone before moving in with her for her family's protection. I'm part of them now...I get along very well with Gloria and her sons, Daya, Christina, sort of, and even little Emilio got up the courage to joke around with me-"

"She's got another one?" Rick laughs humorlessly. "What'd I tell ya? I bet that was from her affair. How old is the boy?"

"That's none of your business!" Leon yells and then flips him off. "Get the fuck back into your car right now before I knock your punk ass out cold and call Charles on you for harassment!" He pushes Rick off the threshold, making him stumble back, and then he closes the door and locks it. "Stupid fucker!" he grumbles and gets back to his job.

* * *

"You want me to do _what_ now?" Tricia asks, clearly in shock as she throws her bag on over her shoulder.

"I know it sounds like a lot, honey, but how bad can it be? I'm not sure how else to contact them! If I did it through Facebook, it'd be weird, and forget about me showing up at you girls' school! It'd be way less awkward if you did it," Gloria tells her.

"They're the most popular girls in school. They never give me the time of day and they live up to their last names!"

"They're fuckin' spoiled brats," Nicky adds as she packs her backpack, and Tricia gestures to her with a vigorous nod.

"Nicky!" Red says firmly.

"What? They are, Ma. They remind me of myself at that age."

"Don't insult someone else's children in front of them," Red chastises her.

"It's fine, Red...I get why they're like that. Being under the influence of a white guy for years can do that to anyone. They get their arrogance from their dad, I'm positive." Gloria turns to Tricia. "Maybe you could try just...setting them up with the Gonzales boys? They can be in on this, too."

"They run with my crew...I don't think the girls are that fond of us," Tricia says dejectedly. "They're haughty and rude a lot of the time."

"They need me more than ever, then," Gloria mutters. "That asshole...anyway, how about you just talk to Flaca's twin brothers and come up with somethin'? I'm hoping to see 'em after school. They don't even have to date the dudes, just be friends...they're only twelve, so..."

"A mother should never be prevented from seeing her babies unless she's a horrible person, and Gloria has the best intentions," Red puts in, and Gloria sends her a thankful smile. "It would mean so much to her if you made an attempt to help her out in reuniting with her daughters, Trish."

"Yeah, but..." Tricia eyes Gloria warily. "You're not even that close of friends with my mom. Why are you asking for favors from her kids?"

"We're work friends and run in different age groups, but I've gone to a bar or two with her," Red contradicts Tricia.

"Gloria's comforted me a number of times," Nicky puts in, and she and Gloria beam at each other. "Come on, kid...do this for me? This is a mom who actually wants to see her children! She's even got photos she's kept for a dozen years. I bet Marka burned up all of mine before moving to God knows where with Paolo."

Tricia sighs. "Okay," she relents.

"Thank you so much," Gloria says gratefully. "I'll make you a peach pie for your troubles."

"Nah, you don't owe me anything," Tricia says. "Sorry for being kinda mean earlier."

"You weren't," Gloria assures her.

* * *

"So, I remember last year's election was a year ago from tomorrow...I remember I said that I hoped John Kerry won because if it'd been Bush for a second term and the apocalypse had gotten worse, like it did, I wanted to literally move to Berlin," Alex announces at lunchtime.

"That would not have been not a bad plan, but I'm glad you didn't, or else I would've never met you," Michelle comments, and the others nod in agreement. "We should all do it now, though, like even your mom and Charles!"

"Yeah, no shit, 'cause we're still minors!" Alex says.

"It's just too bad none of us got the money," Flaca complains and Maritza groans aloud.

"Bush ain't that awful...the Fox News-" Lorna begins, but Nicky shushes her.

"First of all, baby, that channel is for bigots. Don't believe anything on there. MSNBC is where it's at," Nicky informs her.

Maritza pats Nicky's back and smiles at her. "Listen to your chica, Lorna."

"We all hate the deplorable Republicans, so I hope to God you aren't one of them," Blanca tells Lorna sourly.

"Secondly, have you seen the racism and sexism and homophobia that exists today?" Diablo continues.

"It's because they got Bush for a president...again...and they think it's okay to spew nonsense...because that horrible person in charge of America...started nine-eleven, by the way, invading a country he had no business intruding...and thus, created a war against innocent Muslims!" Daya puts in.

"He's a complete idiot," Adarsh goes on.

"So are the people voting for him, and I know you're not that dumb," Daya tells Lorna with a pleading look on her face.

"Well...I grew up watching that, so..." Lorna sighs in defeat. "I just don't know a lot of this stuff, okay?"

"It's too bad none of us can vote," Allison gripes.

"I wish we could," Hassan adds.

"Good thing I can!" Taystee announces, smiling brightly. "I'll do it in the midterm elections next year for all of us."

"Thanks," everyone murmurs at once.

"It's not fair that they don't let kids under eighteen vote," Alana points out. "We're pretty smart!"

"Yeah!" they exclaim in unison.

"So, change in topic, who could replace Maria in the band?" Flaca asks the group once Pennsatucky and Nathan join them. "Of course Taystee and Poussey can be part of it."

"Thanks. Too bad Sankey's a Nazi, she was a good singer," Taystee mutters.

"Waste of a talent if I do say so myself!" Pennsatucky says.

"Yeah, none of the eight-eight will be involved!" Poussey states strongly.

"Of course not, nah, but we're like...at a loss. We need a drummer! We got plenty of singers," Maritza points out.

"Why don't you advertise on YouTube?" Nicky suggests. "Someone's bound to volunteer!"

Flaca and Maritza gasp at the same time and then beam excitedly. "Yes!" they squeal, and Flaca gets her phone out of her purse. She waves Maritza, Nicky, Pennsatucky, Alana, Taystee, and Poussey closer to her so she can get them all in the frame.

"Oh...before we start, is it cool if Cindy can be in it?" Taystee asks. "She's fab. I'll tell her to tone down the 'tude she got with you girls."

"That'd be chill of you, but don't she usually hang with Janae and not really with us?" Maritza asks.

"Well, yeah, but we're thinking this could be a chance for her to let her anger out or somethin'," Poussey replies.

"Sure," Flaca murmurs and the other band girls nod in agreement. "What about Janae? She gotta find some escape for her rage, too."

"She ain't talented like that, she's more of a track star than anything," Taystee informs them. "She'd be all, _the only tunes I'm into is rap on my headphones while I pound my feet into the ground over and over_!"

"You would think with all that running, she wouldn't be so mad all the time," Alana mumbles. "No offense."

"None taken," Poussey says. "So, should we get Cindy for the video or just have her meet us at Friendly's? Diane could use some of the entertainment, so..."

"My mom _has_ been dying for music there!" Alex points out in the background and they all grin.

"Bring your girl over here," Pennsatucky says, and Taystee gets up. A few minutes later, she returns with Cindy.

"What's up with y'all basic bitches finally including black folks?" Cindy asks while lifting her arms up into a V shape. Taystee and Poussey narrow their eyes at her, but she ignores them.

Flaca rolls her eyes. "We didn't know y'all were interested, but of course, y'all are welcome. We're inclusive."

"You know, just because the ho you admire hates the woman we love, shouldn't be a reason for us chicks to be at each other's throats, okay?" Lorna snaps.

Cindy turns around to glare at the smaller girl. "Bitch, I could lift you up and literally toss you to the other side of the room, so I'd watch my mouth if I were you." Lorna gulps and her eyes widen in fear as Taystee and Poussey hold their friend back.

"Hey!" Nicky puts her hand up in front of Cindy's face. "We're trying to make peace here. No threats." She turns to Lorna. "Babe...we don't have the same views on hers and Taystee's mentor, but insulting Vee makes it worse!"

"You wouldn't want 'em trashin' Glo," Daya points out.

Lorna puts her hands up in surrender. "I tried to word it right. Sorry."

"You got the message right, but you're officially banned from talking until they finish," Blanca says sarcastically, and Lorna pretends to zip her lips shut.

Maritza sighs impatiently and reaches up to press the record button on Flaca's phone. "Hey, y'all, Flaritza here! We got our band crew with us and we was wondering if anyone would like to be our drummer!"

"Check out our stuff on our channel if y'all are interested, and let us know in the comments!" Flaca tacks on to Maritza's introduction.

"Byyyyyeee!" everyone calls out and then Flaca stops the recording. After posting it, they sit in their original spots and continue to eat.

* * *

"I made you a flower crown," Frieda says as Diane walks into her classroom. The older lady sets it on top of Diane's head and kisses her cheek. "You could wear it as a necklace, too!"

"Aw, so this is your surprise you had for me. Thanks, Frieda!" Diane beams pleasantly.

"You're very welcome."

"You haven't done this for me since I was seventeen, so what brought it on?"

"I was in the wilderness during our lunch break when I got an Amber Alert. Child abductions are terrible to think about..."

Diane grimaces and her heart hurts for whoever was kidnapped and their family. "Oh yeah, that showed up on my phone, too. It makes me wanna hug Alex extra tight."

"Same. I just hope that kid gets found and brought back home safely."

"Me, too."

The tiniest hint of tears form in Frieda's eyes and a jolt goes through Diane. She'd never seen Frieda cry before, so it frightens her a little. "Diane, would it be alright if I went to therapy with you?"

"Yeah, definitely...I love that you wanna be there to support me."

"Of course," Frieda murmurs. She cups Diane's chin and grins, even though her blue eyes are shining with moisture. "You're my little girl. My baby."

"Well, you're the mom I'd always wished for...but why do you sound so choked up?" Diane squeezes Frieda's hands in an effort to comfort her.

Frieda sniffles and wipes her eyes with her sleeve. "I think I should wait until I arrange a session with Lourdes. It's group, right?"

Diane nods her head yes. "She makes us draw strength from each other."

"That's wonderful." Frieda lifts Diane's chin up and searches her face. "It's nice to see that your black eye is slowly fading away from that fucker's descendant assaulting you."

"Yeah...I covered it with dark blue eyeshadow like always."

"Does it still hurt?" Frieda wonders out loud.

"Not really," Diane responds.

 _The snow falls gently as Diane races through the woods as fast as her bare feet can carry her. She's only in a small bra that barely holds her heavy breasts up and a thong that's digging into her butt crack uncomfortably. Her heart keeps skipping a few beats and she can barely catch her breath. She tries to ignore the pain as she steps on rocks and sticks since she knows she needs to get away from the Nazi who calls himself her master. He's not far behind, and he has a knife raised in the air, prepared to attack her. She lets out a high-pitched gasp as she trips and then falls to her knees. She's bleeding everywhere and struggling to get up, but she can't. She's too weak at this moment, but she'd attempted to fight him off and escape him just before he was able to burn a swastika into her belly, just above her lower region. She'd struck him in the head with a frying pan and bought herself time to run away, but unfortunately, he'd caught up with her. Diane crawls backward, away from him, feeling winded, and she can barely breathe as he roughly grabs her up off the ground and stomps back to his house. He slams her shaking body down onto the floor and gets on top of her._

 _"My pet...you were naughty, so you need to be punished. I'll carve my name into your delicious skin to show the world who you belong to." He licks his lips and she shies away from his creepy gaze while shivering violently. "Then comes our symbol." His breath is so rancid, his appearance so ugly, and his touch so predatory, that she closes her eyes and dissociates. She's woken up a second later with a slap across her face and then she starts trembling all over again. She thinks one of her ribs is broken, as he'd been kicking her in the side previously, and she's sure she has a black eye after he punches her. His animalistic hands wrap around her throat and choke her, making her want to throw up. "Never_ ever _leave my sight again, do you hear me, you nasty cunt?" She nods and it hurts to blink back her tears or even move. She has no idea where her adrenaline from earlier had come from. "God, you look sexier than ever," he growls and she whimpers when he finally releases her neck. He keeps his knees on either side of her hips, though, and most of his weight on her legs as he sits on her. "I don't want to murder you, sugar, but you made me furious tonight. You don't get to decide when to leave."_

 _"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I'll do whatever you want-"_

 _"What was that?" he snarls with a menacing gleam in his icy eyes and she gulps with terror flooding through her veins._ _She's so terrified of him that she'd forgotten what she is to always say when she disobeys him. Chills go up and down her spine and then she remembers._

 _"I apologize for your inconvenience, sir," she tells him. "I'm not the brightest girl, but at least I got big tits, made just for Your Royal Highness." She grabs her own boobs and squeezes them lightly, feeling dirtier by the minute. She knows she must do this to calm him down and stroke his ego so he doesn't beat her to death. "You-you like that? I-I love y-you, M-master..." she stammers. She trails off when her fear becomes more evident in her voice. He gets off on it, but she wants to be careful of exaggerating. The last time she'd made a bigger show of it than was necessary, he stuffed a stinky, sweaty sock in her mouth, taped her lips shut, and bound her wrists to his bedpost. She'd been forced to kneel down and bend over as he whipped her with his belt buckle until her back, butt, and legs were raw, red, and covered in gruesome welts. They'd left scars which were easily masked in concealer when she had to show herself off to the public. Edward and Phyllis berated her for going against the savage beast she was to marry and demanded that she cover up all of her marks so she wouldn't be considered ugly to suitors. They didn't mind if other men were interested in her and they approved of the guys who went after her._

 _"Yes. You did a job well done," he answers, and she breathes a huge sigh of relief. She doesn't think she can take any more agony today. "Now, continue to be a good girl for Daddy." He keeps her firmly in place and grabs a razor. It's poised over the area between her chest and belly and the tip of the blades get so close to her delicate skin that she flinches sharply._ _"Don't move, bitch!" He yanks on her hair as he digs the weapon into her flesh so deep that her small, stinging cuts on other places of her body are nothing compared to this inhumane torture._

 _"Ouch!" she yelps and grows faint. There's a ringing in her ears and she's about to pass out, and she doesn't dare take a peek at the red liquid gushing out of her. She only looks at his beady eyes, willing herself not to puke on him. He would make her slurp it off of him and gag on it._

 _Suddenly, his hands fly to the nape of his neck as he rolls off of her quickly and stands up abruptly. He staggers backward and through Diane's low vision, she sees him land on the floor with a thump. "Jesus Christ! What the fuck did you do to me, whore?" He rips a dart out of the back of his neck and then doesn't move anymore, as his assailant has slit his throat open. Diane had known that Frieda would come today, which is why she'd left the front door open on purpose, and the older lady had come in the nick of time, finally._

 _"Diane? It's Frieda. Honey, can you hear me?" A piece of clothing is pressed tightly onto her wound and a gentle hand wraps around hers._

 _"Yes," she responds almost quietly. "It hurts...I don't think I can walk...and I-I'm so frozen, but sweltering at the same t-time..."_

 _"I know, baby, but I'll take you to the hospital right now. Come on...I'll carry you."_

 _Diane tries to sit up, but she ends up collapsing in Frieda's arms. She clutches onto the woman she already considers as a mother, even after knowing her for a few hours. She cries softly as she shudders and then begins sobbing because that nightmare is over. Frieda takes off her puffy brown coat and bundles Diane in it._

 _"Is...is he really dead?" she wants to know after a few hiccups and five minutes of wailing hysterically. She buries herself in Frieda's warm and protective embrace._

 _"He sure as heck is, sweetheart. Along with slicing his jugular, I used devil's breath from Bone, my boyfriend, and tossed that Nazi into one of his gas chambers. I hope you were comfortable meeting Bone yesterday when you came to my house!"_

 _Diane nods slowly and offers Frieda a small smile. "Oh, that's great! Umm, yeah, he's cool."_

 _"Awesome!"_

 _Frieda rushes her to the emergency room and stays there with her as she gets her injuries treated. Diane's body is so damaged that she can't stand looking at herself. She's pale as a ghost and she isn't able to stop quivering. Frieda puts her hand against her forehead and then on her unscathed cheek. "You're not sweating anymore, at least. Are you still feeling feverish?"_

 _Diane shakes her head no at Frieda's question. "I'm a little better now, actually."_

 _"Marvelous. You can sleep over at my place and I'll take you to school if you'd like?"_

 _"Okay!" Diane agrees happily. That evening, she snuggles in Frieda's arms as she goes to sleep in the older woman's home, feeling extremely relaxed and content. She has to keep reminding herself that nothing and nobody will hurt her here, but it doesn't stop her from screaming in the night from horrifying flashbacks. Frieda comforts her every time she has one._

 _The next morning, Frieda drives Diane to the curb outside her high school. "Diane, I'm so sorry...but after what I did, cops are gonna come after me. I gotta go into hiding."_

 _"What does that mean?"_

 _"They'll see it as committing murder, and I'm already wanted for three in the South. I gotta leave here..." Frieda explains apologetically._

 _"I'll come with you!" Diane stares at her pleadingly and clasps her hands together._

 _"You can't...I'm sorry. It's too dangerous for you to be around me." A somber expression crosses Frieda's face._

 _"No!" Diane squeaks as she chokes up. "Don't go!"_

 _"I have to..." Frieda murmurs regretfully._

 _"You're the only adult who cares about me...or at least I_ thought _you were."_

 _"I do, I will forever watch out for ya." Frieda crosses her heart. "I swear on my mama's grave."_

 _"Will you ever be back someday?" Diane asks hopefully._

 _Frieda holds Diane's face in her hands. "I don't know if we'll see each other again, kid. Whenever I get out of hiding, I plan to work at Martin Van Buren High. I told you I'd always protect you, and I'm keeping that promise. Killing that motherfucker was worth it."_

 _"I'll miss you so much!" Diane wails and then sniffles. Frieda appears to be just as sad, and she pulls her in for a long, tight hug while rocking her from side to side._

 _It's a good time for Diane to run away with James and Lila, but she thinks they have the right to finish school and she's afraid that her parents could find her before she becomes eighteen and literally burn her alive or sell her into sex slavery. She just has to suffer until college starts in eleven months, and it'll all be behind her._

Diane throws her arms around Frieda and pecks her cheek. "I can't thank you enough for rescuing me twice!"

"I'd do it a million times." Frieda wraps her in a hug and leans up on her tiptoes to kiss Diane's temple.

* * *

When Daya is almost finished with her meal and picking up her last tamale, her hand brushes against something slimy and wet underneath it. "Eew..." She notices either a human or animal eyeball leering back up at her. "Oh my god!" she shrieks loudly and jumps so far back that she slips off of her seat. Adarsh and Blanca, who are on either side of her, catch her before she hits the floor. Just about everyone in the cafeteria glances at her in alarm. Her friends' voices are blending together and she spots Aleida and Gloria, rushing over to her with Red following them.

"That's so gross!" Flaca exclaims.

"Some nasty shit right there," Maritza adds.

"What the fuck?" Alex mutters.

"How did Humps get into your lunch?" Lorna wants to know.

From above, Aleida snaps the container closed. "We'll show this to Charles when we get home, alright?"

Daya gags. "I'm gonna throw up..." She gets to her feet, rushes to the nearest garbage can as she hiccups loudly, grips the sides of the trash bin, and lets out a huge amount of vomit while someone holds her hair back and another keeps her steady. Through her tears from coughing up the rest of the contents of her stomach, she sees that Adarsh is preventing her hair from falling in her face and Gloria's hands are on her waist. She's so repulsed by what was in her food that she doesn't care if she has an audience. They should be used to witnessing morning sickness at the very least, what with all the teen pregnancies there are here. When she's finished, Red hands her a bottle of water.

"Rinse your mouth out," the Russian woman suggests as Daya staggers back into Adarsh and Gloria.

"In front of the whole school?" she asks incredulously. Most of them are staring and now she's fully embarrassed. "Hey, show's over!" she hollers. Her friends are being gracious by surrounding her so she can have her privacy.

Everyone quickly goes back to what they were doing and Daya takes a large swig of water, swishes it, and spits the remainder of her puke into the garbage. She wipes her mouth clean as she pants in and out heavily.

"You okay now?" Gloria asks her gently.

Daya nods her head yes. "I can't eat anymore, though."

"I get it," Adarsh sympathizes with her, and the rest of the girls and guys she's close to give her sorrowful looks. She feels overheated from the flush in her cheeks and is shaking from disgust at herself and whoever had put such a horrid thing underneath her tamales.

* * *

While at her bodega, Gloria keeps glancing up whenever the door opens, mentally preparing for what she'll say to her daughters and hoping they won't take one look at her and run in the opposite direction. Near the cereal aisle, she notices Yadriel, Pepa, and an older Latina with greying hair who must be his mother, Reba. Yadriel is carrying Pepa while browsing through the boxes of cereal and turning down the sugary cereals that his mother offers to have him give his daughter. Gloria shakes her head at the sight, because the little girl has never rolled over or even tried to sit up on her own, even though she's nearing five months old, and it's because her parents never put her down unless it's for a nap.

"You should spoil her!" Reba protests as he puts back Bocados De Fruta. "Hey, that's her favorite kind!"

"No, Ma. I don't want her to have an unhealthy breakfast," he insists while grabbing Bite Sized Shredded Wheats. "You didn't let me have Frosted Flakes or Froot Loops when I was little. In fact, your damn house is stocked full of Raisin Bran!"

"Whatever, I'm not your abuela."

Yadriel scoffs and rolls his eyes. They continue walking to the counter where Gloria is, when a Hispanic girl comes up to him. "Oh my god, that is the most adorable baby I have ever seen!" Pepa turns to her in interest and Yadriel smiles slightly. Pepa glances over at the girl and beams cutely. "Your little sister?" she asks Yadriel.

"No, my daughter."

She raises her eyebrow. "You're so young...but you know, I find that hot. You don't expect a teen dad to stick around." She grins flirtatiously at him. "I'm Carolina." She pokes Pepa's side and the small child giggles. "I wonder what her name is."

"Pepa..."

"Your daddy's _muy guapo_ , Pepa," Carolina tells the little one and gives Yadriel a meaningful stare, but he just shifts his eyes away from her awkwardly. She coos at Pepa some more, causing the baby to laugh. Even if Maria coddles Pepa, Gloria doesn't think the teenager deserves to be cheated on, so she watches Yadriel carefully to see how he reacts to this random girl flirting with him.

"Her mommy isn't in the picture, so go for it," Reba says with a suggestive waggle of her eyebrows before Yadriel can say anything.

Gloria is about to intervene when Yadriel cuts his mother a look and then turns back to Carolina. "Thanks for the compliment, enjoy your day," he mumbles uncomfortably and passes her without glancing back over his shoulder.

"Well, that was cold," Reba admonishes him. "I can't stand you dating that jailbait Maria, she's more fit to be a criminal than anything."

"I'm seventeen, Ma, I make my own decisions," Yadriel states strongly. "I love that girl, and I'd never be unfaithful. I don't give a shit what you think."

Gloria sends Reba a pointed glare as she rings up Yadriel's purchases. Her eyes travel to Yadriel. "Good job, _d_ _on't_ listen to your motha!"

"Why are you inserting yourself in our personal business?" Reba asks.

"I overheard everything and felt the need to step in because you got no right to insult your son's girlfriend. He treasures her so much, you should be happy for him that he found her." Gloria reaches out to touch Pepa's cheek gently and the little girl taps Gloria's hand with a sweet smile on her small face. "They gave you your precious granddaughter. Don't that count for somethin'?"

"Maria's nothing but trouble. Come on, Yadriel," Reba instructs him when he's finished paying. She leaves the store.

"Thanks, Miss Mendoza," Yadriel says politely.

"Oh, no big deal. I just can't stand it when people try to butt in on other's relationships. I got a tip for you, though...I see that Pepa's used to being held all the time, and you and Maria always go to her when she cries. She should be learning how to roll over and sit up, unsupported, as she's almost five months of age...and babies and little children cry...a lot. Sometimes they can figure it out, though, especially if it's about the same thing all the time. You can assure her that she's fine if she just bumped herself. You don't gotta coddle her, or she can't be independent. Does she fuss if you put her down?"

Yadriel nods his head yes. "Every time. Well, I appreciate your advice. Uh...Maria thought it was a good idea and I went along with it, we don't know everything there is about parenting, and everyone has their own styles...but I'll pass along the message. She's in the hospital."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Gloria murmurs.

"Thank you." He makes Pepa wave at Gloria and Gloria returns the gesture while smiling, and then they leave.

* * *

"Maria was stalking our girls and doing unthinkable things to them and they never told us?" Diane asks Charles incredulously with her hand pressed to her heart, which clenches in pain. She can't bear to imagine the torture Alex or the others had suffered under Maria. Charles has gathered the moms and Franny at his office.

"They didn't know who was after them," Charles responds.

"Well, either way, they should've said somethin'," Aleida grumbles. "I regret not taking Daya's phone more often."

"My baby got her leg broken because of that lying little bitch," Theresa mutters. "I could kill her!"

"She caused Lorna to indulge in her Christopher obsession," Franny adds icily. "Got her bullied, too."

"You know...I never fully could trust Maria. She always seemed...kinda rude around Alex. Why she let my girl come to her quinceñera and threatened my disgusting ex with a drumstick is beyond me, she was probably being the fake bitch she is, to get Alex to trust her," Diane mutters distastefully. "I hope she never comes near our babies again."

"Well, she's in a mental ward-" Charles starts to assure her.

"She ain't some crazy ho, she just a ho," Aleida interrupts him fiercely. "You gotta know that."

"Maybe she's really got a mental illness like my sister, we got no clue," Franny points out.

"What, cunt-o-mania?" Aleida wonders out loud and frowns. "I can't believe she was in _my_ fucking house...around not just Daya, but the rest of my family, too."

"She came to Friendly's many times, including when Gloria's abuser came in. I keep wondering if she staged that," Diane mutters. "Maybe she helped him out somehow...because he's never appeared again after that."

"Probably, to put your daughter and yourself in danger." Theresa puts in. She switches her attention to Charles. "She better be locked to that bed. She could escape if she isn't."

"To be honest with you, she's in too much pain to move because of her fall down the mountain," Charles reports.

"Good!" Aleida pipes up.

"No matter how much I pushed, they won't put her in handcuffs since she wasn't arrested, just brought to a psychiatric hospital," Charles informs the mothers and Franny.

Diane sighs sadly and the others roll their eyes. "It's okay, babe, you tried. They'll have to run tests on her, though, to see if she's really criminally insane, right?"

Charles nods his head yes. "Mm-hm. They'll have lie detectors and everything."

"That's good...and we'll have to be more watchful of our kids more than ever now," Theresa declares.

"We're already being extra careful since some fucking snake is following our every move," Aleida tells them. "Me, Gloria, our kids, and Leon, I mean. Lourdes also got her candles smashed to chunks."

Diane pats her hand softly and squeezes it. "I'm sorry." The others give Aleida sympathetic looks.

"Thanks," Aleida replies.

"I'm relieved Lorna's done with that Christopher nonsense and ain't being tormented at school no more," Franny states.

"I'm glad, too," Charles says and Diane, Aleida, and Theresa nod in agreement. They each check up on the girls, who are together at Pizza Hut with the rest of their crew and girlfriends at this moment.

* * *

The next customers that come through the door of Gloria's bodega send a wave of shock through her, and she does a double take. Seeing her two girls in the flesh almost takes her breath away. She has to play dumb and pretend not to know their names. Soleia and Naia Powers look so jovial as they chat away with Flaca's younger brothers and she can see the cheek dimples and innocent, wide brown eyes they'd obviously gotten from her. They're beautiful and intelligent, but she'd already known that from spying on their accounts. Soleia's sleek black tresses are straight and come down to the middle of her back, while Naia's is curly and cropped to her chin. Neon pink headbands sit in their hair. They're wearing makeup and hoops dangle from their earlobes. Naia has on a pink flower-patterned dress paired with nude stockings and short brown boots. A white sweater is tied around her waist, and since it's a bit cold outside, Gloria hopes she's warm enough. Soleia is in a long-sleeved yellow blouse with a gray jacket over it, dark blue jeans, and black UGG boots. They look like they're in the middle of developing, and Gloria wishes she'd been there to help and give them motherly advice when it started, way before that, even. She regrets not pushing for them harder twelve years ago. She beams at them without giving it a second's thought and they turn blurry as her eyes get misty. A lump makes its way into her throat, but she does her best to gulp it down. It takes all she has not to run up to them, scoop them in her arms, and never let them go. She'd seen her babies on Facebook, but actually having them in her presence, sends her heart into overdrive. She presses her hand to her chest and gasps softly. They're a foot shorter than her, she guesses four feet, three inches.

"What?" her twins wonder aloud in unison as they stroll towards her. Their well-groomed eyebrows furrow in confusion and they drum their perfectly manicured nails on the counter. Marco and Pedro aren't far behind them, but they're talking amongst themselves.

"Oh, nothin'," Gloria mumbles, averting her gaze downwards and then back up at her daughters. "You just look like somebody...anyway, are you searching around here for anything in particular?"

Soleia purses her lips, puts her fists on her hips, and gives Gloria a once-over. "Holy shit, lady. Don't be frontin' like you don't know us. You're our birth mom."

"Yes," Gloria whispers, shell-shocked that they're aware of this. She sighs and clears her throat. "I didn't wanna just shout your names and come off as some weirdo."

"We've seen your picture, _Gloria_ ," Naia states, and her own child calling her by her first name stings, but she'd expected it. "How could you walk away from us like that? You left Dad to raise us on his own, and what...now you got more kids that you're actually mothering?"

"Let me explain, okay?" Gloria practically pleads them.

"You abandoned us like most Spanish mamas do," Soleia snaps.

Gloria folds her arms across her chest. "Did your father tell you that? You're being raised by a white man, so I can't blame you for not respecting me. This should teach you somethin'. Don't get pregnant in high school, or you'll have kids you can't take care of." She frowns. "I want you to understand that although you weren't planned, you were definitely wanted."

"Not by you, that's for damn sure," Naia retorts.

"I did not just up and leave you girls, alright? I kept photos of you two as infants...and I wrote you letters. Your father sent them all back, but...I really did care. I sobbed for you all the time. My sweet girls...I tried to visit, but your father wouldn't let me. He instructed me to quit contacting you, otherwise, he'd get a restraining order against me."

Soleia and Naia exchange a serious look. "Yeah, we understand his reasoning," Soleia mutters. "You can't just drop in and out of our lives whenever you got the time."

"Look, I wanted to mother you! I couldn't go to college and raise children at the same time, but going to school and working got me back on my feet a little and allowed me to be able to support my boys."

"You could've done college later or something! It's just...you replaced us with your sons, but even still, you got involved with that creep, Dad said." Sadness seeps into Naia's tone.

"I know, but I didn't feel like I'd be good enough to be a mom," Gloria confesses. "I was young, inexperienced with kids...I didn't want you to suffer from that. I never meant to...replace you. I didn't even see it that way. I've always told people I have four children, two girls and two boys. You matter so much to me. I promise. As for that...sadist...I disposed of him, but I honestly did not know he was such an evil person. I had no idea it would get that bad...if I did, I would've never gone against the law. That's his fault that it escalated, not mine." Gloria closes her eyes for a brief moment and then reopens them. "I didn't help myself in committing food stamp fraud and then not wanting cops involved because I did a crime."

"Why would you do such a dumb thing?" Soleia asks in a softer voice.

"I wasn't making enough just selling candles and herbs. I do admit that once my relationship with _him_ turned abusive, I could've quit, called the police, and then gave the money to my aunt. Instead, these girls from the high school I work at, they got him arrested and I had to spring into action and deliver the cash to her so she could send some of it back to me once a month. I got very lucky that day."

"Hey, if you needed more money, you could've asked for help! You could've gotten another job!" Naia points out.

"I know that now. I made bad choices back then...staying with him for so long, first of all. I should've never have let Benny and Julio be exposed to that. I'm aware that as a mother, I need to consider my kids above all else, but I guess I was just afraid. Sometimes, you get the wrong guy, you try to leave, and he threatens to kill you."

"Well, it certainly made things worse when you did something illegal," Soleia reminds her bitterly.

"Yeah, but I'm really working to better myself. I swear...I haven't touched that since my close call two months ago. Also, you'll be relieved to know that I'm beginning to date a good guy. He's got a lot of respect for me and the boys."

"Wow, what an upgrade!" Naia exclaims sarcastically. "We won't believe it til we see it, though."

"That's fair," Gloria says. "I can prove it...you could meet him if you want to."

"Maybe not for a while," Soleia murmurs.

"Yeah," Naia agrees with her slightly older sister, only by a minute. "We don't even really know _you_."

"I didn't mean right away or nothin'." Gloria sets her elbows on the counter and rests her chin in her hands. "We're gonna have to work on repairing our relationship, but without your father's negative influence, okay? He may be good to you, that's excellent if he is, but him painting me as the bad person will just brainwash you against me, like it already has, but you can't let it continue. That's the last thing we need if we're gonna reconnect. You gotta tell him to stop."

"Dad just can't stand you making one stupid decision after another, and we don't approve of it either!" Soleia tells her.

"I told you, I've changed my life around. He'd be surprised to see me thriving...probably he'd say I'm bragging, but whatever. Listen...it may be a little easier to get closer since I'm not in prison."

"Isn't that great," Naia mutters. "You can't force us to be a part of your family. We may be related by blood, but you're just some bitch in a faded photograph to us."

"Don't you take that tone with me, young lady!" Gloria scolds her. "I apologize for everything, alright? I'll make it up to you, and of course I won't pressure you to be like this with me." Gloria crosses her fingers on her right hand. "I'll let you come to me in your own time. I just miss you dearly."

"We already have a mom, so we don't really need you, if that's what you're getting at," Soleia says.

It's like a train has just run over Gloria's heart a thousand times over once she hears their words. She deserves them, but at the same time, her girls don't need to be so icy to her. She understands they're only acting out of pain, though. "That's fantastic," Gloria finally says and fakes a smile. She steps out from behind the counter and hugs herself around her midsection, forcing away any tears. "Well...I'll let you keep shopping."

They abruptly walk away from her. "You idiots are dead meat for tricking us!" Naia tells the Gonzales boys angrily as the girls join up with them.

"You two are just fuckin' coconuts," Marco shoots back at her.

 _Just like Daya was_ , Gloria thinks to herself and bites her lip to keep from snorting aloud.

"Yeah, what Mexican can't handle spicy food or speak Spanish?" Pedro adds.

"What the hell do _you_ care?" Soleia hisses. "You don't even help your mom sew, you make your sister do it, lazy-ass!"

"Guys, keep it down!" Gloria orders them gently. "It's getting a little loud in here." She strides to the front of the store where they are, but they're already leaving. Naia trips in her haste, and without thinking, Gloria helps her steady herself. She and Naia hold hands for a second, but the girl jerks away from her awkwardly. The question slips out of her faster than she can stop them. "Uhh, you okay, sweetie?"

"I'm fine! It's just a stupid balance problem," Naia insists sharply and then catches up with Soleia, Marco, and Pedro.

Gloria watches them go and sniffles. She hadn't even realized she was on the verge of weeping until now, and she feels tiny arms wrap themselves around her legs. She glances down to see Benny and Julio and kneels to their level. She gathers them into a big hug and kisses the tops of their little heads. Guilt washes over her. "Oh, my babies...I'm real sorry for allowing that mean monster to be near us at all..." She looks at her oldest son and cups his chin. "Then he gave you an owie...I'm so, so sorry, cariño!"

Benny snuggles into her. "It's okay. I still love you, Mommy."

"Love Mama too! Don't be sad," Julio puts in and scoots into the embrace even more. Gloria just sits there, holding her sons, and praying that someday, her daughters will forgive her and have moments like this with her, too.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Alex nods her head yes. "I'm fine, Mom, honest!" She rests her head on Diane's shoulder and plops her feet in Michelle's lap. They're at therapy with Gloria, Maritza, Frieda, Red, and Nicky. Flaca and Daya are at home with their mothers while Lorna and Franny had gone out shopping. "Frieda...did you still want to share something?"

Frieda sighs and braces herself for the pity stares she'll get from everyone. "I suppose I should." She's between Diane and Red, and she holds their hands. It's easier to talk that way. "When I was eleven during the Cold War, I was exploring in the woods as per my survivalist daddy's instructions, using a pot of water, a leaf, and a needle for a compass and a pocketknife I'd used to sharpen the end of a big, long stick. I fished, gigged one, had lunch, and then took off my blue dress since I decided to swim that day in my white tank top and undies, but I got leeches." She chuckles to herself and they all grin. "He didn't really show sympathy about those...he was more annoyed that I'd made a mistake. I also took too long comin' back, according to him. Those leeches weren't the worst thing I'd experienced, though. As I was pulling the suckers off me, this...this bearded huge guy came up to me, making conversation. The next thing I knew, he raped me." A collection of gasps fill the room and their eyes are flooded with concern.

"Oh god, Frieda..." Diane whispers and hugs her. Frieda returns the gesture. "I'm real sorry."

"Me, too," the others murmur in unison.

"I hope your father beat the fucker bloody," Red mutters.

Frieda smirks. "He didn't...I killed that son of a bitch...I had twenty-four out of the twenty-six required badges, and I was great at surviving in case the worst were to happen, such as finding safe food to eat if I was stranded in the middle of nowhere and killing animals to make blankets out of their fur to warm myself up. The same girls that teased me and called me smelly, sloppy, and an outer space alien because of my beaver musk I wore to lure deer and shoot 'em dead, cared more about their dolls having Debbie Reynolds bangs than saving their own damn lives. One of 'em gabbed about how her mom wouldn't let her watch Debbie's movies since she was with Eddie Fisher back then. Those stupid cunts weren't learning like I did. See, I was a Nature Scout and our motto was _ready for any and all things_. My point is, I didn't just sit there, I fought back...that large rapist thought he had me with my little braids. He put his seed in me, after all, but then I stabbed him good with my pocketknife, stuffed a wolfsbane flower into his gaping mouth, and pummeled him with my stick. Making use of what you got is very important, ladies. That's what my daddy taught me." At the end of her story, they're grinning.

"Wow, you're amazing!" Alex compliments her.

"That's such great self-defense, you're truly badass," Gloria continues.

"Yeah, I was really proud of myself."

"You should be," Lourdes murmurs.

"Go, Frieda!" Maritza, Nicky, and Michelle shout in unison.

"I admire you more than ever now!" Diane gushes, and Frieda beams.

"Well, I got my old man to thank, but still...I did it!"

"You must have had nightmares and flashbacks, though," Maritza says somberly.

"I've got pretty tough skin, but even so, I was traumatized from the incident. The fact that I murdered him made me feel a lot better!"

"Oh, I bet! Did you ever tell your dad?" Nicky asks.

Frieda shakes her head no. "I didn't need to...the villian was gone forever. I thought I could keep it a secret, but I got pregnant."

"I had no idea you were a mom!" Diane exclaims. "Why did I never meet this person? Weren't abortions frowned upon until the seventies?"

"Yes, unfortunately, they were illegal. My stomach grew and the questions started. I had to say I was raped, but I took care of the devil. I gave my baby up for adoption. I didn't want to see or know him since it'd be too much of a painful reminder...besides, I was just a preteen. Six years later, I married at eighteen, my husband was abusive while I was with child, so during my second trimester, when I found out I was having a girl, I tore off his member with a dull butcher knife, and he flopped on the kitchen floor along with his penis, dead as a doornail." Frieda curls her lips up into a smug smile. "I still have fond memories of the blood that came outta him. I gave birth at nineteen...sometime in November, I can't even remember...and I was so weak from the intensive labor I'd just gone through, that I couldn't get a good look at her...my daughter." Frieda's voice cracks at the depressing memory. "I just felt her come out of me and was thinking of what to call the little thing. That dirty, rotten nurse...I knew something was wrong with her when it appeared as though she'd painted herself with blackface from head to toe, wore brown colored contacts, and sported an Afro wig. She was clearly a racist white bitch...she'd missed a few spots, too." Diane pales at this. "She told me she was gonna wash the baby, but...they never returned." She gulps down the lump in her throat that's about to rise. "My baby girl was kidnapped. I knew I was doomed when it came to having kids and I couldn't have another one after her."

"That's so devastating! If that happened to me with Alex..." Diane shudders and scoots closer to Alex while hugging her. "I couldn't even imagine. You never told me that either..."

"It was too heartbreaking of a topic to bring up," Frieda lets her know morosely. "I put up all kinds of wanted signs, even though I had no photos of her...but since she was disguised as an African American nurse one time, just to steal my daughter, this cruel cunt wasn't ever captured by police. I never found the girl I'd given birth to." They're all looking at her sadly now.

"I appreciate you telling us all of this," Lourdes says. "You're a strong woman, though."

"I just hope she's got a good life and even if she was taken, they gave her a happy childhood. She was probably raised to be a bigot, but as long as nobody hurt her...and if she didn't allow herself to be brainwashed in the first place and she had her own mind, that's a bonus. I'd never raise her...or my son, to be weak and hateful against people who weren't their race." Freida exhales loudly. "I guess that'll always stay a mystery, how my kiddos turned out and whether or not they found each other and somehow realized they were related."

"I miscarried my fifth and haven't really been the same since," Gloria says bleakly. "I know how you feel, Frieda. It's like a hole in your heart?"

Frieda nods her head yes and wipes tears from her eyes that had been threatening to spill. "Mm-hm, a gaping one. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Gloria looks at her with a tender expression on her face. "So am I, about what happened to you."

"She'd be grown by now...your age, Diane."

"We'd have been best friends, probably," Diane muses solemnly.

"Yeah...she'd be the neatest aunt in the world," Alex continues. "Just like my heroic grandma figure."

At this, Frieda grins at Alex. "You bet, but who knows how she would've turned out. Not everyone follows in their parents' footsteps." She glances at Diane meaningfully.

"Thank god," Nicky mutters.

"I been wondering...where was your mama during all this?" Maritza wonders aloud.

"She passed when my daddy was still a sailor."

"Oh no, that's too bad," Michelle comments.

"Well, the good thing is, I've got a framed photo of 'em both. It's yellowed and faded, but it's my folks."

"I remember that picture on your desk..." Gloria trails off and turns to Diane. "I've always thought you and Frieda's mom shared somewhat of a resemblance...but maybe that's just me overthinking things. I mean, sometimes I look at Ouija and wonder how she's not related to me because her eyes are similar to mine. I can see Aleida in her, too, strangely enough. I dunno what it is..."

"Wow, that's weird. Maybe she's one of your girls," Diane says lightly.

Gloria shakes her head no. "Nah, the ages don't match up. She's older than my girls, and as far as I know, Aleida only has three kids and a fourth in her belly. However...it's almost like you were Frieda's actual daughter." Her gaze flickers between Diane and Frieda.

"Oh, if only," Frieda murmurs wistfully. "I consider her as mine, anyway." She and Diane exchange a smile.

"That's plenty for me," Diane says positively.

* * *

A while after therapy is finished, Diane gets a call from Frieda. "I apologize for botherin' ya, honey...but my daddy is dying. He's got dementia, he may not remember me, but I gotta say goodbye to him. I need you there. It's a quick trip to Florida, only three hours, and we'd be flyin' into Miami."

"I'm so sorry, Frieda...tonight? Like, now?"

"Yes, my auntie just phoned me that he don't got much time left. She's been taking care of him. I'll cover the cost of your plane ticket."

"Okay, sure, I'm happy to support you."

"Thank you so much, baby girl. See you soon!"

"Alright, bye!"

Her stomach is in knots for Frieda. She knows that Frieda and her dad had been close. She packs a bag and hugs and kisses Charles and Alex goodbye after explaining why she needs to leave the house so last minute.

"Tell Frieda I'm sorry for her loss!" Alex calls out.

"Give her my condolences too, please," Charles adds.

"I will!" Diane replies.

Frieda had spent most of the flight just staring out the window, and Diane lets her sit there in silence. She's probably feeling guilty about not staying closer to home, but Diane understands why she had to move to New York. Martin Van Buren High had accepted her right away, but there were no good job prospects in Florida. It's busier in the Big Apple. She also had wanted to live someplace where the people were more open-minded because it seemed like everyone but her dad, aunt Jolene, and cousin Arlene, were racist. At least, that's what Frieda had told Diane before.

The hospital is dark and dreary when they arrive, and Lloyd Berlin is lying still in his cot, hooked to machines. It's gravely silent as Frieda hugs her aunt hello and sits by her father. Diane stands behind her with her hands on Frieda's shoulders. "Are we too late?" Frieda asks the elderly white-haired bespectacled woman whose green eyes are glistening with tears.

"No, darlin'...he's still here."

Frieda grins and squeezes her father's hand. "Hi, Daddy. I told you I'd come! I brought Diane with me, she's like my daughter."

"Oh, finally, now we can escape the Reds!" He appears to be worried. "I don't want 'em thinking either of us is weak, so you gotta be strong. Whaddya say we get TV dinners?"

"You ain't in the Marines, Daddy. The Cold War's long over, it's two-thousand-five."

"Arlene?" he asks frailly.

"No, I'm Frieda," she corrects him in a wavery voice. "Arlene's your niece, but she ain't here...she was kidnapped and lobotomized...now she's not in the right mental state to visit you." Diane feels bad that another family member of Frieda's was taken away from her, but she stays calm and neutral for her.

"Like my...my granddaughter?"

"Yeah...except I dunno about the brainwashed part or being in a psychiatric ward."

His tired gaze travels up to Diane and he blinks in confusion. "Janie?"

"Janie is Mama's name." Frieda points at Diane. "This is _Diane_."

"The spittin' image...I wish I could dance as well as you, darlin', you were incredible..."

"Um...I'm sorry, sir, I'm not your wife," Diane mumbles awkwardly. "I'm sure she was a wonderful woman..."

"You have very striking eyes, the same shade of blue as my Janie's, you must be her," he insists.

Diane, Frieda, and Jolene exchange puzzled glances. "Daddy, you're confusing Diane with Mama. She was the best dancer in all of Florida, but then she had an aneurysm after giving birth to me," Frieda explains. Diane thinks it's a weird coincidence that Frieda's mother had died the same way Mitch did. She can tell Frieda's trying not to cry, although her mother figure sounds a little choked up.

"I apologize, honey..." he rasps out.

"His mind comes and goes," Jolene lets them know.

"'I remember you explaining death to me, I was six and wondering why everyone else had a mama except me. You took me out for ice cream and the amusement park and then we visited Mama's grave. You taught me so much by the time I was eleven, Daddy...like survival skills if I'm lost or alone in nature, and that if you think you know everything, you really don't, and that's unsafe...being overconfident leads to downfall, in other words...and Polaris is in Ursa Minor's tail, Orion is south...and Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka are the stars in Orion's belt. I used to wear braids...and out of all the badges from when I was a Nature Scout, the only two I didn't have were Ice Skating and Troop Dramatics. You wanted me to wear my dungarees, even when I wasn't that cold because we set up a campfire." Frieda swallows hard before continuing. "You told me to take the cyanide pill before the Russians had a chance to hurt us and to put a bullet into a deer's heart instead of its guts, as that's the most effective way to kill it."

Lloyd hums and he looks at peace. Diane isn't sure if he's recalling this information from his memory bank, or if he's preparing to go through the Pearly Gates. "I'm proud of you, Frieda," he mumbles as he closes his eyes. "I love you..."

Frieda kisses his cheek. "I love you too, Daddy."

Diane notices his whole body go limp and his chest stops moving completely. It wasn't rising and falling very much before, though, but there had been slight movement. Now there is none.

Frieda hovers her hand over his mouth uncertainly. "He's gone," she whispers. Diane wraps her arms around Frieda supportively as the older woman stands up and hugs her back. "Thank you for coming with me, Diane."

"You're very welcome."

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, MinervaSnape394, Johanna002, and A Star In My Universe!**


	63. What's the Catch

**Happy birthday, Caitlin! Thank you for all your help in the past two years! I appreciate you so much!**

 **Warnings: jumpscares with a snake and rats**

"Is it just me, Vause, or does that woman look weirdly like an older version of you?" Nicky wants to know. She subtly jerks her head towards a middle-aged lady who has shoulder-length stiff brown hair with flecks of gray and is wearing huge, round, yellow glasses. Her facial expression appears to be stony and scary as she plays some kind of card game with six teenage girls, including Zirconia.

Alex frowns at the blonde's question. "Oh, god, I hope not. I'm gonna age gracefully."

"Yeah, you'll be a hot mom," Michelle predicts and winks at Alex, who smirks and blushes.

"You better take good care of yourself, then. According to Theresa, you start to lose your sexiness and begin sagging when you're twenty-nine." Maritza scowls. "That's how come Flaca puts her face in ice daily so she stays beautiful forever. I wonder what Gloria, Diane, and Aleida's secrets are."

"Really..." Blanca trails off and rolls her eyes. "That's _loco_. Everyone knows that when you honestly love someone, even as a friend, you'll always think they look fine as fuck. Who cares what other people think once we're out of high school and they've hopefully matured? I choose to wax my unibrow and straighten my hair all the time to make _myself_ feel lovely and happy, and I'll continue doing that until I'm too old to give a shit."

"Hey, Proof of Evolution!" an annoying Boston accent calls out. If the bitch standing at the counter of Dairy Queen with her back to them were taller and had naturally golden curls instead of green dye in her flat, short blonde hair, Alex would've been reminded of Piper. The girl turns around and chuckles. "Shut up. If you were ugly to begin with, these morons only like the made-over edition of you."

"Hey, that's my friend you're talking about, you cunt!" Nicky hisses and she and the others begin to stand and glower at the rude girl, who's raising her casted arm as if to strike them.

"Yeah, you know nothin' about us, so leave us the hell alone!" Michelle adds.

"Badison! What the fuck are you doing, starting drama with these girls like some middle schooler?" the lady that supposedly resembles an elderly Alex, bursts out. "I asked you to get me a burger and fries." She gets to her feet quickly and speeds over to Badison with three of the girls she was with, following her. "I can get you back in boot camp faster than you can find a Wahlberg you haven't given a blow job to."

The girls press their lips together to keep from snickering as they take their seats again. "Oh, shit," Maritza whispers behind her fist, her eyes lighting up with silent laughter.

"Nooooo, don't make me go there ever again, Carol!" Badison whines and stomps her foot. "I hated it!"

"Then do what I say and stop talking like a baby," Carol snaps at her. "Eckelcamp, Akers, Teng, Chambal, Brock, join them." She points at the table where Alex, Nicky, Blanca, Maritza, and Michelle are sitting, and they obey her. "I'll be with you shortly." She turns back to Badison. "After you get my order, go home with Diamond. I've had enough jokes tonight."

Badison pouts. "Yes, ma'am." She turns back to the counter where Tonya is standing there impatiently and awkwardly. Carol takes a spot between Alex and Blanca while Maritza and the Asian girl who introduces herself as Charlene Teng, are talking about Flaritza's videos.

"I apologize for her immaturity," Carol mutters.

"You don't have to," Blanca says, and Alex nods in agreement. "That's just on her."

"Is her name really Badison?" Alex asks doubtfully.

Carol shakes her head no. "She named herself that. It's actually Madison."

Blanca and Alex roll their eyes at this. "Jesus, that's dumb," Blanca comments.

"What an idiot," Alex puts in.

"Well, uh, now that the matter is settled, I felt like I needed to bring up something else, but it's a secret. You two...come with me over there." Carol gets up again and leads Blanca and Alex, who are linking arms, to the women's bathroom. Michelle gives Alex a questioning stare, but the rest of their friends are distracted by the new girls Carol had been with. They're talking about how Maritza had once straightened Nicky's wild blonde hair so well that she looked like a different person. Alex just shrugs at her girlfriend, signifying she doesn't completely know what's going on, so Michelle simply joins in on the conversation the rest of the girls are having. Carol lets herself, Alex, and Blanca into the restroom and then closes the door behind them. "Finally, it's quiet." She taps a tile with her foot. "Hey...fun fact, when I was around your age, I worked here...and right on this spot, I discovered fifty bucks! I felt so lucky that day, and nothing ever topped that."

"Oh, wow, that's cool," Alex murmurs. "Um...not to be rude, but why did you wanna show us that? Did you keep it private, so it wouldn't seem like you were bragging?"

Carol scoffs. "No! I told everyone I came into contact with." She takes a deep breath and lets it out as she stares intensely at Alex. "The reason I took you in here was that I saw you at Pizza Hut beating some old woman's ass, and I didn't want anyone else of my crowd to find out. They'd blab immediately...but I won't tell the cops, because I've wished to kill someone too, when I was much younger." Panic rises and deflates within Alex at the same time, but then her eyes widen and she stiffens. "We would've actually done my little brat sister a favor, she was sick of all those stupid gymnastics competitions and complained that she wanted to die!"

"Um...are you sure you won't get me in trouble?" Alex wonders aloud nervously. She takes a step back from Carol, who seems to show no remorse for the fact that she actually aimed to end an innocent person.

"I'm positive. I've been in jail myself, and let me tell you, it's not pleasant. Why would I want some little teenage girl to go to juvy for something as petty as the murder of someone who deserved it? Did it feel exhilarating?"

"I didn't beat her to death...she just had amnesia and couldn't remember anything about who attacked her. She certainly asked for it since she came in there, acting all high and mighty...she continuously injured someone I love. I hated her...and I still do. While I was swinging at her repeatedly, I felt awesome, but when my mom pulled me back, I realized what I was gonna do...and I stopped. Even if my victim was a total bitch, getting arrested and locked up for life would be even worse. I would've gotten a light sentence, probably, since my mom's dating a cop, but still...I didn't want a record and it would totally fuck me up emotionally."

Carol nods. "I understand. Some people just aren't cut out for revenge, and that's okay."

"Yep. I'm not as strong as my friend here." She pats Blanca's back softly.

"My boyfriend and I had sex in front of this rich, white, stuck-up lady who was racist to us both," Blanca clarifies with a smirk.

"Wow! I like you," Carol tells her while grinning. "In fact, I'd love for you two to join our chess and bridge team. I'll teach you girls how to play. I'm Carol Denning. Now that you know who I am, now, what are your names?"

"Alex."

"Blanca."

"It's an honor meeting you both," Carol says pleasantly, and they smile at her.

"Not to be rude, but why pick us?" Alex wants to know.

"We've never had much of an interest in either of those games," Blanca adds awkwardly.

"I know it might be weird since we've just met, but I need smart girls who are similar to me. Alex, you and I both wear glasses and I can relate. I've never come across someone bespectacled."

"Neither have I, now that I think about it," Alex mumbles.

"Blanca...we have the same taste in men. I've noticed you making out with a fellow outside a beauty salon that I frequent, and he seems quite hairy. I really enjoy those types. You could give me advice on making my Playgirl fantasy guy come to life by maybe helping me with one of those online dating sites."

"Sure!" Blanca grins and blushes. "It's strange how we never saw each other there...even if we only went one time for homecoming."

"I must have just been leaving, but you two were busy." Carol waggles her eyebrows suggestively. Blanca giggles, but Alex cringes. "What, you're not interested in our Beauty and the Beast kink that we have in common?"

Alex shakes her head no. "I'm not into dudes at all...or talk of PDA. I'm a lesbian...um, I hope that doesn't bother you."

"Oh, of course not! I would never go for my own gender, but homophobics still piss me off. Whoever you decide to date isn't my business. All I want is for you to be happy in a relationship."

"I'm glad," Alex tells her.

Carol directs them back to the group and Badison gives her dinner right away. "Finally."

Badison salutes Alex and Blanca. "Welcome to Cunt Block, ladies. Hope you enjoyed the initiation process."

"What..." Blanca stares at Carol quizzically.

"Ignore her, she likes to pretend we're in a gang. Let's eat, shall we?" Carol takes them to their table. "Badison, get meals for our new friends. Diamond!" Carol raises her voice as she waves Zirconia over. "Stay with Badison, since you two like to chat so much."

Zirconia nods and does as Carol says.

* * *

"You inspire me," the Asian girl, apparently Teng, compliments Maritza while pointing to her hair. "As a serious swimmer, I shower a lot, so my hair is often frizzy and hard to tame...but now I know to just gather my locks into a ponytail and twirl it around with my fingers, thanks to you! Call me Charlene. I already know you're Maritza."

Maritza beams, appearing to be proud of herself. "No, thank _you_! I'm glad you love our work."

"It's just you, really." Charlene wrinkles her nose as if she'd smelled something horrid. "Your friend is-"

"I can relate to her!" a white girl says and hits Charlene's shoulder. She has long, silky brown hair that hangs straight down her back, doe brown eyes, and a sweet looking smile. "I'm Nicole Eckelcamp, by the way." She and Charlene shake hands with Maritza. "Where _is_ Flaca? I wanna congratulate her."

"She's with her mom," Maritza answers. "Maybe y'all can be in our segment next time."

Nicky clears her throat. "So, funny thing, my name is also Nicole, but I go by Nicky."

Nicole cracks up. "That's hilarious! I can't even...wow!" she says through her nonstop giggling. "So...maybe you gals can call me Nicole E, so you don't confuse us?" She gestures between herself and Nicky.

"Or, we can just refer to you as Nicole and her as Curly Sue. It's easier," the African American girl, apparently Akers, says.

"Are you seriously making fun of my hair?" Nicky asks.

"No, it's a fact. Your mom fuck some dude of color?" Akers wants to know with a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Look, I don't know how I got such beautiful blonde tresses, but my mother's sex life is what I absolutely don't give a shit about," Nicky responds.

"You totally talk like Lorna sometimes," Michelle points out and Nicky just smirks.

"Who's that?" a girl with cropped brown hair, supposedly Brock, asks. "I already don't like her, by the way." She ignores Nicky glaring at her.

"My girlfriend, so I'd shut the fuck up if I were you," Nicky says. "Who names their kid Brock anyway? Your parents must hate your guts."

"Nicky," Alex hisses, glancing worriedly at Carol, who shows no emotion to this.

"Nah, it's cool, we can express our opinions, Carol said. Anyway, Curly Sue, I'm Marie at home, but here, it's Brock. I dunno, us going by our last names makes us sound tougher."

"You're right," Nicky mumbles and fakes a smile at Marie. "You don't really look like a Marie."

"In reality, the person you should be the most scared of is me," the Indian-American girl, Chambal, announces. "I'm hella good at cutting and finding the thyroid...I'm training to be an ENT surgeon...so don't piss me off."

"Is that a threat?" Blanca asks and raises an eyebrow. "Alex's mom is going out with a policeman, so we'll be sure to give him the weapon you might have on you."

"Shruti, let's not waste time frightening them," Zirconia reprimands her, and Carol gives her a thumbs up.

"Anyway...we also wrap cheese to help out Grace Grocers and make easy money," Carol informs the new girls. "I promise, this is not a scam. I can also teach you how to cook. It's life skills."

"Don't we have our parents for that?" Michelle asks.

"You're lucky you don't have to learn how to clean a bathroom and wash dirty clothes at the laundromat like Douche Block," Charlene whispers.

"Do we get paid to make food, too?" Maritza wonders aloud excitedly.

"Oh, yeah!" Carol answers.

Maritza beams at this. "Okay, I'm down, as long as my girl can be with us."

"Yes!" Nicole E. squeals excitedly, and the others, except Charlene, nod their heads enthusiastically.

"Sure, I don't care," Carol says.

* * *

"So, uh...Rick came to the house and made stupid accusations about you cheating on him, but I defended you!" Leon tells Aleida as they get ready for bed.

"Well, I did have an affair with Cesar, but you get the reason why," Aleida admits. "Thanks for sticking up for me, though! You punch him out?"

"I just threatened to since he was aggravating me by insulting you."

"The last time I ever talked to him before today, was the night he said he'd get lotsa shrimp for us. He was hella late getting home, he didn't contact me at all, and I wasn't sure if he died or he was cheating on me. I was physically ill from his nana tooting all over the place! Daya and Christina threw up at the smell, too. I was penciling my eyebrows when he finally arrived...he ignored me when I asked him where he'd been, and he opened the windows since his nana stunk the place up. I felt bad for her, but it was his fault. She'd, unfortunately, shit herself and needed Depends and wipes." Leon frowns and shakes his head. "He's such a nana's boy, she called him Ricky," Aleida goes on. " I dunno why he didn't have someone regularly taking care of her as a job...he could've paid me to do it, but he was too fucking cheap. He had the audacity to get angry with me about the drugs since he felt used...I was selling 'em to inmates, too...you know, where he worked, to get more money."

"Jesus Christ. That would've never happened if he helped you make legal moolah," Leon points out.

"It was the only way I could make a living, and all he was doin', was lazing around in some prison like a loser, makin' jokes and munchin' on donuts like Homer fuckin' Simpson! So, after our yelling fight, I picked up my cosmetics purse, grabbed the girls, and flipped him off on the way out. I said he could still visit Christina wherever we wound up, but he never did. I went around selling NutriHerbal, like healthy shakes, and we officially moved back into my apartment with Cesar's help. That was after I tried getting a job at a grocery store, but I failed...and this lady in charge of NutriHerbal sold me and my kids cookies and creme flavored smoothies, so I decided the position was okay for me." Aleida sighs. "I don't work for that company no more since it doesn't make enough and I'm in college now with a real goal, so...I'm shocked at the fact you're not a loser like my exes and that you've steered me on the right path. I'm so happy to be with you!"

Leon grins and steals a kiss while hugging her. "I am too, honey."

Aleida beams at him and both of them pull the comforter and sheets back so they can get into bed, but then they shout at the same time and stumble back from it in horror. "How the fuck did that get in there?!" she shrieks.

"Oh, _hell_ no!" Leon exclaims.

"Don't touch it!" Aleida yelps when he reaches for it. "I don't want it to bite you...or me..."

"It's not alive, baby," he assures her. "I'm putting this into a bag for evidence."

Aleida shields her eyes so she doesn't have to see him take it off their bed. "Eeew! We gotta change the sheets now..."

"Yeah, and I'll install a security camera in here, too. Damn it!"

Still making a disgusted face, Aleida quickly strips the bed and a handwritten note flies out. She bends down and picks it up so she can read it, and then she gasps in fright while clapping a shaking hand over her mouth.

 _You took her from me, so you'll be as dead as this anaconda when I see you._

* * *

"Good morning, we just wanted to ask you some stuff about who you guys think may be stalking you." Charles greets Leon at the door the next morning. An African American woman is standing next to him. They step inside and Leon has them sit in chairs at the kitchen table across from him, Aleida, Gloria, and the kids. The family is in the middle of eating cereal and fruit. "Hey, this is my partner, Donna," he introduces her, and everyone exchanges a handshake with the lady. "We took some notes based on what you've reported to us, but we recommend that you write down lists of enemies who could be out to get you so we can narrow down suspects."

"A lot of times, it's someone you know and frequently, those who you least expect," Donna adds.

"Ain't that how the people you'd _most_ expect get you, they want you to think it's someone you trust?" Aleida wants to know. "That takes suspicion off them."

"Yes, it could really go either way," Charles responds. He turns his attention to Gloria. "Now, you described Christina as trembling with pure fear, whimpering, she was so upset that she got sick, and that's how she acted when she got a nightmare the first time you babysat her." At this, Gloria nods in confirmation. Daya had wanted to believe her little sister right away, but she couldn't.

"I really don't know if that happened," Daya mumbles.

"It did," Donna informs her, and she gasps in horror, along with the adults.

"We searched the room and found fake hair in the carpet. That means this intruder dressed up as a wolf to spook her," Charles puts in.

"It was really scary!" Christina pipes up.

"Did anything bad happen to you last night, sweetie?" Donna wants to know, and Christina shakes her head no silently. "That's good."

"Well, my aunt's candles were ruined, and we had this unsatisfied customer, Francisco...so it could've been him getting revenge," Gloria reports.

"Put him on the list," Charles recommends. He hands out notepads and pencils. "You can keep these with you throughout the day so you can jot someone's name down whenever you think of them."

"Thank you," Leon says, and he, the women, and Daya nod at Charles and Donna while smiling.

Daya doesn't write Maria's name down since she knows Maria didn't come into Christina's room. She'd been with the girls. Daya notices Gloria's hand trembling as she starts to scrawl the letters that make up Arturo Cazador's name. She sees a pained expression cross Aleida's face as she scribbles Jack's name, and her heart cracks for both her mother and Gloria. Quickly, Daya begins compiling a list of potential prowlers, adults and fellow students who have harassed her, Gloria, Aleida, or all three of them before at school.

 _Arturo Cazador_

 _Francisco Alvarez_

 _Jack Pearson_

 _Lourdes Pearson_

 _Cesar Velasquez_

 _Duardo Velasquez_

 _Paco Garcia_

 _Pepe Garza_

 _Mr. Humphrey_

 _Lee Dixon_

 _Desi Piscatella_

 _Joey Giordano_

 _Polly Wedge_

 _Helen Van Maele_

 _Jennifer Digori_

 _Leanne Taylor_

 _Angie Rice_

 _Tamika at Storky's on Wednesdays_

Daya feels a shiver overcome her as she writes the next name.

 _George Mendez_

She looks it over before stuffing it into her pocket since that's all who she can think of for now.

* * *

Once she arrives at her place of work, Gloria braces herself for speaking with Linda. Unfortunately, Caputo isn't back yet and Stratman still isn't fired. It's a good thing Fahri is with her, otherwise Gloria doesn't think she'd be able to do this. She beams at him as he squeezes her hand and rubs soothing circles on it as they sit down to face the she-devil.

"What can I do for you?" Linda asks them with a big fake grin spread across her face.

"Well, um...I was wondering if I could get a second job here, like as a dance teacher-"

Linda massages her temples and lets out an annoyed sigh through her teeth. "I swear to God, if one more of you people ask that, I'll shoot myself in the head. I've already got so many women trying to apply, Diane Vause being one of them. Jesus, you two have a career at this school already, isn't that enough? Are you really that fucking poor?!"

"Hey!" Fahri says strongly. "It's Gloria's passion. There's no need to be rude to her."

"What's one more?" Gloria wonders timidly. She sneaks a smile at Fahri for sticking up for her. "I'm real good at the salsa and merengue-"

"It's _really_. You're _really_ good. I guess Joe hires people even if they don't speak proper English." Rage bubbles up inside Gloria as Linda says this, and Fahri appears to be getting pissed off, too. "Yes, I'm sure you are, judging by your..." Linda gestures to Gloria. "Nationality. Why Diane wants to be a hip-hop teacher is beyond me, since she's white, but-"

"Anybody can dance, no matter what the style is," Gloria interrupts the Sea Witch and then glares in her direction. "You know what? I been speaking English since I was about seven, but I learned it as a second language. How much Spanish do _you_ know? I bet you're one of them white putas who got no rhythm and can't swivel her hips to save her life!" Gloria's voice rises with each word as Fahri gazes at her proudly. She points at Linda. "Here's your job, okay? Tell your _boss_ whenever he gets back that I want the motherfucking position in salsa lessons! You got it?"

"You're fired!" Linda hollers.

"You can't do that, because you ain't even the principal!" Gloria shouts back at her and flips her off. Both she and Fahri exit the office at the same time. "Holy shit, that felt good," she breathes out and breaks off into a round of giggles. She knows she'll get her way with Caputo. She has no clue what had gotten into her, though.

"I could tell!" Fahri exclaims and they beam at each other.

* * *

Before the substitute for Frieda comes into Nicky and Alex's second period English class, the two girls, plus Maritza and Michelle, tell Flaca, Blanca, Allison, Daya, Alana, and Lorna about Gloria seeing Ouija in herself and Frieda's mother in Diane. They examine the framed, yellow-tinted photo of Frieda's parents, passing it around. They each squint at it for so long that Alex's eyes start to hurt and the others rub their temples. "My vision is getting blurry," Alex complains. "I never looked this close, but my mom really _does_ resemble Frieda's mother! Bright eyes, cheeky cheeks, similar toothy smiles...even their chins look the same..."

Flaca gasps. "Holy fuck, I totally see it!"

"Right? Like, Ouija just has Gloria's eyes, really, but Diane and the late Mrs. Berlin could for real be related!" Maritza points out.

"That is freaky..." Nicky murmurs.

"Oh my goodness!" Lorna squeals. "It's like that Oprah segment in nineteen-ninety-one where babies who were sold on the black market got reunited with their birth mothers! I live for people finding their long-lost family members, it's so beautiful!"

"I know!" Alana agrees and everyone else nods in concurrence.

"Though, it might just be a weird coincidence. Everyone's got a twin out there...we each got at least seven strangers who look like us in the whole world," Allison says.

"They didn't even exist in the same time period, though," Daya mumbles.

"Genes had to be passed down or something..." Blanca puts in.

"Well...maybe we can have Diane and Frieda take a DNA test," Michelle says.

"It would be really neat if Frieda was like, my mom's first cousin twice removed or whatever...I'll have to talk to them about it!" Alex says cheerfully.

* * *

"Nichols!" Luschek calls, halting Nicky from leaving Woodshop with Flaca, Taystee, and Alana. "I need you to stay after class for a bit. It'll only be a minute." Ouija, Pidge, Cindy, and Janae walk out while muttering about her being the teacher's pet. Her friends and fellow bandmates give her questioning stares and she lifts her shoulders up and down. Zirconia just glares at her while exiting the room.

She plops down into her seat again and leans back. "'Sup, Luschek?" she asks.

He scratches his head and grins. "You're close to Gloria, right? The, uh, lunch lady."

"I would say so, yes. There's only one kitchen worker at this school named Gloria, so I know who you're talking about."

"Well, the thing is, she's pretty sexy. Is she single, because if she isn't, I won't bother, but an alcoholic loser can fantasize, right?"

Nicky presses her lips together to keep from both cackling hysterically and gagging. She does both internally instead. She doesn't blame him, though, because Gloria is quite attractive in general. She just can't imagine a refined lady like Gloria being into Luschek, of all guys. From the get-go, any woman could see that he isn't mature enough for a serious relationship. He doesn't even groom himself or smell all that nice. He's more the kind of person someone could get drunk and party with. "Hate to burst your bubble, but she's not your type, man. Don't waste your time asking her out...she doesn't speak to you!"

"I'll have you know that we joked around _a lot_ last year and one time, we ran into each other at a dance club. She ground on me for half a song!" He points at her. "So, _ha_!"

She guffaws loudly. "Jesus, not even a full song? Gloria was probably hammered and counted that as a one-time fling...something she'd like to forget. Besides, that was most likely before-" She stops herself before she can reveal one bit of Gloria's dark past to her favorite teacher. "It happened a long time ago. Plus, I'm not sure she's digging anyone except Fahri right now."

He scoffs. "The janitor? Come on, she can do better than that! Are they even together? I have never seen signs that they do the hanky panky."

Nicky puts her hand up to interrupt him. "Hey, don't hate on the guy or his job...I get that it sucks to be rejected, especially through another person, but...logically, you two wouldn't make sense anyway. She's thirty, you're twenty-two, just got outta college, also known as frat boy land." She winces and screws up her nose. "The ages are kinda wonky."

"That's cool, I dig older ladies," Luschek insists with a smirk.

"She and Fahri are kinda getting hot for each other, and she's got kids. I don't think you're into that, since you just want fun with no strings attached, so..." Nicky drums her hands on her desktop. "I'd just, uh, stick to taking a cold shower."

Luschek sighs. "Damn, it was worth a try." He gestures towards the door. "Out you go, Nichols."

"See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya," Nicky replies jokingly. She meets up with Flaca, Alana, and Taystee in the hall outside the classroom.

"So what'd Luschek want with you?" Flaca wonders aloud.

"He asked me if Gloria was single since he wants to hook up with her."

"Ew, gross! Seriously?" Alana asks Nicky, and she, Taystee, and Flaca scrunch up their faces in displeasure.

"I shit you not."

"Picturing that makes me wanna vomit," Taystee mutters.

Nicky chuckles. "Yeah, well, I am the one who actually had to hear it from his mouth, and I just about laughed in his face. He thinks women are hotter when they get spooked easily, and Gloria with her PTSD...and the kids...I cannot see Gloria liking him unless she was on crack."

Flaca purses her lips. "He probably just into her big butt."

The girls roll their eyes. "Yeah..." Nicky, Taystee, and Alana say in unison.

The subject of Luschek being interested in Gloria is the talk of the table later at lunch. "Nooooo! He's so disgusting!" Lorna cries when Nicky has explained everything.

"He's asked my mom out before, but before he could suggest a place for them to go to, she shut him down," Alex reports, and everyone cracks up.

"Luschek was almost yo daaaaddy!" Poussey teases, and Alex throws a soft bread roll at her. Blanca claps a few times while throwing her head back and laughing.

"Grooooooss!" Daya and Maritza shout at the same time.

"You nasty, P," Taystee tells her best friend, but she hides a smile behind her fist.

"Can you imagine him interacting with Benny and Julio?" Alana wants to know. "Taking care of them and assisting Glo when he can't even help himself seem decent and not lazy?"

Michelle shakes her head no while quickly swallowing her water as the others snigger. She hits her shoulder playfully. "Stop it! Don't make me snort this out my nose."

"I hope he keeps his hands to himself," Allison mutters.

"I know, dude, I told him to back off, and he listened to me," Nicky lets her know.

"You sure about that?" Blanca asks while raising an eyebrow, the hint of a smile tugging on her lips. She nods towards where Luschek is headed into the cafeteria's backroom.

"He determined, I'll give him that," Ouija mutters.

Nicky covers her face with her hands. "Fuckin' idiot..."

"Oh, god!" Alex groans.

"No, _really_?" Flaca just about hollers.

"He won't take her aversion to being touched or flirted with seriously," Maritza worries aloud.

"If he triggers her, I swear to _fuck_!" Daya nearly growls.

"Yo, she got a lotta people there ready to kick his ass if he tries anything," Pidge states. "Calm down, girl."

"I actually smell some secondhand embarrassment coming..." Lorna says in a sing-song voice.

"In three, two, one," Allison murmurs.

* * *

"Hey," Joel says as he walks into the backroom with his hands in his pockets.

The lunch ladies and Fahri wave at him politely.

"Gloria...how's it hangin'?" he asks with a wink. "Long time no talk, right?"

"Yeah, it's just been real busy on my end." A wave of awkwardness washes over Gloria. She used to banter with him all the time when she first started working here, but after they'd let loose on a Saturday night with music blaring, she's wanted to keep a safe distance between them. Once she'd developed post-traumatic stress disorder, she hadn't felt comfortable listening to his weird humor and didn't have anything witty to reply back with. They'd drifted apart, and neither of them made an effort to communicate again, until now, apparently.

"I mean no disrespect, but here," Joel announces while holding out a piece of paper with his number on it towards Gloria. "If you ever wanna call me, plan a get-together to catch each other up on our lives? We can maybe, I dunno, reconnect?"

Aleida scowls at him and flicks a spatula upwards. "She don't want you, dweeb! Get outta here!" she snaps before Gloria can say anything. "You don't know what she been through!"

"Yeah...I'm not interested, sorry," Gloria declines. She keeps her gaze locked on Fahri and he simply looks relieved that she'd said no to her co-worker's invitation. They grin at each other subtly and then she looks back at Joel. "I don't think we're a compatible match."

"Okay, it's cool, no worries, have a nice day, we can uh, still be friends if you want..."

"Fine with me," she says as he walks out. Fahri chuckles and Aleida and Red burst out cackling after he's gone.

* * *

"You didn't take my advice seriously?" Nicky asks Luschek incredulously as he passes the girls' table.

"You joke around a lot, so I wanted to hear it from Gloria herself if she likes me, too."

"Okay, and how'd it go?"

He groans and takes a few steps back. "My attempts to woo her didn't work."

Nicky smirks. "I kinda tried to tell you so, didn't I?" The girls laugh behind their palms.

"It's a shame, she'll never get to ride in my DeLorean."

"Fahri's got a limo, so she's good there, don't worry," Blanca tells him.

"Yeah, and plus, she ain't materialistic," Daya adds.

"At least you got somebody who likes you," Flaca says. He turns around to face Zirconia, who has a wide, creepy grin on her face.

"Aw, no, that's illegal!" he sputters and walks past her.

"Hi, sugar!" Judy King calls out and catches up with him. He makes a face but leaves with her.

* * *

"I saw some cunt helping Diablo a little too much," Blanca grumbles as soon as she gets into the backroom. She ambles towards Gloria with her arms crossed over her chest. "Do you think he's looked at my before pictures so many times he realized he's going out with a girl who's one shower and week without waxing away from becoming an ape?" That random bitch's insult from yesterday should've meant nothing to Blanca, she knows that, but it had cut deep into her.

"You are gorgeous no matter what," Gloria reassures her. "If he don't see that, _he's_ the ugly one! Not you, sweetie."

Blanca sighs. "Thanks...but I don't have natural beauty. I have to use artificial products to make myself look better."

"We all do!" Red states and Norma nods her head yes in agreement.

"Yeah, none of us are like perfect supermodels, especially when we first wake up in the morning or have come out of a shower," Aleida points out.

"A lot of my friends are," Blanca objects. "Trust me, I've seen 'em."

"Okay, well, what's going on with Diablo? Just because another gal was overly assisting him...did he really need it and you weren't there?" Claudette asks.

"She was in his class, and she wheeled him out into the cafeteria with her face practically close to his and she was bent over as she squawked into his ear about...something I don't know. He smiled...like he was interested in what she was saying and didn't really look at me."

"Who was it? Do they need bloody tampons in their food?" Red demands, her voice taking on a sharp edge.

Blanca shrugs helplessly. "I dunno. Lots of girls fawn over him...it's so close to my quinceñera and everything..."

"Just make him jealous," Gloria advises Blanca simply. "See how he likes it." Norma gives Gloria a thumbs up and the other ladies smirk at her suggestion.

"What if he doesn't give a shit?"

"Then he ain't the one for you!" Aleida responds.

The thought makes Blanca's heart ache. "I hope that's not the case."

Gloria pats her back sympathetically. "Me neither, cariño."

Just then, Fahri comes in with Ratman following him. Blanca is afraid of the asshole teacher and when she'd seen him the day he returned, she had wished so badly that her Diablo was there, just like she does now. Nicky had rubbed her back in comfort, but the blonde girl has no idea what he's like, so she'd spoken up against him. She didn't think he was that bad, besides making Blanca stand on the table like a goat. He'd never drawn blood or broken bones, and Nicky hadn't heard his slurs before she met him. He hates her and Maria and thinks they belong in juvy. He's only correct about Maria. At the sight of him, Blanca hides behind Gloria and Red.

"Clean this up, terrorist," Ratman mutters while dumping a whole bunch of rats out onto the floor, causing Gloria and Aleida to shriek in alarm. Gloria jumps up on the table and then clutches onto Fahri while Blanca angrily stomps on a few of the scuttling rodents, squirting out blood as she does so. Red, Claudette, and Norma beat them with brooms and then Fahri sweeps the dead ones into his dustpan. Gloria stays put on the table, her terrified eyes focused on Fahri. Ratman just stands back, chuckling evilly.

"I...I have a huge fear of rats," Gloria says shakily as Fahri helps her down. She trembles in his arms.

"Get the fuck outta here!" Fahri commands Ratman as he keeps his arms securely around her. " _Now_ , you cruel son of a bitch."

"No, unless you'd like me to fuck her right in front of you guys," Ratman says casually while staring creepily at Blanca, who shudders and shifts her eyes away from him.

* * *

"How are things going with Charles?" Frieda asks on the plane ride home. "I haven't heard about him in a while."

Diane beams at Frieda mentioning her boyfriend. "Oh, just wonderful! I'm really happy in a relationship for the first time."

"Wow, that's great! So you two finally decided to become a couple?"

"Yeah. We were dancing at the Monte Carlo Room when he asked permission to kiss me, and I said yes!" Diane gushes. "I feel like it's a fairytale, but I don't ever want the story to end. He's the man I'd always dreamed of. He's so sweet...I know it's too early to say I love him, but imagining a future together and us growing old and him being a perfect dad for Alex is something I really want."

Frieda pats her hand lovingly and grins. "Aww, that sounds magical. You're right though, it's a bit soon..."

"I spilled my heart and soul out to him. I doubt there's any going back after that. He knows my entire dark childhood now."

"Really?" Frieda raises her eyebrow.

"Mm-hm," Diane murmurs while nodding her head yes. "I had a meltdown in front of him the night he'd come into Friendly's a second time after meeting me, and he was real nice about it. Lee had broken my heart and hit on Alex the day before, and Charles didn't take advantage of my vulnerability...he just sat there with me while I cried. He didn't try to push me into anything...he was just my friend. It's not like I was his one-night stand. I'm something to him, and he's definitely just as important in my life. He's extremely protective of me and he helps me out of panic attacks...and I can't stop swooning. On a lot of our dates, we just danced, he whirled me around and I laid against his chest as we moved as one, it was really romantic. He bought me flowers that night you took us home...pink roses, to be exact. He's hella kind and respectful to Alex, too."

Frieda pulls Diane in for a hug as best she can over the uncomfortable seat divider and kisses her temple. "I'm ecstatic for you, honey. Does she like him?"

"Yeah! She gave him her blessing for us to date when Charles carried me to bed one night after I'd fallen asleep on the couch. He's taught us both self-defense and made us each a key for his apartment and of course is letting us stay there...we'd be homeless otherwise, since our trailer park got flooded. He's also in the process of getting me a clerical job at his office."

"Awesome!" A concerned look washes over Frieda's face. "Hey, but if you were having financial problems, you could've called me. I wouldn't have turned you away. I pleaded self defense in all my crimes."

"I know, and Fahri offered his home as well, but we didn't want to intrude...plus, we thought our trailer park would be fine through what seemed like would only be a little rain. It survived for years, but...I was on the phone with Charles when it collapsed in front of our very eyes. Even then, we were gonna get a motel and figure out what to do from there, but Charles invited us to live with him for as long as we'd like." Diane smiles at the memory. "He wanted to keep us from the misery."

"Well, now, I feel like clapping him on the back and telling him he's doin' a job well done taking care of my girl and her baby!"

Diane giggles at Frieda's statement. "You should. He deserves that compliment because it's true! He's a good man."

"So you've told me. Has he said anything about his past?"

"No, but I've never really asked...should I?"

"Just if you want to, but not in a busybody way. Would you like me to run a background check on him?"

"Oh, god, no!" Diane exclaims. Her cheeks heat up with mortification at the very thought.

"I think I might. He seems a bit too perfect."

"What if he's just that, though? The best guy a girl could ask for? I know a number of dudes like him, so it's not as if he's the only one. Frieda...I don't care what he's done, as long as he's never cheated on me, been into creepy stuff like child porn, or hurt somebody who was innocent." Diane squeezes her eyes shut and reopens them. "I don't wanna hear nothin' about police brutality. The only people he's beaten up were monsters who caused me harm. If he hasn't told me anything like about his family, that doesn't matter. He will in due time. It's only been a month and a week since we started getting to know each other. It's not like we're gonna get married tomorrow or whatever."

Frieda exhales loudly. "Okay..."

* * *

"Hello there, Adarsh," Blanca says erotically as she leans against a doorframe near her friends' table in a seductive manner. While smiling flirtatiously, she licks her lips and bats her eyelashes at him. She flips her hair over her shoulder and slides up to him. Diablo watches her incredulously and he grits his teeth at them, but Blanca doesn't care. She wants to make him possessive again and envious so they can have rough sex later. "How are ya?"

"I'm...okay," he says awkwardly.

"You got somethin' in your eyes?" Flaca wonders out loud, but Blanca ignores her.

"Really? You want a massage?" Blanca giggles and lays her hands on his shoulders softly. The girls appear to be shocked and Daya glares at Blanca. "It could lead to romance..."

"No, that's fine. Uh, I'm not sure if you knew, but-"

Diablo takes off in the middle of Adarsh's sentence and Blanca smirks to herself.

"What were you saying?" Blanca asks sweetly, never taking her gaze off Diablo.

"I'm into Daya. I thought you're Diablo's girlfriend anyway..."

"Oh, I knew that! I am, but see, I wasn't sure if Diablo was still interested in me since tramps have been giving him attention and he didn't seem to mind. I don't think he knew I was around. I dunno what's goin' on with him." Blanca relaxes and sits between him and Nicky. "Sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. It's just that you're the only single guy here, so...and I apologize to you too, Daya."

"It's cool," they mumble in unison.

"Oh, girl, you should've talked to us first," Lorna tells her. "Following him when a cooze is with him is the best way to find out for sure if he was being disloyal."

"I spoke with Gloria and the other kitchen ladies and she said to cause him to be jealous. I suppose it worked, since he got pissed off!"

"If you're really that suspicious, maybe just get the truth from him, straight up?" Nicky suggests.

"Sure, I'll do that, too." Blanca gets up and rushes over to Diablo. Before she can get a word out when she reaches him though, he pulls her into his lap and captures her lips into a passionate kiss and bites her bottom lip in a way that makes tingles fly down into her lower region. As soon as they pull away from each other, Blanca grabs his hands. "La única razón por la que golpeé a Adarsh fue porque estabas dejando que las putas te ayudaran y ¡Dios sabe qué diablos más!"

 **The only reason I hit on Adarsh was because you were letting whores help you and God knows what the fuck else!**

"Nada, lo prometo! Estoy realmente agradecido ya que mi único amor verdadero no está en algunas de mis clases para ayudarme," Diablo defends himself.

 **Nothing, I promise! I'm just really grateful since my one true love isn't in some of my classes to help me.**

Blanca quirks an eyebrow up at him. "¿Seguro que no me estás engañando?"

 **You sure you're not cheating on me?**

Diablo nods. "Positivo." He beams at her, but she can tell he's hiding something still.

 **Positive.**

She puts her hands on her hips. "¿Por qué estás siendo tan reservado, entonces?"

 **Why you being so secretive, then?**

"Es la quinceñera de alguien pronto y estaba planeando algo especial para mi mejor chica." Blanca smiles at his words. "Todos tus amigos lo saben. ¡No voy a decirte lo que te tengo!"

 **I** **t's someone's quinceñera soon and I was planning something special for my best girl. All your friends know about it. I'm not gonna tell you what I got you!**

"Bien, bien, ¡no!" She narrows her eyes at Diablo. "¿Qué hay de esa perra que vi que se inclinaba demasiado cerca de ti?"

 **Well, good, don't! What about that bitch I saw who was leaning way too close to you?**

"Me estaba dejando saber qué pensaba comprarte para ti, ¡y creo que te va a encantar!" he explains. "Invitaste a toda la escuela, es probable que aparezcan muchos randoms..."

 **She was letting me know what she was thinking of buying for you, and I think you're gonna love it! You invited the whole school, there's bound to be a lot of randoms showing up...**

Blanca flushes in embarrassment. "¡Oh sí, debería haber pensado en eso!"

 **Oh yeah...I should've thought about that!**

Diablo chuckles. "Esta bien. Te voy a follar bien esta noche."

 **That's okay. I'm gonna fuck you hella good tonight.**

"¡Demonios sí, mi amor!"

 **Hell yeah, my love!**

They playfully growl together while making out fervently again, and all seems right with the world now.

* * *

"So, how'd you do it?"

Fahri turns around at Joel's question. The younger guy is standing at the entrance to the men's bathroom after work. "What?"

"Get the girl...uh, you know, Gloria? It seems impossible to be with her."

"For one thing, I didn't let her know about my mini-me when we danced together at the Monte Carlo Room." Fahri had gotten turned on by Gloria swaying against him that night, but he made sure to move slightly away from her so she wouldn't feel the tent in his pants and be uncomfortable. Giving her personal space is very important to him. He's, of course, noticed that her butt is sexy, but he won't say anything out loud or touch it. He's already trying very hard not to look too long. "Us guys are attracted to butts or hot ladies in general, that's how we are, but the way we handle ourselves around the women we're vibing is what's significant. Last time you danced with her for fun, and as friends, you got an erection against her right thigh and she was very uncomfortable."

Joel groans. "Man, she told you? I asked her to keep that private! I wasn't even sure if I should've said sorry or ignored it altogether...I just apologized, like way after."

"You should've apologized and backed off in the first place when you felt it coming!" _Stupid loser_ , Fahri adds in his head. "She shares all kinds of secrets with me. You're lucky she didn't tell her aunt," he says nonchalantly. "Uh, I just made her feel comfortable around me, something you should try for the next girl."

"Well she _does_ have an ass, I couldn't help myself..."

Fahri rolls his eyes and tries to keep the anger out of his tone. He can't blame other men for liking Gloria in the past and even now because she's such a fantastic woman, but none of them, except Leon and Charles, have really focused on any part of her except her bottom. He's so sick of it. "Of course you can, it's called self-control. I'm displaying it currently by not punching you in the face for that comment."

"I don't have a lot of that," Joel admits.

"I guess that's why you never had a chance with her," Fahri mutters and finishes scrubbing the last urinal. "I gotta wash up and go home now. You should too."

"Right, that's my cue to leave." Joel exits the room and Fahri lets out a slow breath through his gritted teeth.

* * *

"How's Frieda doin'?" Aleida wants to know as Diane takes a spot at her kitchen table. She spreads her fingers out on a piece of newspaper as Aleida prepares to paint her nails bright red. "Daya let me know Alex told her that you was with Frieda when her dad passed away last night. Sorry to hear, by the way."

Diane smiles at Aleida. "Thanks, I'll tell her you said so. She's alright. She says it was his time, but it's still somber and all. I slept over there with her and her aunt Jolene, and the two of us returned here around noon. We took a walk in the wilderness and I wanted to come here and get my nails done before seeing Charles again. She wants to officially meet him as my boyfriend, but I'm not sure when that would be."

"Mm." Aleida nods in understanding and strokes the crimson-coated brush over a few of Diane's nails after filing them. "Maybe on your birthday, that's comin' up."

"The thirteenth." Diane beams. "I can't wait. Like, that's the first time I'll have a special someone on a day that celebrates me. Of course, Alex means everything to me, but you know...it's nice to have a man to dote on you."

Aleida purses her lips. "Totally!"

"You wanna know somethin' weird?"

"Yeah."

"I got no clue of when I actually came into this world. Ain't like my parents bothered to tell me. So...I just picked the date when I met Frieda."

"Oh, nice! It's like you were born again."

Diane nods as Aleida finishes her right hand and begins on her left. "Exactly."

"You tell anyone else besides me, Alex, and Frieda before?"

"Just Charlie and Glo."

"I been thinkin'...what'd you have to do for Charles to live in his apartment?"

Diane quirks up an eyebrow. "Hm? Nothing, he took us in as soon as he knew we desperately needed help."

"He didn't make you like his servant girl or fuck you in the ass or whateva, expecting you to do sexual favors for him in exchange for staying at his place?"

"No, not at all! We were friends at the time, and he's been so patient with me...always letting me make the first moves, and when we first kissed, he asked if it was okay. He'd never treated me badly."

Aleida sighs and blows on Diane's completed shiny polished nails. She's truly happy for the other woman. "My ex before Cesar was such a dumbass...I dunno if you know him, but Charles might, he's on the police force. Rick Hopper, the biggest loser there ever was...in my life, at least. I'm aware you and Glo have bigger demons than mine."

"Your trauma is valid, too," Diane states.

Aleida bows her head as a shiver flows through her. It makes her so angry that she was raped since she feels like her dignity had been taken away from her, and she prefers to pretend it never happened. The little being in her belly is the only good thing that came out of it. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. I always try to block it out. Rick wasn't nearly as bad as that creeper, but still...he was terrible." She tells Diane the same story she'd told Leon.

"He sounds like a jerk," Diane mutters. "I'm glad you got Leon now...and your girls, both me and Glo and clearly, your children. I'm relieved none of us ladies are homeless no more."

"Me, too," Aleida agrees.

* * *

"I'm ba-ack!" Diane calls out as soon as she gets home. Her daughter and boyfriend come out from two different rooms, and she and Alex both squeal while hugging tightly. Charles picks Diane up and spins her around. Their fingers press into each other's cheeks and her palms cup his neck as they share a few soft kisses. His arms are still wound around her middle as he puts her back down to her feet, but their lips continue to touch about five more times. They let out breathless laughs when they finally come up for air.

Charles presses his slightly open mouth to her temple, resting it there for a moment, and then smiles down at her. "You look beautiful."

Diane beams. "Thank you. I'm happy to see your handsome face again." She turns to Alex. "I missed you too, baby. We've never been separated for very long since you started high school."

"Well, luckily, it was only a day. I feel worse for Frieda, who won't see her dad for the rest of her life," Alex says sadly.

"Same here," Charles murmurs.

"Yeah, me, too," Diane agrees. "She's upset, but I think she's also relieved that he isn't suffering anymore and he's with his wife now. She died before Frieda was even born...from an aneurysm."

"Whoa...that's how your brother...?" Alex trails off. She appears to be shocked, as does Charles.

Diane nods her head yes. "Frieda said the funeral would be in a week or two, so I'd go with her. You guys can join us if you want, but you don't have to."

"Of course...I'd love to!" Alex exclaims with more enthusiasm than Diane had expected. "She _is_ my grandma figure, after all."

"I think I should, too," Charles says. "I wanna be there for you and Frieda."

Diane beams at them and puts an arm around each of their shoulders. "Thanks, guys! So...what'd my two special peeps do last night?"

"I just went to Dairy Queen and slept over at Nicky's. Red called us the trouble twins." Alex rolls her eyes while Diane and Charles both chuckle. "No idea why. All we did was raid the refrigerator and sing to the music that Nicky played in her room! Lorna was at Flaca's and Tricia was getting makeup lessons from Franny and Lida, Red's son's girlfriend, so we had the apartment to ourselves pretty much. Red mostly spent time with Melanie."

"That sounds fun!" Diane comments.

"I spent the evening knitting," Charles lets Diane know. "It was a surprise for you and Alex. I'll get yours from my room."

"I have mine on from him right now!" Alex takes her hands out of her pockets and wiggles her fingers that are in purple and black striped fingerless gloves.

"I _assumed_ those were new! They're cute, he did a fantastic job!"

Alex smiles as Charles returns with a dark red scarf and a matching beanie. "Thank you, sweetie. I always thought you looked bangin' in this color!" Diane giggles while her boyfriend drapes the scarf loosely around her neck and sets the beanie onto her head and she adjusts it. "They go great with your lovely nails, too." He lifts both her hands and kisses them with so much tenderness that she swoons. "Now you both can keep warm and stylish all winter long." Diane and Alex beam at his words.

"You were awfully kind to do that for us!" Diane tells him.

"Hey, it was no big deal," Charles inisists.

"Well, I love mine. Thank you so much!" Diane gushes.

"So do I," Alex chimes in. "Thanks, dude."

"You're very welcome, ladies."

"I'll give you two time to yourselves to catch up!" Alex murmurs and throws Diane a wink before retreating into her bedroom.

Charles leads Diane to the sofa. "I feel like I owe you an apology, my love."

"For what?" Diane nestles herself into his arms and he holds her snugly against her chest. She braces herself for something awful. "As far as I know, you're not a shitty man."

"A while after our first kiss, I took a picture of you, but now that I know about your past with photoshoots, I'm afraid I could've traumatized you without realizing it."

She sighs with relief. "It's okay, it's different if it's someone I trust...and you took our relationship slow. I appreciate you tremendously for that. You don't gotta be sorry."

"Alright, that's good."

"Mm-hm..."

They beam at each other and lock lips.

* * *

"How did you entertain yourself with that ruckus at Dave and Busters?" Lida asks Red as she makes two Russian dishes, zharkoye and khachapuri. Nicky, Lorna, Franny, and Tricia are helping Red set the table.

"I read there and glanced up occasionally," Red answers.

"Of course when I came over and excitedly announced that I had a high score, she'd congratulate me," Tricia adds with a grin.

"You have a good mamochka," Lida comments.

Tricia hugs Red around her waist and smiles as Red tousles her blonde hair. "Yeah, I do."

"I'm so happy to finally get personal time with you since just saying hi at work is barely nothin'," Lorna tells Franny. "I did miss you, and I'm so relieved that you're here."

Franny puts her arm around Lorna. "I understand that. You've been through some traumatic stuff lately."

"Yeah..."

They all glance at Lorna sympathetically. "Hey, Lida, can you make tula gingerbread for dessert?" Nicky wants to know. "Ma says you're good at it."

"I am," Lida confirms proudly. "Sure, I don't mind."

"Maybe another night, though. I don't want your feet getting too sore from standing for so long," Red says.

"Galina, I'm fine!" Lida protests.

Red exhales loudly. "Okay, but we will all be of assistance to you."

"Thanks."

Right out of the blue, Tricia groans loudly while clutching her belly and everyone glances at her in alarm as she keels over. "Oh, god! This fucking hurts!" She runs to the bathroom and locks the door behind her. "My uterus is screaming at me..." She gasps in anguish as she yanks down her pants and sits on the toilet. She'd heard of period cramps before, but she had no idea they were this bad. She's shaking and sweating, and she whimpers as the agony rips through her abdomen over and over. "Is this what Hell feels like?!" she yells and then lets out a few sobs. "Ho-holy fuck..."

"Sweetheart, I have some Advil for you," Red says soothingly from outside. "It'll make the tremendous aches go away in just a half hour and it lasts for about five hours. Then you take it again until they disappear."

"You can sleep it off after downing a couple pills with water, that's what I've done before a number of times," Nicky adds. "I also got high, but that's beside the point. You're not gonna do drugs...uh, can you let us in, though?"

"Only you two," Tricia murmurs and then crawls to the door so she can open it for her mother and sister. They enter at once and kneel down to her level, where she's writhing around on the floor and pulling her pants back up. The cool tile feels nice and she wants to take a nap here forever.

"Sit up," Red instructs her while helping her do so. "Here." She drops two pills into Tricia's hand and Nicky gives her a cup of water. Tricia stuffs them in her mouth and gulps them down along with the water.

"Those are disgusting, they remind me of puke," Tricia complains while scrunching up her face.

"I know, sis, but they'll make you feel better for a while, at least." Nicky strokes her hair and cups her chin. "It sucks starting the crimson river down there. I'm sorry you also gotta deal with it."

"I remember the feeling, like you got kicked in the guts, right?" Red asks. "Mine stopped just recently, and I couldn't be more relieved."

Tricia nods silently and covers her face. "I hate Aunt Flo's visits. They don't end for another forty years?"

"Pretty much," Nicky answers solemnly. "It's basically your body saying, hey, congratulations, you're not pregnant!"

"Why can't Mother Nature send us all texts messages with that or something?!" Tricia growls. "Ow..."

"I wish she could, malyshka," Red says softly as she gathers Tricia into her arms and just holds her. "My youngest baby...you're growing up so fast..."

"That reminds me...can you tighten my bra strap?" Tricia asks. "It keeps falling off my shoulder..."

"You were so proud to get your first bra just a few days ago," Nicky says while Red does as Tricia had requested of her. "Now I'm gonna share pads with you..."

"Thanks."

"This the worst part of becoming a woman," Red lets Tricia know. "It happens once a month for three to seven days, but there are ways to tell when it'll come so you can take pills as soon as you feel the slightest twinge, like a dull ache."

"Like you gotta take a shit but you're not passing gas," Nicky clarifies further.

"Ew," Tricia mumbles. "Honestly, I was just wanting the boobs..."

They chuckle above her. "There isn't a girl or lady alive that feels the way you do," Red murmurs.

* * *

At Friendly's, a bunch of the girls are sitting around and waiting for their food. They're in high spirits since someone has volunteered to be the band's manager. When a woman in her mid-fifties with light brown hair down to her chest and bangs walks through the doors, Nicky recognizes her instantly. "Barb!" she squeals as she jumps up from her chair, races over to the lady, and gives her a fierce hug. "It's been forever!" Out of the corner of her eye, Nicky sees that the girl who had randomly hit on Daya outside school one time is behind Barb with a few other girls.

Barb grins, showing off a set of yellowed teeth. "I know, my Nicky baby. I've missed you!"

"So have I!" Nicky gestures for Barb to sit, so the older woman does. Everyone is staring at them in confusion, and Diane appears to be slightly alarmed. "Uh, we met while I was homeless. I got her off drugs," Nicky explains proudly.

"I was on much harder stuff than Nicky," Barb adds and then looks at Diane for a split second. Her eyes widen as Diane turns away. "I turned myself around, though, thanks to her." She grins in Nicky's direction. "I got myself a boyfriend. What about you?"

"Congrats!" Nicky hi-fives Barb and takes Lorna's hand in hers. "This is my girlfriend, Lorna."

Barb shakes Lorna's hand. "Hello, nice to meet you."

"You, too!" Lorna says eagerly.

Barb points at Allison. "Hey, I remember you. The bus, right?"

Allison nods her head yes and grins shyly. "I have no clue what would've happened if it weren't for you, but nothing good."

After Nicky introduces her to Alex, Michelle, Blanca, Flaca, Maritza, Daya, Alana, Taystee, Poussey, Cindy, and Pennsatucky, Barb has them meet the girls who had come in with her. She gestures to the Latina who resembles Daya a bit. "Daddy."

"How you doin?" Daddy asks flirtatiously while winking in Daya's direction.

"Annalisa."

A short-haired blonde girl with pale skin and lifeless seeming eyes glares at Nicky while waving at the rest of the group. She puts her arm through Daddy's. "Don't even think about it."

"I'm not blind, babe," Daddy murmurs as Daya looks down, appearing uncomfortable.

"Tina."

The curly-haired blonde grits her teeth as her eyes practically bug out of their sockets, and Nicky can only assume she, along with Annalisa, is strung out. "Hi," she slurs.

"Adeola."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance!" the Jamaican girl greets them.

"I'm gonna be your band manager!" Barb announces cheerfully.

"Yaaaay!" Flaca and Maritza shout together while clapping happily.

"I've already thought up a song and shit! You girls can't just rip off other artists-"

"Oh, this is just for fun!" Taystee protests.

"I want to make you girls stars!" Barb insists. "It'll be even more enjoyable if you're creative. Is it okay if mine join you?"

The band members nod their heads yes in unison.

Diane clears her throat. "Hey, can I help lead the band?"

"Of course you can! I'd be blessed, darling," Barb says sweetly. "Could you fetch me a job application? I just _have_ to work here, the place looks fab!"

"Sure," Diane responds quickly and disappears into the backroom.

"Before we start...why aren't the rest of you gorgeous girls part of the band?" Barb wants to know.

"We can't sing," Daya mumbles.

"I bet you'll sing me praises in bed," Daddy says in a joking manner, and Annalisa elbows her in the ribs.

Daya rolls her eyes. "Would you just cut it out?!"

"It's true, we suck," Alex tells Barb.

Lorna nods her head yes in agreement. "I've tried twice, but my voice cracks and I'm really off-key."

"The most I can do is hum," Michelle adds.

"Same," Blanca says.

"I've got a kid, I can't be on tour all the time," Allison points out.

Barb sighs. "Alana...that's your name, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry to say, but you don't have the face for this."

Alana physically sinks in her seat. "Yeah, well, uh...neither does Annalisa, who looks like the product of a ghost and a zombie fucking!" Blanca snaps, and Annalisa gives her the finger.

"Oh, good burn," Nicky whispers, and Blanca smirks. Alex stifles a giggle behind her fist.

"We'll give her and the rest of my girls makeovers," Barb says calmly. "As for Alana, the sad puppy dog eyes cannot ever be fixed. She's also extremely clumsy and could trip easily over whatever's in her path." She turns to Alana. "Honey, you can still sing, but behind a microphone, so nobody can see you, but they hear your presumably pretty voice."

"No! I refuse to be used like that!" Alana practically hollers. "Stupid bitch!" She stomps out of the restaurant and most of the girls gaze after her sadly. Only Blanca follows her out the door.

"How could you be so cruel?" Alex hisses.

"Appearance is very important to me, that's all. She didn't have it. It's a shame we lost her...I was gonna have Lorna lipsynch while she sings-"

"I would've loved to do that!" Lorna beams and bounces in her seat. She puts her hand to her heart. "I'd be so honored, Barb! Thank you so much!"

Nicky shoots her a weird look. She has no idea how Lorna is so attached to Barb already. "Uh, she literally just insulted one of our friends..."

"Don't damper my excitement!" Lorna says a bit louder than necessary.

"Alana has great hair, by the way!" Maritza adds.

"Yo, we're not vibing this. Alana's part of the band," Flaca states.

"Of course she is, and her hair is wonderful, but she chose to walk away!" Barb tells them.

Diane comes back to the counter with a few papers. "Hey, what seems to be the problem?"

"Alana took offense to my saying she can sing backstage while Lorna mouths the lyrics," Barb responds. "I tried not to say it rudely..."

"Well, any way you spin it, Barb, the girl's gonna be heartbroken," Diane says. "Why not just not let it bother you? The rest of the girls like her just fine, and to me, she's amazingly talented."

"She'll also fall flat on her face at any given moment and bust her nose again. I've seen her videos when she makes fun of herself. She also looks like she's about to burst into tears, and we can't have that."

"I'll sing behind the scenes!" Suzanne pipes up. Nicky is shocked that nobody even noticed her before now. "Please let me do it! My name is Suzanne, by the way."

"Finally!" Barb exclaims. "Go ahead."

"Hooray!" Suzanne cheers.

"We should find someone else," Poussey decides out loud.

"Yo ass is out too, Barb," Cindy adds.

"You need me!" Barb says sternly.

Cindy huffs. "What's the catch?"

"Barb is right," Diane tells them as they're getting up to leave, surprising them all. "Hasn't she been the first to volunteer after over twenty-four hours?"

"Well, yes, but we just wanted a drummer," Pennsatucky mumbles. "It hasn't been that long. We ain't too impatient."

Daddy raises her hand. "I'm an excellent drummer, trust me!"

Nicky grins at her. "You're hired."

"How about this. You can get rid of me if someone else comes along. I've got plenty of free time on my hands, and it doesn't seem like folks really want to be in charge of a high school band. Everyone's so busy these days." Barb presses her hands together. "Come on, girls, please? I gotta be the leader of _something_...and I really wanna help!"

Diane nods encouragingly. _Say yes_ , she mouths.

"Mom-" Alex starts, but Diane puts her index finger to her lips. Alex just stares at her mother with an appalled expression on her face.

"Nicky baby, I need this, okay?" Barb begs. "It's either this or drugs and God knows me and the girls need a hobby!"

"Yes!" Lorna shrieks joyfully. "Oh, a thousand times, yes!"

Nicky sighs heavily. "Whatever. It's fine."

"Okay, but you gotta apologize to Alana," Taystee says.

"I will," Barb assures her.

Flaca and Maritza shrug. "Alright..."

"Uh-huh," Pennsatucky mumbles.

"I'm in," Poussey says reluctantly.

"Me too," Cindy adds.

"Whoo-hoo!" Barb cheers. "We have a band! Now, for the first part of my song! Daddy, get on the drums!" The girl obeys her.

"Let's hear it," Diane says pleasantly.

"You should've gone to heaven...now we're stuck in hell...wishing we could get ya...baby, if you couldn't tell… I love you, but I hate you...you never slip my mind...it's so fucked up and I want your whole god damn life to unwind!" Barb belts out, almost screaming the lyrics. She sounds fantastic. The girls clap and cheer for her, but Diane seems hesitant and nervous all of a sudden when Barb isn't facing her.

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing, Johanna002 and MinervaSnape394!**


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